Learning What Is Not Yet There: Knowledge Mobilization in a Communal Activity

Professionals at the cutting edge of their field are often faced with problems for which there is currently no solution. As learners, they are challenged to learn “what is not yet there” (Engeström, 1991, p. 270) and to pass this new knowledge on to others. This research into the work of a group of expert scientists investigated how one particular community of scientists generated, developed and implemented robust and reliable solutions for application in a demanding, high-profile context. The concepts of expansive learning, negotiative knotworking and the shared object of third generation activity theory, together with co-configuration assisted the identification and explication of the elements of the knowledge mobilisation process within this global community. The research also identified the key role in the complex task of knowledge creation for a trusted, shared private space that could be visited regularly by these scientists.