Valuing of knowledge: meaning and identity in the organizational action

Abstract

The valuing of knowledge represents a gap in the field of organizational knowledge. This article aims at answering to which processes are adopted by individuals in the valuing of knowledge in organizations. The research, carried out with HR professionals, utilized the Grounded Theory Method. Results suggest that the individuals’ process of identification with the organizational identity has a central role in the valuing of knowledge. The organization, through its senior management or organizational routines, emerged as “the other” that seems to lead the guidelines to be followed, as well as which knowledge to assess and to value; it is the one that the organizational members seek to identify with. The individuals expressed mechanisms of assertion or reconstruction of their identities to generate, justify or negate their identification with the organization. It is suggested that the command model still prevails over vertical horizontal interaction, making it difficult to establish emergent knowledge among organizational members.