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Relational Work and the Knowledge Transfer Process: Rituals in Rural Ghana

Author

Listed:
  • Mira Slavova

    (Warwick Business School, Coventry CV4 7AL, United Kingdom; Gordon Institute of Business Science, Johannesburg 2196, South Africa)

  • Anca Metiu

    (ESSEC Business School, 95021 Cergy-Pontoise Cedex, France)

Abstract

We advance understandings of knowledge transfer by showing the central role of symbolic action, taking the form of ritual, in contexts characterized by worldview differences. Using qualitative data from interactions between farming communities in rural Ghana and agriculture development specialists, we examine how rituals do relational work that enables informational work. We find that rituals (i.e., visits, value affirmations, gift-giving, prayer, performing, storytelling) do so by means of their functions–bracketing worldview differences, modeling collaboration between farmers and agriculture development specialists, and packaging new knowledge in displays of compatibility. Our work also expands scholarship on the role of rituals in organizations and on management practices in Africa. Overall, our paper offers a complex, comprehensive view of knowledge transfer as involving both relational and informational work and relying on both symbolic action and tangible elements.

Suggested Citation

  • Mira Slavova & Anca Metiu, 2022. "Relational Work and the Knowledge Transfer Process: Rituals in Rural Ghana," Organization Science, INFORMS, vol. 33(1), pages 332-352, January.
    • Handle: RePEc:inm:ororsc:v:33:y:2022:i:1:p:332-352
    DOI: 10.1287/orsc.2021.1441
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