On IT systems and knowledge sharing in multi-national companies: a lesson from Siemens AG

This explorative case study aims at shedding light on the utilization of a specific Intranet-based knowledge-sharing platform, the ShareNet. This system is part of a €1bn investment campaign to transform Siemens into an e-driven company, and it is an important example of system enabling knowledge sharing between local subsidiaries within large multinationals. By investigating how such a company-wide system is structured and employing a theoretical model then three propositions about IT contribution to intra-firm knowledge sharing are formulated. Findings lead to the conclusion that, on one hand, IT systems represent an efficient mechanism for knowledge duplication through imitation between units with similar capabilities and, on the other, as a trigger for direct interaction resulting in knowledge development through joint problem solving between units having complementary capabilities.