Showing papers in "The Learning Organization in 2007"

A study on relationship among leadership, organizational culture, the operation of learning organization and employees job satisfaction

Abstract: Purpose – The main purpose of this paper is to investigate the relationship among leadership, organizational culture, the operation of learning organization and employees' job satisfaction.Design/methodology/approach – A quantitative research design was employed. A total of 1,000 questionnaires were mailed out and received 134 valid replies.Findings – The research results indicate that the various operation extents of learning organization have significant difference under the dimensions of leadership, organizational culture and the operation of learning organization. Both leadership and organizational culture can positively and significantly affect the operation of learning organization. In addition, the operation of learning organizations has a significantly positive effect on employees' job satisfaction.Research limitations/implications – Although this research is adopted with questionnaire investigation and concise questions to the best of one's ability it is still not known whether the respondents ca...

Intellectual capital and corporate performance in knowledge‐intensive SMEs

Abstract: Purpose – In recent years a significant number of intellectual capital (IC) metrics has been developed and applied in many organizations. However, there is still a strong need to specify the relations among the different categories of intellectual assets that exist in the context of small to medium‐sized enterprises (SME), and to determine the way these assets affect financial performance. This paper has a dual scope; first, to specify these relations, and, second, to explore the impact of IC on corporate performance.Design/methodology/approach – Hypotheses are tested through a survey conducted on Greek knowledge‐intensive SMEs of the service sector. Firms' perceptions regarding intellectual capital categories, which were measured through the answers given on a structured questionnaire, and accounting data gathered from financial databases were combined.Findings – The findings indicate that the interaction of certain categories of intellectual assets in SMEs is in some aspects different from the pattern e...

Developing communities of innovation by identifying innovation champions

Abstract: Purpose - The purpose of this paper is to propose that a form of communities of practice (CoP), a community of innovation (CoInv), is the best support for sustainable innovation. It aims to outline a method for identifying champions of innovation in organisation. Design/methodology/approach - The paper draws on extant research to argue that innovation is facilitated and supported by innovation champions, who have most influence outside traditional organisational structures when they are members of a close-knit community - a CoInv. A potential method for identification of champions of innovation is highlighted. Findings - Innovation champions are special people, with particular personality types and psychological profiles. In order to succeed in championing innovations in organisations they need both procedural and resource support, and social and cognitive support. The influence of innovation champions comes through social contacts, multiplied through the communities in which they participate, through the genuine esteem in which they are held. Developing CoInv around such champions makes practical sense for organisations. Originality/value - Identifying champions of innovation will permit a CoInv to form that links social networks and transcends organisational internal boundaries and forming such a community will potentially trigger more successfully supported innovations.

Extending the knowledge advantage: Creating learning chains

Abstract: Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to develop a synergy between the approaches of knowledge management in a learning organisation and supply chain management so that learning chains can be created in order to unleash innovation and creativity by managing knowledge in supply chains.Design/methodology/approach – Through extensive literature review, commonalities between knowledge management and supply chain management were elicited. Knowledge Advantage framework, which was developed as a part of CRC for Construction Innovation Australia, research project “Delivering improved knowledge management and ICT diffusion in Australian construction industry”, has been proposed to extend across the supply chain in order to develop learning chains.Findings – The paper provides a conceptual grounding for future research in the area of knowledge management and supply chain management and suggests that, as unit of competition changes from organisation vs organisation to chain vs chain under supply chain management, l...

Scratching beneath the surface of communities of (mal)practice

Abstract: Purpose – This paper seeks to surface less positive aspects of communities of practice (CoPs), regardless of emergent or organisationally managed, grounded in political‐power interactions. Examples are provided from the authors' experiences of a research‐based CoP within UK higher education.Design/methodology/approach – The paper is primarily theoretical with empirical examples drawn from a descriptive CoP case study.Findings – The paper discusses the following themes: the impact of timing on CoP development; the impact of CoP leaders and managers in “managed” CoPs; the power‐political interrelationship between emergent CoPs and formal organisation; the impact of dominant actors with position power; emotional containment and emotion work within CoPs; power implications of novices and masters and the implications when CoP practices diverge from organisational practices. It finds that to ignore such issues of power within CoPs is to limit the knowledge creation process.Research limitations/implications – Fu...

Sharing knowledge: contextualising socio‐technical thinking and practice

Abstract: Purpose – The purpose of this research is to present the empirical findings from a case study in knowledge sharing with the aim of understanding knowledge sharing in a strategic context through a socio‐technical approach. Design/methodology/approach – Knowledge sharing facilitators and barriers were examined in a UK owned multinational engineering organisation. A total of 20 semi‐structured interviews were conducted and analysed using a combination of matrix and template analysis. Findings – The paper highlights leadership, organisational, and individual factors that are perceived to impact knowledge sharing. Furthermore, three sub‐factors: trust, individual motivation and geographical location, are discussed as double‐edged factors, i.e. their impact on knowledge sharing is complex in that they may act as both barriers and enablers. Research limitations/implications – The main limitation of this study is that it is conducted in a single organisational context. A second case study is currently being analysed to explore knowledge sharing in a different context within the same organisation. Practical implications – A balanced approach to knowledge management practices is emphasised where both technical and social aspects are taken into account. Originality/value – This paper provides important contributions. First, it emphasises the impact of strategic change on knowledge sharing as one aspect of the organisational knowledge management. Second, it frames knowledge sharing within a socio‐technical approach. Third, it provides us with empirical evidence through our use of case study in an organisational setting.

Knowledge sharing: developing from within

Abstract: Purpose – If collaboration and knowledge sharing lie at the core of providing added‐value to either services or products can we improve this process? The purpose of this paper is to suggest that it can be improved and this lies in how we develop the systems that support collaboration and knowledge sharing. This can be achieved within the development process, focusing on the knowledge sharers and developing from within.Design/methodology/approach – The underpinning has been the examination of traditional system development methodologies, the emergence of social computing and its underlying approaches and ethos. The approach draws upon knowledge management concepts, overlaid onto the purpose and motivation for knowledge sharing.Findings – The paper continues the premise that better systems are derived from fully engaging with the systems users. Although existing methodologies have this at their heart, the systems produced still fall short. The argument presents how developing systems from within can improve...

An exploration of the relationship between learning organisations and the retention of knowledge workers

Abstract: Purpose – The purpose of this study is to demonstrate a relationship between learning organisation theory and the potential to retain knowledge workers. It emphasises that human resource (HR) managers must recognise specific relationships between learning organisation elements, job satisfaction facets and turnover intent as they emerge for their knowledge workers.Design/methodology/approach – A survey was undertaken sampling knowledge workers in the information technology (IT) industry. Measured on a Likert scale, the instrument was designed to explore the impact of learning organisation disciplines upon job satisfaction and the importance of job satisfaction in determining turnover intent.Findings – Analysis of the survey showed evidence of a relationship between learning organisation disciplines and turnover intent. All the learning organisation disciplines discussed in the paper correlated to at least one of the six job satisfaction dimensions, of which reward and challenge exerted the most significant...

Managing intentionally created communities of practice for knowledge sourcing across organisational boundaries: Insights on the role of the CoP manager

Abstract: Purpose – The purpose of this article is to explore strategies used by communities of practice (CoPs) managers when managing intentionally created CoPs.Design/methodology/approach – Four intentionally created CoPs in Ireland are explored, using a qualitative research design with data from observation, interviews and analysis of documents.Findings – The study identified a number of specific strategies CoP managers use to develop trust, facilitate collaboration, facilitate the negotiation of shared meaning and manage power issues within the CoP. These strategies were shared by the four managers who participated in the study.Research limitations/implications – The study is based on a small sample of managers in Ireland. The context and process imposed constraints and the findings are context specific which implications for the application of findings to other CoPs.Originality/value – The study highlights the concept of CoP is not confined to traditional understandings but includes intentionally created highl...

Knowledge management model: practical application for competency development

Abstract: Purpose – This paper seeks to present a knowledge management (KM) conceptual model for competency development and a case study in a law service firm, which implemented the KM model in a competencies development program.Design/methodology/approach – The case study method was applied according to Yin (2003) concepts, focusing a six‐professional group involved in CDA. Data were collected at the beginning of the program and 12 months later from the following sources: interviews with CDA participants, direct and participative observation and documents/organizational statements analysis.Findings – The paper finds that, after 12 months, CDA participants presented performance improvements that were not registered in four years of traditional training practices. The experience showed that, more than developing competencies, the method can accelerate time for competencies development.Research limitations/implications – The paper shows that the KM model implementation in a small and more easily controlled group may ...

A model for resource allocation using operational knowledge assets

Abstract: Purpose – The paper seeks to develop a business model that shows the impact of operational knowledge assets on intellectual capital (IC) components and business performance and use the model to show how knowledge assets can be prioritized in driving resource allocation decisions.Design/methodology/approach – Quantitative data were collected from 84 high‐tech federal contractors in the Washington DC metro area. Respondents in the target population were middle‐level and operations managers of business sectors holding positions as presidents, vice‐presidents, directors, engineering managers, operations managers, and analysts. Partial least squares (PLS) analysis was performed to develop a structural model between operational knowledge assets and IC components that maximizes explained variance for business performance. Operational assets were specified as formative constructs and IC and business performance were specified as reflective constructs.Findings – A parsimonious conceptually sound model with signifi...

Senge's many faces: problem or opportunity?

Abstract: Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to discuss both possibilities and problems with Senge's (1990) many faces in The Fifth Discipline, i.e. the fact that different authors refer to different excerpts from his book as his version of the learning organization.Design/methodology/approach – The paper shows that the authors' understandings of Senge, in which a literature review resulted, are seen in the light of theories of travelling of management ideas, particularly the “translation model”.Findings – The paper finds that both possibilities and problems with Senge's many faces were found. A fatal problem is that the many faces jeopardize the confidence in the concept and eventually its existence. But the strong connections to Senge's book, that the authors have, reduces the problems, and Senge's many faces might not cause that much trouble after all.Research limitations/implications – The paper shows that anyone who wishes to can, for different reasons, refer to Senge, and his version of the learning organ...

The Individual|Collective Dialectic in the Learning Organization.

Abstract: Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to answer two interrelated questions: “Who learns and how in the learning organization?”. By implication, many theories of the learning organization are adressed that are based on a static and erroneous separation of individual and collective. Design/methodology/approach – Four episodes from a larger case study exemplify the theoretical arguments. These were based on a longitudinal ethnographic study of a salmon hatchery and the public‐sector organization to which the former was accountable. Conceptual framework is strongly dialectical: in their actions individuals concretely reproduce the organization and, when actions vary, realize it in novel forms; organizations therefore presuppose individuals that concretely produce them. However, without an organization, there would be no aim or orientation to individual actions to speak of in the first instance. Findings – The paper finds that individuals learn, through the production of socio‐material resources, notions of organizations which are not abstract. These resources increase action possibilities for the collective, whether realized concretely or not. Expansive learning in individuals is co‐constitutive of learning in organizations and decreasing interest in individual learning constitutes decreased levels of action possibilities for the collective. Research limitations/implications – The paper shows that using this framework, it becomes problematic to separate individual and collective learning. Originality/value – The paper shows that access to participation by all members is a key component as are affordances given by the organization for the development of individuals.

Sociotechnical walkthrough: a means for knowledge integration

Abstract: Purpose – The purpose of this research is to show that for the successful development of socio‐technical systems it is essential that various stakeholders are able to integrate their different knowledge and perspectives. A method that supports knowledge integration in the course of introduction and development of socio‐technical systems is the Socio‐technical Walkthrough (STWT). The paper describes the characteristics of the STWT method and the potential to support knowledge integration.Design/methodology/approach – The theoretical approach of the STWT is closely related to the notion of socio‐technical systems. Starting with the historical development of this term, the authors saw the necessity to adopt elements of newer system theory so as to achieve a better understanding of the conditions under which a social system and a technical system can be integrated. Based on two empirical case studies (university library/logistic enterprise goes Web) the authors show empirical evidence, that the STWT is especi...

E‐learning agents

Abstract: Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to illustrate the advantages of using intelligent agents to facilitate the location and customization of appropriate e‐learning resources and to foster collaboration in e‐learning environments.Design/methodology/approach – This paper proposes an e‐learning environment that can be used to provide customized learning. It utilizes a set of interacting agents that can personalize instruction based on an individual's prior knowledge as well as their cognitive and learning needs. The e‐learning agents monitor the e‐learning environment and improve learning and collaboration based on learners' prior knowledge, social characteristics and learning style.Findings – E‐learning agents should allow the discovery of new learning objects more easily, allow learners to customize materials presented to improve learning outcomes, and improve collaboration in the e‐learning environment.Originality/value – Little prior research has been done on the use of agents in e‐learning environmen...

Emergent Communities of Practice in Temporary Inter-Organisational Partnerships.

Abstract: Purpose – The paper aims to discuss the emergence of communities of practice in a temporary event organisation involving public and private partners.Design/methodology/approach – The study employs qualitative methods in the form of 31 semi‐structured interviews, a five‐week period of participant observations and archive research in a Swedish public‐private partnership, focused on large‐scale media and entertainment event.Findings – In the temporary event‐driven project‐based organisational structure studied, communities of practice emerged by themselves because of the complexity of the task at hand. These are called “emergent communities of practice”. Four built‐in organisational mechanisms that cultivated the emergent communities of practice were identified: trust building stability; competence contributors; competence shadows; and social glue of informal events. Surprisingly, the public/private dimension was found not to affect the emergence of the community negatively.Research limitations/implications ...

Discovering and Articulating What Is Not yet Known: Using Action Learning and Grounded Theory as a Knowledge Management Strategy

Abstract: Purpose – To provide a conceptual model for the discovery and articulation of emergent organizational knowledge, particularly knowledge that develops when people work with new technologies.Design/methodology/approach – The model is based on two widely accepted research methods – action learning and grounded theory – and is illustrated using a case study of virtual team leadership, which investigated how virtual team leaders developed relationships with their virtual team members.Findings – The article demonstrates how action learning and grounded theory – two widely accepted research methods – can be used to discover and articulate new organizational knowledge.Practical implications – The model allows organizations to gain practical and highly current experiential knowledge from employees working in novel situations, including those using new organizational processes and technologies. Such knowledge can provide competitive advantage.Originality/value – The article contributes to the areas of knowledge man...

Change in(ter)ventions to organizational learning: bravo to leaders as unifying agents

Abstract: Purpose – The purpose of this research is to examine the relationship between change interventions and organizational learning. It seeks to identify the process through which team learning is developed, the factors that affect organizational learning and its influences on organizational effectiveness.Design/methodology/approach – Two groups of samples from a Singapore large manufacturing firm that had implemented change interventions for two years were selected. Qualitative data from 45 employees using the laddering, non‐directive interviewing technique, and 20 leaders using focus group discussions were gathered.Findings – Changes to organizational systems and structure have led to a state of not‐knowing which contributes to defensive dynamics. Learning begins with the unlearning of old habits by encouraging new thinking patterns through rigorous feedback loops. Expectations of leaders should also be redistributed to facilitate and integrate the various aspects of learning.Research limitations/implication...

Japan's Learning Communities in Hewlett-Packard Consulting and Integration: Challenging One-Size Fits All Solutions.

Abstract: Purpose – This paper aims to explain and analyze community‐based corporate knowledge sharing and organizational learning, the actual use of communities in Hewlett Packard (HP) Consulting and Integration (CI) and their role in leveraging and exploiting existing and creating new knowledge.Design/methodology/approach – The paper presents an explanatory case study research design, qualitative interviews with top executives, middle managers and employees conducted in 2005 and 2006. Explanatory case studies were used to analyze, illustrate and exemplify major findings.Findings – The paper identified an effective approach to community‐based knowledge sharing and organizational learning at HP CI Japan's learning communities (LCs). The case study illustrates the main characteristics, features and mechanisms of communities within the framework of HP's global and local knowledge management (KM) structure and resulting activities, and illuminates effective adaptation to the Japanese working and business context.Resea...

Using meta‐abilities and tacit knowledge for developing learning based systems: A case study approach

Abstract: Purpose – Research has found that the implementation of learning‐based systems development is a complex issue since it requires the input of employees at all levels of an organization. Successful implementation is a challenge for organizations as the basic training and education offered by them and the particular experiences of the individuals on their own and other factors such as fear and ignorance prevent such actions. For this purpose, the addition of other elements is also required. This research aims to identify and explain the usage of the elements that can encourage employees to contribute the inputs necessary for learning‐based systems development.Design/methodology/approach – To achieve this aim, this research developed a conceptual framework based on the concepts of meta‐abilities and tacit knowledge externalization and sharing. To illustrate the application of the framework in a real life setting, a case study approach that involved a large manufacturing organization in Malaysia was employed.F...

Learning to think systemically: what does it take?

Abstract: Purpose – The purpose of this action research is to gain insight into how people learn to think systemically An examination of the themes that emerged from this action research will be undertakenDesign/methodology/approach – An action research approach was adopted which involved the collection and reading of 120 journals that were kept by graduate students in their systems thinking courseFindings – A theory of practice identified and supported three significant areas in systems thinking: how the structure of the system influences the behavior of its members; the consequences of decisions on other parts of the system and a shift from blaming to seeing how one is contributing to the situation; and insights gleaned from actually learning to think systemically: meta‐learning of systems thinkingResearch limitations/implications – The positive implications that emerged from this action research indicate that, once students are introduced to systems thinking theory, tools and application, they are able to li

Employees' Perception toward the Dimension of Culture in Enhancing Organizational Learning.

Abstract: Purpose – The purpose of this study is to determine employees' perception of the dimension of culture toward organizational learning readiness. The study also seeks to compare employees' work experience (longevity), work shifts and their perception toward the dimension of culture in enhancing organizational learning readiness.Design/methodology/approach – A questionnaire was administered to 150 employees of a manufacturing enterprise. ANOVA was utilized to investigate the relationship between longevity, work shift, and perception toward the dimension of culture in enhancing organizational learning. To determine which of the work shifts had a significant relationship with the dependent variable employees' perception toward the dimension of culture in enhancing organizational learning, a posteriori contrasts were established.Findings – The independent variables longevity and work shift were statistically significant, while the interaction effect was nonsignificant. Omega‐squared test statistic revealed long...

Interactive business development, capturing business knowledge and practice: A case study

Abstract: Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to follow the planning and development of MapaWiki, a Knowledge Management System for Mapa, an independent research company that specialises in competitor benchmarking. Starting with the standard requirements to capture, store and share information and knowledge, a system was sought that would allow growth and expansion whilst supporting the quick and easy recording and maintenance of interactions between employees.Design/methodology/approach – Trying to identify the optimum KM solution, the social and technical systems within the organisation cooperated in the investigation of different approaches and in the system's design and development. From the case study perspective the Yin (1994) approach was adopted as a framing and guiding schema. This was further shaped through the action research aspect, involving problem‐solving and generating new knowledge and awareness. The solution selection methodology followed was based on the framework proposed by Despres and Chauv...

Insurance Sector Dynamics: Towards Transformation into Learning Organization.

Abstract: Purpose – The purpose of this research is to study the influence of five critical factors on service quality in the insurance sector. Having studied the influence of these critical factors, an attempt has been made to obtain a generic solution to enhance the quality of service by proposing a holistic framework of learning organization. As globalization and IT revolution have made the insurance sector highly knowledge‐intensive, customer expectations and perceptions have also grown exponentially. Hence, this research is timely and goal‐focused.Design/methodology/approach – The research is based on system dynamics methodology, which involves sequential phases including: problem identification, conceptualization, model formulation, simulation and validation, and policy analysis and implementation. Meta‐analysis of existing literature and rationalization are also a part of the framework development.Findings – The results have indicated that the key parameters, e.g. past experience, personal needs, external co...

Systems Thinking: A Case for Second-Order-Learning.

Abstract: Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to show that changes in social systems do not occur randomly. They are consistent with what has gone on before, with the history and identity of the system. As long as the organizing principles of a dominant culture remain unchallenged, behavior of all the social‐units originating from this culture will remain unchanged.Design/methodology/approach – The concepts developed in this paper are the results of 30 years of real life experimentation with organizations and cultural transformations in different cultures. The paper demonstrates how an analytical culture, despite its well‐known shortcomings, keeps reproducing the same set of non‐solutions all over again.Findings – To change, systems need to go through an active process of unlearning. Unlearning is an iterative and collective process of the second‐order learning. A participative and iterative design process with the aim of replacing the distorted shared images is the most effective learning tool to produce a seco...

ICT and Knowledge Construction: Towards New Features for the Socio-Technical Approach

Abstract: Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to provide an analysis and review of the sociotechnical approach as a result of analysis of experiences with the introduction of ICT in higher educationDesign/methodology/approach – The experiences of the author with the creation of special web sites in palaeography are analysed paying special attention to knowledge construction and development at three different levels: individual, community, and organisation (society). The results are compared with those from the concept of communities of practice.Findings – There is a need for the introduction of a new element in the SECI cycle and the introduction of a new element in the scheme for a sociotechnical approach.Research limitations/implications – The findings need further experimentation in order to discover any validity for the knowledge management field in relation to the concept of communities of practice.Practical implications – The use of the scheme for the sociotechnical approach could help in the planning and ...

Evaluation of participants' contributions in knowledge creation based on semantic authoring

Abstract: Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to evaluate participants' contributions to the development of discussion and knowledge creation as organizational knowledge management, and thereby help them better develop the discussion.Design/methodology/approach – To evaluate participants' contributions more accurately, a method which analyzes discussion structures by Discourse Semantic Authoring was employed, which represents discussion structures explicitly in terms of discourse and dialogue relations.Findings – The method successfully evaluates participants based on the content of their comments rather than their number. More fine‐grain semantic structure should be considered in order to improve the accuracy of this evaluation.Originality/value – This paper presents a first attempt to analyze discussion structures to evaluate participants' contributions.

Communities of practice or communities of coping? Employee compliance among CSRs in Israeli call centres

Abstract: Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to describe and analyse the formation of CoPs (communities of practice) in three call centres of cellular communication operating companies in IsraelDesign/methodology/approach – This study is based on a qualitative methodology including observations, interviews and textual analysisFindings – In all three call centres, customer service representatives (CSRs) turned to each other in order to produce situated knowledge that combined compliance with organisational procedures alongside subversion so as to increase individual availability while compromising professional goals These CoPs were formed during training, on‐the‐job learning, and off‐the‐job informal social activities The resentment expressed in these CoPs was found to be related to standard HRM policies (low pay, stringent control, lack of career prospects) as well as to cultural contradictions involving efficiency and service quality, which CSRs had to handle and absorbResearch limitations/implications –

Leading with relationships: a small firm example

Abstract: Purpose – For the continued vitality and success of small businesses, it is important to gain a deeper understanding of the effective behaviors of small business owners. The main purpose of this paper is to further the understanding of the relational leadership framework as used by a successful small business owner.Design/methodology/approach – Data on the small business owner participating in this study were gathered via formal and informal interviews.Findings – Results of this paper suggest that the profit potential of an organization as well as employee retention can be improved through leadership that embraces the five key components of the relational leadership framework: inclusiveness, empowerment, purposefulness, ethics, and process‐orientation.Practical implications – Given the challenges of owning and operating a small firm in today's competitive business climate, it is worthwhile for entrepreneurs to use this case study as an example in effectively managing their organizations.Originality/value ...

Consultants: love‐hate relationships with communities of practice

Abstract: Purpose – This paper aims to explores consultants' experiences of communities of practice (CoPs) in one of the world's largest information technology companies against organisational strategies. The research focus concerns experiences of formal top‐down and underground CoPs.Design/methodology/approach – The paper is an exploratory case study. Following a subjective approach the it draws on individual experiences of ten consultants. Semi‐structured interviews were conducted alongside documentary analysis to gain understanding of the organisation's approach to CoPs.Findings – The paper finds that the one size fits all organisational approach to CoPs does not address the specific knowledge requirements of the consultancy unit where the majority of consultants work widely dispersed from clients' sites. The consultants report mistrust of top‐down CoPs and remain committed to underground CoPs. Since the skills and knowledge of the consultants are the unit's only asset, the top‐down approach to CoPs should be re...