Establishing Learning Places and Knowledge Flows to Stimulate Innovation

Author(s):  
Ronald C. Beckett

Knowledge is seen as a source of competitive advantage, but how can it be mobilized to realize this advantage? Organization norms and routines both reflect what an organization “knows” and may stimulate or inhibit knowledge flows. Tools may help store and share explicit knowledge, but it is only through personal interaction that the wealth of continuously expanding tacit knowledge potentially available to an enterprise can be accessed. This chapter suggests that physical and virtual places for interaction combined with HRM practices can facilitate building and sharing stocks of knowledge to support the business of the enterprise. A case study example of interconnected learning spaces and strategically deployed people specifically established to support innovation is presented.

Author(s):  
Jill Owen ◽  
Frada Burstein

This chapter explores how an engineering consulting company creates, manages, and reuses knowledge within its projects. It argues that the informal transfer and reuse of knowledge plays a more crucial role than formal knowledge in providing the greatest benefit to the organization. The culture of the organization encourages a reliance on networks (both formal and informal) for the exchange of tacit knowledge, rather than utilizing explicit knowledge. This case study highlights the importance of understanding the drivers of knowledge transfer and reuse in projects. This will provide researchers with an insight into how knowledge management integrates with project management.


Author(s):  
Mark E. Nissen

A great many organizations rely upon advancing Information Technology (IT) in their quests for competitive advantage. The problem is that as long as competitive advantage is based on IT and like resources that are obtainable or substitutable by competing organizations, it is likely to be ephemeral at best. Alternatively, competitive advantage enabled by tacit knowledge is comparatively much more sustainable, but such knowledge tends to be sticky and does not flow well through the organization. Hence, the power of tacit knowledge is great in terms of enabling and particularly sustaining competitive advantage, but the corresponding dynamics can make it difficult to capitalize upon effectively. This chapter focuses specifically on how the power of dynamic knowledge (i.e., knowledge flows) can be harnessed for competitive advantage. The authors first examine in some detail how different kinds of knowledge and other organizational resources enable competitive advantage. They then discuss the dynamics of knowledge, looking in particular at how it flows through the organization. The chapter concludes with five key insights for use and application.


Author(s):  
Michael A. Chilton ◽  
James M. Bloodgood

Knowledge workers are often employed to extract knowledge from domain experts in order to codify knowledge held by these experts. The extent to which workers rely on tacit or explicit knowledge may produce inefficiencies and reduce productivity if the information is not shared among those who need it or if it encapsulates strategic goals and is inadvertently shared with those who might undermine the firm’s competitive advantage. This chapter discusses the nature of tacit versus explicit knowledge in terms of the dimensions thought to contribute to its degree of tacitness. The authors present the results of an exploratory study in which they develop an instrument designed to elicit perceptions regarding the nature of knowledge used by workers and their degree of reliance on tacit knowledge. It is an indirect form of measurement that eliminates the need to render the knowledge entirely explicit prior to measurement. As an additional benefit, it allows the classification of knowledge along a continuum, ranging from entirely tacit to entirely explicit or somewhere in between. Use of this instrument by managers will help them identify pockets of tacit knowledge within the firm that could either be made explicit so that other workers can benefit from it or that could be prevented from becoming explicit should its strategic value require protection.


2012 ◽  
Vol 11 (01) ◽  
pp. 1250001
Author(s):  
David P. Stevens ◽  
Sonya H. Y. Hsu ◽  
Zhiwei Zhu

The acquisition and management of knowledge is increasingly more important in today's economy because of the large proportion of the workforce eligible for retirement in the next 10 years. Companies have long understood that reusing explicit knowledge in the form of policies, documentation and procedures produces tremendous savings, reduces variability, decreases costs, and improves overall quality. Unfortunately, a considerable portion of corporate knowledge is tacit or known at a non-verbal level, and does not lend itself to reuse. This research examines "how" and "why" questions regarding a specific process used for managing and sharing tacit knowledge related to the software development life cycle. The issues related to acquiring, preserving and disseminating the tacit knowledge are discussed in detail, and the advantages and managerial implications of the results of the method are described, together with implications for knowledge workers and managers in other industries.


2020 ◽  
Vol 24 (2) ◽  
pp. 267-283 ◽  
Author(s):  
Karim Moustaghfir ◽  
Sara El Fatihi ◽  
Mohammed Benouarrek

Purpose Building on the little guidance in the existing literature regarding the relationship between human resource management (HRM) practices, entrepreneurial orientation and firm performance, this study aims to generate theoretical propositions that underpin an integrative framework following a systematic literature review, then to test such a framework within the context of a small and medium enterprise (SME) to demonstrate how employees’ knowledge and competencies are translated into added value while fostering the company’s entrepreneurial capabilities and culture. Design/methodology/approach For the purpose of this research, a systematic literature review was adopted to build the propositions underpinning an integrative theoretical framework linking HRM practices, entrepreneurial orientation and firm performance. A single case study approach was then followed to test the propositions of the integrative theoretical framework within the context of an SME, while adopting a triangulation methodology for data collection, including questionnaires, interviews and archival data. Data analysis was conducted following the procedures of a pattern-matching methodology. Findings This research confirms the strategic role of HRM practices in fostering the firm’s entrepreneurial orientation and capabilities, while nurturing, enriching and bundling employees’ knowledge, skills and distinctive competencies within the context of a company’s innovation-driven strategy. HRM practices through a strategic alignment with the company’s business strategy, contribute to shaping up organizational attitudes, behaviors and cultural determinants that are, in turn, conducive to better innovativeness, risk propensity and initiative-taking. Theoretical and empirical evidence shows how such corporate entrepreneurialism is then translated into adding value activities, individual and group productivity and overall organizational performance. Research limitations implications This research generates meaningful insights on how HRM practices contribute to shaping up corporate entrepreneurship attitudes and transforming them into both individual and organizational results while building on conceptual assumptions and empirical evidence. The authors believe such insights have the potential to lay the foundations of a comprehensive theoretical model that disentangles the complexities and the dynamics of how strategically-oriented HRM interventions could help an organization redirect its employees’ competencies into innovation and entrepreneurial capabilities to generate a competitive advantage in an ever-changing business environment. Future research should emphasize mainly on multiple case study approaches and ethnographic methodologies for the sake of result generalizability and holistic understandings. Practical implications This research draws significant conclusions for SMEs to cope with the change and the fierce competitive dynamics affecting current business environments. To consolidate and further develop their strategic positioning, this research suggests that SMEs could leverage distinctive individual and group competencies, through strategically aligned HRM actions and investments, to foster learning and generate entrepreneurially-oriented cultural values and management style conducive to innovation, performance and competitive advantage. Originality/value This research offers integrated and holistic views of how HRM practices affect organizational performance while leveraging on learning to create the necessary cultural and managerial conditions for corporate entrepreneurialism. This research builds on both theoretical propositions and empirical evidence to lay the foundations of a comprehensive model linking HRM practices, entrepreneurial orientation and firm performance. From a practical perspective, the research findings suggest new human resource developmental venues while placing much emphasis on the value of creating the innovation-driven managerial culture and fostering entrepreneurially-oriented attitudes to achieve better performance results.


2013 ◽  
Vol 365-366 ◽  
pp. 129-132
Author(s):  
Wen Bo Zhu ◽  
Xin Ren Wu ◽  
Yi Gan ◽  
Long Chen

Knowledge-based Engineering (KBE) should be introduced into the field of mechanical part modeling. The knowledge-based and featured mechanical part modeling is proposed based on the two layers of knowledge base. Features and process planning rules for mechanical parts are integrated and explicit knowledge and tacit knowledge are involved in this model. Explicit knowledge includes basic information, shape feature, precision feature, material feature and assemble feature, and tacit knowledge includes process rule-based reasoning and process feasibility analysis. The model proposed will help to the following process planning and play a very important role to improve the success rate of design mechanical parts. Finally a case study is conducted.


2019 ◽  
Vol 5 (1) ◽  
pp. 45-50
Author(s):  
Ayu Endah Wahyuni

Industri kecil menengah (IKM) di Indonesia belum mampu dalam berdaya saing dan mempertahankan competitive advantage terhadap produk asing. Pemanfaatan tacit knowledge dan explicit knowledge belum maksimal, padahal faktor tersebut menjadi sumber keunggulan bersaing dan kemampuan industri dalam berinovasi. Sementara itu, pertumbuhan produksi IKM belum mencapai target yang diharapkan karena performansi IKM masih rendah, sehingga mempengaruhi produktivitasnya. Akar permasalahan penelitian ini terletak pada optimalisasi tacit knowledge dan explicit knowledge belum maksimal terhadap peningkatan organizational performance pada IKM. Penelitian ini bertujuan untuk menguji dan mengembangkan suatu model dengan mengintegrasikan faktor yang terkait dengan tacit knowledge dan explicit knowledge dalam peningkatan organizational performance. Metode pengumpulan data melalui kuesioner dengan IKM kota Bandung sebagai responden penelitian. Pengolahan data menggunakan metode partial least square path modelling (PLS-PM).


2011 ◽  
pp. 2919-2932
Author(s):  
Jill Owen ◽  
Frada Burstein

This chapter explores how an engineering consulting company creates, manages, and reuses knowledge within its projects. It argues that the informal transfer and reuse of knowledge plays a more crucial role than formal knowledge in providing the greatest benefit to the organization. The culture of the organization encourages a reliance on networks (both formal and informal) for the exchange of tacit knowledge, rather than utilizing explicit knowledge. This case study highlights the importance of understanding the drivers of knowledge transfer and reuse in projects. This will provide researchers with an insight into how knowledge management integrates with project management.


2018 ◽  
pp. 14-28
Author(s):  
Mark E. Nissen

A great many organizations rely upon advancing Information Technology (IT) in their quests for competitive advantage. The problem is that as long as competitive advantage is based on IT and like resources that are obtainable or substitutable by competing organizations, it is likely to be ephemeral at best. Alternatively, competitive advantage enabled by tacit knowledge is comparatively much more sustainable, but such knowledge tends to be sticky and does not flow well through the organization. Hence, the power of tacit knowledge is great in terms of enabling and particularly sustaining competitive advantage, but the corresponding dynamics can make it difficult to capitalize upon effectively. This chapter focuses specifically on how the power of dynamic knowledge (i.e., knowledge flows) can be harnessed for competitive advantage. The authors first examine in some detail how different kinds of knowledge and other organizational resources enable competitive advantage. They then discuss the dynamics of knowledge, looking in particular at how it flows through the organization. The chapter concludes with five key insights for use and application.


Author(s):  
Ayesha Khatun

Twenty-first century markets are unstable: technologies rapidly proliferate, competitors multiply, products and services become obsolete almost overnight. It is knowledge that can help the organizations to remain competitive. But as knowledge is the source of competitive advantage for the organization, it is also the source of competitive advantage for individuals. People think that knowledge is power, so sharing the same may lead to losing the power. Moreover, the very nature of tacit knowledge poses many difficulties in sharing the same. But sharing tacit knowledge is a vital part of the knowledge management process because it is tacit knowledge that is inimitable and is unique for the firm and hence provides competitive advantage. Studies found that personal interaction and informal networks work as the most successful means of sharing tacit knowledge. This chapter discusses the concept of tacit knowledge and attempts to discuss and suggest some effective methods of sharing tacit knowledge in organizations.


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