Hybrid Collaboration in the Era of GenAI: Platform Thinking as a Medium for Organizational Collaboration

Organizations increasingly seek mechanisms to enhance collaboration and overcome knowledge silos that hinder innovation. In this context, platform thinking is emerging as a paradigm to support resource orchestration and knowledge sharing within organizational boundaries, highlighting the role of mechanisms instead of the technological layer. At the same time, the widespread adoption of GenAI is transforming how knowledge is accessed and utilized, with current research focused more on the outcome achieved rather then on the mechanisms it creates. Since GenAI is transforming organizational mechanisms, this study analyses how platform thinking can promote collaborative mechanisms through AI solutions. Adopting a multiple-case study methodology, the research analyzes two organizations that have developed internal AI tools to support knowledge management and innovation processes. The findings show that AI initially enhances individual efficiency by improving access to organizational knowledge and enabling task optimization. Beyond this, AI facilitates collaborative dynamics by supporting knowledge co-creation, increasing visibility across teams, and enabling the recombination of distributed expertise. This study contributes to identify in GenAI the medium to break organizational silos by unlocking new interaction opportunities thus becoming an enabler that fosters team and intra-organizational collaboration enhancing individual efficiency and team effectiveness. The study also highlights the importance of organizational support, including shared infrastructures and networks of champions, in sustaining adoption.