Using information technology to achieve management innovation

2019 ◽  
Vol 32 (1) ◽  
pp. 20-39 ◽  
Author(s):  
Julia Nieves ◽  
Javier Osorio

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to assess the relationship between information technology (IT) use and management innovation through the mediator role of knowledge-based resources.Design/methodology/approachThe paper presents empirical evidence from a survey of 109 companies that run hotel establishments in the Spanish territory. A model of relationships is proposed and tested through a system of structural equations.FindingsThe use of IT favors the development of organizational knowledge and the ability to integrate this knowledge. Moreover, a positive and direct relationship was found between IT use and management innovation, and indirectly through organizational knowledge and knowledge integration capability.Research limitations/implicationsThe designed questionnaire did not include any questions related to specific IT tools that could contribute to better knowledge management practices in hospitality organizations, but rather generic questions about IT use. The large number of IT tools that can potentially support knowledge management practices in hospitality companies would make the questionnaire unwieldy for its target respondents.Originality/valueThis paper sheds light on a topic that has hardly been studied in the services literature. Specifically, it addresses the way organizations can facilitate management innovation through the use of IT, while considering the mediator role of knowledge-based resources.

2015 ◽  
Vol 19 (3) ◽  
pp. 559-578 ◽  
Author(s):  
Stavros Sindakis ◽  
Audrey Depeige ◽  
Eleni Anoyrkati

Purpose – This study aims to explore the role of knowledge management practices in supporting current and emerging passengers’ and customer needs, aiming to create value. Specifically, the research examines the importance of customer-centred knowledge management in the delivery of innovative services and practices in the public transport sector, promoting the role of interactions between mobility stakeholders and travellers. Design/methodology/approach – A theoretical framework is developed and supported by the background literature on customer-centric knowledge management approaches, business model innovation, as well as on inter-organisational and network co-operations. Findings – Results show that the development of sustainable innovation and technologies in the transport sector requires knowledge management practices, which enable the access to knowledge about users’ needs, the mapping and evaluation of innovative knowledge, the promotion of knowledge-based innovation through collective approaches, as well as the acquisition and integration of new knowledge. Research limitations/implications – The conceptual framework developed in the paper remains limited to a theoretical understanding. Further research should empirically examine knowledge issues related to the intangible character and intellectual capital intensiveness of innovation in the transport sector. Practical implications – Researchers, public transport companies and public transport authorities are expected to benefit from this research, by developing mechanisms for customer-centred knowledge management, which is found to lead to innovative services and practices in the public transport sector. Another practical implication regards the adoption of knowledge management practices, leading to technological innovations in public transport, and advancing the level of sustainability in transport systems. Originality/value – The originality of this study lies in the development of a customer-focussed knowledge management framework, which provides a novel perspective of value creation in an attempt to engage researchers and practitioners from the transport industry in the conceptualisation and development of innovative solutions.


2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Zafer Türkmendağ ◽  
Muharrem Tuna

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to investigate the role of empowering leadership in intraorganizational knowledge management practices and to reveal how followers' acceptance and use of the hotel management system affect this role.Design/methodology/approachA serial multiple mediation model was evaluated and tested using partial least squares structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM). The database was created from the results of a structured questionnaire obtained from 401 employees working in hotels in Turkey.FindingsThe findings of the study reveal that empowering leadership has a significant effect on followers' knowledge creation, sharing and application. It was also found that the acceptance and use of the hotel management system were partially complementary to the impact of empowering leadership on followers' knowledge management practices.Practical implicationsThis paper gives an insight into the empowering leader's role in gathering useful knowledge, which is self-managed within the organization, by encouraging, motivating, providing autonomous and supportive conditions and making it beneficial and easier for their followers to adapt to the organization's technologies.Originality/valueThe efficient management of knowledge in organizations through the use of technology is possible by distributing power to subordinates through expanding the theory of knowledge management, leadership and the acceptance and use of technology. Furthermore, this study contributes to the literature by establishing the theoretical foundation of the relationship between empowering leadership and knowledge management practices based on Dalkir's knowledge management model and by discussing the mediating effect of the core variables of the UTAUT model.


2014 ◽  
Vol 10 (1) ◽  
pp. 26-42 ◽  
Author(s):  
Isabel Rechberg ◽  
Jawad Syed

This paper reviews the current knowledge management (KM) practices to examine the attention (or lack thereof) paid to the individual in managing knowledge in organisations. It identifies and reviews four key practices of KM - i.e., information technology, organisational culture and structure, communities of practice, and human resource practices - to examine how knowledge is interpreted, processed and managed, and the role individuals play in such interpretations, processing and management. The review shows that existing KM practices may be improved through an increased focus on the role of individuals (an individual-centric approach) in designing and implementing KM in organisations.


2016 ◽  
pp. 1539-1556
Author(s):  
Isabel Rechberg ◽  
Jawad Syed

This chapter reviews the current knowledge management (KM) practices to examine the attention (or lack thereof) paid to the individual in managing knowledge in organisations. It identifies and reviews four key practices of KM - i.e., information technology, organisational culture and structure, communities of practice, and human resource practices - to examine how knowledge is interpreted, processed and managed, and the role individuals play in such interpretations, processing and management. The review shows that existing KM practices may be improved through an increased focus on the role of individuals (an individual-centric approach) in designing and implementing KM in organisations.


2013 ◽  
Vol 17 (5) ◽  
pp. 695-708 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nishant Kumar

Purpose – This study aims to provide insight to the little-researched phenomenon of reverse knowledge flow within multinational corporations (MNCs) and to explain the role of managerial attention in exploiting the prospect of knowledge transfer from subsidiaries located in developing countries. Design/methodology/approach – Existing literature across disciplines has been integrated to provide a clear description of the concept of reverse knowledge flow and managerial attention, in order to explain the role of managerial attention in reverse knowledge transfer activities within MNCs. Two pilot studies were conducted on European MNCs to build the background for this study. Findings – Managerial attention is a key factor in recognising potential source of knowledge within the multinational network, and a prior requirement for knowledge transfer to take place. Attention decisions are partially based on the knowledge source location, awareness/attractiveness, and the strategic importance. Thus, MNCs can adopt managerial practices and control mechanisms to influence the attention of executives and achieve higher knowledge flow from subsidiaries. Research limitations/implications – There is a need to undertake empirical research and in-depth case studies of knowledge management practices using the arguments and framework provided in this article. Practical implications – MNCs can develop mechanisms for overcoming attention biases influence on reverse knowledge flow. The attention based approach can lead to better subsidiary integration and knowledge management practices in MNCs. Originality/value – This study advances the theory on reverse knowledge flow in MNCs by presenting an attention based theoretical framework for effective knowledge transfer.


2011 ◽  
Vol 14 (2) ◽  
pp. 808-819 ◽  
Author(s):  
Juan Gabriel Cegarra-Navarro ◽  
Mª Eugenia Sánchez Vidal ◽  
David Cegarra-Leiva

In the context of a competitive knowledge-based economy, the knowledge provided by a firm's founders is one of the most important measures of success. This paper aims to identify the role of national culture on a founder's knowledge practices in a modern organisation. Using data collected from 258 Small to Medium sized Enterprises (SMES) in the Spanish and UK telecommunication industries (130 from Spain and 128 from the UK), we propose three knowledge management practices to be analysed; namely transfer, transformation and open-mindedness. This paper provides evidence that while Spanish SMES are more positively associated with higher levels of transfer and transformation of knowledge, UK SMES are more positively associated with higher levels of open-mindedness. Hence, this study serves as an important contribution to the small amount of literature currently available in this field by examining different practices that can be explained by the cultural characteristics of both countries.


2014 ◽  
Vol 22 (4) ◽  
pp. 19-21 ◽  
Author(s):  
Satyendra C. Pandey ◽  
Andrew Dutta

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to describes the role of knowledge management at MindTree, a medium-sized Indian information technology firm that has featured among the Global Most Admired Knowledge Enterprises (MAKE) and the best companies to work for. Design/methodology/approach – The paper investigates the relationship between knowledge management and innovation at the company and describes its various knowledge-management initiatives. Findings – The paper explains that the company streamlined the process of discovering what knowledge was lying where and established various policies and processes to encourage information sharing and creativity. Practical implications – It highlights the role of self-organized knowledge communities, various software tools and the prevailing organizational culture in promoting knowledge exchange and original thinking. Social implications – It hints that knowledge management will be an increasingly important source of competitive advantage in the years ahead. Originality/value – It describes knowledge-management practices that can be used by other companies to foster innovation and business leadership among employees.


2019 ◽  
Vol 57 (8) ◽  
pp. 1902-1922 ◽  
Author(s):  
Roberto Chierici ◽  
Alice Mazzucchelli ◽  
Alexeis Garcia-Perez ◽  
Demetris Vrontis

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to empirically investigate how big data collected from social media contribute to knowledge management practices, innovation processes and business performance. Design/methodology/approach The study used 418 questionnaires collected from firms that actively invest in marketing, advertising and communication in the Italian market. The hypotheses testing and analysis were conducted using structural equation modeling. Findings The results reveal that customers’ data gathered from social media produce different effects on knowledge management practices and firms’ innovation capacity. Furthermore, increased innovation capacity turned out to affect customer relationship performance directly, while it contributes to gain better financial performance only when it is used to gain relational outcomes. Originality/value The outcomes of the study help firms to develop a clear understanding about which big data retrieved from social media can be useful to improve their knowledge management practices and enhance their innovation capacity. Moreover, by investigating the mediating role of big data knowledge management in the context of social media knowledge acquisition and innovation capacity, this study also extends the mediation variables used to understand the relationship between knowledge capabilities and practices and innovation constructs.


2019 ◽  
Vol 11 (18) ◽  
pp. 5129 ◽  
Author(s):  
Changiz Valmohammadi ◽  
Javad Sofiyabadi ◽  
Bahare Kolahi

The main purpose of this study is to investigate the mediating role of innovation practices (IP) amidst relations of knowledge management practices (KMP) and sustainable balanced performance (SBP). Furthermore, this research illustrates a comprehensive empirical study in the Iranian knowledge-based industrial companies that are the manufacturers of advanced machineries and equipment. First- and second-order exploratory factor analysis (EFA) was done to confirm constructs validity. Then, relations among variables were studied by applying the partial least squares (PLS) technique to collected data from 104 industrial knowledge-based companies. The results obtained from the analysis supported all the research hypotheses. KPM significantly and strongly affects IP and SBP. Also, IP mediates the relations between KPM and SBP in industrial knowledge-based firms.


2020 ◽  
Vol 33 (1) ◽  
pp. 42-59 ◽  
Author(s):  
Rohana Ngah ◽  
Kuan Yew Wong

Purpose This paper aims to study the effect of knowledge management in formulating competitive strategies for knowledge-based small- and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in Malaysia. Design/methodology/approach A quantitative approach of a survey was carried out on 135 owners and managers of knowledge-based SMEs in Malaysia. Structural equation modeling technique was used to investigate the relationship between knowledge management and competitive strategies. SmartPLS software is used to analyze the quantitative data. Only SMEs which are involved in R&D and innovation were selected to get the right respondents who meet the objective of the study. Findings The findings show mixed results. Most dimensions of knowledge management have significant relationships to differentiation strategy except for knowledge creation and knowledge acquisition, with only knowledge acquisition showing a significant relationship to cost leadership. Findings reveal that knowledge management has a positive effect on competitive strategies with more inclination toward differentiation strategy, compared to cost leadership strategy which does synchronize with their commitment in research and development and innovation. Research limitations/implications This study is only focused on knowledge-based SMEs in central Malaysia. Second, the use of a survey approach minimized the flow of information. Practical implications SMEs do have knowledge management practices but may not be exploiting it well. Mapping knowledge management practices would help SMEs identify their strengths and weaknesses to explore better business opportunities. This proves that SMEs are leveraging their resources through knowledge application, dissemination, storage and protection to be different than their competitors. However, their apparent lack of knowledge in knowledge acquisition and knowledge creation should be addressed accordingly, as it is important for their future continuous sustainability. Originality/value This paper contributes to the literature of knowledge management relating to competitive strategies in SMEs. The study offers insights on how competitive strategies were formulated through knowledge management. The mixed results reveal a new different outlook of knowledge management relating to competitive strategies.


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