Knowledge co-creation in MDTs: An intellectual capital perspective

As work becomes more complex, organizations increasingly rely on professionals from multiple disciplines working together in a team. Such multidisciplinary teams (MDTs) collaborate with the goal to co-create knowledge, i.e. collectively develop new knowledge based on the combination of different perspectives. MDTs benefit from the diverse knowledge available to them, however, also face the challenge of bridging the gaps arising from the differences between disciplines. Research has not sufficiently understood how teams approach these unique dynamics to collaboratively co-create knowledge. This study explores this question building on Fong’s (2006) knowledge co-creation model, insights about multidisciplinary collaboration (MDC), and intellectual capital theory. Applying a multi-case study strategy, 18 interviews within nine cases have been conducted with members and managers of MDTs. The results encompass the processes MDTs follow to co-create knowledge and the factors enabling them to achieve this. The developed three phases begin with the knowledge of the individual members (human capital), which is then mobilized in team interactions and dynamics (social capital), and lastly retained in the knowledge bases of the individual, team, and organization. The gained insights contribute to intellectual capital theory and extend the theory of knowledge co-creation in the multidisciplinary setting to better encompass its complexity.