When Critical Knowledge Is Most Critical

2011 ◽  
Vol 42 (6) ◽  
pp. 669-699 ◽  
Author(s):  
Siyuan Huang ◽  
Jonathon N. Cummings
Keyword(s):  
Team Performance ◽  
Negative Relationship ◽  
Knowledge Structure ◽  
Knowledge Structures ◽  
Multinational Organization ◽  
Know How ◽  
Critical Knowledge ◽  
Group Research ◽  
Single Person ◽  
Knowledge Intensive

Knowledge-intensive teams rely on the task-relevant knowledge held by members to perform effectively. In this article, we focus on critical knowledge, defined as the most influential information, know-how, or feedback that contributes directly to task outcomes. From a social network perspective, the critical knowledge structure in a team can be defined by who shares critical knowledge with whom. In a highly centralized critical knowledge structure, everyone shares critical knowledge with a single person on the team. Alternatively, in a highly decentralized critical knowledge structure, critical knowledge is shared evenly across members of the team. Drawing from small group research and network theory, we theorize about critical knowledge structures in teams and make hypotheses regarding the consequences of centralized critical knowledge structures for executive-rated team performance. Data analyses from a field study of 177 teams in a multinational organization indicate support for our theory that centralized critical knowledge structures are negatively related to executive-rated team performance. Furthermore, the negative relationship is exacerbated when (a) business unit diversity on the team is greater, and (b) critical knowledge shared in the team is exploratory rather than exploitative.

Is the bottom line reached? An exploration of supervisor bottom-line mentality, team performance avoidance goal orientation and team performance

2021 ◽  
pp. 001872672110029
Author(s):  
Yuying Lin ◽  
Mengxi Yang ◽  
Matthew J Quade ◽  
Wansi Chen
Keyword(s):  
Goal Orientation ◽  
Team Performance ◽  
Social Information Processing ◽  
Negative Relationship ◽  
Bottom Line ◽  
Team Members ◽  
Processing Theory ◽  
Using Data ◽  
Exclusive Focus ◽  
Avoidance Goal

How do supervisors who treat the bottom line as more important than anything else influence team success? Drawing from social information processing theory, we explore how and when supervisor bottom-line mentality (i.e. an exclusive focus on bottom-line outcomes at the expense of other priorities) exerts influence on the bottom-line itself, in the form of team performance. We argue that a supervisor’s bottom-line mentality provides significant social cues for the team that securing bottom-line objectives is of sole importance, which stimulates team performance avoidance goal orientation, and thus decreases team performance. Further, we argue performing tension (i.e. tension between contradictory needs, demands, and goals), serving as team members’ mutual perception of the confusing environment, will strengthen the indirect negative relationship between supervisor bottom-line mentality and team performance through team performance avoidance goal orientation. We conduct a path analysis using data from 258 teams in a Chinese food-chain company, which provides support for our hypotheses. Overall, our findings suggest that supervisor’s exclusive focus on the bottom-line can serve to impede team performance. Theoretical contributions and practical implications are discussed.

Effects of Stories and Checklist Decision Aids on Knowledge Structure Development and Auditor Judgment

2017 ◽  
Vol 32 (2) ◽  
pp. 1-24 ◽  
Author(s):  
James L. Bierstaker ◽  
Denise Hanes-Downey ◽  
Jacob M. Rose ◽  
Jay C. Thibodeau
Keyword(s):  
Knowledge Management ◽  
Decision Aids ◽  
Knowledge Structure ◽  
Knowledge Structures ◽  
Management Systems ◽  
Professional Judgment ◽  
Structure Development ◽  
Auditor Judgment ◽  
Audit Firms ◽  
Training Materials

ABSTRACT The purpose of this paper is to compare the usefulness of a story versus traditional checklist decision aids for enhancing knowledge structure development and for improving the judgments of auditors related to fraud risks. The results from the first experiment indicate that novice participants who read stories develop knowledge structures that more closely resemble the knowledge structures of experts than do participants who read checklists. The second experiment reveals that auditors who read stories make judgments more like experts than do auditors who use checklists. The findings demonstrate that stories may have the capacity to train auditors and improve their judgments. Audit firms constantly seek methods to improve auditors' knowledge and judgments, and our findings suggest opportunities for firms to employ fraud stories to enhance knowledge of fraud and improve professional judgment. This study's results hold important implications for the design of training materials, decision aids, and knowledge management systems.

The Impact of Social Capital, Managerial Human Capital and Managerial Knowledge Structure on Firm Performance

2019 ◽  
Vol 10 (3) ◽  
pp. 95-113
Author(s):  
Abdulkareem Salameh Awwad ◽  
Mamoun Nadim Akroush ◽  
Majdy Issa Zuriekat ◽  
Yassir Yahya Al Masoudi
Keyword(s):  
Social Capital ◽  
Human Capital ◽  
Firm Performance ◽  
Structural Equation ◽  
Knowledge Structure ◽  
Knowledge Structures ◽  
Equation Modeling ◽  
Telecommunications Sector ◽  
Managerial Knowledge ◽  
The Impact

This article aims to examine the relationships between external and internal social capital, managerial human capital, and managerial knowledge structures, respectively. It also examines the effect of managerial human capital and managerial knowledge structures on firm performance in the telecommunications sector in Jordan. A questionnaire was distributed to 250 managers in the telecommunications sector in Jordan. Utilizing structural equation modeling, it was found that external social capital has a positive significant effect on internal social capital and managerial human capital. Internal social capital has positively and significantly affected managerial knowledge structures. Furthermore, both managerial human capital and managerial knowledge structure had affected firm performance positively. As technology is expanding in this sector, relevant knowledge and information is becoming a source of competitive advantage, thus managers in this sector should build beneficial ties that might enhance human resources' capabilities that benefit the decision-making processes.

Conceptual Model for Specialized Learning Systems within Organizations

2014 ◽  
Vol 4 (4) ◽  
pp. 19-34
Author(s):  
Isabel Mendes ◽  
Henrique Santos ◽  
Celina Pinto Leão
Keyword(s):  
Conceptual Model ◽  
Learning Systems ◽  
Semantic Technologies ◽  
Specialized Knowledge ◽  
Know How ◽  
Digital Era ◽  
Basic Reference ◽  
Knowledge Intensive ◽  
Self Learning ◽  
Content Regulation

This study is focused on the potentiality and benefits that intelligent learning systems can bring to knowledge intensive organizations, in particularly software houses. Therefore the authors will present a conceptual model for the foundation of specialized knowledge systems with dynamic content regulation, oriented to self-learning. Its structure is based on the combination of semantic technologies (e.g. ontologies) and social networks, from where interaction lasts. To achieve that goal, it is important to know how to explore the information in this type of environments, as well as understand which behaviors and trends influence the individuals learning in the digital era. The connectivist theory offers an important contribution to the understanding of this phenomenon, being therefore one of the basic reference in the development of this work.

scholarly journals Human resources – strength and weakness in protection of intellectual capital

2015 ◽  
Vol 16 (4) ◽  
pp. 742-762 ◽  
Author(s):  
Heidi Olander ◽  
Pia Hurmelinna-Laukkanen ◽  
Pia Heilmann
Keyword(s):  
Human Resources ◽  
Intellectual Capital ◽  
Human Resources Management ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Protection Mechanism ◽  
Critical Knowledge ◽  
Knowledge Protection ◽  
Knowledge Intensive ◽  
Large Research

Purpose – Human resources in knowledge intensive industries create the basis for continuing innovation and subsequent firm performance. At the same time, they pose risks for the competitiveness of the firm: unwanted leaking of knowledge and intellectual capital to outsiders exposes firm-critical knowledge, and knowledge leaving with a departing key employee may jeopardise the firm’s projects. The purpose of this paper is to examine how human resource management can serve as a protection mechanism to diminish knowledge leaking and leaving via employees. Design/methodology/approach – The authors approach these issues through a case study utilising interview data from 22 interviews within two large research and development intensive firms. Findings – Human resources could be seen both as a strength and weakness of a firm with respect to knowledge protection. The findings indicate that there are numerous practices related to commitment, trust, motivation, and sense of responsibility available to deploy to strengthen loyalty and to improve preservation of intellectual capital. Originality/value – While human resources management aspects have been widely discussed with regard job profitability and efficiency in generating intellectual capital, their connection to knowledge protection has often been overlooked. This study aims to contribute to this area.

Designing Decision Aids to Promote the Development of Expertise

2012 ◽  
Vol 26 (1) ◽  
pp. 7-34 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jacob M. Rose ◽  
Britton A. McKay ◽  
Carolyn Strand Norman ◽  
Anna M. Rose
Keyword(s):  
Decision Aid ◽  
Expert Knowledge ◽  
Decision Aids ◽  
Knowledge Structure ◽  
Knowledge Structures ◽  
Risk Assessments ◽  
Accounting Students ◽  
Fraud Risk ◽  
Expert Knowledge Structures ◽  
Novice Users

ABSTRACT We investigate whether the use of decision aids that integrate experts' knowledge structures into their designs can effectively promote the acquisition of expert-like knowledge and improve future judgments. Results of two laboratory experiments (one involving 115 senior accounting students and one involving 78 master of accounting students) indicate that: (1) novice users of a decision aid that has an expert knowledge structure embedded into its interface make complex fraud risk assessments that are more similar to experts' risk assessments than do users of aids without expert knowledge structures; (2) users of a decision aid that has an expert knowledge structure embedded into its interface develop knowledge structures that are more similar to the knowledge structures of experts than do users of aids without expert knowledge structures; (3) knowledge structures mediate the relationship between decision aid design and judgment performance; and (4) novices develop expertise through decision aid use even when they are not instructed to learn from the decision aid.

scholarly journals Conflicts Whether in Relationship, Task or Process Does Impact the Team Performance of Adults

2020 ◽  
Vol 2 (2) ◽  
pp. 112-119
Author(s):  
Ayesha Zulfqar ◽  
◽  
Nauheen Syed ◽  
Madiha Riaz ◽  
Iram Bashir ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Team Performance ◽  
Negative Relationship ◽  
Target Population ◽  
Task Conflict ◽  
Relationship Conflict ◽  
Conflict Task ◽  
Intragroup Conflict ◽  
Proposed Model ◽  
Process Conflict ◽  
The Relationship

This study aims to determine intragroup conflict factors that could be found within teams in an organization, the relationship between intragroup conflict, and team performance, which included relationship conflict, task conflict, and process conflict. SPSS is used to analyze the regression on the proposed model. The data has been collected from the education sector, with the sample size of 150 target population. This study proposed a positive relationship between task conflict, process conflict, and team performance; therefore, a negative relationship was examined for relationship conflict.

Group Know-How

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
S. Orestis Palermos ◽  
Deborah P. Tollefsen
Keyword(s):  
Team Performance ◽  
Distributed Cognition ◽  
Jazz Improvisation ◽  
Knowing How ◽  
Know How ◽  
Natural Place ◽  
Alternative Approach ◽  
Sports Team ◽  
Individual Knowledge ◽  
Potential Link

While mainstream epistemology has recently turned its focus on individual know-how (e.g., knowing-how to swim, ride a bike, play chess, etc.), there is very little, if any, work on group know-how (e.g., sports-team performance, jazz improvisation, knowing-how to tango, etc.). This chapter attempts to fill the gap in the existing literature by exploring the relevant philosophical terrain. It starts by surveying recent debates on individual knowledge-how and argues that group know-how (G-KH) cannot always be reduced to individual knowledge-how. Rather, certain cases of G-KH call for a non-reductive analysis. A natural place to look for a theory of irreducible G-KH is the literature on joint intentionality and distributed cognition. First, the chapter explores what a joint intentionality approach to G-KH might look like. Then it considers an alternative approach that views G-KH as a form of distributed cognition. Finally, the chapter discusses a potential link between the two approaches.

Integrating Knowledge Requirements into Topic Map for Online-Education

2013 ◽  
Vol 791-793 ◽  
pp. 1721-1725
Author(s):  
An Qiong Tang ◽  
We Nan Tan ◽  
Tong Wang ◽  
Lin Shan Cui ◽  
Shan Tang
Keyword(s):  
Online Education ◽  
Knowledge Structure ◽  
Semantic Relationship ◽  
Know How ◽  
Learning Content ◽  
Information Level ◽  
Education Environment ◽  
Knowledge Requirements ◽  
Topic Map ◽  
Knowledge Hierarchy

Topic Map, which described as The GPS of information universe, traditionally focused on building knowledge structure and associating them with information resources. In online-education environment, it has been used to address the issues about people disoriented in huge amounts of learning resources, to support learners browse the semantic relationship between knowledge topics and find the learning content effectively and instructors externalize their implicit knowledge both on conceptual and information level. However, as the explosion of knowledge information, people are suffering the disorientation of knowledge topics. Specially, learners are puzzled about what knowledge are valuable and need to learn, and knowledge providers dont know how to update outdated knowledge hierarchy or develop new knowledge product for changing requirements. To address this problem, we extend Topic map by adding a top level, named knowledge requirement level (KRL). This level KRL can be used to guide learners to concentrate on the required knowledge topics, and drive knowledge providers to redevelop or refactor outdated knowledge hierarchy. In order to obtaining social knowledge topic requirement for KRL, we have developed an information extraction tool, named WIE, to extract knowledge requirement information from job-list Webpages for supporting users extract data for different piece of a given structure-fixed Webpages.

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