Page 1 of 18 BRICOLAGE AND ALIGNMENTS: A PRACTICE LENS ON KNOWLEDGE WORK IN MULTI-DISCIPLINARY ENGINEERING TEAMS AT AIRBUS UK Kathryn M Fahy 1 Lancaster University Management School Jon Erland Lervik Norwegian School of Management BI Mark Easterby-Smith Lancaster University Management School Carole Elliott Lancaster University Management School Abstract: In this paper we examine the distributed nature of knowledge in multi-disciplinary engineering work. We examine the ways in which a ‘practice-based approach’ to knowledge in organisations helps to illuminate the nature of this collaborative knowledge work and the challenges therein. We report on our empirical research with multi-disciplinary problem- solving teams of engineers at the UK operations of aircraft manufacturer Airbus. Drawing on the concept of engineers as bricoleurs we highlight the challenges in their efforts to mobilise and align the necessary people, documents and materials, from variously connecting words, in seeing projects to completion. The case articulates in a very explicit manner the ways in which situated knowing and doing are socially and materially distributed, and demonstrates the ways in which practitioners manage these challenges. Key words: Multi-disciplinary work, distributed knowledge, bricolage, alignment 1 Kathryn M Fahy, Lancaster University Management School, Lancaster LA1 4YX, UK. Telephone: +44 (0) 1524 593430. E-mail: k.fahy@lancaster.ac.uk