Book•
The knowledge-creating company : how Japanese companies create the dynamics of innovation
01 Jan 1995-
TL;DR: In this article, Nonaka and Takeuchi argue that Japanese firms are successful precisely because they are innovative, because they create new knowledge and use it to produce successful products and technologies, and they reveal how Japanese companies translate tacit to explicit knowledge.
Abstract: How has Japan become a major economic power, a world leader in the automotive and electronics industries? What is the secret of their success? The consensus has been that, though the Japanese are not particularly innovative, they are exceptionally skilful at imitation, at improving products that already exist. But now two leading Japanese business experts, Ikujiro Nonaka and Hiro Takeuchi, turn this conventional wisdom on its head: Japanese firms are successful, they contend, precisely because they are innovative, because they create new knowledge and use it to produce successful products and technologies. Examining case studies drawn from such firms as Honda, Canon, Matsushita, NEC, 3M, GE, and the U.S. Marines, this book reveals how Japanese companies translate tacit to explicit knowledge and use it to produce new processes, products, and services.
Citations
More filters
Abstract: The Toyota production system, on which lean production is based, emerged as the unplanned result of unrelated improvements and innovations. Although the related practices and principles are...
51 citations
Dissertation•
01 Jan 2004
TL;DR: In this article, the influence of fashion on the structures and locations of garment production is discussed. But, in analyses of the garment industries, fashion is rarely considered in detail, and is certainly not analyzed as a structuring force over the configuration of garment manufacturing industries.
Abstract: In affluent communities, it is difficult to think about clothing without considering issues of fashion. Yet, in analyses of the garment industries, fashion is rarely considered in detail, and is certainly not analysed as a structuring force over the configuration of garment production industries. Yet through fashion, garments as commodities are complexly embedded in social and cultural processes and in the specificities of place. Although the structures of the global garment production industries have been the subject of numerous studies from a variety of theoretical perspectives, none hitherto have addressed the influence of fashion on the structures and locations of garment production. This thesis begins with the idea that fashion is a complex and influential form of knowledge. It explores the effects of fashion ideas on the global garment system through a case study of the ideas and commodity flows that bring fashions and garments to the Australian market. It traces the interconnections between global knowledge flows and global commodity flows in a manner attuned to the relationships between knowledge, power, industrial organisation and the capture of surplus value from the production system. The analysis highlights how Australia's position in garment production is framed by its geographical position on the periphery of the fashion world.
51 citations
TL;DR: Study findings suggest that middle manager support was highest when managers felt the innovation fit their workplace needs and priorities and when they had more discretion and control over how it was implemented.
Abstract: Background Middle manager resistance is often described as a major challenge for upper-level administrators seeking to implement complex innovations such as evidence-based protocols or new skills training However, factors influencing middle manager support for innovation implementation are currently understudied in the US health care literature Purpose This article examined the factors that influence middle managers' support for and participation in the implementation of work-based learning, a complex innovation adopted by health care organizations to improve the jobs, educational pathways, skills, and/or credentials of their frontline workers Methods We conducted semistructured interviews and focus groups with 92 middle managers in 17 health care organizations Questions focused on understanding middle managers' support for work-based learning as a complex innovation, facilitators and barriers to the implementation process, and the systems changes needed to support the implementation of this innovation Findings Factors that emerged as influential to middle manager support were similar to those found in broader models of innovation implementation within the health care literature However, our findings extend previous research by developing an understanding about how middle managers perceived these constructs and by identifying specific strategies for how to influence middle manager support for the innovation implementation process These findings were generally consistent across different types of health care organizations Practice implications Study findings suggest that middle manager support was highest when managers felt the innovation fit their workplace needs and priorities and when they had more discretion and control over how it was implemented Leaders seeking to implement innovations should consider the interplay between middle managers' control and discretion, their narrow focus on the performance of their own departments or units, and the dedication of staff and other resources for empowering their managers to implement these complex innovations
51 citations
Cites background from "The knowledge-creating company : ho..."
...…viewed as a critical but often overlooked part of the implementation process: It allows middle managers to use their tacit knowledge of daily operations to maximize performance and productivity within their unit while implementing the innovation (Nonaka & Takeuchi, 1995; Wooldridge & Floyd, 1990)....
[...]
TL;DR: In this paper, a new approach to organizational learning is proposed, namely, artistic interventions, which encompass a variety of ways that people, products, and practices from the world of the arts enter the world.
Abstract: This chapter addresses a new approach to organizational learning, namely, artistic interventions, which encompass a variety of ways that people, products, and practices from the world of the arts enter the world of organizations. Although the field has grown rapidly, little empirical research has been conducted on what actually happens inside organizations during and after artistic interventions. The author argues that, to close gaps and correct for biases in existing work, future research will need to engage multiple stakeholders (employees, artists, managers, intermediaries, and policy-makers), address multiple ways of knowing, especially the neglected bodily senses, and draw on concepts and methods from diverse disciplines.
51 citations
Cites background from "The knowledge-creating company : ho..."
...New knowledge can emerge from the combination of, or clash between, different bodies and forms of knowledge (Abel, 2008; Nonaka & Takeuchi, 1995; Stark, 2009)....
[...]
TL;DR: It will be argued that the analysis of the shared mental model of the organisational members is a method to explore critical processes for generating core competencies, and a related research instrument can explore the critical processes in which the generation of core competency and dynamic capabilities is embedded in.
Abstract: Inside the Black-box: Analysing the Generation of Core Competencies and Dynamic Capabilities by Exploring Collective Minds. An Organisational Learning Perspective** The paper combines resource-based thinking with perspectives from theories of organisational learning and knowledge management. According to the resource-based view (RBV) strategy can be defined as emergent pattern of interaction generating core competencies and dynamic capabilities. These processes of interaction and their relation to core competencies and dynamic capabilities are of major concern in the presented analysis. A synthesis with learning theories further leads to the basic assumption that processes of knowledge identification, knowledge diffusion, knowledge integration and the enactment of the environment are critical for generating core competencies. Moreover, learning theories show how to approach the causal ambiguityargument that is important in the explanation of core competencies given by RBV. It will be argued that the analysis of the shared mental model of the organisational members is a method to explore critical processes for generating core competencies. A related research instrument will be validated in a case study analysis that was conducted in a medium-sized enterprise aiming at testing the instrument and the aforementioned basic assumption. The instrument can explore the critical processes in which the generation of core competencies and dynamic capabilities is embedded in. It provides a better understanding of the critical processes within the organisation than the RBV. Key words: Causal ambiguity, collective minds, competitive advantages, core competencies, dynamic capabilities, knowledge management, organisational learning, resource-based view, strategic processes 1. Introduction The resource-based view (RBV) of the firm has been thoroughly discussed in strategic management literature. The basic assumptions of this approach have been developed further during the last twenty years, specified for certain organisational functions and validated in hundreds of empirical analyses (see Barney/Arikan 2001; Rouse/Daellenbach 2002; Ray/Barney/Muhanna 2004). As a consequence, the RBV became a leading paradigm in strategic management (Wernerfelt 1995; Bresser 1998). Even though there is considerable theoretical and empirical progress in resourcebased research shortcomings still exist in the theoretical underpinnings of the approach. These restrict related empirical investigations that try to measure critical resources and processes for sustainable competitive advantages. One of the major shortcomings of the RBV is the fact that the organisation remains a black-box even though it is considered as the source of organisational success (Ortmann/Sydow 2001; Priem/Butler 2001). There is a lack in explanations of how heterogeneity arises (Helfat/Peteraf 2003: 997). This is not only a limitation in the eyes of those who regard the RBV as a theory of competitive advantage - if the major interest relies on "rules for richness", the causal ambiguity argument of the RBV is somehow dissatisfying. Causal ambiguity means that the link between the resources controlled by a firm, internal processes and sustained competitive advantages can neither be attributed from outside nor from organisational members (Barney 1991). Rather, the causal ambiguity paradox - even though it is inspiring - veils the view on organisational internal processes that might have a strategic impact. The RBV does not only lay emphasis on the internal organisation but also limits a deeper understanding of organisational internal strategic processes. For a further development of strategy research a broader perspective of social action within and between organisations as well as between organisations and environments is essential. As Mintzberg (1978, 1994) points out these processes of forming a pattern of strategic action have been neglected in strategy research (see also Quinn 1984). …
50 citations
References
More filters
TL;DR: The objective of KMS is to support creation, transfer, and application of knowledge in organizations by promoting a class of information systems, referred to as knowledge management systems.
Abstract: Knowledge is a broad and abstract notion that has defined epistemological debate in western philosophy since the classical Greek era. In the past few years, however, there has been a growing interest in treating knowledge as a significant organizational resource. Consistent with the interest in organizational knowledge and knowledge management (KM), IS researchers have begun promoting a class of information systems, referred to as knowledge management systems (KMS). The objective of KMS is to support creation, transfer, and application of knowledge in organizations. Knowledge and knowledge management are complex and multi-faceted concepts. Thus, effective development and implementation of KMS requires a foundation in several rich literatures.
9,531 citations
TL;DR: This research suggests that a knowledge infrastructure consisting of technology, structure, and culture along with a knowledge process architecture of acquisition, conversion, application, and protection are essential organizational capabilities or "preconditions" for effective knowledge management.
Abstract: A hallmark of the new economy is the ability of organizations to realize economic value from their collection of knowledge assets as well as their assets of information, production distribution, and affiliation. Despite the competitive necessity of becoming a knowledge-based organization, senior managers have found it difficult to transform their firms through programs of knowledge management. This is particularly true if their organizations have long histories of process and a tradition of business success. This research examines the issue of effective knowledge management from the perspective of organizational capabilities. This perspective suggests that a knowledge infrastructure consisting of technology, structure, and culture along with a knowledge process architecture of acquisition, conversion, application, and protection are essential organizational capabilities or preconditions for effective knowledge management. Through analysis of surveys collected from over 300 senior executives, this research empirically models and uncovers key aspects of these dimensions. The results provide a basis for understanding the competitive predisposition of a firm as it enters a program of knowledge management.
4,646 citations
TL;DR: In this paper, the authors explore the nature of value co-creation in the context of service-dominant (S-D) logic and develop a conceptual framework for understanding and managing value cocreation.
Abstract: Central to service-dominant (S-D) logic is the proposition that the customer becomes a co-creator of value. This emphasizes the development of customer–supplier relationships through interaction and dialog. However, research to date suggests relatively little is known about how customers engage in the co-creation of value. In this article, the authors: explore the nature of value co-creation in the context of S-D logic; develop a conceptual framework for understanding and managing value co-creation; and utilize field-based research to illustrate practical application of the framework. This process-based framework provides a structure for customer involvement that takes account of key foundational propositions of S-D logic and places the customer explicitly at the same level of importance as the company as co-creators of value. Synthesis of diverse concepts from research on services, customer value and relationship marketing into a new process-based framework for co-creation provide new insights into managing the process of value co-creation.
3,114 citations
TL;DR: In this paper, the authors examined how aspects of intellectual capital influenced various innovative capabilities in organizations and found that human, organizational, and social capital and their interrelationships selectively influenced incremental and radical innovative capabilities.
Abstract: We examined how aspects of intellectual capital influenced various innovative capabilities in organizations. In a longitudinal, multiple-informant study of 93 organizations, we found that human, organizational, and social capital and their interrelationships selectively influenced incremental and radical innovative capabilities. As anticipated, organizational capital positively influenced incremental innovative capability, while human capital interacted with social capital to positively influence radical innovative capability. Counter to our expectations, however, human capital by itself was negatively associated with radical innovative capability. Interestingly, social capital played a significant role in both types of innovation, as it positively influenced incremental and radical innovative capabilities. It is widely accepted that an organization’s capability to innovate is closely tied to its intellectual capital, or its ability to utilize its knowledge resources. Several studies have underscored how new products embody organizational knowledge (e.g., Stewart, 1997), described innovation as a
3,008 citations
TL;DR: In this article, the authors outline a perspective on knowing in practice which highlights the essential role of human action in knowing how to get things done in complex organizational work and suggest that the competence to do global product development is both collective and distributed, grounded in the everyday practices of organizational members.
Abstract: In this paper, I outline a perspective on knowing in practice which highlights the essential role of human action in knowing how to get things done in complex organizational work. The perspective suggests that knowing is not a static embedded capability or stable disposition of actors, but rather an ongoing social accomplishment, constituted and reconstituted as actors engage the world in practice. In interpreting the findings of an empirical study conducted in a geographically dispersed hightech organization, I suggest that the competence to do global product development is both collective and distributed, grounded in the everyday practices of organizational members. I conclude by discussing some of the research implications of a perspective on organizational knowing in practice.
2,670 citations