Management Fads, Communities of Practice and Innovation

2011 ◽  
pp. 222-244
Author(s):  
Athanasios Hadjimanolis
Keyword(s):  
Communities Of Practice ◽  
Organizational Performance ◽  
Critical Evaluation ◽  
Innovation Process ◽  
Organizational Structures ◽  
Incremental Innovation ◽  
Management Fashion ◽  
Current Trends ◽  
Fashion Theory

This chapter introduces communities of practice (CoPs) as a useful framework for the elucidation of the innovation process in organizations. It argues that CoPs contribute to innovation through being more efficient than formal organizational structures. Innovation, however, comes in different forms and types and internal CoPs are more relevant for incremental innovation, while inter-organizational communities are more important for radical innovation. Furthermore the chapter focuses on a critical evaluation of the concept of community of practice through the lens of the management fashion theory and an assessment of the role of CoPs in knowledge creation and exchange at the various stages of the innovation process. It aims to provide an assessment of the contribution of communities of practice to innovation success and organizational performance and to summarize the current trends and future developments especially in inter-organizational virtual innovation communities.

scholarly journals Book Review: The Role of the Electronic Resources Librarian

2020 ◽  
Vol 64 (4) ◽  
pp. 186
Author(s):  
Jennifer Murray
Keyword(s):  
Academic Libraries ◽  
Electronic Materials ◽  
Organizational Structures ◽  
Online Environment ◽  
Electronic Resource ◽  
Skill Sets ◽  
The Past ◽  
Current Trends

The eight chapters covered in this text give a detailed history about how the role of electronic resource (e-resource) librarians (ERLs) has evolved over the past several decades as libraries have shifted to an online environment. It covers the challenges faced from 1992 when the ERL title was first used, to 2019 where academic libraries are still a hybrid of print and electronic materials. The book is organized into eight chapters with three appendixes. The introduction gives a brief overview on the development of ERLs and a clear synopsis of chapters, which are a nice progression of how the ERL position has developed since the 1990s; how it has been represented in organizational structures across academic libraries; how it has handled a variety of obstacles (technology, expanding skill sets, budget constraints, etc.); and how it maps to current trends in managing e-resources.

The effects of IT use intensity and innovation culture on organizational performance: the mediating role of innovation intensity

2020 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Simon Bourdeau ◽  
Benoit Aubert ◽  
Celine Bareil
Keyword(s):  
Organizational Performance ◽  
Structural Equation ◽  
Organizational Context ◽  
Innovation Process ◽  
External Information ◽  
It Use ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Innovation Culture ◽  
Innovation Intensity

Purpose This study aims to investigate innovation intensity by exploring the roles of internally focused and externally focused information technology (IT) use intensity and innovation culture on innovation intensity and organizational performance. Design/methodology/approach A model exploring the effects of internally and externally focused IT use, plus two key dimensions of innovation culture – collaborative and entrepreneurial – on innovation intensity and organizational performance is tested via a structural equation model using partial least squares with data collected from 395 top executives. Findings The results indicate that intense use of internally and externally focused IT and the collaborative dimension of culture positively affect innovation intensity, which, in turn, increases operational and financial performance. Practical implications Innovation is an important driver of performance, for both internal efficiency and competitiveness. The role of IT in the innovation process is key: it allows information, knowledge and idea sharing. Top managers should make a wide array of IT tools available to increase internal and external information exchanges. They should also develop an organizational context that stimulates innovativeness and promotes collaboration. Originality/value IT helps employees acquire and use the knowledge needed to innovate within and outside organizational boundaries. To be innovative, employees need to work in an organization with a strong innovation culture, a primary determinant of innovation intensity. This study is one of the first to examine the effects of an organization’s innovation culture and its use of IT on innovation intensity and organizational performance. In addition, constructs of innovation intensity and internally and externally focused IT use are developed and tested.

scholarly journals Communities of practice, knowledge acquisition and innovation: a case study of science-based SMEs

2014 ◽  
Vol 18 (1) ◽  
pp. 107-120 ◽  
Author(s):  
Steven Pattinson ◽  
David Preece
Keyword(s):  
Communities Of Practice ◽  
Knowledge Acquisition ◽  
Social Constructionist ◽  
Incremental Innovation ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Template Analysis ◽  
New Material ◽  
Practice Knowledge

Purpose – Recent research into communities of practice (CoPs) has focused on large organizations, suggesting they can be constructed for the purposes of knowledge acquisition and innovation. The present study found that, for science-based SMEs, CoPs are more likely to emerge unplanned to support incremental innovation in the form of problem-solving activities. This paper aims to discuss these points. Design/methodology/approach – Deploying a social constructionist research methodology, thematic template analysis was used to analyze 25 in-depth interviews conducted with a range of employees in six science-based SMEs. Findings – Both intra and inter-organizational CoPs were leveraged for a variety of purposes, including knowledge acquisition and the enhancement of the organizations' ability to generate innovative solutions. Research limitations/implications – Whilst there is no claim for the representativeness of the sample in relation to the wider population of science-based firms, the paper offers new material and theorizing in a domain which has been dominated to date by a focus upon large organizations and a managerialist orientation. Practical implications – A contextualized framework for the construction of CoPs in science-based SMEs has been developed from the findings of this study. Originality/value – The role of CoPs in science-based SMEs and the factors that influence their success or failure have been neglected to date, and thus have received little attention in the literature. Yet CoPs, as we found, can contribute to knowledge acquisition and innovation.

scholarly journals Influences of Intermediation of Support Institutions on Innovativeness and Organizational Performance

2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (1) ◽  
pp. 1-27
Author(s):  
Pedro Henrique Rodrigues de Sousa ◽  
Edgar Reyes Junior ◽  
Victor Del Corte Lora
Keyword(s):  
Organizational Performance ◽  
Innovation Process ◽  
Interorganizational Relations ◽  
Theoretical Approaches ◽  
Innovation Intermediaries ◽  
Support Organizations ◽  
The Social ◽  
The Relationship ◽  
Innovation Support

Purpose: Identify the influence of relationships with support institutions on innovativeness and organizational performance. Theoretical framework: The innovation intermediaries are organizations that act as a link between those involved in the innovation process and whose purpose is to develop the innovative aspects of organizations. Although studies have pointed out the importance of relationships with support institutions for the development of innovation, the present study investigated the role of these institutions as intermediary actors in the innovation process.Design/methodology/approach: A systematic literature review was conducted. The Methodi Ordinatio Index was used as a protocol. In order to identify the most central theoretical approaches in the studies, as well to map the interactions between these approaches, the Social Network Analysis - SNA technique was used.Findings: The relationship with support institutions increases access to non-redundant contacts; these, in its turn, influence innovativeness. The performance of these actors as intermediaries will only influence innovativeness in the circumstances in which the idiosyncrasy of these institutions does not prevent or makes impossible access to non-redundant contacts.Originality/value: The study contributed with literature from the fields of interorganizational relations, innovation and strategy by identifying the theoretical approaches in which the role of innovation support organizations is inserted, as well as by identifying the influence for access to non-redundant contacts, relevant to the innovation process; in addition, theoretical propositions and a research agenda are presented.

Electron Microscopy of Metal-Matrix Composites

1970 ◽  
Vol 28 ◽  
pp. 404-405
Author(s):  
A. Lawley ◽  
M. R. Pinnel ◽  
A. Pattnaik
Keyword(s):  
Electron Microscopy ◽  
Metal Matrix Composites ◽  
Metal Matrix ◽  
Critical Evaluation ◽  
Elastic Behavior ◽  
Matrix Composites ◽  
Directionally Solidified ◽  
Fracture Characteristics ◽  
Broad Program

As part of a broad program on composite materials, the role of the interface on the micromechanics of deformation of metal-matrix composites is being studied. The approach is to correlate elastic behavior, micro and macroyielding, flow, and fracture behavior with associated structural detail (dislocation substructure, fracture characteristics) and stress-state. This provides an understanding of the mode of deformation from an atomistic viewpoint; a critical evaluation can then be made of existing models of composite behavior based on continuum mechanics. This paper covers the electron microscopy (transmission, fractography, scanning microscopy) of two distinct forms of composite material: conventional fiber-reinforced (aluminum-stainless steel) and directionally solidified eutectic alloys (aluminum-copper). In the former, the interface is in the form of a compound and/or solid solution whereas in directionally solidified alloys, the interface consists of a precise crystallographic boundary between the two constituents of the eutectic.

Philosophical and Pedagogical Views of Yu. F. Samarin

2019 ◽  
Vol 54 ◽  
pp. 209-218
Author(s):  
Lev E. Shaposhnikov
Keyword(s):  
National Identity ◽  
Social Development ◽  
Educational Policy ◽  
Critical Evaluation ◽  
Educational Process ◽  
Educational Context ◽  
The Government ◽  
Role Of Religion

The paper analyses the evolution of Yu. Samarin’s ideas from rationalism to “holistic knowledge”. Special attention is paid to the philosopher’s conceptualization of the key role of religion for a nation. The author also examines the scholar’s position concerning the promotion of patriotism as an important impetus for social development. Emphasis is made on analyzing the interaction of universal and national aspects in the educational process, as well as on the value of national identity in the field of humanities. The article also presents Yu. Samarin’s critical evaluation of the government educational policy and his suggestions on increasing its effectiveness. The author notes the relevance of Yu. Samarin’s views for the contemporary philosophical and educational context.

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