Property in knowledge work: an appropriation‐learning perspective

Abstract

Purpose

The aim of this paper is to understand the competitive and collaborative relations existing between people practising in the same professional occupation, but working within different organisation contexts of employment.

Design/methodology/approach

An interview study of 42 in‐house and external lawyers is reported and set within contexts of the knowledge management and internationalisation of legal services. The data are analysed from an appropriation‐learning perspective and then discussed for the extent that these two groups make similar claims to property in work.

Findings

The in‐house lawyers give highest priority to the protection of resources and knowledge and aim to achieve it through trust in work relationships and by sharing, diffusing and controlling knowledge. By contrast, issues concerning individual reward and empowerment were seen as lower priority. External lawyers attach similar importance to knowledge sharing, its diffusion and control, but have slightly less concern for protecting knowledge and resources. They place less emphasis on trust and seem to value empowerment through legal innovation more so than do the in‐house lawyers.

Research limitations/implications

Future research should be conducted on occupational and sub‐groups of knowledge workers to understand more systematically the dynamics of knowledge management, and the opportunities and constraints it creates for employees' property in work.

Originality/value

The research contributes to the literature on employees' property claims in work. It reflects on the extent that individuals' work identities must systematically adapt to different organisation contexts and approaches to knowledge management.

Citation

Pinnington, A.H., Kamoche, K. and Suseno, Y. (2009), "Property in knowledge work: an appropriation‐learning perspective", Employee Relations, Vol. 31 No. 1, pp. 57-80. https://doi.org/10.1108/01425450910916823