Knowledge Flows and the Use of Internet-Related Information
Technologies in Public Sector Organizations:
A Comparative Case Study
DRAFT
Maria Christina Scharf
Harvard University
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Abstract
This paper examines knowledge sharing processes in digital government projects (DGPs). Although
knowledge sharing processes are a central feature of the functioning of government, they have received
little attention in the literature. The importance of knowledge sharing has become even more evident with
the rise of digital government initiatives, as these have a networking effect on bureaucracies. With multiple
agencies and multidisciplinary knowledge coming together, it is necessary to combine and reconnect the
required knowledge. Based on empirical data from four DGPs in Switzerland and the United States, a
theoretical model for knowledge sharing in DGPs is proposed. The model ties together processes and content
of knowledge sharing through two task dimensions, each of them subdivided into two phases: (1)
Conception and implementation of the project, and (2) Exploration and exploitation of knowledge. The study
concludes with implications for research and practice.
APSA Annual Meeting, 27-31 August 2003, Philadelphia