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.

Critical types of knowledge loss in military organisations

2020 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Mukesh Kumar Singh ◽  
Vikas Gupta
Keyword(s):  
Practical Implication ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Knowledge Loss ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Data Coding ◽  
Types Of Knowledge ◽  
Critical Knowledge ◽  
Km Strategy ◽  
Theoretical Sampling ◽  
Constant Comparative Analysis

Purpose Premature departure of highly skilled and experienced soldiers is detrimental to the excellence of a military organisation. The organisation can achieve knowledge superiority over adversaries, only if it acknowledges the organisation’s critical knowledge and undertakes necessary steps to preserve it. The purpose of this paper is to find out the critical types of knowledge loss in military organisations when a soldier departs. Design/methodology/approach This study uses grounded theory methodology with purposive/theoretical sampling of experts from the Indian Air Force, coding and constant comparative analysis to construct different knowledge categories. ATLAS.ti 8 was used for data coding and analysis. Findings This paper identifies eight types of knowledge categories in a military organisation and specifies the criticality of each category. Research limitation/implication This study has been piloted on a single organisation with a limited number of samples. However, the results can be used in future research on exploring generalisation. This study is unique in providing useful insights into the types of critical knowledge loss in a military organisation. Research infuses theoretical rigour to the knowledge management (KM) literature and provides impetus to study various aspects of KM in a military organisation. Practical implication This study provides the first set of guidelines for the leaders in military organisations to develop a KM strategy for knowledge loss. Research lists specific and actionable areas of knowledge for the commanders to act with considerable savings to exchequer, time and effort. The result could be reasonably generalised for other military setups in the world. Originality/value This paper is highly innovative and would significantly contribute to the under-explored area of KM in military organisations and the KM literature.

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.

scholarly journals Application of Biomimetics to Architectural and Urban Design: A Review across Scales

2020 ◽  
Vol 12 (23) ◽  
pp. 9813 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yuta Uchiyama ◽  
Eduardo Blanco ◽  
Ryo Kohsaka
Keyword(s):  
Urban Design ◽  
Architectural Design ◽  
Evolutionary Process ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Conceptual Level ◽  
Sustainable Society ◽  
Types Of Knowledge ◽  
The Social ◽  
Different Types ◽  
Shed Light

Application of biomimetics has expanded progressively to other fields in recent years, including urban and architectural design, scaling up from materials to a larger scale. Besides its contribution to design and functionality through a long evolutionary process, the philosophy of biomimetics contributes to a sustainable society at the conceptual level. The aim of this review is to shed light on trends in the application of biomimetics to architectural and urban design, in order to identify potential issues and successes resulting from implementation. In the application of biomimetics to architectural design, parts of individual “organisms”, including their form and surface structure, are frequently mimicked, whereas in urban design, on a larger scale, biomimetics is applied to mimic whole ecosystems. The overall trends of the reviewed research indicate future research necessity in the field of on biomimetic application in architectural and urban design, including Biophilia and Material. As for the scale of the applications, the urban-scale research is limited and it is a promising research which can facilitate the social implementation of biomimetics. As for facilitating methods of applications, it is instrumental to utilize different types of knowledge, such as traditional knowledge, and providing scientific clarification of functions and systems based on reviews. Thus, interdisciplinary research is required additionally to reach such goals.

Social appreciation for the improvement of tourism management of 20th-century heritage: a methodological proposal

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Gema Ramírez-Guerrero ◽  
Javier García-Onetti ◽  
Juan Adolfo Chica-Ruiz ◽  
Manuel Arcíla-Garrido
Keyword(s):  
20Th Century ◽  
Management Tool ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Analysis Tool ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Cultural Assets ◽  
Current State ◽  
The Social ◽  
Depth Analysis ◽  
The Creation

Purpose This paper attempts to fill the gap that exists in research regarding 20th-century heritage and its social appreciation. The purpose of this paper is to explore different ways of evaluating the heritage value and tourism potential and to propose an innovative model validated in the Zarzuela Hippodrome as an example of cultural asset from 20th century with important economic, social, cultural, aesthetic and architectural aspects. Design/methodology/approach This study opted for an interpretation of heritage from an ecosystem, integrating and global paradigm, understanding the asset as a set of resources that interact with each other, generating a common and enriched tourist experience among all the elements that make it up. From this perspective, it is conceived that by modifying one of the elements, the whole (tourist) ecosystem will be equally influenced. On the other side, it was incorporated non-parametric techniques based on the implementation of surveys for the validation of the tool to the case study of the Zarzuela hippodrome. Findings The results suggest that the hippodrome's internal values have been evaluated very positively, while its external values are low. Through this study, the paper has identified several weaknesses that impede its functioning as a viable “tourist product.” The distance from the city center, the lack of available information and the scarce diffusion and tourism promotion are its main weaknesses. The proposed analysis tool reveals the importance of the active participation of visitors to evaluate cultural assets through the combination of aspects related to the conservation of cultural assets and, in turn, elements that encourage their commodification as tourist products, break down barriers between these two disciplines. Research limitations/implications The management tool proposed in this study can be used to underpin the creation of tourism experiences in cultural or heritage assets by diagnosing the current state of its tourist potential, quantifying its value in relation to the visitors’ perception and making visible those problematic aspects to develop actions to solve them. Although the present study is support for future research, as well as for improving the marketing of heritage in tourist settings, an in-depth analysis of the technical elements of heritage, as well as of its intervention (if applicable), will be necessary for the managers who want to use the tool. Social implications One of the most differentiating characteristics between the construction typology of 20th-century historical buildings is perhaps the scarcity of decorative ornamentation, with exposed concrete being the main surface coating. Many of these constructions have an important cultural and historical relevance, however, the social perception, as regards its consideration as architectural and artistic heritage seems to reflect discordant aspects. This study provides support as a decision-making tool to determine the existing valuation of a building and how to enhance it. Originality/value This study takes steps toward the creation of a model that supports decision-makers and owners of cultural assets through a measurement system that makes it possible to quantify and determine the current state of tourism use through the social evaluation of heritage criteria. It defines which are the elements that favor the resilience of the property or, on the contrary, which are those that undermine its enhancement.

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.

scholarly journals An evaluation of factors affecting the management of COVID-19 in Bangladesh

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Syed S.M Sadrul Huda ◽  
Afsana Akhtar ◽  
Segufta Dilshad ◽  
Syeeda Raisa Maliha
Keyword(s):  
Health Care ◽  
Care Management ◽  
Service Providers ◽  
Care Service ◽  
Health Care Service ◽  
Health Care Management ◽  
Lessons Learned ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Content Type ◽  
The Social

PurposeThe study aims to gain insights into the management of COVID-19 in Bangladesh to identify the factors that are relevant to managing the pandemic in a developing country.Design/methodology/approachThe study was carried out by pursuing the archival method. The information was collected from credible newspaper reports over the previous months, as well as articles published on the subject of COVID-19.FindingsThe research revealed important and relevant dimensions of the health sector in managing the COVID-19 pandemic. The major factors were doctors, nurses (health service providers), patients, (customers) and society. This is a pioneering paper, which documents the major lessons learned from the management of COVID-19 in Bangladesh concerning three stakeholders of the health-care system, i.e. providers, patients and society. This paper covers the situation regarding the ongoing pandemic from three perspectives – provider, customers and society, and thus, may help to develop future research regarding the development of health-care management models for addressing the pandemic.Research limitations/implicationsThe major limitations of this paper is its over dependence on secondary sources for collecting the information.Practical implicationsThis paper presents the learnings from the pandemic in health-care management in different categories (e.g. social, doctor/nurse, patients), which can help the managers in understanding different dimensions of the health-care sector from different perspectives. The problems as well as the learnings stated in the paper can help the policy makers implement such strategies to ensure better delivery of the medical health-care service during a pandemic.Social implicationsThis paper clearly reveals the social dimensions of the COVID-19 by assessing the social aspects of COVID-19 management. Both social stigma and support are traced out during evaluating the situation. Thus, the social forces will be able to rethink about their role in addressing the social costs of pandemic.Originality/valueThis is a commentary piece.

Critiquing the marginalised place of research on women within international business

2016 ◽  
Vol 12 (4) ◽  
pp. 348-368 ◽  
Author(s):  
Snejina Michailova ◽  
Kate Hutchings
Keyword(s):  
International Business ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Critical Perspective ◽  
Women And Gender ◽  
Content Type ◽  
International Borders ◽  
Research Themes ◽  
The Social ◽  
And Gender ◽  
Considerable Discussion

Purpose This paper aims to provide a critical perspective of how the theme of women, and more broadly gender, have been treated in extant international business (IB) literature. It also suggests meaningful and promising avenues in this research space. Design/methodology/approach This paper is not intended to provide a comprehensive literature review; rather, it offers a critical and reflective view on the development of the IB stream of literature in which discussion of women has been largely marginalised. Findings While women and gender have been topics of considerable discussion across a range of disciplines in the social sciences, they have received limited examination in the IB literature despite this discipline being most suitable for such, given its socio-cultural analyses across international borders and organisations. Research limitations/implications Several themes are suggested as fertile future research avenues. These themes identify gaps in existing knowledge but, more importantly, also problematize prevailing views that IB scholars tend to hold about women and gender. The future research themes suggest that the very context of IB signifies the need for systematic gender analysis which might advance current understanding of women specifically and gender, more broadly, in the IB field. Originality/value This paper makes a salient and timely contribution to the IB field in providing an original, erstwhile unexamined critique of the marginal reflection on women and gender within extant IB research.

Incorporating the risk of knowledge loss in supply chain risk management

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Abdelkader Daghfous ◽  
Abroon Qazi ◽  
M. Sajid Khan
Keyword(s):  
Risk Management ◽  
Supply Chain ◽  
Risk Mitigation ◽  
Relevant Literature ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Supply Chain Risk Management ◽  
Supply Chain Risk ◽  
Knowledge Loss ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Knowledge Based

PurposeThe literature on supply chain risk management (SCRM) has investigated a multitude of supply chain risks. This paper aims to make a case for the importance of managing the risk of knowledge loss in the supply chain management (SCM) function and incorporating knowledge loss as a critical risk within the SCRM process.Design/methodology/approachThis paper adopts a knowledge-based view of the SCRM process and attempts to bring to light insights based on a synthesis of the relevant literature. The authors conducted a systematic literature review of peer-reviewed articles published between 1998 and 2019. Further, a case study was conducted to illustrate the significance of the risk of knowledge loss in the SCM function in terms of how it operates and why it has such a significant impact on performance.FindingsKnowledge loss is a relatively neglected type of supply chain risk that can be added to the existing typologies. This paper argues that knowledge loss in the SCM function has the propensity to significantly impact the performance of the focal firm, exacerbate other types of supply chain risk and impede risk mitigation efforts. We put forth several strategies that supply chain managers can adopt to mitigate the risk of knowledge loss in their function.Research limitations/implicationsThis paper generates an exploratory opening that could pave the way for a systematic theory of knowledge loss as a supply chain risk and future empirical research. The study culminates in a number of important insights and initiatives for supply chain managers to recognize and manage the risk of knowledge loss.Originality/valueThis paper argues for the importance of incorporating the risk of knowledge loss in SCRM research and practice. It also provides an examination of some promising angles for future research in SCRM from a knowledge-based perspective.

Interpersonal Trust and Knowledge Seeking in China

2020 ◽  
pp. 127-147
Author(s):  
Michael J. Zhang
Keyword(s):  
Tacit Knowledge ◽  
Explicit Knowledge ◽  
Interpersonal Trust ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Research And Practice ◽  
Mba Students ◽  
Types Of Knowledge ◽  
Different Types ◽  
Using Data ◽  
Knowledge Seeking

In this chapter, a study that investigated the roles of interpersonal trust in knowledge seeking in China is presented. Specifically, the study examined and tested the effects of two distinct types of interpersonal trust (cognition-based and sincerity-based) on Chinese employees' willingness to seeking two different types of knowledge (explicit and tacit). Using data from a survey of 243 Chinese MBA students at two universities in China, the study found both types of interpersonal trust positively related to explicit knowledge seeking as well as tacit knowledge seeking. The study also found that cognition-based trust had a stronger relationship with seeking of both explicit and tacit knowledge than sincerity-based trust. Implications for future research and practice are discussed.

Peculiarities of corporate social responsibility development in the monotowns in post-communist countries

2016 ◽  
Vol 12 (3) ◽  
pp. 463-483 ◽  
Author(s):  
Inna Blam ◽  
Katarína Vitálišová ◽  
Kamila Borseková ◽  
Mariusz Sokolowicz
Keyword(s):  
Corporate Social Responsibility ◽  
Social Policy ◽  
Social Responsibility ◽  
Social Issues ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Content Type ◽  
The Past ◽  
Research Areas ◽  
The Social ◽  
Corporate Social

Purpose The paper aims to analyze actual issues of the corporate social responsibility (CSR) practices in monofunctional towns in Russia, Slovakia and Poland. The process of social investment restructuring is obviously under way in these countries. However, there can be identified a few examples where the dominant employer with the long tradition (from the soviet period, even longer) has initiated and directly influenced by the social policy the local and regional development. The paper analyzes their development during the past decades, with the special emphasis on social issues. It identifies its strengths and weaknesses and defines future research areas. Design/methodology/approach The first part of the paper defines the CSR with focus on the social sphere and relationships between local dominant employer, local government and community. Refer to the theory, the paper adopts a case study methodology to explore the specifics of CSR with a focus on monotowns, especially the role of local dominant employer and its relationship with local government and community in three selected post-communist nations – Russia, Slovakia and Poland. The research uses also the secondary data (the strategic documents, statistical data) and own observation during the study visits to the selected cities. The authors analyze the town’s development during the past decades, with the special emphasis on the social issues. Findings It is shown that maintenance and development of essential living conditions in many monofunctional towns depends upon the direct participation of large dominating companies. The paper argues that there is a principal difference between the current social policy conducted by these dominant local employers and the policy that was conducted in the past. What is more, most of the engagement of large in the social affairs in monotowns refers to the CSR concept. The paper summarizes the common features and differences in functioning monotowns in selected states, from the perspective of social responsible behaviors of dominant companies, suggests the practical implications and identifies future research areas. Originality/value The paper maps the specific kind of social responsibility interconnected with the issue of local and regional development – monotowns in Russia, Poland and Slovakia – in the countries with common political and social history. It brings in the form of case studies the detailed overview of the selected examples from Russia, Ukraine and Poland dealing with the CSR. Based on the collected data, it summarizes the advantages and disadvantage of these towns and opens the new research areas.

Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document