Nonaka meets Giddens: A critique

Abstract

Nonaka's recent incorporation of Giddens into the knowledge movement is superficial and problematic. The incorporation accepts uncritically Giddens's controversial conceptions of structure and agency, avoids his concerns of power and domination, exaggerates his elaboration on contradictions, and shares with him the search for an omelette-like theoretical totalising. Using Giddens as an illustrative vehicle, this paper analyses the pattern of Nonaka’s recent borrowing of others’ work and the consequent tensions built up in his simplistic model of the knowledge creating company.