How did large companies based in Brazil capture disperse knowledge to feed their corporate risk management and corporate crisis management programs in the COVID-19 pandemic and post-pandemic?

Objective: The scale of Covid-19 pandemic required from companies an additional ability to gather dispersed information, adapt and respond. Therefore, the objective of this study will be to understand how, in the context of the Covid-19 pandemic, large multinational corporations installed in Brazil, captured dispersed knowledge and used them to feed their Enterprise Risk Management and Corporate Crisis Management programs. Design/methodology/approach: Based on the conceptual triad formed by Knowledge Management, Corporate Risk Management and Corporate Crisis Management, a qualitative research will be developed, using the multiple case study method (MILES et al., 2014), and using precepts of Design Science Research (ROMME, 2003) to achieve the proposed objective. For that, senior executives from five large multinational companies installed in Brazil will be interviewed. Their responses will be submitted to the content analysis method (BARDIN, 2010) in order to achieve a deep understanding of the context experienced by organizations during and after the Covid-19 pandemic. Theoretical implications: The research will be supported by the theories of Transactive Memory (WEGNER, 1986), Spiral of Knowledge (NONAKA; TAKEUCHI, 1995), Business Environment (OLIVA, 2016), Barriers to Knowledge Management (OLIVA, 2014). At the end, a new Dispersed Knowledge Management model will be proposed, aimed at protecting organizations. Practical implications: The new Dispersed Knowledge Management model will have a high potential for practical application in order to help organizations and their managers in future crises. Originality/value: There are no previous researches which have studied the conceptual triad aforementioned in an integrated way, nor that, based on them, have developed research on Dispersed Knowledge Management in pandemic contexts, which will allow to obtain a deep knowledge about the subject and develop knowledge with potential to expand the state of the art in Dispersed Knowledge Management.