The not-so-open Wikis : structures of collaboration at work

The current paper discusses issues related to the use of the wiki technology at theworkplace for social knowledge collaboration and sharing. This kind of technology isprincipally flexible and free in the sense of allowing people to create, edit, and shape contentcollaboratively. However, this paper argues that the application and use of a wiki within anorganizational setting might be influenced by social and structural properties that governcollaboration and sharing. It is based on empirical data obtained through eleven semistructuredinterviews with employees working for a large multinational organization. Thetheory of structuration was used as a theoretical framework to guide the empirical inquiry.Eventually, the paper concludes with discussing a number of structures associated withevolving norms, interpretations, and resources that govern and shape the use of a wiki as atool for social and open collaboration