Knowledge Sharing in Heterogeneous Groups: An Empiri- cal Study of IT-Support for Sharing Better Practices

The paper reports from a study of knowledge sharing in a large and complex organisation. The objective of the study was to gain an in-depth understanding of the implementation and use of a web-based knowledge sharing system designed to facilitate the circulating of best practices among middle managers. We followed the system from its introduction in early 1997 until it was abandoned in the beginning of 2000. We focused on the way the system was introduced in the organization, how it changed, and how the intended group of users received (and eventually rejected) the system.