Invitation to PhD course 9‐14 September, 2012 The Dynamics of Knowledge Integration Doctoral students are hereby invited to apply to the PhD course “The Dynamics of Knowledge
Integration”, organised by the KITE Research Group at Linköping University, Sweden
(www.liu.se/kite). The course gives 6 ECTS credits (plus optional 4 ECTS credits for a course paper). OBJECTIVES AND TARGET GROUP The objective of the course is to introduce the participants to theories of Knowledge Integration (KI),
and to discuss different methodologies used to capture it. The course will also examine the dynamic
features of KI in relation to adjacent research areas, such as innovation, knowledge creation,
knowledge accumulation and outsourcing.
The course is aimed at a broad range of PhD students, and the main requirement is that their subject
area can be clearly related to KI. This opens opportunities for doctoral projects within many areas,
such as, project management, innovation, technology management, new product development,
operations management, supply chain management, strategic management, knowledge management
and organizational studies, for example.
ORGANIZATION Individual preparation comprising a written review of the course book and comments on 8-10 articles,
submission of questions for a roundtable exam based on the literature, and a brief presentation or
“elevator pitch” by each participant is required prior to the course.
In Linköping, the course consists of five days of intensive sessions, of which two days includes active
participation in the 3rd advanced KITE workshop on Knowledge Integration and Innovation. Besides
seminars and lectures, participants will write an abstract for a paper that relates to KI, and work with
an assignment to cover the contents of the workshop. Please note that for those who are planning to
present a paper at the workshop, a separate application needs to be sent to KITE (see Call for Papers
on www.liu.se/kite).
After the activities in Linköping, there is an option to complete a course paper, with the aim that this
can be submitted to a conference. The paper writing process includes tutoring and a peer review
assignment. A full course description and study guide with detailed instructions for all assignments
will be available on KITE website by the end of March 2012.
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Special guests Besides the KITE faculty we have the pleasure to welcome a number of prominent researchers as part of the faculty of the course: COURSE OUTLINE AND CONTENTS IN BRIEF The course content consists of six main modules which will form the basis for our
scheduled activities in Linköping:
KNOWLEDGE INTEGRATION – THE FOUNDATIONS Discusses the development of different strands of research into knowledge integration.
The focus will be on the proliferation of themes of the growing research into
knowledge integration and innovation, but the module also encompasses the
identification of common themes and future research directions.
Module leader: Professor Fredrik Tell, KITE, Linköping University
KNOWLEDGE INTEGRATION AND KNOWLEDGE CREATION Professor Robert Grant Bocconi University
Extends the discussion of knowledge integration by focusing on the issue of
organizational knowledge creation. This issue raises basic questions regarding the
origin of new knowledge as well as the processes that are involved in turning tacit and
explicit knowledge into organizational knowledge.
Module leader: Professor Lars Lindkvist, KITE, Linköping University
KNOWLEDGE INTEGRATION, CREATIVE ACCUMULATION AND THE DYNAMICS OF ORGANIZATIONAL PATH DEPENDENCIES We compare two cumulative approaches to knowledge and capability development, the
creative accumulation and path dependence-frameworks, and what kind of processes
they tend to highlight. The module will also shed light on the limits of cumulative
processes such as the “lock-in”-problems discussed in path-dependence theories, and
the creative destruction-paradigm.
Professor Jörg Sydow Freie Universität, Berlin Module leaders: Professor Christian Berggren, KITE, Linköping University and
Professor Jörg Sydow, Freie Universität, Berlin
KNOWLEDGE INTEGRATION, OUTSOURCING AND OPEN INNOVATION Focuses on knowledge integration related to changes in firms’ organizational borders.
As a point of departure it takes the challenges for knowledge integration that follow
from different types of outsourcing and how these affect performance. The session
continues with discussions related to the concept of open innovation and specifically
the strategies for integrating external knowledge.
Professor Mette Præst Knudsen University of Southern Denmark
Module leaders: Professor Lars Bengtsson, KITE, University of Gävle and Professor
Mette Præst Knudsen, University of Southern Denmark
METHODOLOGIES FOR STUDYING KNOWLEDGE INTEGRATION Methodological practices and challenges of the empirical study of knowledge
integration will be critically reviewed and discussed, based on a number of published
empirical studies and the students’ own research projects. Issues such as research
design, operationalization of key concepts and level of analysis will be in focus.
Module leaders: Associate Professor Anna Bergek, KITE, Linköping University and
Professor Stefano Brusoni, ETH, Zürich
WRITING PAPER ABSTRACTS ON KNOWLEDGE INTEGRATION Professor Stefano Brusoni ETH, Zürich
During the activities in Linköping, participants will write an abstract that relates to KI
and their own thesis topic. In this module, we will discuss general guidelines for how
to write good abstracts, and feedback on the finished abstracts will be given by the
KITE Faculty and Professor Robert Grant.
Module leaders: Professor Christian Berggren, KITE, Linköping University and
Professor Robert Grant, Bocconi University
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LITERATURE The literature that will be studied ranges from texts that can be regarded as
central in forming the foundation of KI theories, to more recent texts that link
KI to other research areas. The main course book will be Knowledge
Integration & Innovation: Critical Challenges Facing International
Technology-Based Firms (Berggren, et al, 2011, Oxford University Press). In
addition to that, each module will include approximately three compulsory
articles.
A preliminary literature list will be available at www.liu.se/kite by the end of
March 2012, and a complete list will be available by 15 May, 2012 at the latest.
DATE AND LOCATION The course will take place 9-14 September 2012 at Linköping University, Sweden.
There will be an informal welcoming get-together on Sunday evening 9 September, and the official
course program starts in the morning on Monday 10 September.
APPLICATION, ADMISSION AND COSTS The deadline for application is 15 April 2012. The application should include:
 CV, including also a description of the current status of your PhD studies (max 5 pages)
 Letter of motivation, including a description of the thesis topic and its relationship to the topic of
knowledge integration (max 2 pages)
 Certificate from supervisor guaranteeing the course fee
The course fee is 300 Euro, including participation in the advanced KITE workshop (not presentation),
all lunches, a course dinner and a workshop dinner, but excluding accommodation. The course is
limited to 20 participants.
Notification of admission will be given by 15 May, 2012 at the latest.
CONTACTS For all correspondence, questions and submission of your application, please use the following email:
[email protected]
The course website, where all course information will be posted, is available at www.liu.se/kite.
We are looking forward to your application,
KITE Research Group through its PhD Course Organizing Team
Anna Bergek, Karin Bredin, Lars Lindkvist, Lars Bengtsson,
Hans Andersson, Christian Berggren, Svjetlana Pantic
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