Stimulating situated learning within projects: personalizing the flow of knowledge

This paper provides an empirical insight into the social complexities of practically supporting the knowledge creation processes within a project setting. It helps address a gap in knowledge in the project management, organizational learning and knowledge management literatures, concerning the dynamics of situated learning. Drawing on the findings of a participative action research case study investigation of project-based learning, this paper argues that predominantly adopting a ‘personalization approach’ to manage knowledge flows within a project setting most significantly stimulates situated learning activity. This approach also underpins project participants' communal and critical reflection on their knowledge management practices and on other sociological elements within their environments that affect their situated learning activities. Undertaking those learning actions only further energizes project participants' learning activity and progressively helps develop their skills in ‘learning how to learn’.