The experience of being a knowledge manager in a multinational : a practice perspective.

Linh Chi Vo

Description

Sous la direction de Eleonord Mounoud
Thèse soutenue le 25 novembre 2009: Ecole centrale Paris
La littérature en knowledge management a connu une croissance exponentielle depuis quelques années, elle aborde une grande variété de sujets. Néanmoins, les travaux de recherche sur les gestionnaires en charge de mettre en place et de gérer la démarche de knowledge management sont très peu nombreux. Dans le tournant pratique (practice turn) apparu dans la théorie sociale et récemment mobilisé dans la littérature en gestion, la notion d’intentionnalité de l’acteur occupe une place dominante, alors que les pratiques pourraient être lus comme la résultante accidentelle de conditions et transformations de pratiques et discours antérieurs. Afin de contribuer à combler ces manques dans la littérature, mon travail de thèse porte sur la vie des knowledge managers dans une entreprise multinationale. Il s'agit de comprendre la nature de l’action que ces knowledge managers déploient pour parvenir à accomplir leurs missions dans un contexte organisationnel à la fois contraignant et facilitant où le KM doit se construire une place au sein des préoccupations quotidiennes multiples des dirigeants et des salariés. Cette recherche s’inspire du pragmatisme de Dewey. La méthode de recherche, construite à partir des travaux de Benner (1994) et van Manen (1990) qui sont ancrés dans la méthodologie de la phénoménologie interprétative, s’appuie sur des entretiens de type récits de pratique. Les participants à notre recherche sont sept knowledge managers dans un multinational. Ils sont localisés dans de différent pays, en France, en Autriche, au Canada, et en Chine. Avec chaque participant, nous avons fait deux entretiens approfondis de deux heures. L’analyse se fait en deux temps. Dans un premier temps, une analyse thématique permet d’identifier les points communs dans les expériences vécues par les knowledge managers. Elle nous conduit à proposer une image qui sert de fil rouge à notre analyse. Dans un deuxième temps, chaque expérience est analysée comme un paradigme c'est-à-dire une « façon d’être » un knowledge manager. La principale particularité du knowledge management est le fait que c’est une nouvelle fonction, qui n’a pas une place déjà marquée dans la vie de l’entreprise. Cette absence de territoire est une des principales réalités affrontées par les knowledge managers, qui doivent « faire avec » cette absence de territoire et tenter de trouver une place pour la fonction knowledge management. Cette particularité nous conduit à envisager les knowledge managers comme des « rafteurs », pratiquant le canoë-kayak en eaux vives. La rivière, ses obstacles et son puissant courant, renvoie au contexte organisationnel difficile pour les knowledge managers. Les knowledge managers tels des rafteurs, sont emportés par le courant qui les fait avancer et menacés par les obstacles. Ils se battent pour empêcher le bateau d’être renversé. Ils agissent pour éviter les obstacles et tirer le meilleur parti du courant. Les actions des knowledge managers peuvent être classées en trois catégories : intentionnelles, émergentes et contraintes. La dimension intentionnelle correspond à des actions de marketing interne. La dimension émergente peut être envisagée comme la recherche d’îlots de stabilité au milieu de la rivière. La fonction knowledge management cherche ainsi à trouver sa place en s’intégrant à des processus déjà existants au sein de l’organisation. La dimension contrainte est la nécessaire recherche de soutien que les knowledge managers doivent trouver pour mener à bien leur travail. De plus, nous avons identifié trois catégories de knowledge managers en fonction de leur capacité à faire avec l’absence de territoire de la fonction knowledge management. Parmi les sept knowledge managers, un a décidé de renoncer au poste du fait des difficultés, quatre sont toujours en train de se battre avec les obstacles et le puissant courrant pour obtenir une place dans la vie de l’organisation, et deux ont obtenu un certains succès.
-phénoménologie interprétative
-knowledge managers
Inspired by the lack of research on the practices of knowledge managers in the literature and the existing dominance of the building mode in strategy-as-practice research, this thesis has two attempts. One is to examine how the knowledge managers, as strategizing practitioners, do their job via intentional doing and practical coping in their particular context. Another is to understand how knowledge managers, as strategizing practitioners, live in their position. To develop an investigation framework, this thesis relies on the pragmatic theory of John Dewey, especially his perspective on the transactional relationship between man and the environment. The empirical investigation is carried out based on the six inter-related procedures put forward by van Manen (1990), which are in line with the spirit of hermeneutic phenomenology. Seven knowledge managers of a multinational, who work in different countries, including France, Austria, China, and Canada, were interviewed during two sessions of two hours. The interviews are semi-structured. The interpretation process relies on the model proposed by Benner (1994), which performs cross-case thematic analysis to show the common threads between the stories of the knowledge managers, and studies the paradigm cases using withincase analysis to understand the individuality of each story. Exemplars are used to convey the different aspects of the themes and paradigm cases presented. Validity is enhanced by internal verification and testing of interpretive description, craftsmanship quality (Kvale, 1996), and a validation of findings by the participant. An “audit trail” (Koch, 1994) is kept to help the reader follow the rationale of the researcher’s interpretations. The analysis reveals that the main particularity of knowledge management is that it is a new function. The knowledge managers have to build a place for the knowledge management function through a strategizing process to gain acceptance. The knowledge managers can be compared with the rafters on an angry river, with the river indicating the organizational context, and the rafting representing the strategizing process. The knowledge managers, as the rafters, are carried on as well as endangered by the current. They fight to protect their inflatable boat from sinking by trying to avoid the obstacles and taking advantage of what is useful for them on the river. From the cross-case thematic analysis, the strategizing actions, undertaken by the knowledge managers, are grouped into three categories: intentional, emergent, and constraint-responding. They are labelled marketing, island-finding, and force-building, respectively. From the paradigm-case analysis, the knowledge managers are divided into three groups based on their capability to survive the turbulent organizational context and build a territory for the knowledge management function. Among the seven knowledge manager, one has decided to give up the position, four are still struggling with the obstacles and the powerful current to obtain a place within the organizational life, and two have achieved certain success. They are named the defeated, the struggling, and the contented, respectively.
-interpretive phenomenology
-knowledge managers
Source: http://www.theses.fr/2009ECAP0038/document

Informations

• Publié par: Thesee
• Nombre de lectures: 26
• Langue: English
• Poids de l'ouvrage: 2 Mo

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ÉCOLE CENTRALE DES ARTS
ET MANUFACTURES
« ÉCOLE CENTRALE PARIS »


THÈSE
Linh Chi VO



pour l’obtention du

GRADE DE DOCTEUR

Spécialité : Sciences de Gestion

Laboratoire d’accueil : Génie Industriel

SUJET : The experience of being a knowledge manager in a multinational: a
practice perspective





soutenue le : 25 novembre 2009

devant un jury composé de :

Eléonore Mounoud, Maître de Conférences, Ecole Centrale Paris, Directeur de thèse
Hervé Laroche, Professeur, ESCP-EAP
Florence Allard-Poésie, Professeur, Université Paris 12, Rapporteur
Yvon Pesqueux, Professeur, CNAM, Rapporteur
Bente Elkjaer, Professeur, Danish University of Education
Robin Holt, Reader, University of Liverpool
2009 - ECAP0038



1
tel-00462064, version 1 - 8 Mar 2010L’Ecole Centrale Paris n’entend donner ni approbation ni improbation aux opinions émises dans cette
thèse: ces opinions doivent être considérées comme propres à leur auteur.
2
tel-00462064, version 1 - 8 Mar 2010I would like to dedicate this work in loving memory of my mother, Tran Kim Lan, an extraordinary
human being, whose presence has constantly been with me, is with me now, and will always be.

3
tel-00462064, version 1 - 8 Mar 2010ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
Doing this thesis has been a quite challenging but fascinating journey, which I would not be able to
complete without the help and support of many people. First and foremost I would like to thank my
supervisor, Eléonore Mounoud, for her kindness, guidance and knowledge, which have been so
necessary for me to complete this task. Her knowledge, patience and assistance have been
invaluable.
I would also like to give special thanks to Professor Hervé Laroche for accepting to preside over the
examining committee, to Professor Florence Allard-Poesie and Professor Yvon Pesqueux for
accepting to be the opponents of this thesis, and especially to Professor Bente Elkjaer and Dr Robin
Holt for traveling from far to come participate in my thesis defense.
I would especially like to thank the Laboratoire de Genie Industriel at Ecole Centrale Paris for
providing me with excellent working conditions, which were so crucial for me to pursue this research.
A heart-felt thank to the participants of this research, who shared their time, thoughts and their stories
with me so truthfully and generously. My thoughts and best wishes go with them.
Finally, this work could not have been completed without the support and assistance of my friends and
family. In particular I would like to thank Nathalie and Yoshiko for their invaluable comments on this
work. Special thanks go to my beloved Lan-Chi for being my great moral support, to my husband for
being so patient with me while I completed this work, and to my parents for their constant
encouragement.
4
tel-00462064, version 1 - 8 Mar 2010ABSTRACT
Inspired by the lack of research on the practices of knowledge managers in the literature and the
existing dominance of the building mode in strategy-as-practice research, this thesis has two attempts.
One is to examine how the knowledge managers, as strategizing practitioners, do their job via
intentional doing and practical coping in their particular context. Another is to understand how
knowledge managers, as strategizing practitioners, experience their position.
To develop an investigation framework, this thesis relies on the pragmatic theory of John Dewey,
especially his perspective on the transactional relationship between man and the environment. The
empirical investigation is carried out based on the six inter-related procedures put forward by van
Manen (1990), which stem from the methodology of hermeneutic phenomenology. Seven knowledge
managers of two branches of Lafarge Group, who work in different countries, including France, Austria,
China, and Canada, are interviewed during two sessions of two hours. The interviews are semi-
structured with open-ended questions.
The interpretation process relies on the model proposed by Benner (1994), which performs cross-case
thematic analysis to show the common threads between the stories of the knowledge managers, and
studies the paradigm cases using within-case analysis to understand the individuality of each story.
Exemplars are used to convey the different aspects of the themes and paradigm cases presented.
Validity is enhanced by internal verification and testing of interpretive description, craftsmanship
quality (Kvale, 1996), and a validation of findings by the participant. An “audit trail” (Koch, 1994) is kept
to help the reader follow the rationale of the researcher’s interpretations.
Dewey’s pragmatism and hermeneutic phenomelogical methodology help unveil a rich description of
the totality of lived experiences of the knowledge managers, including anything that appears or
presents itself such as actions, feelings, thoughts, and objects. It is revealed that the main particularity
of knowledge management is that it is a new function. The knowledge managers have to build a place
for the knowledge management function through a strategizing process. The knowledge managers
can be compared with the rafters on an angry river, with the river indicating the organizational context,
and the rafting representing the strategizing process. The knowledge managers, as the rafters, are
carried on as well as endangered by the current. They fight to protect their inflatable boat from sinking
by trying to avoid the obstacles and taking advantage of what is useful for them on the river. From the
cross-case thematic analysis, the strategizing actions, undertaken by the knowledge managers, are
grouped into three categories: intentional, emergent, and constraint-responding. They are labelled
marketing, island-finding, and force-building, respectively. Both building and dwelling modes are
present in these categories of strategizing actions. From the paradigm-case analysis, the knowledge
managers are divided into three groups based on their capability to survive the turbulent
organizational context and build a territory for the knowledge management function. Among the seven
knowledge manager, one has decided to give up the position, four are still struggling with the
obstacles and the powerful current to obtain a place within the organizational, and two have achieved
certain success. They are named the defeated, the struggling, and the contented, respectively. It is
also revealed that the experience of being a knowledge manager, as strategizing practitioner, is
unique to each individual, who undergoes a transactional relationship with the environment and learns
over time how to cope with it in a more effective way.
5
tel-00462064, version 1 - 8 Mar 2010LIST OF TABLES
Table 1: Theoretical frameworks on the activities of knowledge managers.......................................... 23
Table 2: Studies in strategy-as-practice literature underlined by the assumption of strategists as
initiators of activities, processes, and practices............................................................................ 43
Table 3: Studies in strategy-as-practice literature underlined by the assumption of expicit and
articulated aspects of strategic practices...................................................................................... 48
Table 4: Studies in strategy-as-practice perspective with the assumption of the intentionality of human
actions........................................................................................................................................... 50
Table 5: Research participants ........................................................................................................... 104
Table 6: Factors affecting equity in an interviewing relationship......................................................... 113
Table 7: Linking key ideas, concepts, sub-themes, and themes......................................................... 132
Table 8: Yvon’s story........................................................................................................................... 182
Table 9: Christina’s story..................................................................................................................... 186
Table 10: Alex’s story .......................................................................................................................... 190
Table 11: Kathy’s story........................................................................................................................ 193
Table 12: Mary’s story ......................................................................................................................... 197
Table 13: Carol’s story......................................................................................................................... 201
Table 14: Helen’s story........................................................................................................................ 206
Table 15: Summary of mission and river zone................................................................................... 210
Table 16: