Word from the Guest Editors Knowledge management put to the test the new “objects” of 21st-century management

The 21st century is seeing the rise of a large number of new “objects” of all kinds within, between and beyond organizations. These new objects are appearing on different continents, in Europe, the United States and Asia, in emerging countries and in countries with strong industrial traditions. New practices, both formal and informal, new management tools and devices, new technologies, but also new philosophies of organization and society are emerging and profoundly changing the managerial landscape. It’s an endless list that could be drawn up by naming them in alphabetical order: After Work, Aigo Café, Big Data, Blockchain, Blue Economy, Club Open Innovation, Coaching, Creative Community, Epistemic Community, Community of Practice, Innovation Community, Community of Interest, Virtual Communities, Citizens’ Climate Convention, Deep Learning, Design Thinking, Digitalization, Hybrid Forum, Collaborative Economy, Circular Economy, Liberated Enterprise, Co-Working Space, Management of the Commons, Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, Co-Development Group, Hackathon, Hackerspaces/Makerspaces, C/K Model, Jugaad Innovation, Internet of Things, Learning Expedition, Living Lab, Fab-Lab, Middle Ground, Local Currency, Open Lab, Open Source, Cognitive Platform, Enterprise Social Network, Empowerment, KM Service, Smart City, Ecological Third Places, Wiki... In addition, a number of events are being organized by employees from a wide range of public and private institutions, who organize regular exchanges on the successes and failures of innovative initiatives. New collaborative spaces are challenging traditional organizational boundaries and management practices (Bootz and Lievre, 2023; Bootz et al., 2023; Bootz, 2015; Cohendet et al., 2006; Cohendet et al., 2010; Wenger, 1998; Wenger et al., 2002). Additionally, the exponential growth in digital technology usage is driving profound transformations with long-term effects that are challenging to predict. Moreover, new organizational philosophies are emerging, sowing the seeds for fundamental changes. Simultaneously, new paradigmatic and theoretical frameworks have emerged since the 90s to account for a historical evolution of capitalist economy: from a mass production economy (1950-1975) to a quality economy (1975-1990) towards a knowledge economy (Foray, 2004). This economic evolution is accompanied by corresponding changes in management practices, as each stage corresponds to a new organization of the firm linked to a specific form of management (Cohendet, Simon, 2017; Lievre, Coutarel, 2012). The transition is marked by a shift from an industrial society based on capital and labor to a post-industrial society where knowledge is the primary resource (Drucker, 1996). The deeply transformed firm becomes a knowledge processor (Cohendet, Llerena, 1999) and even an idea processor (Cohendet, Simon, 2017). Management, once rooted in command and control, increasingly relies on support and trust in employees (Hamel, 2008). This marks the emergence of a new management paradigm, as suggested by Clark and Clegg (2000). Proposals are put forth to distinctly differentiate this knowledge economy, marking a radical departure from the industrial economy (Foray, 2009). Intangible capitals surpassing tangible capitals in countries’ economic growth underscore the pivotal role of knowledge in value creation. A socio-technical rupture occurs with the advent of computers and web-based remote communication, altering our relationships with knowledge in terms of accessibility, cost, time, and space. As Michel Serres (2009) expresses, this revolution is equivalent to those witnessed with writing and printing. A new business paradigm emerges where innovation is imperative to maintain competitive positioning. Every company, regardless of size or sector, is obliged to submit to a regime of intensive innovation (Hatchuel and Weil, 1999; Amin and Cohendet, 2003; Foray, 2009), requiring the initiation of spirals of creative knowledge (Nonaka, Takeuchi, 1995). Broadly, all organizational activities become knowledge-intensive, challenging existing knowledge and skills and compelling actors to engage in a process of widespread knowledge expansion. These knowledge expansion processes rely not only on …