Balancing technological and organizational platforms to create knowledge:Linking consultants' experience and literature.

The purpose of this paper is to explore the interplay and/or mutual reinforcement between the technological platform (information and communication technologies and systems (ICT/ICS)) on the one hand and organizational platform on the other hand to take advantage of the ICT applications to create knowledge. Emphasis is put on the dimensions that are manageable or at least partly under the control of management. After a brief presentation of the central concept used - primarily based on Winter (1987) and Nonaka (1994, 2000) - in this exploratory research, we present the results drawn from interviews with consultants in Knowledge management. The methodology is based on qualitative data analysis (Miles & Huberman, 1994). We identify differences as well as similarities in their perception of the role of ICT/ICS and organizational variables in knowledge creation. We also compare the “consultant – business” process with the theoretical frameworks and chosen literature. ICT/ICS applications help to capture, transfer and share existing knowledge. We developed a matrix of ICT/ICS specific contribution in the Nonaka’s matrix of four modes of knowledge conversion. Looking at ICT/ICS as a process, a model of “transformation of the information flow” is proposed. The prototype also highlights key dimensions (behaviour and organizational) that are manageable and contribute to develop the process of knowledge creation