in letters of advice, research notes and specimen­clauses.­And­this­uncodified,­ narrative knowledge was unlikely to be captured­in­formal­‘know-how’­systems.­ Perhaps here the role of knowledge management was to encourage conversa- tions­(and­hence­stories)­and­find­ways­to­ evolve the environments — the organi- sational­‘eco-systems’­—­that­act­as­the­ natural habitats for such conversations? For­my­initial,­doctoral­research­I­ worked­with­two­organisations:­a­law­firm­ and a professional institute. I selected a small group of participants at each and asked­them­to­take­photographs­of­the­five­ organisational spaces where they heard the most interesting, meaningful and memo- rable stories. Importantly, I stressed that as our interactions with colleagues are not always­confined­to­the­buildings­in­which­ we work, these might not necessarily be in the­office.­I­then­used­the­photographs­as­ the basis for a semi-structured interview with each participant. So,­what­did­I­find?


The plot thickens The­participants­confirmed­that­story- telling was a valuable activity and they identified­a­range­of­different­stories:­ problem stories, frustration stories, warn- ing stories, solution stories and, even, ghost stories! And the work these stories performed­was­equally­various.­They­ assisted­the­diffusion­of­organisational­ culture;­helped­people­‘get­things­off­their­ chest’;­and,­most­commonly,­enabled­ the exchange of information and knowl- edge.­But­this­wasn’t­just­work-related­ knowledge. Perhaps the most commonly cited­benefit­was­the­way­stories­surfaced­ personal knowledge about people (their family lives, challenges, fears, ambitions). In these cases, the story became the storyteller.


Now, our reaction to this might be ‘so what?’­Surely­this­is­merely­insignificant­ gossip? My participants proposed an alternative view. They argued that such stories­‘cement­that­relationship’­helping­ you­‘feel­more­at­ease­with­each­other’.­ And­this­‘rounded­picture’­of­colleagues­ could enhance team performance. Or as one participant put it: ‘we work well together­because­we­know­each­other’.­ Consequently,­I­would­argue­that­such­ knowledge carries a high organisational currency. And the stories that transmit it realise­considerable­social,­affective­and­ cognitive­benefits.­They­comprise­the­ social­glue,­the­‘connective­tissue’,­that­ enables us all to collaborate and work more­effectively.


So where were these stories told? The photographs I received depicted recep- tions, kitchen areas, changing rooms, toilets,­


­a­colleague’s­BBQ­party,­pubs,­ work­cafés,­smokers’­corner,­‘pet­wall’,­ 30 INFORMATION PROFESSIONAL January-February 2022


when applying the term to the middle stage of a rite of passage. As a ‘betwixt and­between’­phase­it­is­ambiguous­ and paradoxical. Think about how you felt when you started a new job or role (often cited as a liminal experience). Did you feel confused, anxious and uncertain as well as simultaneously energised and excited by the possibil- ities and opportunities ahead? If so, welcome to the world of liminality. Van­Gennep’s­work­was­developed­by­ a later anthropologist, Victor Turner, in­a­series­of­studies­between­the­1960s­ and 1980s1


. The concept of liminality


has­subsequently­been­applied­across­a­ range of academic disciplines — includ- ing literary criticism, sociology, psy- chology, political science and business management.


home­offices,­music­rooms,­car­parks,­the­ train home and the street outside. These were not the grand spaces we usually associate with organisations. Rather, these bore all the characteristics of liminal spaces.­Perhaps­it’s­worth­pausing­here­ to­reflect­on­the­term­‘liminal’­—­a­key­ character in my research story.


Enter a new character The­word­‘liminality’­derives­from­the­ Latin term, limen (a threshold). It there- fore implies a margin or edge between two states or spaces and the possibility of transition between the two. It is this sense that anthropologist Arnold van Gennep (van­Gennep,­1960­[1909]­referenced­


But you may wonder what has this to do with space? Well, the term ‘limi- nal’­has­been­attributed­to­a­range­of­ locations —urban wastelands, hotels, beaches, prison waiting rooms, motor- way service stations — along with more prosaic organisational settings: corri- dors,­fire­escapes,­bathrooms.­These­are­ mundane, marginal and border spaces where things are easily blurred. And­this­theme­of­‘blurring’­came­out­ loud and clear in the research. Several participants noted how these spaces, for example the gym changing room, blurred distinctions and hierarchies. These were places where anyone spoke with anyone — resulting in conver- sations that might not have occurred elsewhere (and one feature of liminal spaces in rites of passage is communitas — the fostering of social connections and­support­within­a­group­of­equals). Others noted how these storytelling spaces­also­blurred­identities.­For­one­ participant,­‘crossing­a­threshold’­and­ leaving­the­building­to­go­to­smokers’­ corner enabled her to ‘switch on a


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