{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,3,27]],"date-time":"2026-03-27T18:55:55Z","timestamp":1774637755958,"version":"3.50.1"},"reference-count":49,"publisher":"Emerald","issue":"4","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2016,7,11]],"date-time":"2016-07-11T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1468195200000},"content-version":"tdm","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/www.emerald.com\/insight\/site-policies"}],"content-domain":{"domain":[],"crossmark-restriction":false},"short-container-title":["JKM"],"published-print":{"date-parts":[[2016,7,11]]},"abstract":"<jats:sec>\n<jats:title content-type=\"abstract-subheading\">Purpose<\/jats:title>\n<jats:p>Taking Nonaka\u2019s SECI model as the main reference, this paper aims to offer reflections on the virtual evolution of <jats:italic>ba<\/jats:italic>, the places for knowledge creation. Indeed, looking at the current scenario, widening the knowledge spiral to the inter-organizational epistemological level is inevitable. To this aim, information technology tools and virtual communities can establish effective interactions to exchange knowledge, making <jats:italic>ba<\/jats:italic> evolve congruently.<\/jats:p>\n<\/jats:sec>\n<jats:sec>\n<jats:title content-type=\"abstract-subheading\">Design\/methodology\/approach<\/jats:title>\n<jats:p>The paper takes the exemplary case of a platform developed during a European research project called \u201cBIVEE: Business Innovation in Virtual Enterprise Environments\u201d. The investigative approach chosen is participatory action research (PAR), with two researchers conducting PAR in real time, and two others involved <jats:italic>ex post<\/jats:italic>.<\/jats:p>\n<\/jats:sec>\n<jats:sec>\n<jats:title content-type=\"abstract-subheading\">Findings<\/jats:title>\n<jats:p>The paper shows that the virtual evolution of <jats:italic>ba<\/jats:italic> can lead the SECI model towards an inter-organizational level. Moreover, through a learning history, it describes how all the phases of the SECI process, even the Socialization one, can take place or be supported in virtual spaces.<\/jats:p>\n<\/jats:sec>\n<jats:sec>\n<jats:title content-type=\"abstract-subheading\">Research limitations\/implications<\/jats:title>\n<jats:p>Taking into account just one single exemplary case study provides a rich, contextualized understanding of phenomena, while allowing only some theoretical generalizations.<\/jats:p>\n<\/jats:sec>\n<jats:sec>\n<jats:title content-type=\"abstract-subheading\">Originality\/value<\/jats:title>\n<jats:p>This paper contextualizes the SECI model within a Web platform for open innovation, to investigate whether the knowledge creation process can take place entirely within a virtual environment linking subjects from different organizations. In so doing, it applies the SECI model to the phases of the innovation process, called waves.<\/jats:p>\n<\/jats:sec>","DOI":"10.1108\/jkm-09-2015-0342","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2016,8,3]],"date-time":"2016-08-03T07:57:15Z","timestamp":1470211035000},"page":"793-811","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":31,"title":["<i>Ba<\/i> virtual and inter-organizational evolution: a case study from a EU research project"],"prefix":"10.1108","volume":"20","author":[{"given":"Chiara","family":"Bartolacci","sequence":"first","affiliation":[]},{"given":"Cristina","family":"Cristalli","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[]},{"given":"Daniela","family":"Isidori","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[]},{"given":"Federico","family":"Niccolini","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[]}],"member":"140","reference":[{"issue":"1","key":"key2020121421314120900_ref001","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"107","DOI":"10.2307\/3250961","article-title":"Review: knowledge management and knowledge management systems: conceptual foundations and research issues","volume":"25","year":"2001","journal-title":"MIS Quarterly"},{"issue":"4","key":"key2020121421314120900_ref002","first-page":"81","article-title":"How management innovation happens","volume":"47","year":"2006","journal-title":"MIT Sloan Management Review"},{"key":"key2020121421314120900_ref003","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"9","DOI":"10.1177\/14767503030011002","article-title":"Why action research?","volume":"1","year":"2003","journal-title":"Action Research"},{"issue":"4","key":"key2020121421314120900_ref004","article-title":"Open innovation using Web 2.0 technologies","volume":"28","year":"2015","journal-title":"Journal of Enterprise Information Management"},{"key":"key2020121421314120900_ref005","first-page":"45","article-title":"Space of flows, space of places: materials for a theory of urbanism in the information age","volume-title":"Comparative Planning Cultures","year":"2005"},{"key":"key2020121421314120900_ref008","volume-title":"Open Innovation: Researching a New Paradigm","year":"2006"},{"key":"key2020121421314120900_ref006","volume-title":"Open Innovation: The New Imperative for Creating and Profiting from Technology","year":"2006"},{"key":"key2020121421314120900_ref007","volume-title":"Open Innovation and Strategy","year":"2007"},{"key":"key2020121421314120900_ref041","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"592","DOI":"10.1108\/13673271011059545","article-title":"Beyond the Ba: managing enabling contexts in knowledge organizations","volume":"14","year":"2010","journal-title":"Journal of Knowledge Management"},{"key":"key2020121421314120900_ref009","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"331","DOI":"10.1023\/A:1016348421584","article-title":"Doing action research in one\u2019s own organization: an ongoing conversation over time","volume":"15","year":"2002","journal-title":"Systemic Practice and Action Research"},{"issue":"4","key":"key2020121421314120900_ref010","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"532","DOI":"10.5465\/amr.1989.4308385","article-title":"Building theories from case study research","volume":"14","year":"1989","journal-title":"Academy of Management Review"},{"issue":"1","key":"key2020121421314120900_ref011","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"25","DOI":"10.5465\/amj.2007.24160888","article-title":"Theory building from cases: opportunities and challenges","volume":"50","year":"2007","journal-title":"Academy of Management Journal"},{"issue":"2","key":"key2020121421314120900_ref012","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"46","DOI":"10.4018\/jkm.2008040104","article-title":"Virtual communities practice: a mechanism for efficient knowledge retrieval in MNC\u2019s","volume":"4","year":"2008","journal-title":"International Journal of Knowledge Management"},{"key":"key2020121421314120900_ref013","volume-title":"Qualitative Methods in Management Research","year":"2000"},{"key":"key2020121421314120900_ref014","unstructured":"Hessman, T. 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