Managing Rational and Not-Fully-Rational Knowledge

PurposeMany authors have recognised multiple research gaps at empirical and theoretical levels regarding the interplay between the management of intellectual capital (IC) and the development of innovation capabilities from a strategic approach to technological opportunities, especially in knowledge-intensive business services (KIBS). This paper endeavours to provide answers to some of these research questions by relying on empirical observations in the context of an emergent economy.Design/methodology/approachAfter reviewing the literature through the lenses of the IC and knowledge-based view, the paper operationalises IC as a formative construct and explores its relationships with Technological Orientation, Innovativeness and Innovative Performance. This investigation employs structural equation modelling to analyse data collected through a questionnaire from a sample of KIBS members in a cross-sectional study.FindingsThe research confirms the positive influence of human capital on a company’s Technological Orientation, which in turn impacts Innovative Performance in KIBS. Structural and relational capital positively affect Innovativeness and the latter directly impact performance. All other IC components were found to determine the dependent variables through a mediated effect.Research limitations/implicationsThis research has several limitations. Firstly, it has to be stressed that the significance of the statistical findings is dependent on the sample size, and the results’ explanatory power and effect size cannot be extrapolated to other demographics in different regions or sectors. Secondly, it should be observed that the results of the empirical research can be affected by the respondents’ subjectivity in assessing the items and their perception of reality when providing the answers. Thirdly, this is a cross-sectional study, and results concerning, e.g. the Innovative Performance may be subject to change over a longer period of time, though items in this construct have inquired about results obtained over time. Finally, given the purpose of the research, the outcome may be limited to the research model design. Future research could attempt to replicate the results by investigating other demographics and other regions and by employing a longitudinal study.Practical implicationsThe study highlights the value added by adequate management of all IC elements, as they affect the output of organisational business strategies and processes in an integrated manner. An organisational technological strategy that is based on up-to-date technologies, the embeddedness of technology in the organisational processes and the staff’s continuous technical/digital upskilling are conducive to competitive advantage and business success in KIBS. High competencies and skills that are continuously renewed through training as well as the acquisition of digital competencies, play an influential role in generating innovative capabilities that lead to business performance. Flexible and efficient business processes, the company’s support for informal knowledge sharing between employees and its ability to exploit new knowledge to sustain growth are prerequisites for KIBS’ success. Promoting an organisational culture of trust and collaboration, making the staff feel valued and satisfied and effectively using digital technologies for communication are all significant factors in supporting the development of innovation capabilities.Social implicationsThis research proves that IC management, viewed as an integrated construct comprising human, structural and relational capital management, significantly affects Innovativeness through the development of technology-based innovative capabilities. Furthermore, in a context where KIBS (and other companies) nowadays compete in a digital environment, technology and technical knowledge are paramount for a company’s success. The study validates in an aggregated model the role played in innovation by the management of knowledge and technical knowledge embodied in the employees’ competencies and know-how, the management of tacit and explicit knowledge developed by the structural capital and the management of stakeholder knowledge accumulated by the relational capital.Originality/valueThis research takes a fresh and comprehensive perspective to investigate how IC management can impact Innovativeness and Innovative Performance in KIBS by focusing on the nexus with the organisations’ Technological Orientation. The paper makes an original contribution to research concerning IC, KIBS, technology and innovation based on empirical evidence and a new approach to assessing IC as an aggregate rather than by looking at individual components.

This study aims to examine the influence of Knowledge Management (KM), Talent Management (TM), and Transformational Leadership (TL) on the performance of higher education institutions in Makassar, Indonesia, emphasizing the role of TL as a mediator between KM and TM and institutional performance. This quantitative study involved 325 lecturers from various universities in Makassar. Data were analyzed using Structural Equation Modeling (SEM) to assess the relationship between KM, TM, TL, and lecturer performance. The results showed that KM and TM have a significant positive influence on performance, both directly and through the mediation of TL. KM positively affects TL, and these two variables, along with TM, contribute significantly to performance improvement. However, the interaction between KM and TL did not show a significant moderating effect on performance, indicating that the direct influence of KM and TM is more dominant in this context. This study confirms the importance of the integration of KM and TM in improving the performance of higher education institutions and demonstrates the strategic role of TL in maximizing the effectiveness of these management strategies. The findings suggest that effective leadership can enhance the implementation of KM and TM, which overall improves organizational performance. The practical implications of this study are highly relevant for policy makers and university administrators in Makassar to develop and implement strategies that integrate effective KM and TM practices, directed by transformational leadership. Further research is recommended to use a longitudinal design to validate the findings and understand the dynamics of this relationship over time.

This study aims to examine the impact of ethics in the knowledge management in organizational development in Botswana. Importance of ethics in knowledge management is growing at a faster pace of late; still some employees tend to be unethical. As organization consists of different people with different ethical cultures, it is essential that organizations should make their employees follow ethical principles while creating, sharing and using both explicit and tacit knowledge to have optimum organizational development. Respecting ethics by human resources helps to improve implementation of knowledge management. The chapter main focus is on Management of ethics in an organization which influences knowledge management processes and subsequently influence organizations development. To locate ethics impact on knowledge management for organizational development, the scholars employed a survey strategy where respondents indicated that there is a significant impact of ethics in knowledge management for organizational development.

A knowledge management approach to capture organizational learning networks

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to examine the efficacy of knowledge management (KM) based systems and best practices that could be used to address operational issues in the oil and gas sector.Design/methodology/approachGiven little was known empirically about the strategies and practices which contribute to improved performance, innovation and continuous improvement in the oil and gas sector qualitative method was used. Semi-structured interviews were used to derive senior managers’ constructs of project delivery efficiency and KM based systems. The interviews were analysed through the use of a qualitative analysis software package NUDIST NVivoTM. Participants were selected using purposive sampling. Validity and reliability were achieved by first assessing the plausibility in terms of already existing knowledge on some of the operational issues raised by participants.FindingsThese were synthesised into a framework capturing seven well-defined stages. All these steps emerged as being related; they are comprised of independent variables. These steps were found to comprise of knowledge management technology approaches, knowledge management people approaches, KM strategies and value enhancing practices.Research limitations/implicationsAlthough the findings are pertinent to oil and gas organisations, it will be important to conduct follow-up research validating the potential for using the results of this study to establish frameworks for knowledge and information management in different organisations and contexts. This will provide not only data about the validity of the framework in generic terms but will also generate additional data on the application of KM strategy.Practical implicationsAs shown in this study, successful KM based systems requires the aligning of business strategy, technology for KM, project management operations with an enterprise knowledge-sharing culture. Such sharing requires managing the behaviour of project personnel such that knowledge transfer becomes part of the organisation’s norm.Social implicationsThe implementation of KM based systems requires deliberate planning and action to create the conditions for success and put in place the strategy, leadership, goals, process, skills, systems, issue resolution, and structure to direct and exploit the dynamic nature of project work. The strategies proposed in this research cannot be expected to resolve all KM issues in the oil and gas sector. However, their use defines an approach that is superior to the traditional approaches typically adopted and consequently merits far wider application.Originality/valueThe proposed framework presents a better way of optimising the performance of project-based operations thus enabling oil and gas organisations to reform their poor performance on projects and empower them to better manage emerging cultural challenges in their future projects. Reflecting on their experiences, the participants confirmed that the proposed KM framework and its seven well-defined stages were central to the effectiveness of KM in oil and gas operations. Although the scope of this research was restricted to projects in Nigeria and the UK, the geographical focus of this research does not invalidate these results with respect to other countries. The fact is that the oil and gas sector globally shares some common fundamental characteristics.

Knowledge management (KM) encompasses strategies, processes, and practices that allow an organization to capture, share, store, access, and use knowledge. Ideal KM combines different sources of knowledge to support innovation and improve performance. Despite the importance of KM in health care organizations (HCOs), there has been very little empirical research to describe KM in this context. This study explores KM in HCOs, focusing on the status of current intraorganizational KM. The intention is to provide insight for future studies and model development for effective KM implementation in HCOs. A qualitative methods approach was used to create an empirically based model of KM in HCOs. Methods included (a) qualitative interviews (n = 24) with senior leadership to identify types of knowledge important in these roles plus current information-seeking behaviors/needs and (b) in-depth case study with leaders in new executive positions (n = 2). The data were collected from 10 HCOs. Our empirically based model for KM was assessed for face and content validity. The findings highlight the paucity of formal KM in our sample HCOs. Organizational culture, leadership, and resources are instrumental in supporting KM processes. An executive's knowledge needs are extensive, but knowledge assets are often limited or difficult to acquire as much of the available information is not in a usable format. We propose an empirically based model for KM to highlight the importance of context (internal and external), and knowledge seeking, synthesis, sharing, and organization. Participants who reviewed the model supported its basic components and processes, and potential for incorporating KM into organizational processes. Our results articulate ways to improve KM, increase organizational learning, and support evidence-informed decision-making. This research has implications for how to better integrate evidence and knowledge into organizations while considering context and the role of organizational processes.

This chapter introduces methods to enable to act on the results of articulation and alignment processes. As such, it outlines paths towards sharing and anchoring new work practices in organizations. The proposed methodologically grounded interventions allow to qualitatively validate novel work practices and to agree on strategies for their organization-wide roll-out. Drawing from current practice-oriented research in organizational development, Computer Supported Collaborative Work (CSCW), and knowledge management, this chapter also includes an account on supporting technology that could be used to aid method deployment.

PurposeFocusing on the Indian context, with the increase in the amount of data and its analysis in health-care knowledge management (KM), the privacy concerns rise which results in loss of trust of an individual in e-health-care systems. Privacy issues in health care, specific to India, are caused by prevalent complacency, culture, politics, budget limitations, large population and infrastructures. Because of these factors, data security requires a backseat that allows easy access to confidential information. Furthermore, the prevalent culture affects health-care disclosure in India. In many cultures, disclosing sensitive personal health-care data is considered ill mannered. This leads to discrepancies in the recorded health-care data and a decrease in the level of treatment meted out. The results and statistics of treatments given do not match the records because of inaccurate data reporting. With the significant rise in the analysis and use of technology in health-care KM systems, it is important to understand the perception of KM in terms of its use and awareness about data sharing in the KM system. The purpose of the paper is to measure the perception of privacy issues in the context of Indian healthcare management systems.Design/methodology/approachTo measure the perception of the use of the KM system, a set of 20 questions was circulated with a sample size of 337 which includes health-care researchers, doctors, practitioners and patients. The questions focused upon the use, share the sensitive health data in the KM platform. All the demographic information such as age, sex, religion, occupation is recorded. The privacy of the individual is maintained while circulating the questionnaire. The usage of health KM system and its privacy is measured through means and t-test.FindingsThe results of the t-test were found positive. This research study finds that the privacy factor is important among the Indians to share the information with the KM repository. It is also found that medical practitioners or data custodians are not much serious about sensitive data is being stored for analysis. From the statistical perception of usage of KM and its privacy, new architecture and privacy guidelines were suggested which can be considered in future research.Research limitations/implicationsFrom the literature review, the questionnaire has developed which can help policymakers and hospital administrators collect information about KM processes in health-care organizations, and this can result in higher performance of health organizations. The privacy factor can also be included in typical health KM architecture ensure that while knowledge acquisition process, privacy of individual or organization can be maintained.Social implicationsKM enhances the value of corporations and business industries through knowledge production, distribution and provides reliable access to the knowledge resources. KM in health care can comprise a confluence of formal methodologies and techniques to facilitate the creation, identification, acquisition, development, preservation, dissemination and finally the utilization of the various facets of a health-care enterprise’s knowledge assets. According to IBM Global executive report in the year 2012, the entire health-care system has changed from diseases-centric to patient-centric. India is emerging in terms of revenue and employment in the health-care field. The advances of information and communication technology help the health-care sector streamline for data structure and access and health analytics.Originality/valueIn India, the KM is frequently used in health-care industries majorly by health-care practitioners and professionals. As health-care data and knowledge are considered to be sensitive, the privacy of an individual while using the data cannot be compromised. The proposed empirical work will provide a solution in determining the main barriers of implementing privacy policies that need to be solved first and to ensure effective implementation of KM in the health care of India.

The decision making process in organizations is constantly evolving with expanding geographical boundaries and ever-changing technology landscape. A major part of decisions and deliberations now typically takes place in collaboration platforms like emails, enterprise social networks, discussion servers, chats, and conferencing services. These platforms contain problem solving insights, recommendations, best practices, expert opinions, and answers, and must be considered part of the organizational knowledge management effort. However, traditional knowledge management techniques do not sufficiently capture the hidden nuggets of knowledge buried in communication logs. In this chapter, the authors describe the need for a paradigm shift in knowledge management strategy and propose semantic social network analysis as a potential solution. They introduce the concept of social knowledge networks and describe knowledge algebra by defining rigorous social metrics. Finally, to demonstrate the applicability of the approach, the authors provide two case studies that lead to identification of experts and mining of best practices from informal communication at the workplace.

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.

Indigenous knowledge is held locally in the memories and practices of the communities. The communities have their own processes of storage, leverage, practice, share, and developing indigenous knowledge. The form of knowledge management (KM) employed however distinctly differs from the current practices in organizations. The paper focuses on this less studied, but potentially invaluable, indigenous knowledge management (IKM) practices within these indigenous communities. The Balanced Scorecard (BSC) is a strategic planning and performance measurement system that has already a documented history of successful implementation in several industries and enterprises knowledge management initiatives. In this paper we explore a process-oriented knowledge management model for indigenous communities. We then propose a third-generation BSC approach in the design of a holistic approach for knowledge management systems of these communities. This work serves as an extension to the past experiences of the authors in mod...

PurposeCompanies increasingly find themselves under pressure to adopt socially responsible forms of operation. Since organizational change is crucially influenced by knowledge creation and sense‐making, this paper aims to determine how knowledge management (KM) processes can foster (or impede) progress towards corporate social responsibility (CSR).Design/methodology/approachThe paper reviews the KM literature to identify areas of knowledge management that are particularly relevant to managing a company's social and environmental externalities.FindingsDistinguishing between two related but analytically distinct approaches to knowledge management, namely an element and a process view, the paper develops a conceptual model of how knowledge management can impact on CSR.Originality/valueDistinguishing between elements of knowledge and processes of managing these allows a more systematic and comprehensive approach to managing knowledge around CSR.

Confronting fierce global competition, organizations have implemented knowledge management to enhance competitive advantages. With increasing investments in resources for knowledge management implementation in many organizations, measuring knowledge management maturity has become an important agenda among researchers and practitioners. This study develops a knowledge navigator model (KNMTM) to navigate knowledge management (KM) implementation journey. The KNM comprises two frameworks: evaluation and calculation framework . In order to gain and sustain a competitive advantage in the global economy, today's organizations need to effectively mobilize their knowledge resources. Knowledge management consists of a special systematic and organizational process in which one is allowed to acquire, organize, maintain, apply, distribute, publish and recreate both explicit and implicit knowledge for the staff to promote the organizational performance and value creation. Knowledge management maturity, the level of capabilities that exist in an organization with their different dimensions influence the knowledge management process. Every organization, as judged by functions it has performed on knowledge management is at a certain level of maturity that shows its status quo on knowledge management. KMMM (knowledge management maturity model) in an organization describes some steps of growth that can be expected by the organization to reach its knowledge management development. One maturity model is made up of some maturation levels that can be obtained step by step by an organization over a period of time (1). However, in current KM maturity models, there is a lack of an evaluation framework with detailed items and procedures which could be easily obtained and fully understood by practitioners and researchers. This study develops a

Skills, Management Knowledge or Logistics Expertise - What Do Logistics Managers in Clothing Companies Really Need?

This paper seeks to contribute to the on-going research in knowledge management (KM) by presenting a study conducted in six public service agencies in Singapore. The study was guided by three research foci, namely, (1) to elucidate the nebulous nature of KM initiatives, (2) to uncover the motivation behind KM measurement and (3) to identify the various elements of a KM initiative that can be measured. Data collected from the public service agencies revealed that KM initiatives were generally top-down and technology-focused. Project management and the need to quantify the value of KM initiatives drove KM measurement. The measurement indicators adopted by the agencies encompassed four elements of measurement: activities, knowledge assets, organizational processes and business outcomes. In conclusion, this paper highlights two practical implications for the design of a KM measurement regime and suggests a number of possible directions for further research.