Capabilities for Knowledge Management in Virtual Collaboration: A Systematic Review

Abstract

Virtual collaboration has become an integrated part of knowledge-intensive work, especially after the pandemic. Researchers claim that working partly in the physical workplace and partly working virtually will persist in the future among knowledge workers. As knowledge sharing is a challenge when working across distances, it highlights the need for knowledge-intensive organizations to develop capabilities for knowledge management (KM). Capabilities will be investigated as organizational factors that create, extend, or modify behavior, aiming for effective KM across distances. This systematic literature review explores how knowledge creation, retention, and transfer are managed in virtual collaboration and the required capabilities for this process. Based on 33 articles, the study found that organizational structures facilitating frequent interactions and transactive memory, supported by technology, enable capabilities for KM. Hence, retention and transfer of tacit knowledge are challenged and might be a hindering factor.