Tune up! Knowledge integration in a fast-growing organization

Purpose The purpose of this study is to investigate knowledge integration (KI) in a Canadian hospitality organization that has undergone intensive and fast growth. Design/methodology/approach This study adopts a constructivist grounded theory approach for data collection and analysis. Data were collected primarily from individual semi-structured interviews and focus groups comprising board members, managers and employees. Data were collected over the period from early 2022 to 2025 and examined to understand the intricacies and evolution of KI. Findings This study proposes five KI processes of staging, initiating, architecting, confluencing and rooting, which are grouped along the two dimensions of knowledge type (individual, group and organizational) and temporality (temporal, transitional and permanent) to explain KI in a fast-growing organization. These processes may assist in the challenges of an intensive and fast-growing period and contribute to the development of a KI framework. Originality/value By identifying KI processes and developing a framework, this study contributes to a more granular understanding of KI in fast-growing organizations from a multilevel, temporally layered perspective. Implications for theory and practice are discussed, and future research directions are suggested.