In a flash of time: knowledge resources that enable professional cross-boundary work

Abstract

In this paper, we highlight the networked context of the professions. In particular, we indicate that neo-classical professionals tend to work across organizational boundaries in project teams, often to meet the needs of clients and the wider society. However, little is known about the resources that professionals draw on to meet immediate, fast paced, client demands in project network organizations (PNOs). We pinpoint how knowledge resources, human, social and organizational capital enable professionals to produce outputs at a fast pace/tempo. Temporality emerged as an unexpected but key issue in our empirical research and we explore this further here. First, we put forward how professional work organization(s) has changed by focusing on the boundaries of organizations, and how this is often temporary and project-driven. Second, we use the specific lens of knowledge resources which are drawn upon to enable networked working and ask the question: which knowledge resources enable professionals to work at a fast pace within networks? Third, appreciative of the vast literature on temporary and networked organizations in professional work, our focus is beyond a single profession or organization, and hence, we build upon the prior research on PNOs. We do this by drawing on empirical data of a humanitarian aid project networked organization (HN) that upscales across its network at high speed, often within days, to generate funds for humanitarian disasters in order to save lives.