How Does Knowledge Integration Occur during Information Systems Projects - An Empirical Investigation of the Influence of Social Capital

Abstract

IS Projects are characterized by their organizational scope. They need to integrate the specific knowledge held by an organization’s members to succeed. To do so, broad exchanges between people inside and outside the project team are required. Knowledge integration, i.e. sharing and creation of new knowledge, is part of any project. Knowledge integration follows several phases that are often long and complex, depending on the actors involved. As a consequence, knowledge integration can be affected by the social capital of the project members. An empirical investigation in two French SMEs aiming to improve their information systems shows that the three dimensions of social capital (structural, relational and cognitive) influence the knowledge integration process, even if no differentiated effect is observed through the different phases of the process. The distinction of three phases in integration, mobilizing different levels of knowledge, is confirmed, offering a promising understanding of the knowledge creation mechanisms in context of IS projects.