Evaluation of knowledge management performance

A firm, as a dynamic, evolving, and quasi-autonomous system of knowledge production and application, develops knowledge management capability (KMC) through strategic learning to sustain competitive advantages in a dynamic environment. Knowledge governance mechanisms and knowledge processes connect and interact with each other, thereby forming learning mechanisms that execute double-loop learning. This in turn drives the genesis and evolution of KMC to modify operating routines that contribute to the desired performance. This paper reports a study that was performed within a context of construction contractors, a type of project-based firm, which operates within the dynamic Hong Kong construction market. The writers used a multiple-case design to incorporate evidence from the literature and interviews, with the help of system dynamics modeling, to visualize the evolution of KMC. The writers’ paper demonstrates the feasibility of visualizing how a firm’s KMC correlates with its operating environment...

Visualizing Evolution of Knowledge Management Capability in Construction Firms

Purpose




How to build and enhance the strategic learning capability (SLC) of an organization becomes crucial to both research and practice. This study was designed with the purpose to conceptualize SLC by translating and interpreting the related literature to develop empirical dimensions that could be tested and used in a survey instrument.




Design/methodology/approach




An instrument was developed to identify empirical dimensions of SLC. The reliability and validity of the instrument were tested.




Findings




The resulting survey instrument included 59 items, and 49 remained after empirical test. Based on responses on a five-point performance scale, SLC items were identified and prioritized, and seven dimensions were discovered: external focus, strategic dialogue, strategic engagement, customer-centric strategy, disciplined imagination, experiential learning and reflective responsiveness.




Originality/value




The findings of this study extend the knowledge base of multi-disciplines, including strategy management, organizational learning and strategic human resource development (HRD). This study highlights the conceptualization of SLC and importance of the SLC framework in the field of HRD.

Organizational strategic learning capability: exploring the dimensions

A firm, as a dynamic, evolving, and quasi-autonomous system of knowledge production and application, develops knowledge management capability (KMC) through strategic learning in order to sustain competitive advantages in a dynamic environment. Knowledge governance mechanisms and knowledge processes connect and interact with each other forming learning mechanisms, which carry out double loop learning that drives genesis and evolution of KMC to modify operating routines that effect desired performance. This paper reports a study that was carried out within a context of construction contractors, a type of project-based firms, operating within the dynamic Hong Kong construction market. A multiple-case design was used to incorporate evidence from the literature and interviews, with the help of system dynamics modeling, to visualize the evolution of KMC. The study demonstrates the feasibility to visualize how a firm's KMC matches its operating environment over time. The findings imply that knowledge management (KM) applications can be better planned and controlled through evaluation of KM performance over time from a capability perspective.

Visualizing the evolution of knowledge management capability in construction firms

The ProblemThe learning transfer literature is mainly concerned with understanding what transfer of learning is, factors affecting the transfer, and measurements of transfer factors. Researchers ha...

Understanding the Process of Transfer of Training in a Military Context: Marching Into New Roles

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS. INTRODUCTION. The New Competitive Context. Winning in the New Environment. Reinventing Strategy with Strategic Learning. Why This Book? Getting to Excelling. PART I WHAT EVERY ORGANIZATION NEEDS TO KNOW ABOUT STRATEGY. CHAPTER 1 The Real Job of Strategy. What Is Strategy? What Key Questions Must Strategy Answer for Us? Choice-Making in Action. Strategy and Planning Are Different. Closing the Doing/Excelling Gap. CHAPTER 2 Defining Competitive Advantage: How Much More Value Do You Deliver Than Your Competitors? Mind the Gap. Stretching the Elastic Band. GM s Race to the Bottom. Value Leadership through a Winning Proposition. What s Your Winning Proposition? The Moment of Truth. PART II APPLYING STRATEGIC LEARNING TO CREATE AN ADAPTIVE ENTERPRISE. CHAPTER 3 Strategic Learning: Four Key Steps, One Cycle. Do You Have a Robust Method? What Were We Thinking? The Theory of Natural Selection. Complexity Theory. Learning Organizations. Strategy s New Mission. The Five Killer Competencies. The Strategic Learning Cycle. What We ve Learned from Deming. Building Capability through Deliberate Practice. CHAPTER 4 Learn: Using a Situation Analysis to Generate Superior. Insights about Your External Environment and Your Own Realities. The Sense and Respond Imperative. Learning through the Situation Analysis. Analyzing Customer Needs. Who Are Our Stakeholders and Why Do They Matter? Analyzing Competitors. Interpreting Industry Dynamics. Taking a Broader View. Facing Your Own Realities. Pulling Together the Situation Analysis. Winning the Battle for Insights. Doing a Great Situation Analysis: The Rules of Success. CHAPTER 5 Focus: Clarifying Your Winning Proposition and Identifying Your Key Priorities. Making Your Strategic Choices. The Parmenides Fallacy. Value Proposition versus Winning Proposition. Where Does Your Vision Fit In? Delivering Superior Profits. The Three Bottom Lines. Your Key Priorities. How the Girl Scouts Did It. Deciding What Not to Do. CHAPTER 6 Align: Mobilizing Your Entire Organization behind Your Strategy. Leading a Journey. The Golden Rules of Successful Execution. Closing the Gaps. The Business Ecosystem. Changing an Organization s Culture. Avoiding the Values Trap. CHAPTER 7 Overcoming Resistance to Change and Driving Momentum. Dealing with the Sources of Resistance. The Lessons of the Sigmoid Curve. The Curse of Success. Launching the Second Curve. Maximize Participation. Generate Short-Term Wins. Deal Directly with Resisters. Set a Shining Example. CHAPTER 8 Translating Your Strategy into a Compelling Leadership Message. What Is Leadership? Building a Cathedral. Commander s Intent. Who Are the Leaders? Developing Your Leadership Message. The Power of Storytelling. The Need for Repetition. CHAPTER 9 Execute: Implementing and Experimenting in the Strategic Learning Cycle. Learning through Experimentation. Learning from Others. Learning from Mistakes. Experiential Learning: The After-Action Review. Strategic Learning 365 Days a Year. PART III INTEGRATING STRATEGY AND LEADERSHIP. CHAPTER 10 Leading through a Crisis. Dealing Successfully with the Unexpected. Learning Your Way Out of a Crisis. Building Readiness. Seizing Opportunities during a Crisis. The Human Dimension. CHAPTER 11 Becoming an Integrated Leader. The Three Domains of Leadership. Articulating Your Leadership Credo. The Quest for Self-Knowledge. The Lifeline Exercise. Applying Strategic Learning to Yourself. CONCLUSION. The 5 Cs: Choices, Clarity, Change, Courage, and Compassion. The Five Cs. APPENDIX. NOTES. INDEX.

Willie Pietersen

Papers

Strategic Learning: How to Be Smarter Than Your Competition and Turn Key Insights into Competitive Advantage