Knowledge transfer in knowledge-intensive organizations: the crucial role of improvisation in transferring and protecting knowledge

2016 ◽  
Vol 20 (5) ◽  
pp. 1045-1064 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ksenia O. Krylova ◽  
Dusya Vera ◽  
Mary Crossan
Keyword(s):  
Knowledge Transfer ◽  
Mental Models ◽  
Positive Impact ◽  
Knowledge Workers ◽  
Shared Mental Models ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Knowledge Protection ◽  
Knowledge Intensive Organizations ◽  
Knowledge Intensive ◽  
Transfer Mechanisms

Purpose This paper aims to answer the question: how do knowledge workers’ improvisation processes promote both knowledge transfer and protection in knowledge-intensive organizations (KIOs)? A model is proposed identifying how effective improvisation can strengthen the effect of four specific knowledge transfer mechanisms – an experimental culture, minimal structures, the practice of storytelling and shared mental models – on knowledge transfer inside the organization and knowledge protection outside of it. Design/methodology/approach The paper builds on a knowledge translation perspective to position improvisation as intrinsically intertwined with knowledge transfer and knowledge protection. Findings Improvisation is proposed as the moderating factor enhancing the positive impact of an experimental culture, minimal structures, storytelling practice and shared mental models on knowledge transfer and knowledge protection. Practical implications The paper argues against a “plug-and-play” approach to knowledge transfer that seeks to replicate knowledge without considering how people relate to the routines and the context and highlights to leaders of KIOs the importance of developing awareness, understanding and motivation to improvise to internalize new knowledge being transferred and to create imitation barriers. Originality/value The paper proposes that KIOs’ success in transferring and protecting knowledge emerges not directly from formal knowledge transfer mechanisms but from knowledge workers’ improvisation processes.

Top management support and knowledge sharing: the strategic role of affiliation and trust in academic environment

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Man Fung Lo ◽  
Feng Tian ◽  
Peggy Mei Lan Ng
Keyword(s):  
Knowledge Sharing ◽  
Positive Impact ◽  
Top Management ◽  
Management Support ◽  
Research Model ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Top Management Support ◽  
Mediating Role ◽  
Knowledge Intensive Organizations ◽  
Knowledge Intensive

Purpose Knowledge sharing, the most important process in knowledge management, enables knowledge-intensive organizations to foster innovations and to gain competitiveness. Universities, the best contemporary embodiments of knowledge-intensive organizations, nowadays face fiercer competition in the changing world. Knowledge sharing is the key for academic departments to gain competitive advantages through innovation. However, limited studies examined the relationships between top management support, knowledge sharing and affiliation and trust. Based on the literature review, this study developed a research model which aims to examine the relationship between top management support and knowledge sharing, and the mediating role played by affiliation and trust. Design/methodology/approach A questionnaire survey was conducted in eight universities in Hong Kong. Data gathered from 109 professoriate staff (including chairs, professors and [research] associate/assistant professors) were used to test the four hypotheses in the research model with partial least squares structural equation modeling. Findings The results showed that top management support has a positive impact on affiliation and trust, and that affiliation and trust also have a positive impact on knowledge sharing. However, this study showed an insignificant linkage between top management support and knowledge sharing. Therefore, this study confirmed the mediating role played by affiliation and trust. Practical implications Based on the results, this study provided recommendations on how academic management and knowledge management consultants increase the faculty members’ affiliation and trust, for instance, mentoring, performance appraisal system, social interactions and communication pathways. Originality/value The findings of this study contribute to the literature in two ways. First, affiliation and trust are two interplayed elements of team climate that should be considered together. Second, this study validates affiliation and trust as a full mediator between top management support and knowledge sharing.

Knowledge transfer in the football industry: a sectorial analysis of factors and determinants

2020 ◽  
Vol 58 (9) ◽  
pp. 1909-1927 ◽  
Author(s):  
Rosa Lombardi ◽  
Raffaele Trequattrini ◽  
Benedetta Cuozzo ◽  
Paola Paoloni
Keyword(s):  
Knowledge Transfer ◽  
Knowledge Translation ◽  
Football Players ◽  
Professional Football ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Sectorial Analysis ◽  
Knowledge Intensive Organizations ◽  
Knowledge Intensive ◽  
Football Industry ◽  
The Relationship

PurposeOver recent decades, knowledge transfer processes and knowledge-intensive organizations have been increasingly investigated from several perspectives. Knowledge translation activated by knowledge-intensive organizations is supported by several factors, among which intangible assets play a significant role. Our research mainly investigates the relationship between the knowledge owned by knowledge workers in source organizations and the process of its translation to recipient organizations. Specifically, this paper aims at analyzing knowledge translation and organizational performance in the football industry, uncovering both the role of professional football players' skills transfer and the determinants of achieving positive performance at the organizational level.Design/methodology/approachA quantitative method is adopted, using both bivariate linear regression analysis and network analysis. Using key aspects of Nakauchi et al.'s (2007) knowledge transfer framework, intra-organizational dynamics are analyzed based on measurements of the performance of professional football players before and after transferring from one club (the source organization) to another (the recipient organization).FindingsOur research results are mainly intended to show the factors that influence knowledge translation in the light of team performance improvement. Our empirical analysis shows the need for the coexistence of a combination of factors, especially the quality of the source and recipient organizations and of the relationship between them, to achieve the transferability of professional football players' capabilities and performance.Practical implicationsThe academic community, practitioners and policymakers can draw on the theoretical and practical advances made by the findings to address knowledge translation issues with an improved understanding of its factors and determinants.Originality/valueDespite some limitations to the study, we identify the factors, determinants and contexts that facilitate the transfer of knowledge and specialist knowledge and thus contribute to the successful operation of contemporary organizations. Moreover, the results of our analysis are applicable to all economic sectors.

Vendors’ team performance in software outsourcing projects

2014 ◽  
Vol 5 (3) ◽  
pp. 290-308 ◽  
Author(s):  
Gang Qu ◽  
Lishan Shen ◽  
Xiaona Bao
Keyword(s):  
Knowledge Transfer ◽  
Team Performance ◽  
Structural Equation ◽  
Project Success ◽  
Negative Impact ◽  
Positive Impact ◽  
Coordination Mechanism ◽  
Software Project ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Software Outsourcing

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to study how the software outsourcing teams, namely, vendors, transfer effective knowledge to enhance team performance; it reports on a study of transactive memory system (TMS) theory and makes deep analyses and discussions about the influence of the cooperative behaviors of TMS on software outsourcing team’s performance under the framework of three behavioral characteristics dimensions – specialization, credibility and coordination. Design/methodology/approach – This paper is an empirical study based on investigation interviews to 28 software outsourcing teams and data of questionnaire surveys on 124 software outsourcing teams; structural equation model is used to test the data we collected. Findings – This paper finds that both credibility and coordination have a significantly positive impact on knowledge transfer and project success, whereas specialization has a significant negative impact on project success. The results of data analysis show that TMS is an effective coordination mechanism. Originality/value – The conclusion of the study can help us understand the coordination mechanism of knowledge transfer in software outsourcing team and provide theoretical support and paradigm reference for vendors in China to accumulate knowledge and improve the success rate of projects in the context of software project development.

Emotional intelligence and innovative work behaviour in knowledge-intensive organizations: how tacit knowledge sharing acts as a mediator?

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Shehla Malik
Keyword(s):  
Emotional Intelligence ◽  
Knowledge Sharing ◽  
Tacit Knowledge ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Mediating Role ◽  
Tacit Knowledge Sharing ◽  
Innovative Work ◽  
Knowledge Intensive Organizations ◽  
Innovative Work Behaviour ◽  
Knowledge Intensive

Purpose This study aims to examine the underlying process through which emotional intelligence impacts employees’ innovative work behaviour by testing the mediating role played by tacit knowledge sharing in organizations. The direct and indirect effects of emotional intelligence on innovative work behaviour of employees were explored. Design/methodology/approach A structured survey questionnaire was used to collect data from 171 full-time employees of five high-tech knowledge-intensive organizations located in India. The hypotheses were tested using partial least squares structural equation modelling. Findings The results revealed that emotional intelligence had a direct positive impact on tacit knowledge sharing and innovative work behaviour of employees. Similarly, tacit knowledge sharing positively influenced innovative work behaviour. The study further showed that the relationship between emotional intelligence and innovative work behaviour was partially mediated by tacit knowledge sharing. Practical implications To enhance innovative behaviour at work, organizations should concentrate on building the emotional competencies of its employees to increase their emotional intelligence level through suitable training programs. Besides, organizations should also focus on shaping a knowledge-sharing culture by building systems and processes through which free exchange of tacit knowledge among employees can be promoted to enhance their innovative work behaviour. Originality/value This study contributes to the existing pool of knowledge by demonstrating the unexplored effect of emotional intelligence on innovative work behaviour via the mediating role of tacit knowledge sharing. It also advances current literature on emotional intelligence, tacit knowledge sharing and innovative work behaviour by discussing useful theoretical implications of the findings.

scholarly journals Managing the communicative organization: a qualitative analysis of knowledge-intensive companies

2020 ◽  
Vol 25 (3) ◽  
pp. 551-571
Author(s):  
Kaisa Pekkala
Keyword(s):  
Behavior Management ◽  
Communication Systems ◽  
Service Sector ◽  
Professional Service ◽  
Communication Management ◽  
Data Set ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Work Related ◽  
Knowledge Intensive Organizations ◽  
Knowledge Intensive

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to explore how employees' work-related communication is managed in knowledge-intensive organizations.Design/methodology/approachThe study was conducted by applying an exploratory, qualitative approach. The data were collected from six knowledge-intensive organizations operating in the professional service sector in Finland, and the data set used included altogether 23 interviews.FindingsThe interviews confirmed that employees' work-related communication on social media is regarded as an increasingly important area, and that it has required companies to establish new managerial processes that are aimed to affect employees’ communication behaviors (ECB) either as enablers or motivators. How companies apply these processes depends on contextual factors, and three different managerial approaches were identified, namely, individual-, corporate- and business-oriented approaches.Research limitations/implicationsBased on the findings, this article proposes a new field for the communication management literature, management of the communicative organization (MCO), which builds on behavior management knowledge and focuses on managing employee communicators in multivocal organizational communication systems (MOCSs) that are dependent on employee-generated content.Originality/valueThe study advances the field of communication management and ECB by empirically proving that organizations manage their employees' work-related communication and the management processes and practices identified derive from behavioral management tradition. The proposed MCO framework introduces a novel area for academic discussion on how communication management affects ECB and attitudes, such as motivation.

Personal knowledge management and enactment of personal knowledge infrastructures as shadow IT

2020 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Mohammad Hossein Jarrahi ◽  
Rebecca Reynolds ◽  
Ali Eshraghi
Keyword(s):  
Knowledge Management ◽  
Knowledge Workers ◽  
Organizational Level ◽  
Personal Knowledge ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Organizational Contexts ◽  
Personal Knowledge Management ◽  
Consulting Firms ◽  
Individual Knowledge ◽  
Knowledge Intensive

Purpose Personal knowledge management (KM) lends new emphasis to ways through which individual knowledge workers engage with knowledge in organizational contexts. This paper aims to go beyond an organizational approach to KM to examine key personal KM and knowledge building (KB) practices among adult professionals. Design/methodology/approach This paper presents a summary of the findings from interviews with 58 consultants from 17 managing consulting firms. Participants were selected based on their knowledge-intensive roles and their willingness to share information about their knowledge practices. Data analysis was inductive and revealed multiple personal KM activities common among research participants, and the way these are supported by informal ties and various technologies. Findings This work highlights ways in which “shadow information technology” undergirds personal knowledge infrastructures and supports KM and KB practices in the context of management consulting firms. The results uncover how personal knowledge infrastructures emerge from personal KM and KB practices, and the role of informal social networks as well as social media in supporting personal KM and KB. Research limitations/implications This study contributes an overall conceptual model of factors that help knowledge workers build a personal knowledge infrastructure. By affording an understanding of socially embedded personal KM activities, this work helps organizations create a balance between KM strategies at the organizational level and personal knowledge goals of individual workers. Originality/value Much of the previous research on KM adopts organizational approaches to KM, accentuating how organizations can effectively capture, organize and distribute organizational knowledge (primarily through KM systems).

Multigroup analysis of higher-order model of knowledge variables in the context of global ventures through PLS-SEM

2020 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Vijita S. Aggarwal ◽  
Madhavi Kapoor
Keyword(s):  
Knowledge Transfer ◽  
Dynamic Capabilities ◽  
Group Analysis ◽  
Test Group ◽  
Organizational Factors ◽  
Innovation Performance ◽  
Primary Data ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Knowledge Intensive

PurposeThe study purports at investigating the effect of organizational factors (strategy, culture, information technology and structure) on knowledge transfer and innovation performance in the context of Indian International joint ventures (IJVs) of varied ages and industries. All the variables are woven together in the framework of dynamic capabilities theory.Design/methodology/approachPLS-SEM was used to analyze the primary data collected from IJVs. The disjoint two-stage approach was applied to check the mediation in the model. The multigroup technique was deployed to test group-differences in the sample.FindingsThe four organizational factors, combined as a construct, are seen to have a positive impact on knowledge transfer, which facilitates innovation performance. But mediation analysis revealed the insignificant indirect relationship of organizational factors with innovation through knowledge transfer for the total sample. In-depth group analysis revealed that these results differ between young and mature IJVs and knowledge-intensive and non-knowledge intensive industries.Research limitations/implicationsThe number of organizational factors is limited to four, which can be further increased. Longitudinal studies for investigating the formation of dynamic capabilities can be the future research direction.Originality/valueThe research has provided hierarchical analysis for organizational factors, knowledge transfer and innovation performance with multigroup industrial and age-wise analysis of Indian IJVs, which is still unplumbed in international business literature.

Family ties and emotions: a missing piece in the knowledge transfer puzzle

2010 ◽  
Vol 17 (3) ◽  
pp. 418-436 ◽  
Author(s):  
Rosa Nelly Trevinyo‐Rodríguez ◽  
Nick Bontis
Keyword(s):  
Knowledge Transfer ◽  
Family Firms ◽  
Original Learning ◽  
Family Members ◽  
Term Survival ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Business Context ◽  
The Family ◽  
Family Based ◽  
Transfer Mechanisms

PurposeThe paper aims to develop a model of knowledge transfer that considers kinship ties and emotions in family‐based firms.Design/methodology/approachThere exist several models, which show how information flows among individuals and within organizations. One school of thought is known as Cultural‐Historical Activity Theory (CHAT), which was initially formulated by Lev Vygotsky, the Founder of the school. However, when analyzing CHAT within the family business context, the model no longer holds true. This paper examines knowledge‐transfer mechanisms through the lens of family firms.FindingsFamily traditions, ties, and emotions, which are not considered in the original learning framework, affect knowledge transfer, commitment, and the motivation of family members.Research limitations/implicationsBased on CHAT and subsequently on other social networks theories, a more appropriate next generation learning model is developed which explains how intergenerational knowledge transfer takes place within family firms.Practical implicationsThis paper improves the understanding of how family members' shared knowledge (i.e. traditions) may become sources of competitive advantages for the family firm (i.e. long‐term survival).Originality/valueThis paper is among the first known to examine knowledge‐transfer mechanisms specifically for family‐based businesses.

Reconciling ambiguity with interaction: implementing formal knowledge strategies in a knowledge-intensive organization

2016 ◽  
Vol 20 (5) ◽  
pp. 959-979 ◽  
Author(s):  
Alejandra Marin ◽  
Jason Cordier ◽  
Tahir Hameed
Keyword(s):  
Management Practices ◽  
Single Case ◽  
Structural Characteristics ◽  
Knowledge Workers ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Strategy As Practice ◽  
Knowledge Intensive ◽  
Rich Data ◽  
Practice Framework ◽  
Knowledge Strategies

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to look at the actions autonomous knowledge workers perform to implement formalized knowledge strategies as part of an accreditation. Design/methodology/approach Using a strategy-as-practice framework, this paper follows a qualitative approach to study the implementation of a standard in a business school. The data collection was carried out over a 14-month period, with access to interviews, observations, meetings minutes and other institutional information. Findings Even though faculty members received similar information, the standard was implemented in different and conflicting ways. Three themes explain these differences: different approaches to ambiguous knowledge management practices, enablers and inhibitors of knowledge sharing and different conceptions of continuous improvement. Research limitations/implications As this was a single case, findings are not broadly generalizable. The research is based on rich data over a prolonged period, albeit in a very specific setting where unique actor and structural characteristics are not generally representative of the wider business and organizational environment. The nature of the university setting is quite unique. Although possible links to other fields which share some specific similarities with universities are provided, the contextual limitations are acknowledged. Accordingly, the work is presented as a basis for future enquiry when investigating implementation, especially activity-based research within knowledge-intensive organizations. Practical implications This paper provides a deep analysis of the actions knowledge workers perform when implementing standards promoted by organizational directives. It exposes tensions and conflicts among knowledge workers when implementing a standard. Our model is the basis for insights on how managers can balance the tensions of creative change and stable structure. Originality/value This paper describes how ambiguity and human interactions can reveal a deeper understanding of the different stages of standards implementation. It provides a model that uses the level of ambiguity and structure to explain how knowledge workers interacted in groups and as a whole can implement Assurance of Learning.

Exploring learning how to learn in a team-based engineering education

2014 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
pp. 63-82 ◽  
Author(s):  
Dirk Ifenthaler ◽  
Zahed Siddique ◽  
Farrokh Mistree
Keyword(s):  
Mental Models ◽  
Semantic Analysis ◽  
Shared Mental Models ◽  
Shared Knowledge ◽  
Graduate Course ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Knowledge Representations ◽  
Complex Processes ◽  
Learning Team

Purpose – In this paper, the authors aim to explore how students learn how to learn in a team-based graduate course Designing for Open Innovation using a theoretical framework that focuses on the cognitive functions of team-based processes and team performance. Design/methodology/approach – An automated assessment methodology for the structural and semantic analysis of individual and shared knowledge representations serves as a foundation for the approach. A case study is presented that explores the development of individual mental models and shared mental models over the course. Findings – An assessment of the mental models indicates that in this course three types of learning took place, namely individual learning, team-based learning, and learning from each other. Originality/value – The automatically generated graphical representations provide insight into the complex processes of the learning-dependent development of individual mental models and shared mental models.

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