Mother Nature knows best--How engineered organizations of the future will resemble natural-born systems.

Persuasive Technology: Using Computers to Change What We Think and Do

What Video Games Have to Teach Us about Learning and Literacy

Knowledge sharing: A review and directions for future research

This study emphasizes the need for standardized measurement tools for human robot interaction (HRI). If we are to make progress in this field then we must be able to compare the results from different studies. A literature review has been performed on the measurements of five key concepts in HRI: anthropomorphism, animacy, likeability, perceived intelligence, and perceived safety. The results have been distilled into five consistent questionnaires using semantic differential scales. We report reliability and validity indicators based on several empirical studies that used these questionnaires. It is our hope that these questionnaires can be used by robot developers to monitor their progress. Psychologists are invited to further develop the questionnaires by adding new concepts, and to conduct further validations where it appears necessary.

/pdf/measurement-instruments-for-the-anthropomorphism-animacy-55eaghvgd4.pdf

Measurement instruments for the anthropomorphism, animacy, likeability, perceived intelligence, and perceived safety of robots

The authors tested a model of antecedents and outcomes of newcomer adjustment using 70 unique samples of newcomers with meta-analytic and path modeling techniques. Specifically, they proposed and tested a model in which adjustment (role clarity, self-efficacy, and social acceptance) mediated the effects of organizational socialization tactics and information seeking on socialization outcomes (job satisfaction, organizational commitment, job performance, intentions to remain, and turnover). The results generally supported this model. In addition, the authors examined the moderating effects of methodology on these relationships by coding for 3 methodological issues: data collection type (longitudinal vs. cross-sectional), sample characteristics (school-to-work vs. work-to-work transitions), and measurement of the antecedents (facet vs. composite measurement). Discussion focuses on the implications of the findings and suggestions for future research.

/pdf/newcomer-adjustment-during-organizational-socialization-a-18ps2yzvax.pdf

Newcomer Adjustment During Organizational Socialization: A Meta- Analytic Review of Antecedents, Outcomes, and Methods

Executive Overview In today's networked economy, relationships with business partners are essential to a company's survival and growth, yet most companies are still struggling to design and manage their key partner relationships for long-term value creation. Most companies approach the design and management of their business partnerships by focusing on optimizing each individual alliance. This approach gives priority to meeting alliance-specific objectives and allocating resources based on the strategic importance of each partner. Typically, however, a company will be involved with several alliance partners, and sharing of information and knowledge across these alliances is rare. In addition, a company's alliances will often compete with one another, and with the internal organization, for limited resources. An emerging perspective is to manage alliances as a portfolio, and to understand how individual alliances impact each other and the internal organization. We offer a portfolio approach to alliance des...

https://www.jstor.org/stable/info/4166004

Alliance portfolios: Designing and managing your network of business-partner relationships

Solving the crisis of immediacy: How digital technology can transform the customer experience

Strategic alliances are no longer a strategic option but a necessity in many markets and industries Dynamic markets for both end products and technologies, coupled with the increasing costs of doing business, have resulted in a significant increase in the use of alliances Yet, managers are finding it increasingly difficult to capture value from alliances In this paper, we present a model that describes the knowledge resource exchange between alliance partners This model focuses on the different dimensions of knowledge resources (tacitness, specificity, and complexity) and their associated value implications, as well as the different roles of the partner based on its position within an industry network (complementor, competitor, supplier, customer, or other) We also argue that in order to capture and internalize knowledge obtained through an alliance, a firm must have an alliance learning capability We illustrate the use of this model in the computer industry by analyzing the publicly announced alliances of Dell Computer Corporation and Sun Microsystems, Inc By applying our resource exchange model, we were able to analyze the alliance strategy for each firm and to understand the alignment between the announced business strategy and alliance strategy for each firm The findings suggest that what is important is not necessarily a particular alliance strategy, but rather an alignment between alliance strategy and business strategy

Knowledge resource exchange in strategic alliances

When employees leave an organization, they depart with more than what they know; they also leave with critical knowledge about who they know. Thus, the departure of key people can significantly affect the relationship structure and consequent functioning of an organization. In particular, companies should be aware of the unique knowledge held by three important types of employees: ?central connectors? (those who are regularly asked for help, typically because they have a high level of expertise in one or more areas), ?brokers? (those who act as bridges across subgroups) and ?peripheral players? (those who reside on the boundaries of a network but could still possess valuable niche expertise and outside knowledge). Departure of an employee who filled any one of these roles presents knowledge-loss risks that need to be addressed. The departure of a handful of key brokers, for example, could fracture the social network of an organization into isolated subgroups. Thus companies need to take various measures to (1) identify key knowledge vulnerabilities by virtue of both what a person knows and how that individual?s departure will affect a network and (2) address specific knowledge-loss issues based on the different roles that employees play in the network.

Strategies for preventing a knowledge-loss crisis

How do managers and companies quickly transform new hires into productive employees, a process called "rapid on-boarding"? The authors contend that companies that are more successful at rapid on-boarding tend to use a relational approach, helping newcomers to rapidly establish a broad network of relationships with coworkers that they can tap to obtain the information they need to become productive. Most organizations realize the importance of integrating new employees, but many fail in this regard, often because of five pervasive myths about the process: (1) the best newcomers can fend for themselves, (2) a massive information dump allows newcomers to obtain what they need, (3) cursory introductions are all that's needed, (4) first assignments should be small, compact and quickly achievable, and (5) mentors are best for getting newcomers integrated. Because of those misconceptions, managers will frequently rely on certain taken-for-granted practices that can actually hinder new employees from becoming productive.

Salvatore Parise

Papers

Alliance portfolios: Designing and managing your network of business-partner relationships

Solving the crisis of immediacy: How digital technology can transform the customer experience

Knowledge resource exchange in strategic alliances

Strategies for preventing a knowledge-loss crisis

Getting new hires up to speed quickly