Market of Resources as a Knowledge Management Enabler in VE

2011 ◽  
pp. 375-385
Author(s):  
Maria Manuela Cunha ◽  
Goran D. Putnik
Keyword(s):  
Knowledge Management ◽  
Knowledge Sharing ◽  
Business Strategy ◽  
Virtual Enterprise ◽  
Virtual Enterprises ◽  
Global Knowledge ◽  
Organizational Models ◽  
Object Knowledge ◽  
Organizational Conditions ◽  
Dynamically Reconfigurable

Knowledge is, undoubtedly, an indispensable asset for organizations to compete effectively (Alavi & Leidner, 2001; Murray, 2002). New organizational models, such as the virtual enterprise (VE) model, characterized as dynamically reconfigurable information-based global networked structures, are emerging. New technological environments and solutions are being developed to support them, and the importance of knowledge and the capability of managing it by creating the organizational conditions that facilitate the generation, sharing, and application of knowledge are more and more critical. In a global organization, as defended by Kluge, Stein, and Licht (2001), face-to-face relationships are not possible, giving rise to difficulties in accepting knowledge from outside. This applies more deeply in virtual enterprises (or in virtual organizations) in the interactions among the independent partners who tend more and more to fear the leakage of private knowledge. This situation promotes competition and rivalry and, as suggested by Prahalad and Hamel (1990), impedes collaboration and knowledge sharing, precisely two of the main underlying issues of this organizational model. A supporting environment, such as the market of resources proposed by the authors, is the way to assure effective knowledge management between the members of a virtual enterprise and business strategic alignment enabling the performance improvement of the VE. In an environment to support VE integration, knowledge management is simultaneously a tool and an object. As a tool, knowledge management can be used by the market of resources to reduce transaction costs in VE integration and VE reconfiguration; as an object, knowledge must be protected and knowledge leakage prevented to assure trust and protection of VE participants. The broker (an integrating element of the market of resources) is, besides other attributions, responsible for advising the VE owner in identifying and communicating the role of knowledge management within the VE business plan and for ensuring the permanent alignment between business strategy and knowledge strategy within the network of independent enterprises that constitute the VE. The broker must ensure that the global knowledge sharing is not threatened by deficient knowledge management procedures and, simultaneously, that any instance of the VE (as a reconfigurable network) at a given time, is able to respond to the market requirements with its maximum performance, that is, is business aligned. In this article, we introduce the VE disabling factors and the functionalities for VE integration, briefly present the market of resources as an environment to support VE integration, assuring business alignment and knowledge management, identify the main strengths and problems associated with the implementation of knowledge management functions, and, finally, discuss the main opportunities associated to the implementation and exploitation of the market of resources.

Market of Resources as a Knowledge Management Enabler in VE

2011 ◽  
pp. 2699-2711 ◽  
Author(s):  
Maria Manuela Cunha ◽  
Goran D. Putnik
Keyword(s):  
Knowledge Management ◽  
Knowledge Sharing ◽  
Business Strategy ◽  
Virtual Enterprise ◽  
Virtual Enterprises ◽  
Global Knowledge ◽  
Organizational Models ◽  
Object Knowledge ◽  
Organizational Conditions ◽  
Dynamically Reconfigurable

Knowledge is, undoubtedly, an indispensable asset for organizations to compete effectively (Alavi & Leidner, 2001; Murray, 2002). New organizational models, such as the virtual enterprise (VE) model, characterized as dynamically reconfigurable information-based global networked structures, are emerging. New technological environments and solutions are being developed to support them, and the importance of knowledge and the capability of managing it by creating the organizational conditions that facilitate the generation, sharing, and application of knowledge are more and more critical. In a global organization, as defended by Kluge, Stein, and Licht (2001), face-to-face relationships are not possible, giving rise to difficulties in accepting knowledge from outside. This applies more deeply in virtual enterprises (or in virtual organizations) in the interactions among the independent partners who tend more and more to fear the leakage of private knowledge. This situation promotes competition and rivalry and, as suggested by Prahalad and Hamel (1990), impedes collaboration and knowledge sharing, precisely two of the main underlying issues of this organizational model. A supporting environment, such as the market of resources proposed by the authors, is the way to assure effective knowledge management between the members of a virtual enterprise and business strategic alignment enabling the performance improvement of the VE. In an environment to support VE integration, knowledge management is simultaneously a tool and an object. As a tool, knowledge management can be used by the market of resources to reduce transaction costs in VE integration and VE reconfiguration; as an object, knowledge must be protected and knowledge leakage prevented to assure trust and protection of VE participants. The broker (an integrating element of the market of resources) is, besides other attributions, responsible for advising the VE owner in identifying and communicating the role of knowledge management within the VE business plan and for ensuring the permanent alignment between business strategy and knowledge strategy within the network of independent enterprises that constitute the VE. The broker must ensure that the global knowledge sharing is not threatened by deficient knowledge management procedures and, simultaneously, that any instance of the VE (as a reconfigurable network) at a given time, is able to respond to the market requirements with its maximum performance, that is, is business aligned. In this article, we introduce the VE disabling factors and the functionalities for VE integration, briefly present the market of resources as an environment to support VE integration, assuring business alignment and knowledge management, identify the main strengths and problems associated with the implementation of knowledge management functions, and, finally, discuss the main opportunities associated to the implementation and exploitation of the market of resources.

Environments for Virtual Enterprise Integration

2010 ◽  
pp. 645-662
Author(s):  
Maria Manuela Cunha ◽  
Goran D. Putnik ◽  
Paulo Silva Ávila
Keyword(s):  
Communication Technology ◽  
Virtual Enterprise ◽  
Business Environment ◽  
Organizational Model ◽  
Organizational Models ◽  
Enterprise Integration ◽  
Dynamically Reconfigurable ◽  
Enterprise Model ◽  
Information And Communication ◽  
Enterprise Creation

The virtual enterprise model is an emerging approach in answer to the new requirements of the business environment, relying on dynamically-reconfigurable partnerships, with extremely high performances, strongly time-oriented while being highly focused on cost and quality, in permanent alignment with the market, and strongly supported by information and communication technology, dictating a paradigm face shift to the traditional organizational models. Networking and reconfiguration dynamics are the main characteristics of this model,requiring enabling and supporting environments, at bearable costs. Some existing technologies and Internet-based environments can partially support this organizational model, but the reconfiguration dynamics can only be assured by environments able to manage, control, and enable networking and dynamics in virtual enterprise creation/reconfiguration. Several environments are introduced in the chapter, and particular focus is given to the market of resources, an environment coping with the requirements of the virtual enterprise model.

Measuring Organizational Readiness for Knowledge Management

2011 ◽  
pp. 341-356
Author(s):  
W. A. Taylor ◽  
M. A. Schellenberg
Keyword(s):  
Knowledge Management ◽  
Knowledge Sharing ◽  
Business Strategy ◽  
Quantitative Data ◽  
Employee Attitudes ◽  
Organizational Readiness ◽  
Senior Managers ◽  
Knowledge Management Strategy ◽  
Strategic Direction ◽  
Local Levels

While organizations continue to grapple with the implementation of knowledge management, there remains a need for empirical research into the practical difficulties they encounter. In this chapter, we investigate the challenges faced by one multinational telecommunications company in a post-merger environment. We develop an instrument to evaluate the knowledge-sharing culture and information infrastructure and, by using qualitative and quantitative data from a survey of five European sites, we illustrate how managers can measure gaps between the effectiveness of current practices and their importance, and decide whether to direct resources toward changing employee attitudes, organizational practices, or knowledge-management infrastructure. More significantly, we highlight the need for senior managers to be in agreement about the strategic direction of their business and the strategic alignment between business strategy and knowledge-management strategy. Without such consensus, knowledge management is likely to remain, at best, a series of fragmented and unrelated initiatives at local levels.

Environments for Virtual Enterprise Integration

2011 ◽  
pp. 1-23
Author(s):  
Maria Manuela Cunha ◽  
Goran D. Putnik ◽  
Paulo Silva Ávila
Keyword(s):  
Communication Technology ◽  
Virtual Enterprise ◽  
Business Environment ◽  
Organizational Model ◽  
Organizational Models ◽  
Enterprise Integration ◽  
Dynamically Reconfigurable ◽  
Enterprise Model ◽  
Information And Communication ◽  
Enterprise Creation

The virtual enterprise model is an emerging approach in answer to the new requirements of the business environment, relying on dynamically-reconfigurable partnerships, with extremely high performances, strongly time-oriented while being highly focused on cost and quality, in permanent alignment with the market, and strongly supported by information and communication technology, dictating a paradigm face shift to the traditional organizational models. Networking and reconfiguration dynamics are the main characteristics of this model,requiring enabling and supporting environments, at bearable costs. Some existing technologies and Internet-based environments can partially support this organizational model, but the reconfiguration dynamics can only be assured by environments able to manage, control, and enable networking and dynamics in virtual enterprise creation/reconfiguration. Several environments are introduced in the chapter, and particular focus is given to the market of resources, an environment coping with the requirements of the virtual enterprise model.

Cultural Impact on Global Knowledge Sharing

2011 ◽  
pp. 262-281
Author(s):  
Timothy Shea ◽  
David Lewis
Keyword(s):  
Knowledge Management ◽  
Knowledge Sharing ◽  
Cultural Differences ◽  
National Culture ◽  
Decision Makers ◽  
Global Environment ◽  
Global Knowledge ◽  
Cultural Impact ◽  
Four Dimensions ◽  
Types Of Knowledge

This chapter introduces how culture impacts global knowledge sharing. Effective knowledge sharing (KS), one of the four interdependent dimensions of knowledge management (KM), is particularly important in today’s global environment in which national cultural differences are negotiated all the time. Knowledge sharing is described along six dimensions and national culture along four dimensions. A model is presented, which provides guidelines for effectively sharing different types of knowledge within different cultural environments. Several examples are presented to illustrate the model’s effectiveness. Using the model as a guide, the authors believe that decision makers will increase the chances that information and knowledge will be shared successfully.

A Model of Intraorganizational Knowledge Sharing

2011 ◽  
pp. 284-313
Author(s):  
I-Chieh Hsu ◽  
Yi-Shun Wang
Keyword(s):  
Knowledge Management ◽  
Literature Review ◽  
Knowledge Sharing ◽  
Information Management ◽  
Business Strategy ◽  
Top Management ◽  
Management Knowledge ◽  
Management Processes ◽  
Perceived Environmental Uncertainty ◽  
Policies And Practices

Prior research has reported different knowledge management processes, considering each universally applicable. This article proposes that context influences company knowledge sharing policies and practices and their effectiveness. Through a literature review, a model of intraorganizational knowledge sharing is proposed. Within this model, three organizational antecedents of knowledge sharing policies and practices are included, namely: top management knowledge values, an innovation business strategy, and perceived environmental uncertainty. Further, top management knowledge values and knowledge sharing policies and practices are hypothesized to lead to knowledge sharing effectiveness. The model was constructed by taking into account industrial contexts in Taiwan, and was examined using survey data collected from companies in Taiwan. The results showed that top management knowledge values and innovation business strategy are positively and significantly associated with knowledge sharing policies and practices, which in turn lead to knowledge sharing effectiveness. Finally, this article identifies and discusses implications for international information management.

Adopting the Grid Computing & Semantic Web Hybrid for Global Knowledge Sharing

2011 ◽  
pp. 365-381
Author(s):  
Mirghani Mohamed ◽  
Michael Stankosky ◽  
Vincent Ribière
Keyword(s):  
Knowledge Management ◽  
Semantic Web ◽  
Grid Computing ◽  
Knowledge Sharing ◽  
Information Overload ◽  
Global Knowledge ◽  
Shared Resources ◽  
Semantic Grid ◽  
Early Results ◽  
Wide Range

The purpose of this chapter is to examine the requirements of Knowledge Management (KM) services deployment in a Semantic Grid environment. A wide range of literature on Grid Computing, Semantic Web, and KM have been reviewed, related, and interpreted. The benefits of the Semantic Web and the Grid Computing convergence have been investigated, enumerated and related to KM principles in a complete service model. Although the Grid Computing model significantly contributed to the shared resources, most of KM tools obstacles within the grid are to be resolved at the semantic and cultural levels more than at the physical or logical grid levels. The early results from academia, where grid computing still in testing phase, show a synergy and the potentiality of leveraging knowledge, especially from voluminous data, at a wider scale. However, the plethora of information produced in this environment will result in a serious information overload, unless proper standardization, automated relations, syndication, and validation techniques are developed.

Cultural Impact on Global Knowledge Sharing

2011 ◽  
pp. 75-90
Author(s):  
Timothy Shea ◽  
David Lewis
Keyword(s):  
Knowledge Management ◽  
Knowledge Sharing ◽  
Cultural Differences ◽  
National Culture ◽  
Decision Makers ◽  
Global Environment ◽  
Global Knowledge ◽  
Cultural Impact ◽  
Four Dimensions ◽  
Types Of Knowledge

This chapter introduces how culture impacts global knowledge sharing. Effective knowledge sharing (KS), one of the four interdependent dimensions of knowledge management (KM), is particularly important in today’s global environment in which national cultural differences are negotiated all the time. Knowledge sharing is described along six dimensions and national culture along four dimensions. A model is presented, which provides guidelines for effectively sharing different types of knowledge within different cultural environments. Several examples are presented to illustrate the model’s effectiveness. Using the model as a guide, the authors believe that decision makers will increase the chances that information and knowledge will be shared successfully.

Global Knowledge Networking (GKN) With Utilizing of Digital Libraries

2018 ◽  
pp. 966-987
Author(s):  
Azadeh Heidari ◽  
Leila Nemati-Anaraki
Keyword(s):  
Artificial Intelligence ◽  
Knowledge Management ◽  
Knowledge Sharing ◽  
Digital Libraries ◽  
Process Model ◽  
Global Knowledge ◽  
Essential Condition ◽  
Community Environment ◽  
Knowledge Based ◽  
Innovation Activities

In Digital Libraries (DLs) as an innovative community environment, knowledge is nutrition, and the environment for knowledge sharing is the essential condition. As the knowledge is the heart of digital libraries, it is imperative for them to promote the innovation activities embodied by teaching and scientific research through an efficient knowledge-sharing environment. In digital environment, the role of knowledge has become even more significant. Moreover, DLs perform many knowledge-based activities, and by nature, the knowledge-sharing process is embedded in DL systems. These modern knowledge management environments need modern technologies in order to perform properly for end users and online researchers. Therefore, the aim of this chapter is to provide a model for global knowledge networking with utilizing digital libraries and artificial intelligence. The specific objectives are to describe a framework of digital libraries and concepts of Knowledge Management (KM). The chapter finds some significant overlaps between DLs and KM and integrates the knowledge-sharing process with DLs and artificial intelligence. The integration of KM and knowledge sharing can add value to develop a global knowledge networking process model so users around the globe can make use of this knowledge transmission.

Adopting the Grid Computing & Semantic Web Hybrid for Global Knowledge Sharing

2012 ◽  
pp. 1721-1736
Author(s):  
Mirghani Mohamed ◽  
Michael Stankosky ◽  
Vincent Ribière
Keyword(s):  
Knowledge Management ◽  
Semantic Web ◽  
Grid Computing ◽  
Knowledge Sharing ◽  
Information Overload ◽  
Global Knowledge ◽  
Shared Resources ◽  
Semantic Grid ◽  
Early Results ◽  
Wide Range

The purpose of this chapter is to examine the requirements of Knowledge Management (KM) services deployment in a Semantic Grid environment. A wide range of literature on Grid Computing, Semantic Web, and KM have been reviewed, related, and interpreted. The benefits of the Semantic Web and the Grid Computing convergence have been investigated, enumerated and related to KM principles in a complete service model. Although the Grid Computing model significantly contributed to the shared resources, most of KM tools obstacles within the grid are to be resolved at the semantic and cultural levels more than at the physical or logical grid levels. The early results from academia, where grid computing still in testing phase, show a synergy and the potentiality of leveraging knowledge, especially from voluminous data, at a wider scale. However, the plethora of information produced in this environment will result in a serious information overload, unless proper standardization, automated relations, syndication, and validation techniques are developed.

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