Impediments for Knowledge Sharing in Professional Service Firms

2011 ◽  
pp. 1845-1850
Author(s):  
Georg Disterer
Keyword(s):  
Real Life ◽  
Professional Service ◽  
Service Firms ◽  
Professional Service Firms ◽  
Professional Advice ◽  
Innovative Solutions ◽  
The World ◽  
Working Together ◽  
Valuable Thing ◽  
Holding Back

Professional service firms (PSFs), where professionals (consultants, lawyers, accountants, tax advisors, etc.) work, are interested in knowledge management because their businesses are heavily dependent on the knowledge of their employees. A core asset is their ability to solve complex problems through creative and innovative solutions, and the basis for this is their employees’ knowledge. The “product” that PSFs offer their clients is knowledge (Kay, 2002; Ofek & Sarvary, 2001; Chait, 1999). Sharing knowledge between colleagues improves the economical benefits a firm can realize from the knowledge of employees. This is especially true for PSFs (Huang, 1998; Quinn, Anderson, & Finkelstein, 1996), where broad ranges of knowledge must be kept to provide intellectual services, and real-life experiences with certain questions and situations are an important asset. The organizations and its members are spread over various offices across the country or the world. The necessity for sharing grows because the network of professionals in most cases can offer significantly better professional advice than any individual. “We sell knowledge… the most valuable thing we can offer is the collective, institutional knowledge of our firm” (Roger Siboni, KPMG executive, in Alavi, 1997, p. 1). Working together openly without holding back or protecting vital pieces of knowledge will result in more productivity and innovation than could be reached individually.

Social and Cultural Barriers for Knowledge Databases in Professional Service Firms

2011 ◽  
pp. 124-130 ◽  
Author(s):  
Georg Disterer
Keyword(s):  
Information Technology ◽  
Knowledge Management ◽  
Cultural Barriers ◽  
Professional Service ◽  
One Dimension ◽  
Service Firms ◽  
Professional Service Firms ◽  
Complex Problems ◽  
Innovative Solutions

Professional Service Firms (PSF), where professionals (consultants, lawyers, accountants, auditors, tax advisors, engineers ...) work, are interested in knowledge management, because their business is heavily dependent from the knowledge of their employees. Core asset is their ability to solve complex problems through creative and innovative solutions, the basis for this is their employees’ knowledge. Therefore, PSF are on the forefront of knowledge management. Experiences show that Information Technology (IT) is only one dimension of knowledge management, more important are social, cultural, and organizational dimensions.1

The Role of Social Media in Knowledge Management

2017 ◽  
pp. 230-248
Author(s):  
Syed Afzal Moshadi Shah ◽  
Shehla Amjad
Keyword(s):  
Social Media ◽  
Knowledge Management ◽  
Business Environment ◽  
Professional Service ◽  
Service Firms ◽  
Professional Service Firms ◽  
Media Usage ◽  
The World ◽  
Knowledge Intensive

The purpose of this chapter is to highlight the importance of social media and theoretically link it with Knowledge Management (KM). A massive increase in social media usage around the world and its enhanced role in everyday life of employees offer enormous opportunities to businesses. One of the most important challenges that management faces in today's dynamic business environment is knowledge management. This becomes the key concern in professional service firms that are knowledge intensive in nature. The chapter discusses the association between social media and knowledge management. A theoretical model (SECI-SM) proposed by Shah, Khan, and Amjad (2013) is presented and discussed which is an extension of the seminal work of Nonaka and Takeuchi (1995). The model puts social media at the heart of knowledge management system and processes. It purports social media as an ideal vehicle for knowledge sharing and retaining. The chapter discusses the superiority of SECI-SM Model and lays out some useful suggestions for businesses.

Impediments for Knowledge Sharing in Professional Service Firms

2005 ◽  
pp. 1391-1396
Author(s):  
Georg Disterer
Keyword(s):  
Knowledge Management ◽  
Knowledge Sharing ◽  
Professional Service ◽  
Service Firms ◽  
Professional Service Firms ◽  
Complex Problems ◽  
Innovative Solutions

Professional service firms (PSFs), where professionals (consultants, lawyers, accountants, tax advisors, etc.) work, are interested in knowledge management, because their businesses are heavily dependent on the knowledge of their employees. A core asset is their ability to solve complex problems through creative and innovative solutions, and the basis for this is their employees’ knowledge. The “product” that PSFs offer their clients is knowledge (Kay, 2002; Ofek & Sarvary, 2001; Chait, 1999).

Gatekeeping and our moral fabric: Has social capital deterioration vanquished professional oversight?

2019 ◽  
Vol 6 (3) ◽  
pp. 377-386
Author(s):  
Leonard Bierman ◽  
Rhett A Brymer ◽  
Scott B Dust ◽  
Hyunseok Hwang
Keyword(s):  
Social Capital ◽  
Professional Service ◽  
Service Firms ◽  
Professional Service Firms ◽  
Robert Putnam ◽  
Sarbanes Oxley ◽  
The World ◽  
The Usa ◽  
Considerable Impact ◽  
Multiple Agency

Abstract Social capital deterioration in the USA, and indeed throughout the world, has had considerable impact on professional service firms (PSFs). Governmental entities at various levels have enacted new laws and regulations (e.g. the Sarbanes Oxley and Dodd-Frank Acts in the USA) to help ameliorate this situation, but to relatively little avail. Traditional gatekeeping functions of PSFs seem to be deteriorating. Is there hope for the future? This article addresses that issue in the context of work by drawing on the insight and research of Robert Putnam and John Coffee and encouraging advancement of multiple agency theory and governance for today’s world.

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