• Show a good understanding of the theories in the course.
• Compare and evaluate the different theories and their application.
• Give recommendations as to how organizations can support coordination through organizational communication, knowledge sharing, and project coordination.
• Apply the different theories to diagnose practical challenges related to coordinating the different activities in the organization.
• Show knowledge of the relevant definitions, theories and frameworks.

In many modern organizations work is divided into projects and individual tasks. However, this division requires coordination such that the individual efforts collectively contribute to solving the problems facing the organization. Coordination happens through communication, project coordination and knowledge sharing and is especially challenging in complex, multinational organizations.

The aim of this course is to provide a basic understanding for the particular challenges associated with communication, project coordination and knowledge sharing, as well as how to reduce these challenges. Moreover, the course will look at how to practically share knowledge and coordinate projects in organizations.

Knowledge sharing is particularly problematic in that individuals don't always have the ability or motivation to share knowledge. Perhaps they are ignorant as to why the knowledge they possess is important to share with others. In addition, knowledge sometimes can take on many forms and is sometimes embedded in individuals, which makes all but impossible to share.

Problems associated with knowledge sharing and project coordination can be divided into themes according to individuals, formal and informal structures, the type of knowledge. We will touch upon each of these themes and also look how knowledge sharing and project coordination happens in practice. The course consists of five main modules:

1. Introduction: What is knowledge sharing and project coordination and how do we consider these concepts in an organizational context? 
2. Individuals: Why do individuals (not) always share knowledge? In some contexts individuals are more convinced that knowledge gives them power and they are therefore reluctant to share it – other perspectives show that individuals sometimes have altruistic motives for always sharing knowledge. Central concepts in this module are motivation, culture, trust and altruism.
3. Structure: What organizational frames provide the best context for knowledge sharing? For example, the time provided or the physical layout of the organization. Central concepts in this part of the course are social networks, office landscapes, organizational culture, distance and time.
4. Knowledge: What knowledge is it really that is to be shared and how – and how to best identify this knowledge? Here we often talk about best practices for the knowledge that should always be shared. But knowledge sharing also concerns knowledge about customers, knowledge about existing activities and knowledge about who knows what. This is complicated further by the fact that knowledge can take different shapes such as tacit versus explicit knowledge. The discussion of knowledge therefore also has an influence on what can – or should – be communicated in relation to organizational coordination. Central concepts in this part of the course include best practices, bench marking, valuable knowledge and underlying knowledge.  
5. Knowledge sharing and project coordination in practice. How do organizations ensure that projects and individual efforts are coordinated? Different methods will be discussed, for example, social media, office landscapes, meetings, physical locations and so on.

Text books:
Cheeney, George, Lars Thøger Christensen, Theodore E. Zorn & Shiv Ganesh 2010: Organizational communication in an age of globalization. Issues, reflections, practices. Long Grove: Waveland Press, Inc.
Christensen, Peter Holdt 2010: Mere videndeling. København: Hans Reitzels Forlag.
 
Examples of articles included:
 
Boh, Wai Fong 2007: Mechanisms for sharing knowledge in project-based organization. Information and Organization, vol. 17.
Borgatti, S. P. and Cross, R. 2003. A relational view of information seeking and learning in social networks. Management Science, 49: 432-445.
Cabrera, Á. og E.F. Cabrera 2002. Knowledge-sharing dilemmas. Organization Studies, 23 (5): 687-710.
Casciaro, T. and Lobo, M.S. 2005. Competent jerks, lovable fools, and the formation of social networks. Harvard Business Review, 6: 92-99.
Darr, E.D., Argote, L., and Epple, D. 1995. The acquisition, transfer, and depreciation of knowledge in service organizations: Productivity in franchises. Management Science, 41: 1750-1762.
Fayard, A-L. and Weeks, J. 2011. Who moved my cube? Harvard Business Review, 89: 102-110.
Gottschalg, O. og M. Zollo 2007. Interest alignment and competitive advantage. Academy of Management Review, 32 (2): 418-437.
Hatch, Mary Jo 1987. Physical barriers, task characteristics, and interaction activity in research and development firms. Administrative Science Quarterly, 32 (3): 387-399.
Heath, Chip & Staudenmayer, Nancy 2000. Coordination neglect: How lay theories of organizing complicate coordination in organizations. Research in Organizational Behaviour, vol. 22.
Menon, Tanya, Leigh Thompson & Hoon-Seok Choi 2006. Tainted knowledge vs. tempting knowledge: People avoid knowledge from internal rivals and seek knowledge from external rivals. Management Science, vol. 52 (8).
O’Leary, M.B., M. Mortensen og A.W. Woolley 2011. Multiple team membership: A theoretical model of its effects on productivity and learning for individuals and teams. Academy of Management Review, 36 (3): 461-478.
Ouchi, William G. 1980. Markets, bureaucracies, and clans. Administrative Science Quarterly, vol. 25.
Reagans, Ray and McEvily, Bill 2003. Network structure and knowledge transfer: The effects of cohesion and range. Administrative Science Quarterly, 48 (2): 240-267.