Knowledge Management

The Competitive Advantage of Nations: Review

The management of expatriation has grown in importance as the numbers of multinational companies has grown significantly since the 1970s. However, public and non-government sector organizations have long traditions of managing expatriates. This paper presents the results of research that compared the manner in which Australian private, public and non-government sector organizations selected their expatriates. The results confirm the numerous reports in the international human resource management (IHRM) literature that, in private sector organizations, selection is carried out largely on the basis of technical competence, with minimal attention being paid to the interpersonal skills and domestic situations of potential expatriates. The limited role of HR managers in this process is also identified. The selection practices of public sector organizations reflect the merit selection policies of this sector. The non-government sector organizations' selection practices differ markedly from those of the organiza...

Expatriate selection: good management or good luck?

Knowledge management is recognized as an important weapon for sustaining competitive advantage and improving performance. The evaluation of knowledge management (KM) performance has become increasingly important since it provides the reference for directing the organizations to enhance their performance and competitiveness. This paper provides an understanding of factors that involved in implementing knowledge management concept to enhance organizational performance. Also, it provides an assessment tool that helps organizations to assess their knowledge management capabilities and identify the possible existing gaps in their knowledge management systems and suggest the possible ways to enhance organizational performance. The results show that all elements of knowledge management capabilities have a positive significant relationship with all measures of the performance at 1% level of significant; it means that there is a great correlation between knowledge management capabilities and organizational performance

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The Role of Knowledge Management in Enhancing Organizational Performance

In response to the growing proliferation of Business Process Management (BPM) in industry and the demand this creates for BPM expertise, universities across the globe are at various stages of incorporating knowledge and skills in their teaching offerings. However, there are still only a handful of institutions that offer specialized education in BPM in a systematic and in-depth manner. This article is based on a global educators' panel discussion held at the 2009 European Conference on Information Systems in Verona, Italy. The article presents the BPM programs of five universities from Australia, Europe, Africa, and North America, describing the BPM content covered, program and course structures, and challenges and lessons learned. The article also provides a comparative content analysis of BPM education programs illustrating a heterogeneous view of BPM. The examples presented demonstrate how different courses and programs can be developed to meet the educational goals of a university department, program, or school. This article contributes insights on how best to continuously sustain and reshape BPM education to ensure it remains dynamic, responsive, and sustainable in light of the evolving and ever-changing marketplace demands for BPM expertise.

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Business Process Management Education in Academia: Status, challenges, and Recommendations

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to provide a practicable systems‐based approach to knowledge management (KM) in a project environment, to encourage organisations to unlock the value in their review processes. It relies on knowledge capture and storage at decision review points, to enrich individual, team and organisational learning during the project life cycle. The project's phases are typically represented horizontally with deliverables (objectives) or project “promises” as the desirable outcomes. The purpose of this paper is to give expression through introducing a vertical dimension to facilitate the KM process. A model is proposed that conceptualises project‐specific knowledge drawing on and feeding into the organisation's knowledge management system (KMS) at tactical and strategic levels.Design/methodology/approach – This conceptual paper links concepts from systems theory with KM, to produce a model to identify, collate, and optimise project‐based knowledge and integrate it into the manageme...

Systematising knowledge management in projects

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to provide a practicable systems-based approach to knowledge management (KM) in a project environment, to encourage organisations to unlock the value in their review processes. It relies on knowledge capture and storage at decision review points, to enrich individual, team and organisational learning during the project life cycle. The project's phases are typically represented horizontally with deliverables (objectives) or project "promises" as the desirable outcomes. The purpose of this paper is to give expression through introducing a vertical dimension to facilitate the KM process. A model is proposed that conceptualises project-specific knowledge drawing on and feeding into the organisation's knowledge management system (KMS) at tactical and strategic levels. 

Design/methodology/approach – This conceptual paper links concepts from systems theory with KM, to produce a model to identify, collate, and optimise project-based knowledge and integrate it into the management process. 

Findings – The application of the system theory approach enriches the knowledge generated by a project, and feeds it into the next phase of that project. At the same time, it contributes to the individual's and project team's KM, specifies possible courses of action, together with risks, costs and benefits and thus it expands the organisation's higher level KMS. 

Research limitations/implications – The concept suggests that the knowledge capture, storage and sharing process may best be undertaken holistically, in view of the systems relationships between the tasks. Systems theory structures this process. Research opportunities include studying the interfaces between levels of KM, in relation to the project's progress. 

Practical implications – Reconceptualisation of the project as a knowledge creation process may improve the project's progress as well as add to the individual's, project team's, and wider organisation's knowledge base. An example is given. 

Originality/value – This paper illuminates the broader potential of under-utilised opportunities in well-known management approaches to add dimension to the business project, of knowledge creation, storage and sharing.

The getting of wisdom: The future of PM university education in Australia

A survey of Australian companies' support services to their expatriates was conducted using the Guzzo and Noonan (1992) instrument from the SHRM/CCH survey in the USA. Australian firms report a wide variability in expatriate management practice, but all appear to believe they are doing the right thing. There appeared to be three categories of findings:



1
Most of the Australian companies report extensive financial inducements to expatriates, but less than those provided to American expatriates. Australian respondents appear generally satisfied with company practice in regard to financial inducements.

2
In view of recommendations from previous research, it is surprising that Australian companies do not appear to be offering the nature and extent of training that is common in American firms, nor even to levels thought sufficient themselves. Expatriate preparation and orientation (including language training) remain areas for concern.

3
The support offered by Australian firms to the families of expatriates appears to be significantly deficient in comparison with that provided to American expatriates' families. This is an important finding in view of other research indicating that family support for the expatriate is often crucial for the success of the assignment. That companies appear to recognize the present deficit provides grounds for hope that the situation will be remedied.

Supporting the Expatriate: A Survey of Australian Management Practice

The purpose of this paper is to provide insights into the project challenges, human factors and knowledge development that influence the nature of employee engagement in a project team within a global project-based organisation.,A qualitative research design used semi-structured interviews, and observations in team meetings and the work environment to identify characteristics in the work environment which influenced employee engagement.,Workplace characteristics that influence employee engagement relate to the project challenges, the problem-solving nature of work, and achieving specified outcomes within time allocations. Human factors including the manager’s behaviours with feedback and recognition of effort, mentoring, and encouraging collaboration are important in team environment. The potential for learning and knowledge development from the project and with the team positively influence engagement.,This study examines the characteristics of an established project team of 13 consultant engineers from eight nationalities, and forms a basis for future comparison with other project teams with different job types and demographic profiles.,This study contributes to project management (PM) research by broadening the focus from human factors influencing employee engagement to project challenges and knowledge development, with implications for managers in project-based organisations in terms of job design, development of team climate, team processes and their own behaviours.,This study contributes to human factors in PM literature through exploratory research into the antecedents of employee engagement.

Paul Davidson

Papers

Systematising knowledge management in projects

Systematising knowledge management in projects

The getting of wisdom: The future of PM university education in Australia

Supporting the Expatriate: A Survey of Australian Management Practice

Human factors and project challenges influencing employee engagement in a project-based organisation (PBO)