Showing papers on "Tacit knowledge published in 2015"

A naturalistic decision making perspective on studying intuitive decision making

Abstract: The Naturalistic Decision Making (NDM) community defines intuition as based on large numbers of patterns gained through experience, resulting in different forms of tacit knowledge. This view contrasts with Fast and Frugal Heuristics (FFH) researchers, who view intuition in terms of general purpose heuristics. The NDM view also differs from the Heuristics and Biases (HB) community, which sees intuitions as a source of bias and error. Seven suggestions are offered to assist the FFH and H&B communities in improving intuitive decision making and in conducting research that has greater potential for application. Rather than trying to help people analyze which option to choose, the NDM community recommends that intuitions be strengthened by providing a broader experience base that lets people build better tacit knowledge, such as perceptual skills and richer mental models, as a means of achieving better decisions.

Elicitation Techniques: Getting People to Talk About Ideas They Don’t Usually Talk About

Abstract: Elicitation techniques are a category of research tasks that use visual, verbal, or written stimuli to encourage participants to talk about their ideas. These tasks are particularly useful for exploring topics that may be difficult to discuss in formal interviews, such as those that involve sensitive issues or rely on tacit knowledge. Elicitation techniques can also reduce power imbalances between interviewers and respondents, and they can enhance participants’ ability to elaborate on their own conceptions of the world, rather than limiting them to categories derived from theory or previous research. Among the most useful of such techniques are those that involve respondents in arranging stimulus materials, constructing materials in response to stimuli, and explaining stimulus materials. Each of these has been used to explore important topics in social education, and familiarity with a range of elicitation techniques enables researchers to overcome many barriers to productive interviewing.

Informing learning design with learning analytics to improve teacher inquiry

Abstract: This paper proposes an analysis of current research in learning design ( LD), a field aiming to improve the quality of educational interventions by supporting their design and fostering the sharing and reuse of innovative practices among educators. This research area, at the moment, focuses on three main strands: the representations that can be used as a common language to communicate about pedagogical plans and other half-fabricates of the design process, the methodological approaches to LD and the tools that support the LD process. For each of the three strands, the current landscape is discussed, pointing at open issues and indicating future research perspectives, with particular attention to the contribution that learning analytics can make to transform LD from a craft, based on experience, intuition and tacit knowledge, into a mature research area, grounded on data concerning the learning process and hence supporting enquiry while teachers design, run and evaluate the learning process. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

An Ecological Model for Organizational Knowledge Management

Abstract: Research in Knowledge Management (KM) has gained distinguished attention in recent years, and different views of methods have been proposed in existing literature. An initial study was the process view that focused on the creation, organization, sharing, and application of explicit and tacit knowledge. Another recent perspective is the resource-based view that emphasizes how knowledge resources can develop organizational capabilities and enhance organizational performance. This paper builds on these past studies and presents an alternative view that examines the dynamic relationships between knowledge and organizational performance. This examination is based upon an ecological perspective that includes the distribution, interaction, competition, and evolution (DICE) among different biological species. From this ecological perspective, a model that consists of knowledge distribution, knowledge interaction, knowledge competition and knowledge evolution is proposed. These four elements interact with each other and evolve to maintain healthy knowledge ecology in an organization. A case study was conducted to support this innovative model. The major implication of the findings is that maintaining healthy knowledge ecology is important for the success of knowledge management in an organization.

Why and how does shared language affect subsidiary knowledge inflows? A social identity perspective

Abstract: Extending existing international business (IB) research, we conceptualize shared social identity as an outcome rather than only an antecedent of multinational enterprise knowledge flows to provide an alternative reason for why such knowledge flows occur. We further argue that shared language among subsidiary and headquarters (HQ) managers is an insufficient condition for subsidiary knowledge receipt. Accordingly, we develop a moderated mediation model at the subsidiary level to examine how shared language affects subsidiaries’ tacit knowledge inflows from HQ. Specifically, we study (1) whether this relationship is mediated by the extent to which subsidiary managers share HQ goals and vision, and the extent to which Human Resources decisions are centralized at HQ; and (2) whether subsidiary type (greenfields vs acquisitions) moderates these mediated relationships such that in both cases the mediation will be stronger in foreign acquisitions compared with foreign greenfields. Building on a sample of 817 subsidiaries in 9 countries/regions and a novel subjective measure of shared language, we find support for our model. Implications for research on HQ–subsidiary knowledge flows, social identity theory and the literature on sociolinguistics, and international Human Resource Management are discussed and managerial implications outlined.

Facilitating tacit knowledge transfer: routine compatibility, trustworthiness, and integration in M & As

Abstract: Purpose – This paper aims to theorize how tacit knowledge influences implementation success in mergers and acquisitions (M & As), and contrasts this with explicit knowledge. Tacit knowledge can be a source of sustained competitive advantage because its lack of codifiability precludes easy appropriation by competitors. However, such non-codifiability also makes it difficult to transfer knowledge within a firm. M & As exemplify this challenge because they are often motivated by opportunities for transferring knowledge. With differing demands for tacit and explicit knowledge across departments (Sales and Operations), the empirical results demonstrate how tacit routine compatibility affects implementation outcomes in different functions. Design/methodology/approach – This research draws from a survey of 86 M & A implementation processes between 1996 and 2002, using seemingly unrelated regression to analyze the predictions. Findings – There is strong empirical support that tacit routine compatibility leads to ...

Do Australian Universities Encourage Tacit Knowledge Transfer

Abstract: The purpose of this paper is to explore whether Australian universities encourage tacit knowledge transfer. In doing so, the paper also explores the role of managers (academics’ supervisor) in promoting or hampering tacit knowledge transfer and the value given to new ideas and innovation. This study collected data by conducting interviews of academics in four universities and a qualitative narrative analysis was carried out. The findings suggest that universities generally encourage and facilitate the transfer of tacit knowledge; however there are some areas that require improvement. Avenues for improving tacit knowledge transfer call for open communication, peer-trust and unrestricted sharing of knowledge by managers. The study was conducted in four universities, hence limits the generalisability of the findings. This paper will contribute to further research in the discipline of tacit knowledge, provide understanding and guide universities in their tacit knowledge transfer efforts and in particular, encourage the transfer of tacit knowledge.

Action learning for health system governance: the reward and challenge of co-production

Abstract: Health policy and systems research (HPSR) is centrally concerned with people, their relationships and the actions and practices they can implement towards better health systems. These concerns suggest that HPS researchers must work in direct engagement with the practitioners and practice central to the inquiry, acknowledging their tacit knowledge and drawing it into generating new insights into health system functioning. Social science perspectives are of particular importance in this field because health policies and health systems are themselves social and political constructs. However, how can social science methodologies such as action research and narrative and appreciative enquiry enable such research, and how can methodologies from different disciplines be woven together to construct and make meaning of evidence for 'this' field? This article seeks to present 'methodological musings' on these points, to prompt wider discussion on the practice of HPSR. It draws on one long-term collaborative action learning research project being undertaken in Cape Town, South Africa. The District Innovation and Action Learning for Health System Development project is an action research partnership between two South African academic institutions and two health authorities focused, ultimately, on strengthening governance in primary health care.Drawing on this experience, the article considers three interrelated issues: The diversity and complexities of practitioner and research actors involved in co-producing HPSR; The nature of co-production and the importance of providing space to grapple across different systems of meaning;The character of evidence and data in co-production. There is much to be learnt from research traditions outside the health sector, but HPSR must work out its own practices--through collaboration and innovation among researchers and practitioners. In this article, we provide one set of experiences to prompt wider reflection and stimulate engagement on the practice of HPSR for people-centred health systems.

Learning to fix: knowledge, collaboration and mobile phone repair in Dhaka, Bangladesh

Abstract: Practices of technology repair in developing country contexts play crucial and often overlooked roles in supporting ICTD goals of access and sustainability. They also constitute complex and neglected sites of technical skill, knowledge, and learning. Building on original ethnographic fieldwork, this paper explores the explicit, tacit, and social knowledges that shape practice and expertise in the mobile phone repair markets of urban Bangladesh. We document forms of learning and collaboration central to the production and innovation of repair skills and knowledge, and show how these processes operate at the intersection of global knowledge flows and local efforts to access, contextualize and situate that knowledge. We conclude by arguing for repair as an underappreciated site of third-world technical practice and expertise, and reflecting on how ICTD research might better take such practices into account.

Tourism Experience Innovation Through Design

Abstract: Experience innovation is described as collaborative and integrated in day-to-day work. However, a challenge is to capture people's tacit knowledge and make it explicit, in order to bring forth ideas and concepts. The purpose of this article is to illustrate how design can be integrated with experience innovation. A model for experience innovation and design is presented which complies with the prototyping phase of the design process. Visual representations are used for communication and idea generation between stakeholders, to make them build on each other's ideas. The case is the development of a guided tour in Dunga beach, Kisumu, Kenya. Dunga beach is seen as the experiencescape, where the interactions with the physical and social environment become part of the experience innovation process. By active involvement as partners and participants in collaborative activities with guides, residents and tourists, the authors were able to get an in-depth understanding of how experience innovation took place in Dunga. The implication is that the view of experience innovation as a spiral process within the experiencescape increases the understanding of how specific characteristics of the experience could be considered and developed for new or improved experiences.

Impact of organizational culture and computer self-efficacy on knowledge sharing

Abstract: Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to examine the impact mechanism of organizational culture (OC) on Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) user’s explicit and tacit knowledge-sharing behavior in the context of enterprise systems usage. Design/methodology/approach – Drawing from social cognitive theory, the authors developed a comprehensive model that integrates OC, computer self-efficacy and employees’ knowledge-sharing behaviors. In total, 343 valid questionnaires were collected from ERP users of 115 firms and structural equation modeling technique was used to test the model. Findings – Empirical results suggest that hierarchical culture that focusses on efficacy and uniformity is positively related with employees’ explicit knowledge sharing; group culture that focusses on trust and belonging is positively related with employees’ tacit knowledge sharing, and their relationship is fully mediated by employees’ computer self-efficacy. In addition, computer self-efficacy also partially mediates the relation...

The Synergetic Effect of Multinational Corporation Management's Social Cognitive Capability on Tacit-Knowledge Management: Product Innovation Ability Insights from Asia

Abstract: Multinational corporations (MNCs) use their overseas subsidiaries to access tacit knowledge about host countries. It is generally assumed that subsidiary tacit knowledge contributes directly to greater product innovativeness; however, little empirical evidence supports this assumption. In this research, the authors propose a negative direct relationship between subsidiary tacit-knowledge level and MNCs' product innovation ability. The authors then examine the role of social cognitive capability as an attenuator of this negative relationship between subsidiary tacit-knowledge level and MNCs' product innovation ability. The results reveal that each of the MNCs' social cognitive capability components (i.e., task efficacy, organic structure, and affective trust) independently weakens this negative relationship. Moreover, combining social cognitive capabilities exerts synergetic influences to further excavate the effect of tacit knowledge.

Towards a wisdom manufacturing vision

Abstract: Manufacturing enterprises are socio-technical systems, which necessitate overall integration of not only the technical aspects from devices in shop-floor to enterprise resources planning vertically and from product order to shipment horizontally, but also the social aspects such as human interactions and consumers’ intentions. Moreover, there is a growing need in the use of knowledge in enterprise contexts. To meet such needs, wisdom manufacturing WM is emerging with advances in the Internet and manufacturing as well as intelligence. In this paper, the most recently developed manufacturing models such as smart manufacturing SM/smart factory SF, cloud manufacturing CM and socialised enterprise SE/Enterprise 2.0 are analysed, and a WM vision is presented to aggregate SM, CM, SE and existing intelligent manufacturing IM that are complementary to each other. Then pathways towards the WM vision are addressed in relationship to knowledge, intelligence, creativity/innovation, learning and wisdom, especially from DIKW data-information-knowledge-wisdom and semiotic perspectives as well as from the web evolution. And wisdom and realisation towards the WM vision are investigated. Finally, a case study is used to illustrate the WM vision landscape followed by a conclusion. As a consequence, things, computers and humans, ubiquitous, artificial and collective intelligence, as well as explicit and tacit knowledge, are integrated as a whole in the WM.

Communication and personality profiles of global software developers

Abstract: ContextPrior research has established that a small proportion of individuals dominate team communication during global software development. It is not known, however, how these members' contributions affect their teams' knowledge diffusion process, or whether their personality profiles are responsible for their dominant presence. ObjectiveWe set out to address this gap through the study of repository artifacts. MethodArtifacts from ten teams were mined from the IBM Rational Jazz repository. We employed social network analysis (SNA) to group practitioners into two clusters, Top Members and Others, based on the numbers of messages they communicated and their engagement in task changes. SNA metrics (density, in-degree and closeness) were then used to study practitioners' importance in knowledge diffusion. Thereafter, we performed psycholinguistic analysis on practitioners' messages using linguistic dimensions that had been previously correlated with the Big Five personality profiles. ResultsFor our sample of 146 practitioners we found that Top Members occupied critical roles in knowledge diffusion, and demonstrated more openness to experience than the Others. Additionally, all personality profiles were represented during teamwork, although openness to experience, agreeableness and extroversion were particularly evident. However, no specific personality predicted members' involvement in knowledge diffusion. ConclusionTask assignment that promotes highly connected team communication networks may mitigate tacit knowledge loss in global software teams. Additionally, while members expressing openness to experience are likely to be particularly driven to perform, this is not entirely responsible for a global team's success.

International doctoral students as knowledge brokers: reciprocity, trust and solidarity in transnational networks

Abstract: In this article, we examine the role of brokerage, the knowledge that brokers transfer and the social conditions of that transfer. Previous research suggests that highly skilled migrants spanning multiple locales have the advantage of being able to transfer knowledge as they move from one place to another. In this study, using a network perspective, we look at the activities of international doctoral students in their transfer of knowledge and illustrate the underlying social conditions of knowledge transfer through transnational friendship networks. Using a qualitative methodology, we examine the research questions and 35 in-depth interviews, as well as egocentric network analysis conducted in Germany. In the findings, we explore the social conditions of knowledge brokerage, including trust, reciprocity and solidarity. Finally, we discuss the implications for further research on knowledge sharing among brokers and international students.

Knowledge (Explicit, Implicit and Tacit): Philosophical Aspects

Abstract: Explicit knowledge is knowledge that the knower can make explicit by means of a verbal statement; implicit knowledge is knowledge that is not explicit. Chomskyan tacit knowledge of rules can be understood as requiring a particular structure in the content-involving explanations of transitions between internal representations. States of tacit knowledge are different from beliefs and states of explicit knowledge in that their content is at least partly nonconceptual. Several applications of the notion of tacit knowledge in philosophical theory are reviewed. Chomsky's notion of tacit knowledge of the rules of a generative grammar provided the theoretical background for research on artificial grammar learning (AGL). Results and disputes in AGL research are reviewed, with particular reference to requirements on testing for conscious versus unconscious knowledge. No test is guaranteed to meet the requirements but tests can be validated if they are used in the context of psychological theories about qualitative differences between conscious and unconscious processes.

Advanced predictive-analysis-based decision support for collaborative logistics networks

Abstract: Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to examine challenges and potential of big data in heterogeneous business networks and relate these to an implemented logistics solution. Design/methodology/approach – The paper establishes an overview of challenges and opportunities of current significance in the area of big data, specifically in the context of transparency and processes in heterogeneous enterprise networks. Within this context, the paper presents how existing components and purpose-driven research were combined for a solution implemented in a nationwide network for less-than-truckload consignments. Findings – Aside from providing an extended overview of today’s big data situation, the findings have shown that technical means and methods available today can comprise a feasible process transparency solution in a large heterogeneous network where legacy practices, reporting lags and incomplete data exist, yet processes are sensitive to inadequate policy changes. Practical implications – The means introduced in the paper were found to be of utility value in improving process efficiency, transparency and planning in logistics networks. The particular system design choices in the presented solution allow an incremental introduction or evolution of resource handling practices, incorporating existing fragmentary, unstructured or tacit knowledge of experienced personnel into the theoretically founded overall concept. Originality/value – The paper extends previous high-level view on the potential of big data, and presents new applied research and development results in a logistics application.

Understanding staff perspectives of quality in practice in healthcare.

Abstract: Extensive work has been focussed on developing and analysing different performance and quality measures in health services. However less has been published on how practitioners understand and assess performance and the quality of care in routine practice. This paper explores how health service staff understand and assess their own performance and quality of their day to day work. Asking staff how they knew they were doing a good job, it explored the values, motivations and behaviours of staff in relation to healthcare performance. The paper illustrates how staff perceptions of quality and performance are often based on different logics to the dominant notions of performance and quality embedded in current policy. Using grounded theory and qualitative, in-depth interviews this research studied how primary care staff understood and assessed their own performance and quality in everyday practice. 21 people were interviewed, comprising of health visitors, occupational therapists, managers, human resources staff and administrators. Analytic themes were developed using open and axial coding. Diverse aspects of quality and performance in healthcare are rooted in differing organisational logics. Staff values and personal and professional standards are an essential element in understanding how quality is co-produced in everyday service interactions. Tensions can exist between patient centred, relational care and the pressures of efficiency and rationalisation. Understanding the perspectives of staff in relation to how quality in practice develops helps us to reflect on different mechanisms to manage quality. Quality in everyday practice relies upon staff values, motivations and behaviours and how staff interact with patients, putting both explicit and tacit knowledge into specific action. However organisational systems that manage quality often operate on the basis of rational measurement. These do not always incorporate the intangible, relational and tacit dimensions of care. Management models need to account for these relational and experiential aspects of care quality to support the prioritisation of patients’ needs. Services management, knowledge management and ethics of care literature can provide stronger theoretical building blocks to understand how to manage quality in practice.

The tacit mystery: reconciling different approaches to tacit knowledge

Abstract: In the management literature, tacit knowledge has been conceptualised in partial, divergent, and contradictory ways This paper reconciles these different approaches by explaining how they address different aspects of the theory of tacit knowing developed through the seminal work of Michael Polanyi To clarify Polanyi’s work, we provide a more inclusive theoretical framework for scholars concerned with the creation and transfer of knowledge Using this framework, we examine the implications for theory and practice of these different conceptualisations and suggest areas for future research We conclude by proposing that new insights can be gained by reconsidering the concepts of knowing, tacit integration and indwelling where tacit knowing is developed by practical immersion

Tacit knowledge spillover and sustainability in destination development

Abstract: This study examines tacit knowledge spillover among lodging firms within a destination and how it contributes to sustainable destination development. Longitudinal data for this study were collected primarily through in-depth interviews with lodging firms' managers and operators in a destination located in southern China. The findings suggest that tacit knowledge spillover in a region may lead to hospitality firm agglomeration. Furthermore, the eco-friendly hotel pioneers' tacit knowledge spillover may, over an extended time period, enhance the eco-friendly initiatives and operations of local hospitality firms, which may contribute to the successful development of sustainable destinations. The findings also indicate that local government's effective interventions tend to encourage and facilitate tacit knowledge spillover through establishing knowledge transfer mechanisms in the community, which is significant in the context of sustainable destination development.