Knowledge creation. The ongoing search for strategic renewal

2014 ◽  
Vol 114 (7) ◽  
pp. 1022-1035 ◽  
Author(s):  
M. Begoña Lloria ◽  
Marta Peris-Ortiz
Keyword(s):  
Organizational Structure ◽  
Knowledge Creation ◽  
Work Teams ◽  
Organization Design ◽  
Relational Model ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Design Variables ◽  
Innovation Teams ◽  
Design Innovation ◽  
The Relationship

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to analyse how changes in a set of structural design variables (i.e. liaison position, networked design, innovation teams and work teams) affect the creation of new knowledge within organizations. The enablers intention, autonomy, fluctuation and creative chaos, redundancy, variety, and trust and commitment, taken from Nonaka's framework, are used as intermediate variables. Design/methodology/approach – A sample of 167 large Spanish companies was used to empirically test a general relational model. Findings – The analysis yielded two main conclusions. First, the relationship between structural variables and enablers, and, second, the relationship of enablers with knowledge creation emerged as highly relevant for knowledge creation in organizations. Research limitations/implications – A major limitation of this study was the relatively small number of variables used to define organizational structure. In reality, a large number of variables combine to create organizational structure, yet this study only included four: liaison position, networked design, innovation teams and work teams. A further limitation is the importance of the organizational context itself, which was not addressed in this study. Practical implications – This research has yielded findings that can help firms to understand and appreciate the changes that may occur in certain organizational design variables that affect knowledge creation. Equally, this research shows that knowledge creation has the potential to act as a catalyst for innovation, and may consequently drive change within the firm. Originality/value – Despite a long tradition of research into organizations and the ways in which these entities create knowledge, the literature requires enhancing through the publication of articles that provide a deeper knowledge of the context and tools that aid knowledge creation. The novel approach adopted in the current study verified whether certain variables related to organization design (i.e. liaison positions, networked design, innovation teams and work teams) exert a relevant influence on knowledge creation.

The effects of knowledge creation process on organizational performance using the BSC approach: the mediating role of intellectual capital

2018 ◽  
Vol 22 (4) ◽  
pp. 802-823 ◽  
Author(s):  
Gholamhossein Mehralian ◽  
Jamal A. Nazari ◽  
Peivand Ghasemzadeh
Keyword(s):  
Organizational Performance ◽  
Intellectual Capital ◽  
Knowledge Creation ◽  
Structural Equation ◽  
Positive Impact ◽  
Equation Modeling ◽  
Success Factor ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Key Dimensions ◽  
The Relationship

PurposeKnowledge is a key success factor in achieving competitive advantage in the current fast-paced and uncertain economic environment. Several studies in the literature have analyzed the relationship between knowledge creation (KC) and organizational success; however, the mechanisms by which KC leads to accumulation of intellectual capital (IC) and thereby affects various dimensions of organizational performance are understudied. The purpose of this paper is to examine how KC and IC and their relationship influence key dimensions of organizational performance.Design/methodology/approachA research model was developed and tested based on the literature in the areas of KC, IC and organizational performance. This study uses a survey sent to companies in an intensive knowledge-based industry. The balanced scorecard (BSC) approach was used to measure the key dimensions of organizational performance.FindingsThe results from structural equation modeling (SEM) on 470 completed questionnaires received from the pharmaceutical companies in Iran reveal that KC activities lead to the accumulation of organizational IC and IC has a crucial and positive impact on the BSC. Furthermore, the results from the path analysis indicate that IC mediates the effects of KC on the BSC.Practical implicationsThe findings of this study contribute to the extant literature on the relationship between knowledge and organizational performance by demonstrating that knowledge and KC lead to performance when organizations utilize KC activities and leverage them to accumulate IC. Once used effectively, IC will result in a better performance in the knowledge-intensive environments.Originality/valueThis is the first study that investigates how KC contributes to firm performance by incorporating the mediating impact of IC on the BSC. The proposed model and results will help organizations to identify the mechanisms through which KC initiatives improve organizational performance.

Providing an interpretive structural model of agile supply chain practices

2019 ◽  
Vol 15 (2) ◽  
pp. 661-684 ◽  
Author(s):  
Akbar Rahimi ◽  
Abbas Raad ◽  
Akbar Alem Tabriz ◽  
Alireza Motameni
Keyword(s):  
Supply Chain ◽  
Organizational Structure ◽  
Human Resource ◽  
Defense Industry ◽  
Theory And Practice ◽  
Equation Modeling ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Agile Supply Chain ◽  
Supply Chain Agility ◽  
The Relationship

Purpose Nowadays, the defense industry is considered a significant part of the manufacturing industries. Military products in the world have a high level of diversity, delivery speed and appropriative operational functionality. Therefore, various producing, high quality and high-speed delivery of military products are of great importance in enhancing Iran’s defensive power. Defense industries’ supply chain agility is a response to how to produce military products with these features. Therefore, the purpose of this paper is to provide a model for the agile supply chain of defense industries to show the relationship between agile practices and their hierarchy. Design/methodology/approach First, the authors identify the most important supply chain agility practices by expert’s questionnaire. Then, using factor analysis, practices are categorized and validated based on structural equation modeling (SEM). SEM showed a meaningful relationship between agile supply chain practices. Finally, using interpretative structural modeling, a model is presented to show the logical relationships and hierarchy between these practices. Findings The results show that out of a total of 62 practices introduced in the previous research for the agile supply chain, 37 practices in the agility of the supply chain of defense industries are effective. The 4 new agility practices were identified in this research. These 41 practices were classified into 8 categories including supplier relationship, workshop level management, organizational structure improvement, human resource management, product designing, improve and integrate the process, application of information technology and customer relationship. Improvement of organizational structure was at the highest level of the model. Therefore, managers first should focus on it. Research limitations/implications Given the confidentiality of information in the defense industry, the distribution of questionnaires and their collection was one of the most important limitations. A variety of defense products in land, air and sea areas, and a large number of industries in each sector, forced the authors to select the only land area. Although the results of this research can be used in the air and sea areas, but cannot be said that the implementation of this study presented model will fully lead to the defense industries’ supply chain agility in air and sea sectors. Originality/value This is the first research on the supply chain agility of Iran’s defense industry that bridges the gap between theory and practice. The classification of 41 practices in the form of 8 measures and examining the relationship between them is a new and practical approach for understanding the relationships between different variables that affect supply chain agility. This study introduces four new agility practices including the use of new technology and equipment, human resource balance, the use of expert human resources, training and employee empowerment, which can be considered in many industries of developing or less developed countries. Considering the specific situation of defense industry supply chain in comparison with other industries, the results of this research can be used by other defense industries of similar countries.

Network position and cooperation partners selection strategies for research productivity

2015 ◽  
Vol 53 (3) ◽  
pp. 494-511 ◽  
Author(s):  
Chih-Hsing(Sam) Liu
Keyword(s):  
Interpersonal Relationships ◽  
Knowledge Creation ◽  
Research Productivity ◽  
Critical Position ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Network Position ◽  
Cooperation Partners ◽  
The Relationship ◽  
Moderating Role ◽  
Practical Implications

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to explore how individuals can leverage interpersonal relationships and critical network position to acquire knowledge and information for generate research productivity. Specifically, this paper argues that the relationship between tie strength and scholar productivity will be an inverted U-shape, and critical position as moderating role in research productivity generation process. The robustness tests were also provided. Design/methodology/approach – Using panel data from scholars in tourism academic fields, this paper investigated the conditions under which maintenance of social relations affects knowledge creation. In total, two different regression models and robustness tests were used to test the hypotheses in a sample of 201 tourism scholars from Taiwan and an analysis of 1,198 publications. Findings – The results showed that the relationship between tie strength and scholar productivity will be an inverted U-shape. Moreover, the moderating role of critical position of structural holes and betweennesss are recognized: it positively moderates with tie strengths and research productivity. Research limitations/implications – The empirical results are derived from a sample of scholars in Taiwanese business management departments, thus raising concern about the external generalizability to other departments and countries. Future research is, therefore, suggested to empirically test the validity of the framework and hypothesis in other departments or countries. Practical implications – The practical implications of the results are that individuals need to know that there are two underlying governing forces on the choice of their knowledge exchange partners and occupying critical network position. A diversified social relation is beneficial to the knowledge creation performance because of more information knowledge sharing while a specialized knowledge would avoid the detrimental effects of coordination and conflict problems on research productivity. Therefore, individuals should understand and careful choice their cooperation partners and network position in order to achieve better knowledge creation outcome. Originality/value – This research extends developments in social capital theory and the relational view into interpersonal relationships between tourism scholars and their cooperation partners. Furthermore, the paper also examines how critical position has effects on scholar’s research productivity creation process. Finally, studies that examine the relationship between tourism academic networks and different measures of research productivity are few in number, and those that use such longitudinal empirical work are particularly lacking. This study addresses these issues.

Substitutes or complements? Individual-focused and group-focused transformational leadership in different organizational structures in new firms

2017 ◽  
Vol 38 (5) ◽  
pp. 699-718 ◽  
Author(s):  
Xiumei Zhu ◽  
Mingxu Bao
Keyword(s):  
Transformational Leadership ◽  
Organizational Structure ◽  
Design Methodology ◽  
Organizational Structures ◽  
New Firms ◽  
Comprehensive Understanding ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Significant Performance ◽  
Established Firms ◽  
The Relationship

Purpose The significant performance implications of individual-focused and group-focused transformational leadership have been documented for established firms, but the issue of whether they are complementary or substitutive still remains a puzzle, and whether their relationship differs in new firms remains unanswered. The purpose of this paper is to investigate the relationship between individual-focused and group-focused transformational leadership in different organizational structures in new firms. Design/methodology/approach The study draws on survey data of 209 questionnaires from 63 teams in 63 new firms in China. Findings The results suggest that individual-focused and group-focused transformational leadership are substitutive when the organizational structure is mechanistic, and are complementary when the structure is organic. Originality/value The study contributes to the debate on the relationship between individual-focused and group-focused transformational leadership by comparing organizational structure characteristics and offering a comprehensive understanding of the issue.

Does ethical leadership and psychological capital promote knowledge creation? An empirical study of research organizations

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Anil Kumar Goswami ◽  
Rakesh Kumar Agrawal
Keyword(s):  
Ethical Leadership ◽  
Research Methodology ◽  
Knowledge Creation ◽  
Structural Equation ◽  
Psychological Capital ◽  
Critical Role ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Research Organizations ◽  
Longitudinal Data Collection ◽  
The Relationship

Purpose This study aims to empirically examine the relationship of ethical leadership and psychological capital with knowledge creation. It also investigates the effect of psychological capital as a mediator in the relationship between ethical leadership and knowledge creation. Design/methodology/approach This study is based on quantitative research methodology. The data was gathered using a survey questionnaire from 286 members of public-sector research organizations (PSROs) in India. Structural equation modelling (SEM) was used for hypotheses testing. Findings The findings of this study show that ethical leadership and psychological capital have a positive influence on knowledge creation. Further, psychological capital mediated the relationship between ethical leadership and knowledge creation. Research limitations/implications This study is a quantitative cross-sectional study. However, future researchers may use qualitative research methodology and longitudinal data collection to supplement this study. Practical implications This study provides new understanding into the creation of knowledge by emphasizing on the critical role played by ethical leadership and psychological capital and, thus, makes significant theoretical contribution. It emphasizes that managers should not only be ethical but also use interventions to strengthen psychological capital of employees to strengthen knowledge creation. Originality/value To the best of authors’ knowledge, this is the first study to examine the underlying mechanism of psychological capital in explaining the links of ethical leadership with knowledge creation.

scholarly journals Dancing in the dark: creativity, knowledge creation and (emergent) organizational change

2014 ◽  
Vol 27 (2) ◽  
pp. 344-361 ◽  
Author(s):  
Fabrizio Maimone ◽  
Marta Sinclair
Keyword(s):  
Organizational Change ◽  
Change Management ◽  
Knowledge Creation ◽  
Individual Characteristics ◽  
First Century ◽  
Linear Change ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Work Spaces ◽  
Emergent Change ◽  
The Relationship

Purpose – The aim of this paper is threefold: to provide a framework for a better understanding of the relationship between creativity, knowledge creation/sharing, and organizational change; to define the key elements at individual and collective level that may contribute to the development of organizational spaces that favour a climate for creativity and knowledge creation as precondition of “emergent change”; and to contribute to the development of a multi-perspective approach to creativity and knowledge creation in twenty-first century organizations. Design/methodology/approach – The paper begins with a review of the emergent non-linear change theories and the change-related processes of knowledge creation. It uses the metaphor of dance to explore the relationship between emergent change and knowledge creation and sharing, and identifies the main factors that may impact this relationship. Findings – The authors' framework suggests that the identified factors act as precondition to emergent change. These factors are critical for change management in organizations operating in today's chaotic environment. Practical implications – The authors' framework suggests that the identified factors act as precondition to emergent change. These factors are critical for change management in modern organizations. The authors propose guidelines and provide examples how to manage work spaces and facilitate the organizational dance. Originality/value – Even though the academic literature already offers some evidence about the role and the centrality of spontaneous change, this paper provides a systematic, multi-perspective approach to the understanding and management of social, cultural and individual characteristics of bottom-up organizational change, focusing on its fundamental aspects of creativity and knowledge creation.

Explicating the influence of shared goals and hope on knowledge sharing and knowledge creation in an emerging economic context

2019 ◽  
Vol 24 (2) ◽  
pp. 172-195 ◽  
Author(s):  
Anil Kumar Goswami ◽  
Rakesh Kumar Agrawal
Keyword(s):  
Knowledge Sharing ◽  
Knowledge Creation ◽  
Structural Equation ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Mediating Role ◽  
Qualitative Approaches ◽  
Longitudinal Data Collection ◽  
Shared Goals ◽  
The Relationship

Purpose The purpose of this study is to empirically investigate the influence of shared goals and hope on knowledge sharing and knowledge creation in organizations. Furthermore, it examines the mediating role of hope in the relationship between shared goals and knowledge sharing and between shared goals and knowledge creation. Design/methodology/approach This study has used quantitative research methodology wherein the data have been collected from 221 employees of information technology (IT) companies in India using survey questionnaire. Structural equation modelling has been applied to test the hypotheses of the study. Findings The findings of the study reveal that shared goals and hope positively influence knowledge sharing and knowledge creation. Shared goals also affects hope positively. Further, hope acts as a mediator between shared goals and knowledge sharing and between shared goals and knowledge creation. Research limitations/implications This study is a cross-sectional study conducted in IT companies in India. It can be supplemented by future studies through qualitative approaches and longitudinal data collection. Practical implications The study makes a significant contribution to literature by considering shared goals and hope as antecedents of knowledge sharing and knowledge creation. It provides directions to managers to focus on various interventions to strengthen shared goals and hope amongst employees to motivate them to share and create knowledge that can help the organization to get sustainable competitive advantage. Originality/value To the best of authors’ knowledge, this study is an early study conducted to examine the influence of shared goals and hope on knowledge sharing and knowledge creation. Further, hardly any study has examined the mediating role of hope in the relationship between shared goals and knowledge sharing and between shared goals and knowledge creation.

Factors influencing knowledge creation and innovation in an organisation

2005 ◽  
Vol 29 (2) ◽  
pp. 135-147 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mireille Merx‐Chermin ◽  
Wim J. Nijhof
Keyword(s):  
Knowledge Creation ◽  
Process Model ◽  
Explanatory Power ◽  
Innovation Process ◽  
Added Value ◽  
Learning To Learn ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Knowledge Organisation ◽  
The Relationship

PurposeThe purpose of this study is to gain a better understanding of the factors that influence the innovative power of organisations. The concept of innovation and innovative power was examined by analysing the relationship between the construct of the learning organisation, knowledge organisation and innovative organisation, and has resulted in an innovation process model. This model consists of three processes: knowledge creation, innovation and learning to learn. The factors that might influence this cycle are: added value for stakeholders, leadership, climate, structure and strategic alignment.Design/methodology/approachThis is an exploratory study that was conducted at Océ Technologies in The Netherlands.The case study consisted of a qualitative and a quantitative stage and comprised a selection of two innovation projects separated in time. The purpose of the first phase was to collect information about the innovation spiral, through interviews with members of three divisions in each innovation process. After this, a survey was designed and sent to all employees and managers of the three divisions involved in the two innovation cases.FindingsOn the basis of a data analysis, factors explaining variance in terms of innovation, learning and knowledge creation were identified. If innovation is discontinuous, the innovation spiral is not valid; if innovation has a strength in critical reflection on cases from the past to mould the future, the model has some explanatory power.Research limitations/implicationsUsing a survey technique to retrieve data from a current innovation experiment has a set of possible risks like maturation, forgetting, selection and a different context. Reflection and reconstruction, however, are the only possible means to achieve this. A case study does not guarantee generalisation of results.Originality/valueBy studying the model and the factors that can influence them, organisations understand that it is necessary to integrate their initiatives in organisational learning, knowledge creation and innovation for the benefit of the organisation, to find a better way to adjust to discontinuous change and finally gain innovative power.

Organizational structure, employee problem solving, and lean implementation

2015 ◽  
Vol 6 (1) ◽  
pp. 39-58 ◽  
Author(s):  
June M. Worley ◽  
Toni L. Doolen
Keyword(s):  
Problem Solving ◽  
Qualitative Methods ◽  
Organizational Structure ◽  
Lean Manufacturing ◽  
Problem Solving Skills ◽  
Lean Implementation ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Manufacturing Organizations ◽  
The Relationship

Purpose – The aim of this study was to understand the relationship between organizational structure and lean implementation success and to explore the impact of a lean implementation on the development of employee problem-solving skills. Organizations that implement lean manufacturing strategies experience widely differing results, with unexpected outcomes for some organizations. Design/methodology/approach – This study was conducted using qualitative research methodologies. Specifically, a case study was performed at an electronics manufacturer in the northwestern USA over a three-month time period. The researchers collected data from a variety of sources at the manufacturing site. Findings – Two significant findings emerged. First, the lack of dedicated personnel for the lean implementation inhibited the widespread adoption of lean practices. Second, evidence supported the role of the lean implementation in positively affecting employee problem-solving skills. Research limitations/implications – This paper is relevant to most manufacturing organizations; however, lean implementations are likely as unique as the organizations themselves. Given that the study used a single-site case study, utilizing qualitative methods, additional research is needed to confirm the findings for a larger range of manufacturing organizations. The results do indicate, however, that an organization with fewer resources to dedicate to the lean effort may find the transformation process slow and may experience fewer performance benefits. Likewise, further empirical study would help strengthen the findings regarding the relationship between the lean implementation and noticeable improvement in employee problem-solving skills. Originality/value – The literature stream for lean manufacturing provides examples of how lean implementations have not only noticeably affected tangible metrics related to profits and expenses but have also helped positively influence factors such as employee safety, morale and empowerment. For some organizations, considering the effect of these intangible factors before committing to a new manufacturing approach may prove useful. This study focused on exploring, in a much deeper way, through qualitative methods, how organizational structure can impact a lean implementation and how it ultimately acts as a catalyst for the increased development of employee problem-solving skills.

Learning-structure fit part I

2018 ◽  
Vol 25 (5) ◽  
pp. 294-304 ◽  
Author(s):  
Aleša Saša Sitar ◽  
Miha Škerlavaj
Keyword(s):  
Learning Styles ◽  
Organizational Design ◽  
Organization Design ◽  
Independent Learning ◽  
Learning Behavior ◽  
Learning Collaborative ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Double Loop Learning ◽  
The Impact ◽  
The Relationship

Purpose The purpose of this study, which consists of two parts, is to bring together literature on organizational design and learning of individuals in organizational settings. The literature suggests that learning takes place in organic and less-structured organizational designs, whereas empirical research provides conflicting evidence. This first part theorizes about the influence of mechanistic vs organic designs on three different aspects of employees’ learning behavior: knowledge sourcing, learning styles and learning loops. Design/methodology/approach This paper is built on previous research on the impact of structure on learning and theorizes about the relationship between mechanistic/organic design and specific learning behavior at work. Findings Four propositions are developed in this paper, regarding how a different structure leads to a different learning behavior. Mechanistic structure is associated with internal learning, independent learning and single-loop learning, whereas organic design leads to external learning, collaborative learning and double-loop learning. Research limitations/implications Because the paper is conceptual in nature, the propositions are in need of empirical validation. Some directions for empirical testing are proposed. Practical/implications For an organization design practice, managers should be aware of the distinct impact different structures have on individual learning at work. Furthermore, the appropriate organizational structure for learning must be considered in the broader context of contingencies. Originality/value This paper contributes to the organizational design literature and to the organizational learning theory by conceptualizing the relationship between structure and learning of individuals at work.

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