Organization of knowledge ecosystems: Prefigurative and partial forms

TLDR

The study investigates how knowledge ecosystems are organized by distinguishing two joint search types—prefigurative and partial—and examining their impact on participation and coordination. Drawing on empirical evidence, the authors model knowledge ecosystems as networks of users and producers linked by joint search, defining prefigurative forms (searching for a domain) and partial forms (searching within an identified domain) and detailing actor roles and coordination mechanisms in each. The analysis reveals that prefigurative ecosystems rely on affiliated, self‑resourced actors without formal rules, while partial ecosystems involve formal membership and monitored contributions, thereby clarifying the organizational distinctions within knowledge ecosystems.

Abstract

This paper provides a unique perspective on knowledge ecosystems by studying their organization. Grounded in empirical evidence, we propose that knowledge ecosystems consist of users and producers of knowledge that are organized around a joint knowledge search. A distinction is drawn between knowledge ecosystems searching for a knowledge domain and those searching within an identified knowledge domain, respectively characterized as prefigurative and partial forms of organizing. In a knowledge ecosystem organized in prefigurative form (to identify a knowledge domain), actors whose participation is affiliated, self-resourced, and unobliged probe that domain to identify and establish shared knowledge as a basis for collective actorhood, with no formal rules or coordination mechanisms. In a knowledge ecosystem organized in partial form (where a knowledge domain has already been identified), actors search and reveal problem- and solution-related knowledge, participating though formal membership and access to resources, and their contributions are monitored. The present study contributes to the literature by 1) specifying the distinct types of joint search performed by knowledge ecosystems; 2) considering how the nature of joint search affects how knowledge ecosystems are organized; and 3) distinguishing two forms of organizing knowledge ecosystems, with a focus on participation and coordination.