Knowledge convergence theory: The role of knowledge transfer in a corporate transformation

The evolution of the information age has changed the nature of competition in the global society. In the last 100 years, incremental process improvements and the technology that supported those improvements have served their purpose. However, these incremental processes may not be sufficient as competition continues to demand rapid innovation, application, and deployment. Theories such as reengineering, though well intentioned, have not always been implemented successfully to achieve a positive transformation. This is a case study that explored ideas and developed a systemic theory grounded from the data. Knowledge convergence theory could enable U S WEST and similar organizations to design successful transformation strategies in concert with knowledge transfer. The study used the grounded theory methodology developed by Glaser and Strauss (1967). Grounded theory is the methodology for transformation in the 21st century because it requires the discipline of suspending preconception for the purpose of discovery. Twenty participants ranking from executive vice president to non-management administrative, gave open-ended interviews. Their experiences are inclusive of the three Bell operating companies--Mountain Bell, Northwestern Bell, and Pacific Northwest Bell--as well as other industries. From the data, emerged descriptions of an organization that has been in a loop of continuous transition for nearly 2 decades. I refer to this cycle as the state of perpetual anomie. It became apparent that the lack of knowledge transfer prohibited any sustained period of stabilization. Therefore, it hindered the company's ability to achieve a positive transformation through metamorphic regeneration. The words and stories of current and former employees, their voices collectively, have created a rhapsody on change.