What have we learned so far? The development and application of an organisational learning narrative.

Burnett, Simon; Grinnall, Andy; Williams, Dorothy

Abstract

The use of narratives and stories has been growing in popularity in the field of knowledge management. Narratives may be used as useful vehicles for several knowledge-based activities within organisational (and other) contexts. These include acquiring and sharing knowledge in the form of personal experiences; the storage of explicit knowledge; and significantly, the development of personal knowledge and understanding through the use of narratives for sense-making. This paper presents research into the development and application of a method for the construction of a 'learning narrative': an organisational narrative developed for the specific purpose of sharing experiential knowledge. The paper presents a rationale for the use of narratives within knowledge management; details a methodological approach for the development of learning narratives; and highlights a number of benefits of the use of learning narratives, notably their use in sustaining and enhancing the quality of project-based work.

Citation

BURNETT, S., GRINNALL, A. and WILLIAMS, D. 2015. What have we learned so far? The development and application of an organisational learning narrative. Knowledge management research and practice [online], 13(2), pages 160-167. Available from: https://doi.org/10.1057/kmrp.2013.38

• Journal Article Type: Article
• Acceptance Date: Aug 12, 2013
• Online Publication Date: Aug 12, 2013
• Publication Date: Jun 30, 2015
• Deposit Date: Jul 9, 2015
• Publicly Available Date: Jul 9, 2015
• Journal: Knowledge management research and practice
• Print ISSN: 1477-8238
• Electronic ISSN: 1477-8246
• Publisher: Taylor and Francis
• Peer Reviewed: Peer Reviewed
• Volume: 13
• Issue: 2
• Pages: 160-167
• DOI: https://doi.org/10.1057/kmrp.2013.38
• Keywords: Narrative approaches; Sensemaking; Knowledge sharing; Learning
• Public URL: http://hdl.handle.net/10059/1232