Knowledge creation through collective phronesis

Abstract

An important proposition for corporate strategy aiming to adapt to or to create the convergence world view, is the creation of boundaries knowledge and convergence knowledge by the practical knowledge (practical wisdom) of practitioners. This paper presents elements of the collective phronesis of practitioners for the creation of boundaries knowledge and convergence knowledge, the basis for innovation through convergence. Collective phronesis, which is aggregations of leading autonomous and decentralized phronesis, entails the use of boundaries vision to inspire and create boundaries knowledge and Ba synthesizing capabilities to dynamically form the multilayered networks of Ba required for the creation of convergence knowledge. From in‐depth case studies of the high‐tech companies Apple and NTT DOCOMO, this paper presents the knowledge creating company model for continuously bringing about boundaries knowledge and convergence knowledge. As sustainable innovation communities, knowledge creating companies drive collective phronesis to combine various contradictions both inside and outside of themselves, including with customers, through their Ba synthesizing capabilities to dynamically configure and reconfigure multi‐layered networks of various Ba to achieve boundaries innovation.