Organizational knowledge documentation in project-based institutes

2017 ◽  
Vol 35 (5) ◽  
pp. 994-1012 ◽  
Author(s):  
Fatemeh Navidi ◽  
Mohammad Hassanzadeh ◽  
Ali Zolghadr Shojai
Keyword(s):  
Tacit Knowledge ◽  
Explicit Knowledge ◽  
Structured Interview ◽  
Organizational Knowledge ◽  
Technical Knowledge ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Junior Staff ◽  
Research Activities ◽  
Space Agency ◽  
Research Institute

Purpose Employees, as the most important assets of an organization, acquire a great deal of experience, skills and knowledge throughout the time period they work for the organization. If their skills and technical knowledge are not documented properly, these will be lost once the employees leave the organization. Therefore, documentation is necessary for preserving this invaluable knowledge, avoiding duplication and preventing repeated mistakes that occurred in the past and, providing the junior staff with experiences gained by their predecessors. Thus, this research aims to elaborate on the role of organizational knowledge management (KM) as an essential tool for turning tacit knowledge into explicit knowledge and sharing the gained experiences with others. Design/methodology/approach This research is developmental applied research with qualitative approach and it was conducted using thematic analysis method. This method includes a semi-structured interview with 18 researchers conducting research projects at the Satellite Research Institute under the supervision of the Iran Space Agency. Findings The projects contain knowledge that is a combination of “know why”, “know what”, “know who” and “know how”. A large amount of this knowledge is, indeed, the tacit knowledge. Most of this tacit knowledge is not reflected in the project documents. Generally, the documents contain results only and they do not include experience, technical details, methodology, analysis and mistakes that were made during research activities. Documentation challenges fall into three major types: technical, human resources and administrative. Originality value Considering the necessity of documentation within the knowledge transfer process and its important role in KM; and, with respect to the lack of technical knowledge and experience transfer observed in the documents of Satellite Research Institute, this research proposes some steps that need to be taken to turn the knowledge sharing into an organizational culture.

Empirical study on the relationship between entrepreneurial cognitions and strategic change momentum

2015 ◽  
Vol 53 (5) ◽  
pp. 957-983 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lin Yang
Keyword(s):  
Tacit Knowledge ◽  
Positive Relationship ◽  
Explicit Knowledge ◽  
Strategic Change ◽  
Organizational Knowledge ◽  
Knowledge Structures ◽  
Moderating Effects ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Managerial Implications ◽  
The Relationship

Purpose – Due to the scanty of theoretical attempts to link entrepreneurial cognitions to strategic change momentum (SCM) and to explore moderating effects of organizational knowledge structures in the relationship, the purpose of this paper is to examine the relationship between entrepreneurial cognitions and SCM, as well as the moderating effects of organizational knowledge structures by drawing on the institutional theory and resource-based view. Design/methodology/approach – Using analysis of covariance, multivariate analysis of variance, and hierarchical regression analysis, the data of 229 enterprise samples are used to empirically test the hypotheses. Findings – The empirical results indicate that two dimensions of entrepreneurial cognitions, arrangement and willingness cognitions, will positively influence SCM, with organizational knowledge structures as a moderator. Specifically, explicit knowledge decreases the positive relationship between entrepreneurial arrangement cognitions and SCM, and tacit knowledge increases the positive relationship between entrepreneurial arrangement, willingness and ability cognitions and SCM. However, entrepreneurial ability cognitions have no significant effect on SCM, and explicit knowledge does not moderate the relationship between entrepreneurial willingness and ability cognitions and SCM. Practical implications – From the results of this study, the paper can derive some important managerial implications that entrepreneurs should holistically understand the concept of entrepreneurial cognitions in Chinese context as well as strengthen the innovation of their internal management institutions and consolidate their institutional platforms for improving entrepreneurial cognitive efficacy. Moreover, strategic control ability should be further enhanced for China’s entrepreneurs, and also the dynamic balances during the conversion process between tacit knowledge and explicit knowledge should be promoted so as to optimize the organizational knowledge structures. Originality/value – By integrating entrepreneurial cognitions, organizational knowledge structures, and SCM into a unified theoretical framework, the paper empirically examines the theoretical problems about the interactions among the three variables involved. The findings can broaden the research perspectives and deepen the research field of strategic change, and also provide managerial implications for cultivating entrepreneurs and optimizing organizational knowledge structures under the context of China.

Knowledge creation and utilization in project teams

2015 ◽  
Vol 19 (2) ◽  
pp. 351-371 ◽  
Author(s):  
Paul Ihuoma Oluikpe
Keyword(s):  
Project Management ◽  
Tacit Knowledge ◽  
Explicit Knowledge ◽  
Project Teams ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Relational Processes ◽  
Knowledge Processes ◽  
The Social ◽  
Tacit Dimension ◽  
Organizational Results

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to explore the knowledge processes that interplay in the social construction and appropriation of knowledge and to test these constructs empirically in project teams. Design/methodology/approach – Literature research and quantitative survey were used. The research identified project success, faster completion times, operational efficiency, innovation and generation of new knowledge as dominating project management expectations in the past ten years. It studied how these projects construct and appropriate knowledge within project teams to achieve these five objectives. Using a quantitative approach, data were sought from 1,000 respondents out of a population of 10,000 from 11 project management areas in eight world regions to test the conceptual model in real-world scenarios. The data gathered were analyzed using quantitative analysis tools and techniques such as reliability, correlation and regression. Findings – There is a lingering difficulty within organizations on how to translate tacit knowledge into action. The transfer and utilization of tacit knowledge was shown to be embedded and nested within relationships. Innovation in projects was found to be mostly linked to replication and codification of knowledge (explicit dimension) as opposed to interpretation and assimilation (tacit dimension). Arriving at a mutual interpretation of project details and requirements does not depend on canonical (formal documentation) methods but mostly on non-canonical (informal) and relational processes embedded within the team. Originality/value – This work studies, in empirical and geographical detail, the social interplay of knowledge and provided evidence relative to the appropriation of knowledge in the project organizational form, which can be extrapolated to wider contexts. The work scoped the inter-relational nature of knowledge and provided further evidence on the nebulous nature of tacit/intangible knowledge. It also proved further that organizations mostly rely on explicit knowledge to drive organizational results, as it is easily actionable and measurable.

Knowledge management for library building design

2016 ◽  
Vol 37 (1/2) ◽  
pp. 2-12 ◽  
Author(s):  
Zhixian Yi
Keyword(s):  
Knowledge Management ◽  
Tacit Knowledge ◽  
Explicit Knowledge ◽  
Continuous Process ◽  
Building Design ◽  
Design Principles ◽  
Design Strategies ◽  
Innovative Design ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Practical Implications

Purpose – In the digital age, constant changes in libraries inform contemporary building design. An innovative library building design is a complicated process and can be viewed as a continuous process of the use of tacit and explicit knowledge and innovative tools and approaches. Knowledge management (KM) can bring about the much needed innovation, and transform tacit knowledge to explicit knowledge. For the design of a library to be successful, it is necessary to apply KM to library building design. The purpose of this paper is to look at key change impacts, to explore how to manage knowledge in building design and to identify key design principles. Design/methodology/approach – This paper looks at key change impacts, explores how to manage knowledge in library building design and pinpoints design principles. Findings – This paper finds that KM can be vital to library building design, and it can be used in all stages: to examine the internal and external environments, transform tacit knowledge to explicit knowledge by using portals, and analyze existing and future issues and trends. When effectively used, KM will result in innovative design strategies and also will reduce the time and costs of the building design and plan processes. The main principles of library building design are flexibility, accessibility, safety and security, applicability, adaptability, efficiency, and sustainability. Practical implications – This paper provides a useful overview of how to manage knowledge in library building design and design principles. Originality/value – The views, discussions, and suggestions will be of value to improve the effectiveness of library building design.

Transformation paths and influencing factors of tacit knowledge into explicit knowledge in real estate companies: a qualitative study

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Guodong Ni ◽  
Ziyao Zhang ◽  
Zhenmin Yuan ◽  
Haitao Huang ◽  
Na Xu ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Knowledge Management ◽  
Real Estate ◽  
Tacit Knowledge ◽  
Influencing Factors ◽  
Explicit Knowledge ◽  
Design Method ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Knowledge Resources ◽  
Tacit Knowledge Management

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to figure out the paths about transformation of tacit knowledge into explicit knowledge, i.e. tacit knowledge explicating (TKE) in real estate companies, and determine the influencing factors of TKE in Chinese real estate companies to enable enterprises make better use of their knowledge resources.Design/methodology/approachThe study adopted an exploratory design method using thematic analysis and grounded theory, and semi-structured interviews were conducted to collect data. The interviewees consisted of employees in different positions, who come from Chinese real estate companies with different ranking ranges and different knowledge management levels. Data collection was divided into two rounds for the identification of transformation paths and influencing factors.FindingsThis study has shown that 11 paths about TKE divided into solidified organization process and construction of organizational infrastructure go into effect within the real estate companies. Factors influencing TKE in real estate companies concern three main categories: organizational distal factors, contextual proximal factors and individual factors, including 21 subordinates in total. Furthermore, correlation between TKE paths and influencing factors is established.Research limitations/implicationsResearch results may lack generalizability due to the method adopted. Therefore, researchers are encouraged to verify the outcomes of this research.Practical implicationsThis research provides a new idea and solutions for the tacit knowledge management in real estate companies.Originality/valueTo the best of the authors’ knowledge, this study is the first to systematically identify paths and the influencing factors of TKE in real estate companies, contribute to the incipient but growing understanding of achievement of “tacit to explicit” and enrich the corporate tacit knowledge management literature.

The death of distance, revisited: disseminative capacity and knowledge transfer

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Chansoo Park
Keyword(s):  
Knowledge Transfer ◽  
Tacit Knowledge ◽  
Explicit Knowledge ◽  
Psychic Distance ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Tacit Knowledge Transfer ◽  
The Relationship ◽  
Moderating Role ◽  
Foreign Parent

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to assess how the transfer of explicit and tacit knowledge is affected by the knowledge disseminative capacity of a foreign parent firm, with an emphasis on the moderating role of psychic distance, by developing and testing a theoretical model of international joint venture (IJV) learning. Design/methodology/approach The author tested the hypotheses with survey data collected from 199 IJVs in South Korea, estimating a structural equation model using AMOS 23.0. Findings The authors found that the capacity of the foreign parent to disseminate knowledge to the IJV has a greater impact on explicit knowledge transfer than tacit knowledge transfer. He also found that the relationship between disseminative capacity and explicit knowledge transfer is significantly moderated by psychic distance, but the relationship between disseminative capacity and tacit knowledge transfer is not. Originality/value The results are critical for IJVs and parent firms seeking to improve knowledge transfer, as they establish the importance of parent firms’ disseminative capacities and the moderating role of psychic distance in the process of both tacit and explicit knowledge transfer. This research addresses the research gap regarding disseminative capacity by providing empirical evidence.

scholarly journals Is it possible to share tacit knowledge using information and communication technology tools?

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Delio Ignacio Castaneda ◽  
Paul Toulson
Keyword(s):  
Tacit Knowledge ◽  
Information And Communication Technology ◽  
Communication Technology ◽  
Text Messaging ◽  
Explicit Knowledge ◽  
Knowledge Workers ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Information And Communication ◽  
Ict Tools ◽  
The Uk

Purpose This study aims to determine whether it is possible to use information and communication technology (ICT) tools to share tacit knowledge. Few studies have considered this subject, and they have reported both the ineffectiveness and effectiveness of ICT tools for sharing tacit knowledge. Design/methodology/approach In this study, the participants comprised 217 knowledge workers from New Zealand and researchers who attended a knowledge management conference in the UK. In all, 59% of the sample was men and 41% women. The research model compared the scores of knowledge workers in two categories of ICT, those that allow dialogue and those that do not, in relation to knowledge sharing in organizations. The instrument used a Likert scale with five levels of response. Findings It was found that not all ICT technologies let tacit knowledge to be shared, but those ICT that facilitate dialogue, for example, text messaging and video conferences. Emails did not facilitate the exchange of tacit knowledge. Research limitations/implications It is suggested to replicate the study with different countries to evaluate the role of culture in the communication of tacit knowledge. Practical implications An implication for practitioners based on this study is that email should not be the preferred mode for transferring knowledge between an organization and their workers. This mode is adequate for the exchange of explicit knowledge, but it has a limited capacity for transferring tacit knowledge. Thus, organizations may increase the use of audio and video tools to transfer electronically tacit knowledge. Interaction or socialization may facilitate the understanding and internalization of tacit knowledge by workers. Originality/value This study contributed to understand the reason for contradictory results from previous research. ICT tools are effective to share tacit knowledge when they facilitate dialogue. Results also support practitioners about how to obtain more effective exchange of tacit knowledge in organizations.

The influence mechanism of rewards on knowledge sharing behaviors in virtual communities

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Nan Wang ◽  
Jielin Yin ◽  
Zhenzhong Ma ◽  
Maolin Liao
Keyword(s):  
Intrinsic Motivation ◽  
Knowledge Sharing ◽  
Tacit Knowledge ◽  
Self Efficacy ◽  
Virtual Communities ◽  
Explicit Knowledge ◽  
Virtual Community ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Integrated Framework ◽  
Tacit Knowledge Sharing

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to explore the effects of organizational rewards on two forms of knowledge sharing – explicit knowledge sharing and tacit knowledge sharing in virtual communities, and further to explore the mediating effect of intrinsic motivation on the effect of virtual community rewards on implicit knowledge sharing. Design/methodology/approach Based on relevant knowledge sharing theories, this study develops an integrated framework to explore virtual community rewards and tacit and explicit knowledge sharing in a virtual context. This study then collected data from 429 virtual community users in four virtual communities via an online survey. Hierarchical regression analyzes were used to test the proposed research model. Findings The results of this study show that virtual rewards have a significantly positive linear relationship with explicit knowledge sharing but have an inverse U-shape relationship with tacit knowledge sharing in virtual communities. In addition, intrinsic motivations including enjoyment and self-efficacy mediate the relationship between rewards and tacit knowledge sharing. Practical implications This study suggests more virtual community rewards may not always lead to more tacit knowledge sharing. Instead, too many rewards may weaken the motivation for tacit knowledge sharing. Knowledge management practitioners should make full use of the positive impact of self-efficacy and enjoyment to set up appropriate reward incentives to encourage knowledge-sharing, in particular, tacit knowledge sharing and to better manage virtual communities. Originality/value This study explores knowledge-sharing behavior in virtual communities, an important step toward more integrated knowledge-sharing theories. While online communities have become increasingly important for today’s knowledge economy, few studies have explored knowledge and knowledge sharing in a virtual context and this study helps to bridge the gap. In addition, this study develops an integrated framework to explore the mechanism through which virtual community rewards affect knowledge sharing with intrinsic motivation mediating this relationship in online communities, which further enriches the understanding on how to use virtual rewards to motivate knowledge sharing behaviors in the virtual context.

Organizational knowledge retention and knowledge loss

2019 ◽  
Vol 23 (1) ◽  
pp. 176-199 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nadège Levallet ◽  
Yolande E. Chan
Keyword(s):  
Explicit Knowledge ◽  
Knowledge Retention ◽  
Organizational Knowledge ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Knowledge Loss ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Types Of Knowledge ◽  
The Social ◽  
Individual Knowledge ◽  
Social Level

PurposeThis paper aims to examine the effectiveness of organizational information technology (IT)-based and non-IT-based knowledge transfer mechanisms (KTMs) for the retention of different types of knowledge from mobile experts. It differentiates among four types of knowledge loss (KL), namely, conscious knowledge (i.e. individual explicit knowledge that can be codified); codified knowledge (i.e. explicit knowledge captured at the social level); automatic knowledge (i.e. implicit individual knowledge); and collective knowledge (i.e. implicit knowledge embedded in the organization).Design/methodology/approachA research framework connecting the organizational knowledge retention (KR) cycle to KL is developed and an exploratory analysis is conducted using data from two case studies in the Canadian federal public service. Findings are confirmed using a third government agency.FindingsWithout the right processes in place for organizational knowledge retrieval and reuse, the KR cycle is not complete, leading to KL. The lack of available social KTMs for the conversion of individual to social objectified knowledge leads to KL. KTMs shortcomings increase the risk of automatic and objectified KL.Research limitations/implicationsExploratory results demonstrate that KL does not always equate to lack of KR. Implementing knowledge-specific organizational KTMs is important to encourage the retention of individual knowledge at the social level. Propositions and a framework are developed for future research.Practical implicationsMobile experts hold valuable knowledge at high risk of being lost by organizations. This paper provides managers with a set of guidelines to develop a knowledge-specific strategy focused on KTMs that increase KR and mitigate KL.Originality/valueThis paper challenges the assumption that KL only results from poor retention and studies both retention and loss to identify additional types of unintentional loss that occur when individual knowledge is not converted to social knowledge.

A systematic approach to develop risk registry frameworks for complex projects

2018 ◽  
Vol 8 (4) ◽  
pp. 334-347 ◽  
Author(s):  
Rana Khallaf ◽  
Nader Naderpajouh ◽  
Makarand Hastak
Keyword(s):  
Tacit Knowledge ◽  
Explicit Knowledge ◽  
Multiple Forms ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Knowledge Based ◽  
Complex Projects ◽  
And Performance ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Forms Of Knowledge ◽  
Tacit And Explicit Knowledge

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to build upon the extensive application of risk registries in the construction literature and establish a systematic methodology to develop risk registries. Risk registries channel judgment of experts as a basis for risk analysis and should be tailored for each project to be more effective. Given their prevalence, there is a need for systematic integration of tacit and explicit knowledge to develop practical risk registries. Design/methodology/approach A combined approach is proposed using the systematic literature review (SLR) technique to integrate explicit knowledge and Delphi technique to integrate tacit knowledge in the development of risk registries. This two-step approach further increases the robustness of the registries by validating them through integrating and contrasting multiple forms of knowledge for a tailored risk registry. Findings The application of the proposed approach indicates that the use of multiple forms of knowledge can increase the robustness and practicality of risk registries. It also showcased its potential in the development of risk registries for complex projects. Examples include modification of risk factors obtained from the explicit sources of knowledge based on contextual tacit knowledge. Originality/value The proposed approach is an imperative step to standardize the development of risk registries. With its inherent validation process through integrating and contrasting tacit and explicit knowledge, practitioners can use this approach to develop practical risk registries for different categories of projects. Integrating different forms of knowledge can increase the impact of registries beyond risk assessment and in contexts such as decision making and performance assessment.

Family business succession as knowledge creation process

Kybernetes ◽  
2014 ◽  
Vol 43 (5) ◽  
pp. 699-714 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mojca Duh
Keyword(s):  
Knowledge Base ◽  
Family Business ◽  
Knowledge Creation ◽  
Explicit Knowledge ◽  
Organizational Knowledge ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Creation Process ◽  
Organizational Knowledge Creation ◽  
Business Succession ◽  
Family Business Succession

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to broaden the understanding of family business succession as organizational knowledge creation process. Design/methodology/approach – The paper is built on organizational knowledge creation theory and reviews literature on family business succession. Four modes of knowledge conversion are followed to identify knowledge creation activities contributing to family business's knowledge base and to develop propositions. Findings – Successful realization of succession depends not only on “traditional” knowledge creation activities of socialization and internalization, but as well as on active involvement of successor(s) in many aspects of business functioning. This contributes not only to widening successor(s) knowledge base but as well as to the firm's tacit and explicit knowledge triggering a new spiral of knowledge. Research limitations/implications – The paper limits the research on leadership succession as one of the most challenging tasks in family business's life cycle. Moreover, research findings have implications for small- and medium-sized family businesses due to the strong preference of keeping the leadership within a family. Practical implications – Propositions developed provide useful cognitions to professionals and stakeholders involved in succession process. If they understand the complexity of knowledge creation process, they can stand a better chance of improving the process of successor(s)’ development and leadership transfer in such a way that family business will have better chance to survive and progress after the transition. Originality/value – The research provides a comprehensive framework of knowledge creation activities during succession thus indicating the requisitely holistic approach to succession from organizational knowledge creation perspective. The study contributes to the organizational knowledge creation theory and the succession theory.

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