Knowledge creation processes as critical enablers for innovation

Purpose: This research was aimed at investigating organisational support by means of knowledge conversion processes toward maturity growth in innovation capability areas. Problem investigated: No formal guidelines exist for the use of knowledge management to grow innovation capability maturity. As knowledge management plays a fundamental role in an enterprise's ability to innovate successfully, the following question arises: Can knowledge creation processes be used to enable innovation capability maturity growth? Methodology: The literature therefore provides a strong basis for the argument that knowledge management and more specifically knowledge creation processes could be used to improve an enterprise's innovation capability maturity. A knowledge creation framework that enables innovation capability maturity growth was designed by aligning knowledge creation processes to the requirements for innovation capability growth from one maturity level to the next. The time-frame of the research did not allow the implementation of the framework, and five industry and subject theory experts were used to evaluate the framework. Findings: All five experts responded positively to, and were in agreement that the reasoning applied when identifying the specific knowledge creation process path as a key enabler of growth between innovation capability maturity levels is logical and sound. Value of research: The unique research contribution of the framework lies in providing a tangible link between the fields of knowledge management and innovation capability maturity.Conclusion: The impact of this research lies in the development of a knowledge creation framework that provides guidelines for the use of knowledge creation processes as a vehicle for innovation capability maturity growth.

Collective processes of organizational knowledge creation remain poorly explored. Yet efficient knowledge management has to focus on those processes as far as it aims at dealing with sustaining knowledge development and knowledge sharing rather than solely its memorization. In this paper, we present a comparative analysis of two processes of knowledge creation within a business intelligence unit. This analysis leads to a five stages model that can be used either as a descriptive or prescriptive tool for knowledge management.

PurposeTotal quality management (TQM) and knowledge management (KM) are two similar and complementary management philosophies synergistic combinations that can form a cycle of improvement and development. This paper aims to investigate the impact of TQM factors on knowledge creation in the organizations of Bangladesh.Design/methodology/approachA list of TQM factors was identified through reviewing the relevant literature. Knowledge creation was analyzed through the framework proposed by Nonaka and Takeuchi (1995). Data were collected through a self-administered questionnaire survey among 450 top and mid-level managers of the organizations. A quantitative research approach, namely, structural equation modeling (SEM) was used in the study. The data were analyzed in SmartPLS 3.FindingsFrom the study, it is found that a positive and significant relationship exists between leadership, employee empowerment, benchmarking, customer focus and information technology with the knowledge creation process and four knowledge conversion modes. In contrast, a negative and significant relationship has been found between employee training and continuous improvement with the knowledge creation process and three knowledge conversion modes.Research limitations/implicationsPrevious researches in Bangladesh empirically validated the effect of TQM on organizational performance, competitive advantage, financial performance, market performance and productivity. But, no such study was undertaken to empirically validate the effect of TQM on knowledge creation process for organizations of Bangladesh. Here, the study has a unique contribution. The empirical support for the hypotheses to explain and predict the contribution of the TQM in promoting knowledge creation.Practical implicationsThe findings highlight the role of leadership practices. Organizational leadership needs to focus more on following issues: gathering required knowledge from the superior sources; transforming prevailing knowledge into a meaningful format to perform activities in better and innovative ways; employing opinions from experiences; facilitating mechanism for employees to update their knowledge; creating a virtual network; implementing customer relationship management system and providing tools and technologies to employees for performing KM activities more efficiently. On the other hand, negative effect of employee training and continuous improvement on knowledge creation sheds light on understanding the reasons for this kind of relationship and formulating effective strategies to resolve problems inside the organizations. In this regard, employees need to be well equipped through regular and appropriate training. Also, employees need to use problem-solving approach to identify problems inside the organizational system thereby availing opportunities for continuous improvement.Originality/valueThis study was conducted to identify factors that enable knowledge creation in organizations from developing countries like Bangladesh. TQM has been adopted in many organizations. But, its effect was mostly measured to determine its impact on improving organizational performance or competitiveness or identifying its critical success factors of implementation. Hence, this study sheds light on identifying the effect of TQM from a new perspective.

Learning and knowledge creation are acknowledged as crucial drivers associated with entrepreneurial orientation (EO) and innovation capability (IC). Absorptive capacity (AC) harmonizes internal innovation-building activities with external opportunities, while organizational learning capabilities (OLC) foster entrepreneurial cognitive skills and innovation capabilities. This study aims to (1) predict the impact of absorptive capacity and organizational learning on IC and (2) to estimate the mediation effect of OLC and AC on the relationship between entrepreneurial orientation and innovation capabilities. Drawing upon the dynamic capability theory, the study had applied a cross-sectional survey targeting Algerian firms to test the hypotheses. The study findings indicate that EO is positively associated with innovation capability. Besides, even though both OLC and AC partially increase EO’s interaction impact on innovation capability as a mediation role, suggesting that the more a firm is entrepreneurially oriented, the more learning and knowledge creation processes are involved in the interaction relationship. This study’s core focus is to overcome the substantial role of learning and knowledge creation processes as an intangible proactive resource that fosters the EO mindset to get involved in innovation activities. It has been discovered that AC and OLC as a connectedness mechanism links external knowledge and internal learning processes to accompany EO readiness during innovation development.

Polanyi-Nonaka research paradigm based on the classification between explicit knowledge and tacit knowledge is widely accepted by international mainstream scholars in knowledge management field. However, problems such as unclear concepts and fuzzy reorganization of the process of knowledge creation and conversion exist under this paradigm. An investigation on the meaning of "Ba" was made, whereas the content of social ecology of knowledge management, proposed by David Snowden, and the meaning of "Cynefin" were briefly introduced. Based on these, we advanced that "Ba" and "Cynefin" should be self-organized systems. And then, multi-disciplinary knowledge in areas such as brain science, neural network research, linguistics, and cognitive theory, were used for reference to analyze the process of knowledge creation and conversion. At last, dynamic business management model based on the process of knowledge creation and conversion was constructed.

Thanks to reputation and gamification mechanisms, collaborative question answering systems coordinate the process of topical knowledge creation of thousands of users. While successful, these systems face many challenges: on one hand, the volume of submitted questions overgrows the amount of new users willing, and capable, of answering them. On the other hand, existing users need to be retained and optimally allocated. Previous work demonstrates the positive effects that two important aspects, namely engagement and expertise valorisation, can have on user quality and quantity of participation. The magnitude of their effect can greatly vary across users and across topics. In this paper we advocate for a more in-depth study of the interplay that exists between user engagement factors in question answering systems. Our working hypothesis is that the process of knowledge creation can be accelerated by better understanding and exploiting the combined effects of the interests and expertise of users, with their intrinsic and extrinsic motivations. We perform a study over 6 years of data from the StackOverflow platform. By defining metrics of expertise and (intrinsic and extrinsic) motivations, we show how they distribute and correlate across platform’s users and topics. By means of an off-line question routing experiment, we show how topic-specific combinations of motivations and expertise can help accelerating the knowledge creation process.

PurposeThis paper aims to develop and test a theoretical framework that examines the capacity of electronic open networks and closed interpersonal networks in building social capital and creating new knowledge. Specifically, this article aims to extend understanding in the field of knowledge management by examining how social networks can accumulate social capital and build up potential and absorptive capacity for the creation of new knowledge.Design/methodology/approachThe authors reviewed the literature on open electronic social networks and closed interpersonal networks, social capital and absorptive capacity to examine how different types of networks accumulate different dimensions of social capital and develop different measures of absorptive capacity. A model was developed that hypothesizes that open networks can impact the structural and cognitive dimension of social capital but have less than a moderate effect on the relational dimension. The model is tested in the academic community using a sample of 22 research faculties from ten different research institutions within the MIS departments and five from Marketing.FindingsThe paper posits that electronic open networks have a significantly higher impact on the structural and cognitive dimension of social capital and a less than moderate impact on the relational dimension. Electronic open networks are, thus, best suited for acquiring and assimilating new knowledge, however the transformation and exploitation of knowledge require the cohesive ties of closed networks.Research limitations/implicationsThe combinative effect of electronic open networks and closed interpersonal networks is critical for the development of a potential and realized absorptive capacity and the creation of new knowledge. It is essential for researchers to examine the effect of different types of social networks on the process of knowledge creation and whether social capital accumulated in interpersonal networks can be leveraged in electronic open networks to enhance the process of knowledge creation.Practical implicationsBusinesses benefit from this line of research in knowing how well different types of social network are suited to the different phases of knowledge creation. Leveraging the capacity of open electronic networks and closed interpersonal networks can foster innovation.Originality/valueThere is no existing literature that has examined the relationship between different types of social networks, social capital, absorptive capacity, and knowledge creation. This paper provides a foundation for future studies that examine the combinative effect of closed interpersonal and open electronic networks.

Although Covid-19 cases are continuing to decrease, the practice of online learning has become common in education. Many education institutions have online classes besides face-to-face classes. However, many research reported several problems in distance learning practice mainly because of the limitation of interactive conversation and learning activities and finally lead to an ineffective knowledge creation process. It is reported that in a distance learning setting during the pandemic, the motivation and participation rate decreased while the absence and dropout rates increased. Knowledge conversion is a term to reflect the acquisition of new know-how or tacit knowledge from the learning activities. Currently, various technology vendor keeps making innovations to solve this problem, and available technologies that can be utilized to support distance learning education are increasing. Therefore, this paper aims to know the impact of the knowledge creation process on student satisfaction and explain how to utilize technologies throughout the knowledge creation chain. Based on the statistical analysis it is found that the knowledge creation process that is represented using the SECI model simultaneously has a significant positive effect on student satisfaction. This means all phases in SECI (socialization, externalization, combination, and internalization) are simultaneously able to improve student satisfaction. However, partially, only socialization and internalization that has a significant positive impact on student satisfaction, which indicates these two factors partially could lead to better student satisfaction if it is planned and managed appropriately. This paper also constructs a matrix that helps education practitioners choose the right technology for each knowledge creation phase.

In organizations, the knowledge creation remained an exclusive attribute of humans until the emergence of artificial intelligence. The role of information systems in organizations expanded continuously, including recording, organizing, processing, storage, dissemination and making available the information, until the revolutionary emergence of artificial intelligence. The role of knowledge creation is no longer exclusive to humans. Artificial intelligence becomes a partner entity of employees in knowledge creation processes in organizations. This article investigates how artificial intelligence can be incorporated in knowledge creation processes. Starting from the study of scientific literature, this article presents concepts and taxonomies associated with the use of artificial intelligence in the processes of knowledge creation in organizations. The study is a first step in a larger research, which aims to identify the main consequences, on employees and organizations, of the incorporation of artificial intelligence in the processes of knowledge creation.

This paper presents a framework based on the analytic hierarchy process (AHP) methodology to select the most appropriate set of Knowledge Management (KM) tools to support the innovation processes in organizations. The framework builds on the theoretical foundations underlying organizational KM to identify key KM processes enabling innovation. The AHP is a multi‐criteria decision support technique that can be used to analyse and compare those KM tools that best support innovation processes. Organizations can select the most suitable KM tool by using the proposed framework to identify gaps and overlaps in the extent to which the capabilities provided and utilized by their current KM tools portfolio meet the KM needs of the organization to sustain the innovation. The main contributions of this work are the list of KM processes to support an innovation activity and the hierarchy of importance of such processes able to support the selection process of a KM tool. The framework can be of use to managers and other practitioners because of its ease of implementation. An illustrative example of a case study for the application of the framework is provided. Copyright © 2011 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Knowledge is one of the relevant aspects of the management of organizations from different sectors, with an impact on the maximization of organizational resources. Although the topic Knowledge Creation obtains recognition in the organizational market as a valuable source of competitive advantage, it is still incipient and little explored in management of sports organizations. In terms of scientific production, since 2016 there is a growing interest of scholars from other countries on the creation and management of knowledge in the segment of organizations and sports events, in Brazil, however, the theme is little explored. Given this scenario, the guiding question of the research was: How is the Knowledge Creation process carried out and how is this knowledge shared in sports organizations? The study is characterized as descriptive research and predominantly as a quantitative approach. A total of 27 olympic federations of So Paulo were studied through the application of a composite questionnaire, in addition to the Profile of study environment; by blocks that correspond to the knowledge creation process cathegories analyzed: Process of Creation of Knowledge; Information and knowledge flows; Conditions and factors that act in the Creation of Knowledge; Tools in support of the Creation of Knowledge, and Knowledge, learning and communication. The subjects of the research were managers and administrative employees of entities of different hierarchical levels. The results obtained from 48% of respondent federations revealed that the creation of concepts is carried out more frequently in formal and informal meetings, followed by the experiences acquired in the conduction and organization of the events, also listening to the members and other agents among them the coaches, athletes, Brazilian confederation of the sport, referees, among others. However, the same does not apply in the relationship with government agencies, seeking to import knowledge. With regard to the decisions to be made, they are carried out using previous data that allows forecasting trends and planning future scenarios, which can be identified in the investment in improvement of IT systems. The trainings are mostly offered to its external audience, and those related to the human resources of the internal environment are carried out on their own initiative. Less than half of the respondents stated that employees have autonomy with freedom of action for decisions, as well as being encourged in challenges and to be proactive and ambitious. The internal work teams containing collaborators from other areas were confirmed by half the respondents and there is practically no rotation of functions. The results allow us to assume that there are no actions or programs aimed at Knowledge Creation and Sharing. The analysis of the results suggest the need for "change" in the organizational culture, in the established routines, which prove to be standardized in the organizations studied. Limitations and suggestions to analyze aspects not contemplated in this research are pointed out.

Employee involvement has long been recognized as an important factor in effective human resources and knowledge management. Yet, studies have not provided evidence to directly support the existence of a relationship between employee involvement and the process of knowledge creation. A theoretical framework based on previous research and tested via an analysis of data collected from 235 banking employees in Karachi, Pakistan, shows how a culture of employee involvement relates to knowledge on the job. The findings indicate that three aspects of a culture of employee involvement—empowerment, capability development, and team orientation—are positively correlated with the process of knowledge creation. Additional observations concerning the current state of knowledge creation in Pakistani banks yield practical insights. © 2017 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Rationale of Study – The emergence of the Internet has unlocked immense prospects for distance learning. One of the prospects is Web 3.0 tools, a web platform that enables its users to read, write and execute content. Previous studies established the use of Web 3.0 tools in higher education but this author knows of no studies on the use of Web 3.0 tools for knowledge management by distance learners in Nigeria. Therefore, this paper examines distance learners’ knowledge conversion using the SECI knowledge management model and identifies appropriate Web 3.0 tools used in each quadrant.Methodology – A descriptive research design was used for this study. Qualitative data was collected from 16 distance learners from the Distance Learning Centre, the University of Ibadan using interviews. The respondents were purposively selected from the faculties of Arts, Education, Science, and Social Sciences.Findings – The distance learners at the University of Ibadan went through the four quadrants of knowledge conversion in the course of their distance learning programmes in accordance with the SECI knowledge conversion model. They use Web 3.0 tools such as Google Classroom, WhatsApp, Google Hangout, Facebook, E-library, Semantic Search Engines, and Open Educational Resources, and Google Drive in the four quadrants of SECI knowledge conversion.Implications – The findings of the study confirmed that Web 3.0 tools are germane to distance learners’ knowledge conversion activities.Originality – This study has a prodigious value because it is the first study to examine the usage of Web 3.0 tools in knowledge conversion by distance learners in Nigeria

Purpose - The researcher investigates the extent to which knowledge sharing moderates the relationship between knowledge creation and business process re-engineering (BPR) outcomes of financial services offered by financial institutions in Uganda. Design/Methodology - The study adopted cross-sectional survey design to collect data at one point in time using self-administered questionnaire to examine the relationship between knowledge creation and business processes. The study at first used statistical package for social scientists to establish clusters among the surveyed financial services and later a model was derived using R programming software to test for knowledge creation and business process re-engineering performance outcomes. Findings - The study found a significant conditional effect of knowledge sharing on knowledge creation and business process re-engineering outcomes. Implying that investment in knowledge sharing creates awareness about the financial services outcomes of financial institutions using business process re-engineering to provide financial services. Originality - This study contributes to business process re-engineering literature by advancing the idea that BPR is an important economic resource that enhanced through instituting knowledge creation and sharing practices in a complex environment. Ideally, creating and sharing knowledge is one of the drivers of customer value, efficiency, and effectiveness of financial services in financial institutions. Practical Implications - Managers of financial institutions need to pay keen interest in managing business processes using relevant knowledge and transforming in new products, new processes, and new markets to boost business process re-engineering outcomes by building a strong knowledge creation system through training and development programs for senior managers.

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to provide a practicable systems‐based approach to knowledge management (KM) in a project environment, to encourage organisations to unlock the value in their review processes. It relies on knowledge capture and storage at decision review points, to enrich individual, team and organisational learning during the project life cycle. The project's phases are typically represented horizontally with deliverables (objectives) or project “promises” as the desirable outcomes. The purpose of this paper is to give expression through introducing a vertical dimension to facilitate the KM process. A model is proposed that conceptualises project‐specific knowledge drawing on and feeding into the organisation's knowledge management system (KMS) at tactical and strategic levels.Design/methodology/approachThis conceptual paper links concepts from systems theory with KM, to produce a model to identify, collate, and optimise project‐based knowledge and integrate it into the management process.FindingsThe application of the system theory approach enriches the knowledge generated by a project, and feeds it into the next phase of that project. At the same time, it contributes to the individual's and project team's KM, specifies possible courses of action, together with risks, costs and benefits and thus it expands the organisation's higher level KMS.Research limitations/implicationsThe concept suggests that the knowledge capture, storage and sharing process may best be undertaken holistically, in view of the systems relationships between the tasks. Systems theory structures this process. Research opportunities include studying the interfaces between levels of KM, in relation to the project's progress.Practical implicationsReconceptualisation of the project as a knowledge creation process may improve the project's progress as well as add to the individual's, project team's, and wider organisation's knowledge base. An example is given.Originality/valueThis paper illuminates the broader potential of under‐utilised opportunities in well‐known management approaches to add dimension to the business project, of knowledge creation, storage and sharing.