Boundaries : A literature review on knowledge sharing between units in organizations

Although mentioned in research shedding light on spanning boundaries, the mechanisms underlying the relationship between formal boundaries and communication in organizations are not widely known. As a member of an organization divided into functional units, my own experience tells me that knowledge of boundaries might be limited in organizations. In this literature review the phenomenon of boundaries is explained to the extent of formal units in organizations and with regards to the effect and function of knowledge sharing between these units. With the theory of structure, I place a framework on the study that encapsulates the results and the co-worker as an active part of the knowledge sharing unit in a greater whole of the organization. The joint responsibility for the knowledge flow and the function of a boundary as both a barrier and a protection for knowledge places the worker in a role of active participant. I have noted that the words defining boundaries and relating subjects does not exist in a joint perspective and I suggest this for future research along with the question of effects of language barriers