Dr Ana Cristina Vasconcelos
BA (Lisboa, Portugal), PGDip (Lisboa, Portugal), PhD (Sheffield Hallam)
School of Information, Journalism and Communication
Senior Lecturer in Corporate Information Management
+44 114 222 2643
Full contact details
School of Information, Journalism and Communication
The Wave
2 Whitham Road
Sheffield
S10 2AH
- Profile
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My research focuses on knowledge processes in organisational adaptation: how organisations create, share and integrate knowledge; how they navigate knowledge boundaries and power relations; and how these processes shape their ability to adapt, innovate and remain resilient.
My work has been funded by the European Commission and the Arts and Humanities Research Council (AHRC). I was Principal Investigator for the Sheffield component of the EU-funded OrganiK project, which investigated new approaches to organisational knowledge management and developed tools to support knowledge sharing and collaboration in innovative European SMEs.
Achieving impact beyond academia is an important focus of my research. My work on organisational knowledge management contributed to a REF2014 impact case study, demonstrating how research-led approaches can improve knowledge sharing, collaboration and organisational practice. My current research examines how SMEs benefit from productivity interventions by exploring how they absorb new knowledge — acquiring and assimilating it, adapting it to their circumstances, and translating it into changes in organisational practice.
University/School responsibilities
- Lead, REF2029 Unit of Assessment 34: Communication, Cultural and Media Studies, Library and Information Management (2025–present)
- Director of Research and Innovation (2021–2025)
- Pathway Director, ESRC White Rose Doctoral Training Partnership (2017–2020)
- Director of Postgraduate Research (2012–2016)
- Research interests
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My research focuses on the relationship between knowledge absorption and organisational adaptation: how organisations encounter and recognise potentially valuable knowledge, make sense of it and assimilate it, and put it to use. My work examines how these processes shape learning and the capacity to adapt and change.
Closely connected to this is my work on knowledge boundaries: how differences in knowledge, expertise and understanding are negotiated and bridged within and between organisations. I am particularly interested in the power relations involved: what forms of knowledge are recognised as legitimate, what knowledge and perspectives are marginalised or excluded, and how these dynamics shape shared understanding and collective action.
Complementing this central research trajectory are contributions to understanding how information and knowledge failures contribute to the emergence and escalation of man-made disasters, as well as work on digital identity.
My research is primarily qualitative, with a particular interest in approaches that enable close examination of knowledge processes and structures, interactions, and change over time. I draw on Arenas/Social Worlds Theory as a theoretical lens, alongside methodological approaches such as grounded theory, situational analysis and discourse analysis.
I have supervised 14 students to successful completion and welcome enquiries from prospective PhD students interested in knowledge sharing and absorption, knowledge boundaries, and organisational learning and adaptation.
- Publications
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Edited books
- Knowledge Management. New York: John Wiley & Sons..
Journal articles
- Understanding the relationship between urban public space and social cohesion: a systematic review. International Journal of Community Well-Being, 7(2), 155-212. View this article in WRRO
- Knowledge sharing in project work: the dynamic interplay of knowledge domains and skills. Journal of Knowledge Management, 27(2), 328-355. View this article in WRRO
- Complexity and evolution of knowledge boundaries in an interdisciplinary research project. Knowledge and Process Management, 29(3), 296-306.
- Clique and elite: inter-organizational knowledge sharing across five star hotels in the Saudi Arabian religious tourism and hospitality industry. Journal of Knowledge Management, 22(6), 1358-1378. View this article in WRRO
- Distinguishing micro-businesses from SMEs: a systematic review of growth constraints. Journal of Small Business and Enterprise Development, 23(4), 939-963. View this article in WRRO
- The ShaRInK framework: a holistic perspective on key categories of influences shaping individual perceptions of knowledge sharing. Journal of Knowledge Management, 19(4), 770-790. View this article in WRRO
- Evaluating the intellectual assets in the scholarship and collections directorate at the british library. Library Management, 36(3), 215-222. View this article in WRRO
- Network Analysis of a Virtual Community of Learning of Economics Educators. Information Research: an international electronic journal, 20(1).
- An investigation into the impact of information behaviour on information failure: The Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power disaster. International Journal of Information Management, 35(1), 57-63.
- 'The presentation of self in the online world': Goffman and the study of online identities. Journal of Information Science, 39(1), 101-112.
- An inquiry-based approach to teaching research methods in Information Studies. Education for Information, 29(1), 19-38.
- Elaborations of grounded theory in information research: arenas/social worlds theory, discourse and situational analysis. Library and Information Research, 36(112), 120-146.
- The use of Grounded Theory in PhD research in knowledge management: A model four-stage research design. Aslib Proceedings New Information Perspectives, 63(2-3), 188-203.
- Diversifying assessment through multimedia creation in a nontechnical module: Reflections on the MAIK project. Assessment and Evaluation in Higher Education, 35(7), 831-846.
- Emerging enterprise social software knowledge management environments: Current practices and future challenges. International Journal of Learning and Intellectual Capital, 7(3-4), 328-343.
- The potential of enterprise social software in integrating exploitative and explorative knowledge strategies, 285-297.
- An integrated knowledge innovation process management model: The case of Skandia, 156-173.
- Supporting decision making in risk management through an evidence-based information systems project risk checklist. Information Management and Computer Security, 16(2), 166-186.
- Dilemmas in knowledge management. Library Management, 29(4-5), 422-443.
- Organisational Knowledge Management Systems in the Era of Enterprise 2.0: The case of OrganiK. Scalable Computing: Practice and Experience, 9(4), 315-327.
- A Sociotechnical Approach to Knowledge Management in the Era of Enterprise 2.0: the Case of OrganiK.. Scalable Comput. Pract. Exp., 9.
- The impact of rewards within communities of practice: A study of the SAP online global community. Knowledge Management Research and Practice, 5(3), 186-198.
- The use of grounded theory and of arenas/social worlds theory in discourse studies: A case study on the discursive adaptation of information systems. Electronic Journal of Business Research Methods, 5(2), 125-136.
- The role of professional discourses in the organisational adaptation of information systems. International Journal of Information Management, 27(4), 279-293.
- Community and Virtual Community. Annual Review of Information Science and Technology, 38, 145-186.
- Management consultancies and technology consultancies in a converging market: a knowledge management perspective. Electronic Journal of Knowledge Management, 1(1).
- The relevance of facet analysis for World Wide Web subject organization and searching. Journal of Internet Cataloging, 2(3-4), 96-114.
- Ranganathan and the Net: Using facet analysis to search and organise the World Wide Web. Aslib Proceedings, 51(1), 3-10.
- Mistakes, misjudgements and mischances: Using SSM to understand the Hillsborough disaster. International Journal of Information Management, 18(5), 345-357.
- Absorptive capacity: A process and structure approach. Journal of Information Science.
- The ShaRInK framework: a holistic perspective on key categories of influences shaping individual perceptions of knowledge sharing. Journal of Knowledge Management, 19(3).
Book chapters
- The relevance of facet analysis for World Wide Web subject organization and searching, Internet Searching and Indexing the Subject Approach (pp. 97-114).
- ICT-Based Inter-organisational Knowledge Exchange: A Narrative Literature Review Approach, Lecture Notes in Computer Science (pp. 411-422). Springer International Publishing
- The Potential of Enterprise Social Software in Integrating Exploitative and Explorative Knowledge Strategies, Social Computing (pp. 1661-1673). IGI Global
Conference proceedings
- Data-driven sustainable cities in the UK: The case of public space and social cohesion. Proceedings of the 29th UK Academy for Information Systems (UKAIS) International Conference (pp 616-629). Canterbury, Kent, 25 April 2024 - 25 April 2024. View this article in WRRO
- Datafication in smart cities: Understanding how the public experience urban environments. Proceedings of the European Conference on Research Methods in Business and Management Studies, Vol. 22(1) (pp 260-263). Lisbon, Portugal, 6 September 2023 - 6 September 2023.
- Bletchley Park : an untold story in Information Science. Information Science Trends (IST’22): Untold Stories. Online, 15 June 2022 - 15 June 2022. View this article in WRRO
- Tensions in linter-Organisational Knowledge Transfer from a Quadruple Helix Perspective: the FinTech Ecosystem in Bahrain. 15TH INTERNATIONAL FORUM ON KNOWLEDGE ASSET DYNAMICS (IFKAD 2020) (pp 342-356)
- Integrating Qualitative Data Collection Methods to Examine Knowledge Management Across Disciplinary Boundaries. PROCEEDINGS OF THE 15TH EUROPEAN CONFERENCE ON RESEARCH METHODOLOGY FOR BUSINESS AND MANAGEMENT STUDIES (ECRM2016) (pp 408-411)
- Knowledge management across boundaries in an interdisciplinary research project in Thailand. Proceedings of the European Conference on Knowledge Management Eckm, Vol. 2016-January (pp 1090-1098)
- Network analysis of a virtual community of learning of economics educators. INFORMATION RESEARCH-AN INTERNATIONAL ELECTRONIC JOURNAL, Vol. 20(1)
- Exploring the Determinants of PAS, EDMS, and PACS Adoption in European Hospitals. Procedia Technology, Vol. 16 (pp 1502-1509) View this article in WRRO
- Identifying knowledge sharing barriers in interprofessional healthcare collaboration of Traditional and Western Medicine in China. Proceedings of the Iadis International Conference Information Systems 2010 (pp 102-110)
- The role of boundary brokering in the generation of common knowledge. Proceedings of the European Conference on Knowledge Management Eckm, Vol. 2 (pp 1034-1041)
- Integrating knowledge and innovation through practice-based thinking: Early findings from an SME case study. Proceedings of the European Conference on Knowledge Management Eckm (pp 83-90)
- Enterprise 2.0: the “new knowledge management” or just another buzzword?. OLKC 2009. Amsterdam, Netherlands, 23 April 2009 - 24 April 2009.
- Implementing 'Grounded Action Research' in Information Systems Development: The OrganiK Approach. 8th European Conference on Research Methodology for Business and Management Studies (ECRM) (pp 367-376)
- Organisational Knowledge Management Systems in the Era of Enterprise 2.0: The case of OrganiK.. BIS (Workshops), Vol. 333 (pp 45-53)
- The use of Grounded Theory and of Arenas/Social Worlds Theory in Discourse Studies. 6th European Conference on Research Methodology for Business and Management Studies (ECRM) (pp 315-324)
- A Tool for Risk Mitigation in Public Sector IS/IT projects: An Evidence-based Information Systems Project Risk Checklist. Globalization Challenge and Management Transformation, Vols I - III (pp 580-589)
- Information Systems Development: An Organitional Culture Perspective.. Proceedings of the Fourth European Conference on Information Systems (ECIS) (pp 995-1002)
- Knowledge Management. New York: John Wiley & Sons..
- Research group
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Current PhD students
- Hooria Ali Hafedh: Knowledge transfer from the perspective of a “Quadruple Helix”: The banking sector in Bahrain
- Bekim Kasumi: Network management for innovation performance of Research Track 1: Enterprise Innovation and Development
- James Toner Understanding organisational learning and knowledge sharing in pursuit of organisational effectiveness: A multi-actor, international school perspective
- Naveendra Weerakoon: Service Innovation in Knowledge Intensive Business Services. Approach of Managing Knowledge Across Boundaries
Completed PhD students
- Shuyang Li:
- Dimitris Bibikas: Towards a holistic model of the third generation of enterprise knowledge management systems.
- Alice Schofield: Evaluating the intellectual assets of the scholarship and collections directorate at the British Library.
- Titima Thumbumrung: Knowledge sharing across boundaries in interdisciplinary scientific and technological research projects in Thailand.
- Cristian-Andrei Gherhes: Economic Resilience, Enterprise Growth and Entrepreneurial Activity.
- Ying Wang: Exploring how nascent digital enterprises develop relational capabilities with local businesses in a mutually reinforcing perspective.
- Alexander Schauer: A multi-cultural study on knowledge, individual, team, organisational and institutional factors affecting knowledge sharing willingness in the IT services industry.
- Inaam Idrees: Clique and Elite: Inter-Organisational Knowledge Sharing across Five Star Hotels in the Saudi Arabian Religious Tourism and Hospitality Industry - a Grounded Theory Study.
- Raid M. Al-Adaileh: Management styles and managers attitudes towards IT: a developing country case study.
- Grants
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Research Projects
OrganiK
European Commission Principal Investigator £115,296 17 November 2008 24 months MAIK
Higher Education Academy Investigator £2,858 2 January 2008 5 months An Inquiry-Based Model for Research Methods Training
Centre for Inquiry Based Learning in the Arts and Social Sciences Investigator £9,395 1 September 2007 17 months The project aimed to develop and evaluate an inquiry-based model for research methods training of undergraduate and postgraduate students.
A Model for Research Methods Training for New Research Students in Libraries and Information Studies
Arts and Humanities Research Council Investigator £9,801 1 January 2007 The project aimed to develop a framework for research training and a series of joint seminars for Library and Information Science doctoral students.
- Teaching interests
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My teaching interests centre on information and knowledge management, with a particular focus on how organisations create, share and use knowledge. I am interested in helping students understand different perspectives on information and knowledge and their role in organisations, and in exploring topics including knowledge sharing, organisational learning, communities of practice, knowledge boundaries and absorptive capacity.
I see learning spaces as places where knowledge is co-constructed through interaction, discussion and the exchange of different experiences and perspectives. My teaching emphasises applying theory to organisational practice. I use case studies and examples from well-known organisations to encourage students to examine how information and knowledge management concepts can help them understand and address organisational problems.
- Teaching activities
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I currently teach in:
- IJC419 Information and Knowledge Management (distance-learning)
- IJC403 Dissertation
- IJC404 Dissertation (distance-learning)
- Professional activities and memberships
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- Evaluator, reviewer and panel rapporteur for European Commission research funding programmes (1992–present)
- Member, AHRC Peer Review College (2009–2013)
- Editorial Board member, Libri: International Journal of Libraries and Information Studies (2016–present)
- Member, ICKMR/IFLA Working Group on Global Knowledge Management Education (2023–present)
- External examiner: Loughborough University, Northumbria University, Robert Gordon University and Sheffield Hallam University Selected invited talks
- University of Cape Town–University of Sheffield, joint research seminar: Knowledge absorption, knowledge boundaries, and organisational adaptation (May 2025)
- University of Alberta, invited research seminar: Knowledge mobilisation in the community energy sector: a case study of Sheffield Renewables, with Dr Rob Marchand (May 2023), delivered as part of a collaboration between the Universities of Alberta and Sheffield on knowledge mobilisation and renewable energy transitions
- Special Libraries Association (SLA) – Arabian Gulf Chapter, invited keynote speaker:
- Integrating knowledge exploration and knowledge exploitation strategies: the contribution of social enterprise software, 17th Annual Conference, Manama, Bahrain (2011)
- Dilemmas in knowledge management, 13th Annual Conference, Manama, Bahrain (2007)