Knowledge Management Strategies of Informal International Organizations

One of the main functions and self-legitimation strategies of IOs is knowledge production. Formal IOs with secretariats can afford to establish knowledge management systems, use multiple storage bins, and facilitate memory appropriation through human resources routines. How do informal or non-conventionally organized IOs produce, store, and disseminate knowledge? The IO literature has built a significant body of work focusing on the sources of IO influence and legitimacy including but not limited to issue scope, financing, fragmentation, and policy means. A growing strand investigates the relevance of these characteristics for non-conventionally organized IOs. Without standardization and codification practices, these IOs can still function using alternative horizontal resources. In parallel to this strand, I argue that informal IOs find a way through and rely on bottom-up systems of knowledge management: inter-personal relationships, storytelling, and external partners. Based on interview data, this paper shows that non-conventionally organized IOs develop their own unique mixture of strategies. In fact, interviewees claim to have been affected less by the COVID-induced switch to online meetings compared to formal IOs. The informality and relational nature of these IOs may insulate them, whereas formal IOs’ reliance on the physical workplace can put them at a disadvantage. This paper contributes to the literature by comparing the daily routines and knowledge-related processes of different clusters of IOs.