Knowledge management and business strategy : Communities of practice can give you that competitive edge

Purpose – To investigate attitudes towards knowledge management (KM) in creative professional service firms (PSFs) and explore the role of communities of practice as a way to leverage expertise within the firm. Design/methodology/approach – Presents a single-firm case study of a medium-sized architectural practice in New Zealand. Findings – There is an old country saying along the lines that “muck and money should be spread around if they are to do any good” – and the same could very well be said about knowledge. Knowledge is an essential tool for PSFs. In areas like architecture, software development or media, being able to bring together expert creative knowledge is what gives PSFs their competitive edge. Research limitations/implications – Suggests opportunities for further research to extend the generalizability of findings by extending the study to a greater number of creative PSFs in a range of countries. Practical implications – Proposes a framework linking KM strategies based on codification and personalization with the overall business strategy of the organization through the use of communities of practice (CoPs). Social implications – Highlights the importance of CoPs as a potential source of competitive advantage for creative PSFs whose success depends on shared expertise and leveraging the knowledge contained within the business. Originality/value – Demonstrates that personalization and codification strategies for KM can be combined, focusing on the one most appropriate to the overall business strategy and using the other in a supporting role.