Journal of Knowledge Management, Volume 21, Issue 4, Page 839-856, July 2017.
Purpose The growing needs of interdisciplinary research have been hindered by implementation difficulties because of factors such as the availability and distribution of related knowledge. Knowledge management could be a viable solution to address the problems of interdisciplinary research and further its synergic effect by optimizing the use of knowledge across different disciplines. A knowledge management ecological (KME) approach that facilitates the study of knowledge management in discourses between different disciplines was proposed and applied in a case study within an interdisciplinary environment comprising three disciplines: software development, software business and music education. Design/methodology/approach Semi-structured interviews were conducted with three groups of key informants to examine the knowledge management processes within the environment. Findings The findings reveal the details of knowledge management activities in each of the three disciplines, but the lack of collaboration between them limits the opportunity for a synergistic effect to benefit the cross-discipline environment. Originality/value This study shows how the KME approach can be used to deepen the interdisciplinary understanding of knowledge management within and between different disciplines.