Knowledge Sharing and Protection: a Study Carried Out in a Innovation Company of the Sugar-energy Sector

Abstract The literature specialized in knowledge management prioritizes a sharing perspective and also, a protection perspective in a lower content. But these dimensions have been treated in a fragmented way. In this context, a bibliographic production gap has been identified. In management practice this reality is also observed, and constitutes a dilemma for managers. The objective of the study is to analyze the sharing and protection knowledge in a innovation company of sugar-energy division. This is a qualitative, descriptive and exploratory study. The data collection was built with semi-structured and individual interview. It was applied to a group of managers of research development departmentall human resources department the intellectual property and information management of the company. Documentary analysis, direct observation and participant observation were also used. The study has showed that managers use a variety of tools and practices to protect and share knowledge without the support of organizational policy that guides decisions about what to share and protect. In this reality, the existence of managerial dilemma was confirmed, as managers recognize a fragility in which case one is exposed to one of the most critical of organizational competitive advantage, the knowledge.