Contextual Constraints and the Relevance Discovery Process: Challenges Facing Knowledge Gatekeepers in Emerging Economies

Abstract

The paper explores conceptually the implications of a major alteration in the institutional settings that have caused a radical change in the knowledge paradigm as new mostly “imported” knowledge replaces the “old” knowledge base. We focus on the process of relevance discovery. The aim is to examine challenges facing knowledge gatekeepers as they facilitate the transformation of “imported” knowledge from irrelevant to relevant. The understanding of specific contextualisation hazards is identified as crucially important for securing relevance when management knowledge travels between mismatched institutional settings. An account of two field studies of post-communist marketisation is used to illustrate the challenges of contextualisation.

Keywords: Relevance Discovery, Knowledge Gatekeepers, Contextualisation, Knowledge Relevance, Institutional Shift, Business and Management Education, Post-Communist Transformation