Towards a competitive knowledge management strategy approach in the University setting. The case of Ca' Foscari University of Venice

The formulation of a competitive strategy requires an appropriate incorporation of knowledge contents for fostering the development of the competitive advantage. Visual artifacts, in the form of strategy maps, are generally considered useful for making the intertwining between different knowledge bases within the strategy making explicit. However, literature has not systematically analyzed the methods and tools for explaining how strategy making is enabled and constrained. Moreover, the public sector is a research field in which there is a call for a deeper understanding of strategic issues. In order to fill this gap, this chapter explores how strategy maps shape the strategy processes mobilizing knowledge across boundaries. Using the case study of Ca’Foscari University of Venice, a public body in the Italian University setting, the authors find that strategy maps function as boundary objects and can make strategizing a joint managerial practice.