Virtual and inter-organizational processes of knowledge creation and Ba for sustainable management of rivers

The chapter aims to reflect on the evolution of different “types” of Ba as places for knowledge creation. Actually, it would seem that the extension of the knowledge spiral to the inter-organizational level is inevitable. To this end, virtual communities can establish effective interactions for the exchange of knowledge. According to the existing literature, tacit knowledge sharing would seem to be possible mainly through face-to-face interactions. As a matter of fact, organizational and knowledge management authors have yet to investigate these issues to find a new model that contextualizes the Ba in virtual and inter-organizational environments. This chapter attempts to fill this gap and study this topic, offering a novel approach. The chapter is based on a case study of a knowledge management virtual platform that finds application in a project aimed at improving the level of resilience and safety of a river. The project, called BLESS+ within the framework of a European research project called “BIVEE: Business Innovation in Virtual Enterprise Environments”. Both projects were developed within the broader framework of another project, called Flumen, aimed at the sustainable management of the same river. Adopting a Participatory Action Research approach, this chapter illustrates an evolution of the SECI (Socialization, Externalization, Combination, Internalization) model for knowledge creation at the inter-organizational level. Moreover, through a learning history, it describes how all the phases of the SECI process, including socialization, can take place in virtual spaces. The chapter aims to produce a theoretical generalization to advance the SECI knowledge creation theoretical model so that it can be successfully applied to solve complex problems in the field of sustainable management of water systems.