Is it all about teamwork? Understanding processes in team-based knowledge work

There is a general assumption in the team literature that more teamwork is always better, especially when knowledge integration is key. Yet, teamwork is not always required in knowledge work. By adopting a case-based approach using a total of 88 interviews from four project teams operating in different companies in Sweden and the USA, three knowledge processes are explored as to how they are leveraged in team-based knowledge work (TBKW). A framework of four types of TBKW is delineated: standardized, modular, integrative and collaborative, which are distinguished by the structure of the problem (ill-vs well-structured) faced by the team and knowledge composition (heterogeneous vs homogenous) within the team. Theoretical and practical implications are addressed and future research directions are discussed.