Showing papers on "Tacit knowledge published in 2018"

Value-Sensitive Algorithm Design: Method, Case Study, and Lessons

Abstract: Most commonly used approaches to developing automated or artificially intelligent algorithmic systems are Big Data-driven and machine learning-based. However, these approaches can fail, for two notable reasons: (1) they may lack critical engagement with users and other stakeholders; (2) they rely largely on historical human judgments, which do not capture and incorporate human insights into how the world can be improved in the future. We propose and describe a novel method for the design of such algorithms, which we call Value Sensitive Algorithm Design. Value Sensitive Algorithm Design incorporates stakeholders' tacit knowledge and explicit feedback in the early stages of algorithm creation. This increases the chance to avoid biases in design choices or to compromise key stakeholder values. Generally, we believe that algorithms should be designed to balance multiple stakeholders' needs, motivations, and interests, and to help achieve important collective goals. We also describe a specific project "Designing Intelligent Socialization Algorithms for WikiProjects in Wikipedia" to illustrate our method. We intend this paper to contribute to the rich ongoing conversation concerning the use of algorithms in supporting critical decision-making in society.

Knowledge management, knowledge transfer and organizational performance in the arts and crafts industry: a literature review

Abstract: This paper aims to provide a comprehensive academic literature review on the relationship between knowledge management, knowledge transfer and organizational performance in a specific subset of the creative industry, i.e. arts and crafts organizations. Furthermore, this paper analyzes how knowledge management and transfer within arts and crafts organizations help increase performance and enhance the value of the activity of the so-called “knowledge workers” (i.e. craftsmen), who are the real knowledge owners in the process of value creation.,The literature review follows the model suggested by Vom Brocke et al. (2009). The review follows a five-phase approach so as to be systematic, transparent and replicable. Academic contributions published over two periods are taken into consideration. The first period covers the years 1990-2000, when the concepts of creative industry and knowledge-based economy were developed. The second period covers the years 2000-2016, when scholars started to investigate how to effectively transfer knowledge (very often in the form of “tacit knowledge”) retained by master craftsmen in arts and crafts organizations and the critical role played by craftsmen in the performance of such organizations.,Three main issues have emerged: how arts and crafts organizations manage and transfer knowledge internally; the effects of these activities on organizational performance; and the prominent role of craftsmen. The literature review shows how in arts and crafts organizations there is a considerable link between the concepts of “performance" and "tacit knowledge", even though addressing such link is somehow hard to realize, for several reasons discussed in the paper. The measurement of performance in arts and crafts organizations has become an area of academic investigation only when both the role of knowledge management and transfer and the role of knowledge workers (i.e., craftsmen) have become evident for obtaining a competitive advantage.,This paper has been an attempt to organize existing studies on knowledge management and transfer and to investigate the relationship existing between knowledge and performance in arts and crafts organizations. Nevertheless, the relationship between knowledge and performance is yet to be explored, as well as the development of techniques for measuring arts and crafts organizations’ performance effectively. The present contribution calls for a systematic reflection on how the transfer of traditional craftsmen’s skills impacts organizational performances in the long run. The definition and implementation of new performance evaluations criteria tailored to enhance the tacit knowledge of craftsmen as a real source of differentiation and competitive advantage for the arts and crafts organizations is somehow still missing.,By pursuing its objectives, the present contribution aims to represent a step toward enabling arts and crafts organizations to play a vital role in the modern society in a more structured way. This would help to build awareness of the potential of arts and crafts organizations for promoting economic growth, proposing a value proposition different from the one dictated by the globalization and by the triumph of product standardization and mass production.,Analyzing the knowledge management and transfer within arts and crafts organizations with a historical perspective, it appears that the recognition in academic literature of the centrality of knowledge management and transfer within arts and crafts organizations is only recent (i.e. from 2011 onward). Indeed, for approximately 20 years (i.e. 1990-2010), knowledge has been constantly related to technological paradigms and standardized results, with very little research and debate on craftsmanship and the role of craftsmen. Nevertheless, the research shows that over the years, the focus on knowledge in arts and crafts organizations and knowledge transfer has become progressively more detailed and precise: some authors have studied the role of craftsmen in the knowledge economy according to a historical perspective, while some others have analyzed different types of knowledge more thoroughly. For example, Sveiby (1997, 1996), analyzing the concept of "knowing talent" and "tradition", outlines a more prominent role of craftsmen in the knowledge economy and explain how, in sectors with a strong traditional background, the transfer of tacit knowledge is a meaningful challenge for many organizations.

Clans, Guilds, and Markets: Apprenticeship Institutions and Growth in the Pre-Industrial Economy

Abstract: In the centuries leading up to the Industrial Revolution, Western Europe gradually pulled ahead of other world regions in terms of technological creativity, population growth, and income per capita. We argue that superior institutions for the creation and dissemination of productive knowledge help explain the European advantage. We build a model of technological progress in a pre-industrial economy that emphasizes the person-to-person transmission of tacit knowledge. The young learn as apprentices from the old. Institutions such as the family, the clan, the guild, and the market organize who learns from whom. We argue that medieval European institutions such as guilds, and specific features such as journeymanship, can explain the rise of Europe relative to regions that relied on the transmission of knowledge within extended families or clans.

Industrial Development Through Tacit Knowledge Seeding: Evidence from the Bangladesh Garment Industry

Abstract: We explore how the establishment of an industry pioneer through foreign seeding of industry knowledge can subsequently catalyze the growth of a developing country's industry by involuntarily propagating the knowledge to subsequent entrants. As industry knowledge has tacit elements, we focus on mechanisms that enable experienced workers from the pioneer to seed the knowledge to new entrants. We examine the relationship between entrants' characteristics and the mechanisms exploited to access the industry knowledge, and the impact of the mechanisms exploited on firm performance. Empirical findings from two historical episodes in the Bangladesh garment industry suggest that industry knowledge seeding was essential for the initial establishment and subsequent expansion of the industry. Our paper highlights the role of experienced workers' mobility in building new firm capabilities and provides novel insights into industrialization in developing economies. This paper was accepted by Bruno Cassiman, business strategy.

Extrinsic and intrinsic motivation for experience grounded tacit knowledge sharing in Chinese software organisations

Abstract: The purpose of this study is to identify and explain the role of individuals’ awareness and motivation in facilitating knowledge sharing (KS) in the real world of practice, as well as to establish areas of convergence between theory and practice that can be of use to both academics and practitioners involved in knowledge intensive organisations.,This study used Grounded Theory (GT) as an inductive methodology to collect, analyse and interpret data from multiple case-studies. 44 participants from Chinese software organisations were selected on the basis of their role in SW design and development and were interviewed using a semi-structured interview script. The data analysis followed a Straussian approach to coding, which consists of open coding, axial coding and selective coding. The analysis focused on the impact of individuals’ awareness and motivation to share knowledge.,The findings of this research show that the motivation for KS – a time consuming and demanding activity – is indeed related to awareness by managers and developers of the benefits of KS in their professional practice. Practitioners shared their experiences and tacit knowledge with others, partly because it was required by their companies, but also because they have a sound awareness of the need to share knowledge both inside and outside their organisations.,As a typical social science inductive study, this research is bounded by the context in which the theory proposed emerged from. Further research should be conducted into a richer variety of organisational and national contexts, as suggested by good theoretical sampling practice, which could provide further insights or contrasts.,Despite a number of theoretical propositions found in the literature, there is a clear lack of implementation strategies and models that explain the role of awareness and motivation in facilitating KS in the world of practice. This issue of applicability of theoretical propositions is now recognised as one of the fundamental key issues in KS. This study provides new and practice grounded insights in this area and is of interest to both practitioners and theoreticians as it explains and bridges the individuals’ awareness and motivation for tacit KS.

Global mobility of professionals and the transfer of tacit knowledge in multinational service firms

Abstract: Purpose The use of expatriates to transfer individual and organizational know-how and knowledge is a practice widely used by multinational enterprises (MNEs). However, for service firms, the mobility of employees across national borders depends on the commitments made by countries under the General Agreement on Trade in Services (GATS). In particular, the Mode 4 form of supply under GATS can limit the ability of professionals to enter a particular country and can restrict the intra-organizational transfer of knowledge in multinational service firms. The purpose of this paper is to investigate how MNEs attempt to overcome these barriers and transfer knowledge through their global network. Design/methodology/approach Using Nonaka and Takeuchi’s SECI model of knowledge transfer, the authors study the intra-organizational knowledge transfer practices of an Indian multinational service firm. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 20 key informants involved with the organization. Findings The company uses global teams to transfer tacit knowledge and facilitates inpatriation through an internship program that helps the firm overcome nationality requirement that restricts the movement of their managers to other countries, which in turn limits their ability to transfer knowledge in the intra-organizational setting. The company uses the services of a not-for-profit youth organization that helps recruit interns for the program and also facilitates the relationship with the Indian Government, which provides support for this initiative by reducing barriers to entry for the interns. Originality/value This study takes the unique approach of studying barriers to movement of professionals and a firm’s strategic response. It identifies the pressures and barriers that companies face in the global economy and highlights the role of government agencies and other stakeholders in facilitating or restricting the transfer of knowledge within a firm’s international network. The paper articulates the implications for policy and practice, and a future research agenda.

Critical factors for transferring and sharing tacit knowledge within lean and agile construction processes

Abstract: Purpose The purpose of the paper is to investigate the critical success factors (CSFs) associated with the effectiveness of transfer and sharing of tacit knowledge in lean and agile construction processes Design/methodology/approach The study identifies ten CSFs that initiate the transferring and sharing of tacit knowledge The CSFs are validated through quantitative study This study recruited project managers, executives, consultants and other managers that are directly involved in the management of a construction project It recruits the respondents those have background and experience from disciplines such as lean construction, agile construction, construction supply chain (CSC) and knowledge management in lean, agile and CSC The data collected through self-administrative questionnaire are categorised as ordinal data to analyse in SPSS with frequency and Kruskal–Wallis H test, Spearman’s correlation analysis and a rank-order analysis is done to establish the level of importance of those factors Findings Initially, “Trust between construction organisations” is identified as the foremost CSF Moreover, other CSFs such as motivation, leadership capabilities, business strategies and organisational capabilities follow trust Originality/value This is the first study that investigates and establishes the CSFs that are essential to initiate transferring and sharing tacit knowledge in a lean and in an agile construction processes

Tacit Knowledge Sharing in Open Innovation Projects

Abstract: Tacit knowledge is considered critical to the success of open innovation projects, yet little is known about the factors that promote or impede tacit knowledge sharing in such projects This articl

Danmaku vs. Forum Comments: Understanding User Participation and Knowledge Sharing in Online Videos

Abstract: Danmaku is a new video comment feature that is gaining popularity. Unlike typical forum comments that are displayed with user names below videos, danmaku comments are overlaid on the screen of videos without showing users' information. Prior work studied forum comments and danmaku separately, and little work compared how these two features were used. We collected 38,399 danmaku comments and 16,414 forum comments posted in 2017 on 30 popular videos on Bilibili.com. We examined the usage of these two features in terms of user participation, language used, and ways of sharing knowledge. We found that more users posted danmaku comments, and they also posted these more frequently than forum comments. Even though, in total, more negative language was used in danmaku comments than in forum comments, active users appeared to post more positive comments in danmaku. There was no such correlation in forum comments. It is interesting to find that danmaku and forum comments enabled knowledge sharing in a complementary manner, where danmaku comments involved more explicit knowledge sharing and forum comments exhibited more tacit knowledge sharing. We discuss design implications to promote social interactions for online video systems.

Acquiring and Sharing Tacit Knowledge Based on Interval 2-Tuple Linguistic Assessments and Extended Fuzzy Petri Nets

Abstract: In the highly competitive environment, capturing and disseminating of tacit knowledge are significant to an organization’s success with the development of knowledge-based systems. However, in pract...

The Shaping of Form: Exploring Designers’ Use of Aesthetic Knowledge

Abstract: Research on design and designers has emphasized the tacit nature of the aesthetic knowledge that these professionals draw upon to make decisions about formal properties of objects and spaces, but is less clear about how design teams address the difficulties associated with expressing and sharing this type of knowledge. A ten-month ethnography in a design consultancy revealed a range of multimodal and cross-modal ways in which members of a design team compensate their imperfect capacity of articulating verbally their aesthetic knowledge in order to gradually construct a common knowledge base enabling creative collaboration. In so doing, our study offers two main contributions. It illuminates the interplay between designers’ aesthetic experiences, visceral responses, and intuitive cognitive processes that enable designers to draw upon their aesthetic knowledge to support the collective accomplishment of their task, and provides an interpretation of the design process as a form of ‘creative’ intuition driven by emotional reactions to environmental stimuli and emerging formal solutions.

Comparing the International Knowledge Flow of China’s Wind and Solar Photovoltaic (PV) Industries: Patent Analysis and Implications for Sustainable Development.

Abstract: Climate-relevant technologies, like wind and solar energy, are crucial for mitigating climate change and for achieving sustainable development. Recent literature argues that Chinese solar firms play more active roles in international knowledge flows, which may better explain their success in international markets when compared to those of Chinese wind firms; however, empirical evidence remains sparse. This study aims to explore to what extent and how do the international knowledge flows differ between China’s wind and solar photovoltaic (PV) industries? From a network perspective, this paper develops a three-dimensional framework to compare the knowledge flows in both explicit and tacit dimensions: (i) inter-country explicit knowledge clusters (by topological clustering of patent citation network); (ii) inter-firm explicit knowledge flow (patent citation network of key firms); and, (iii) inter-firm tacit knowledge flow (by desktop research and interviews). The results show that China’s PV industry has stronger international knowledge linkages in terms of knowledge clustering and explicit knowledge flow, but the wind power industry has a stronger tacit knowledge flow. Further, this study argues that the differences of global knowledge links between China’s wind and solar PV industries may be caused by technology characteristics, market orientation, and policy implementation. This suggests that these industries both have strong connections to global knowledge networks, but they may involve disparate catch-up pathways that concern follower-modes and leader-modes. These findings are important to help us understand how China can follow sustainable development pathways in the light of climate change.

A new emergency decision support methodology based on multi-source knowledge in 2-tuple linguistic model

Abstract: Knowledge is the foundation of emergency decision-making (EDM), in which the experts from multi-fields express their knowledge with multi-granularity linguistic model to assistant decision-making. Thus, the paper proposed a new decision support methodology to generate decision-making knowledge. In this paper, the framework of decision knowledge generation in the EDM was introduced firstly. To generate decision-making knowledge accurately and objectively, two objective models, which can effectively determine the weights of criteria and experts respectively, were built based on the tacit knowledge hidden in the original information. Then, the personal knowledge, generated by combining the normalized decision knowledge and the weight vector of criteria, is further aggregated into the collective knowledge by means of aggregation operator. Finally, an illustrative example is presented to verify the application of the proposed methods, and relevant discussions prove the results obtained from the proposed decision support methodology can improve the scientificity and accuracy of the EDM.

Open Innovation, Product Development, and Inter-Company Relationships Within Regional Knowledge Clusters

Abstract: This paper deals with the broad concepts of innovation, inter-company relationship models, and regional knowledge systems as the focus of a scholarly enquiry into product development analysis. As research advances, it brings together the experience and theoretical interests of different social and economic environments. It is now necessary to identify an integrating framework that can clarify the state-of-the-art in the field and extend the boundaries of what is already a significant volume of literature. The authors have tried to describe the emerging phenomenon of close networks of cooperation at regional level that inspire and promote innovation. They are also concerned with the apparent paradox between, on the one side, the increasing openness of knowledge economies which seems to dissolve borders and, on the other, the new importance of place, particularly agglomerations. A useful background to the relevant issues is provided by helpful studies on the competitive advantages of spatial clustering, which minimizes distance-related transaction costs and maximizes flows of tacit knowledge and interactive learning effects.

Tacit knowledge-sharing behavior among the academic staff

Abstract: The purpose of this paper is to examine the critical success factor of tacit knowledge-sharing behavior among the academic staff of higher learning institutions.,A total of 200 questionnaires were distributed among the academic staff of higher learning institutions in Bangladesh. Collectively, 150 usable responses were returned. Apart from descriptive statistics, this research applied confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) and structural equation modeling (SEM) to assess the measurement model and test the research hypotheses.,The findings from this empirical examination show that all the Big Five personality traits affect tacit knowledge-sharing behavior among the academic staff of higher learning institutions, except conscientiousness personality trait. However, the role of motivation, self-efficacy and mutual trust are also playing a significant role in tacit knowledge-sharing behavior. The CFA, SEM analysis confirmed the proposed conceptual model with a good model fit.,The findings of this research contribute to the understanding of the role of personality traits and other antecedents which play a significant role for the academic staff tacit knowledge-sharing behavior which are interesting for policymakers and authorities of higher learning institutions. As there was no sampling frame, the researchers applied convenient sampling technique in choosing the respondents.,This research plays a pioneering role where it contributes to the growing literature on the relationships between personality traits and other factors to construct a model for the tacit knowledge behavior by considering academic staff of higher learning institutions from a developing country’s perspective.

Managerial Tacit Knowledge, Individual Performance, and the Moderating Role of Employee Personality

Abstract: This study investigates the relationship between knowledge-sharing mechanisms, managerial tacit knowledge, and individual performance in the Malaysian public sector. Moderation effects of employee personality on these variables were also examined. Findings from 308 Malaysian public sector managers suggest that individual performance is influenced by levels of accumulated managerial tacit knowledge (LAMTK), which were moderated by employee personality traits. The findings also show that individual performance has an impact on the effectiveness of knowledge-sharing mechanisms.

Pre‐Exit Bundling, Turnover of Professionals, and Firm Performance

Abstract: Context-emergent turnover theory (CETT) focuses on the contextual factors that influence the turnover-firm performance relationship, yet to date, has not investigated how particular firms weather the detrimental effects of loss more effectively than others. We build on the CETT literature by theorizing that different human resource bundling strategies are central contextual factors that impact human resource exit. Specifically, we argue that bundling human resources prior to exit in greater concentrations deflects some harmful effects of turnover. Pre-exit bundling ensures that remaining professionals post-exit retain both the capacity necessary to meet job demands and the critical tacit knowledge of firm routines that maintain effectiveness. Our study examines the loss of professionals in a panel of the largest U.S.-based law firms. We find general support for our theory. Results show that losing professionals when the pre-exit bundling had produced greater service-, hiring-, and geographic-concentration lessens the negative effects of loss. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.

The Role of Tacit Knowledge in Auditor Expertise and Human Capital Development

Abstract: Two critical aspects of the model of auditor expertise development in Tan and Libby [1997] are that audit firms do not value tacit knowledge in inexperienced auditors but do value it in experienced auditors. We update the former and extend the latter. Our paper predicts and finds that audit firms now do value tacit knowledge in inexperienced auditors, especially when their supervisors have higher tacit knowledge. Our proxies of value include higher promotability assessments, annual evaluations, and cash bonuses. Our paper also extends Tan and Libby [1997] by positing that enhanced development of expertise and audit firm human capital are two reasons audit firms value tacit knowledge in experienced auditors. As predicted, higher tacit knowledge in experienced auditors is positively associated with higher tacit knowledge acquisition by their inexperienced subordinates and with stronger firm commitment of inexperienced subordinates having higher tacit knowledge.

How Knowledge Is Constructed and Exchanged in Virtual Communities of Physicians: Qualitative Study of Mindlines Online

Abstract: Background: As a response to the criticisms evidence-based practice currently faces, groups of health care researchers and guideline makers have started to call for the appraisal and inclusion of different kinds of knowledge in guideline production (other than randomized controlled trials [RCTs]) to better link with the informal knowledge used in clinical practice In an ethnographic study, Gabbay and Le May showed that clinicians in everyday practice situations do not explicitly or consciously use guidelines Instead, they use mindlines: collectively shared, mostly tacit knowledge that is shaped by many sources, including accumulated personal experiences, education (formal and informal), guidance, and the narratives about patients that are shared among colleagues In this study on informal knowledge, we consider virtual networks of clinicians as representative of the mindlines in the wider medical community, as holders of knowledge, as well as catalysts of knowing Objective: The aim of this study was to explore how informal knowledge and its creation in communities of clinicians can be characterized as opposed to the more structured knowledge produced in guideline development Methods: This study included a qualitative study of postings on three large virtual networks for physicians in the United Kingdom, the Netherlands, and Norway, taking the topic of statins as a case study and covering more than 1400 posts Data were analyzed thematically with reference to theories of collaborative knowledge construction and communities of practice Results: The dataset showed very few postings referring to, or seeking to adhere to, explicit guidance and recommendations Participants presented many instances of individual case narratives that highlighted quantitative test results and clinical examination findings There was an emphasis on outliers and the material, regulatory, and practical constraints on knowledge use by clinicians Participants conveyed not-so-explicit knowledge as tacit and practical knowledge and used a prevailing style of pragmatic reasoning focusing on what was likely to work in a particular case Throughout the discussions, a collective conceptualization of statins was generated and reinforced in many contexts through stories, jokes, and imagery Conclusions: Informal knowledge and knowing in clinical communities entail an inherently collective dynamic practice that includes explicit and nonexplicit components It can be characterized as knowledge-in-context in practice, with a strong focus on casuistry Validity of knowledge appears not to be based on criteria of consensus, coherence, or correspondence but on a more polyphonic understanding of truth We contend that our findings give enough ground for further research on how exploring mindlines of clinicians online could help improve guideline development processes [J Med Internet Res 2018;20(2):e34]

Architectural design and open innovation symbiosis: Insights from research campuses, manufacturing systems, and innovation districts

Abstract: In the age of knowledge-based economies, open innovation has increasing importance. This study aimed to explore the architectural design approaches that can revitalize innovation activities in the era of knowledge-based economies. This paper investigated global case research campuses, manufacturing systems, and innovation districts where architectural design supports innovation activities. This study developed a research framework of architectural design for innovation and applied it in the selected case studies to generate insights. First, the research campuses selected as case studies included Panopticon, DGIST Education and Research Campuses, and Apple Park. Second, the open innovation of manufacturing system architecture was analyzed through the case studies of the Ford Motor Company, Toyota Motor Corporation, and Rolls-Royce Motor Cars. Third, this paper studied the clustered open innovation architectures of Macquarie Park, One North, and Strijp-S Innovation Districts. The findings revealed how tacit knowledge motivates open innovation through the design of manufacturing systems, research campuses, and innovation districts through real examples and mathematical or concept model building.

The intra-firm knowledge transfer in the outward M&A of EMNCs: Evidence from Chinese manufacturing firms

Abstract: This paper examines the intra-firm transfer of tacit and explicit knowledge in the post-acquisition integration stage in the outward mergers and acquisitions (M&A) of multinational corporations from emerging economies (EMNCs). It also explores rationales underlying the tacit and explicit knowledge transfer in the cross-cultural context. Drawing from the empirical evidence of three Chinese firms’ outward M&A in three European countries, we argue the Chinese acquiring firms emphasized the transfer of explicit over tacit knowledge in the post-acquisition integration in their outward M&A. This can be attributed to complementarity in explicit knowledge, home market advantage, scarcity of key staff and cultural differences.

Learning transfer system inventory (LTSI) and knowledge creation in organizations

Abstract: Knowledge creation has received substantial attention by researchers, ever since the Socialization Externalization Combination Internalization (SECI) process was introduced Learning Transfer System Inventory (LTSI) focuses on learning transfer and has been validated across many countries The purpose of this paper is to explore the theoretical underpinnings between LTSI and SECI, and LTSI’s role in knowledge amplification as part of the organizational knowledge creation spiral,The literature on organizational learning, SECI and LTSI is studied, as well as a detailed review of the LTSI constructs as it relates to SECI is completed,Both SECI and LTSI emphasize the substantial interplay between explicit and tacit knowledge as the basis of knowledge interchange The result of this research is a theoretical framework combining LTSI and SECI that can help understand knowledge transfer in terms of interplay of explicit and tacit knowledge and LTSI’s role in knowledge amplification as part of organizational knowledge creation,It is proposed that LTSI can potentially be used to gauge the propensity of an organizational environment to create and transfer knowledge ontologically, as well as adopt knowledge management systems The LTSI constructs into basic knowledge interactions (various combinations of explicit and tacit knowledge conversions) are categorized thus helping practitioners analyze the basic building blocks of learning transfer and knowledge creation The theoretical association of the two frameworks paves the way for more empirical validation of the SECI model potentially,This paper is an original attempt to associate SECI with LTSI

MNEs Subsidiary Training and Development and Firm Innovative Performance: The Moderating Effects of Tacit and Explicit Knowledge Received from Headquarters

Abstract: This paper set out to investigate the ways training and development impacts on firm innovative performance as well as the moderating role of knowledge transfer received on training and development and firm innovative performance, using a sample of 229 foreign subsidiaries of multinational enterprises (MNEs) operating in China. We adopt hierarchical linear modeling, and the results of the study reveal that both on-the-job training and development and off-the-job training and development have an influence on the firm innovative performance. Also, the empirical results of the study demonstrate that the moderating effect of tacit and explicit knowledge received on the relationship between both on-the-job training and development and off-the-job training and development and firm innovative performance are stronger. This paper shows that continues updating of skills, ability and knowledge of the workforce through on-the job training and development and off-the job training development programs might boost creativity and innovation of business organizations.

Towards improving decision making and estimating the value of decisions in value-based software engineering: the VALUE framework

Abstract: To sustain growth, maintain competitive advantage and to innovate, companies must make a paradigm shift in which both short- and long-term value aspects are employed to guide their decision-making. Such need is clearly pressing in innovative industries, such as ICT, and is also the core of Value-based Software Engineering (VBSE). The goal of this paper is to detail a framework called VALUE—improving decision-making relating to software-intensive products and services development—and to show its application in practice to a large ICT company in Finland. The VALUE framework includes a mixed-methods approach, as follows: to elicit key stakeholders’ tacit knowledge regarding factors used during a decision-making process, either transcripts from interviews with key stakeholders are analysed and validated in focus group meetings or focus-group meeting(s) are directly applied. These value factors are later used as input to a Web-based tool (Value tool) employed to support decision making. This tool was co-created with four industrial partners in this research via a design science approach that includes several case studies and focus-group meetings. Later, data on key stakeholders’ decisions gathered using the Value tool, plus additional input from key stakeholders, are used, in combination with the Expert-based Knowledge Engineering of Bayesian Network (EKEBN) process, coupled with the weighed sum algorithm (WSA) method, to build and validate a company-specific value estimation model. The application of our proposed framework to a real case, as part of an ongoing collaboration with a large software company (company A), is presented herein. Further, we also provide a detailed example, partially using real data on decisions, of a value estimation Bayesian network (BN) model for company A. This paper presents some empirical results from applying the VALUE Framework to a large ICT company; those relate to eliciting key stakeholders’ tacit knowledge, which is later used as input to a pilot study where these stakeholders employ the Value tool to select features for one of their company’s chief products. The data on decisions obtained from this pilot study is later applied to a detailed example on building a value estimation BN model for company A. We detail a framework—VALUE framework—to be used to help companies improve their value-based decisions and to go a step further and also estimate the overall value of each decision.

Assessing the influence of knowledge translation platforms on health system policy processes to achieve the health millennium development goals in Cameroon and Uganda: a comparative case study.

Abstract: There is a scarcity of empirical data on the influence of initiatives supporting evidence-informed health system policy-making (EIHSP), such as the knowledge translation platforms (KTPs) operating in Africa. To assess whether and how two KTPs housed in government-affiliated institutions in Cameroon and Uganda have influenced: (1) health system policy-making processes and decisions aiming at supporting achievement of the health millennium development goals (MDGs); and (2) the general climate for EIHSP. We conducted an embedded comparative case study of four policy processes in which Evidence Informed Policy Network (EVIPNet) Cameroon and Regional East African Community Health Policy Initiative (REACH-PI) Uganda were involved between 2009 and 2011. We combined a documentary review and semi structured interviews of 54 stakeholders. A framework-guided thematic analysis, inspired by scholarship in health policy analysis and knowledge utilization was used. EVIPNet Cameroon and REACH-PI Uganda have had direct influence on health system policy decisions. The coproduction of evidence briefs combined with tacit knowledge gathered during inclusive evidence-informed stakeholder dialogues helped to reframe health system problems, unveil sources of conflicts, open grounds for consensus and align viable and affordable options for achieving the health MDGs thus leading to decisions. New policy issue networks have emerged. The KTPs indirectly influenced health policy processes by changing how interests interact with one another and by introducing safe-harbour deliberations and intersected with contextual ideational factors by improving access to policy-relevant evidence. KTPs were perceived as change agents with positive impact on the understanding, acceptance and adoption of EIHSP because of their complementary work in relation to capacity building, rapid evidence syntheses and clearinghouse of policy-relevant evidence. This embedded case study illustrates how two KTPs influenced policy decisions through pathways involving policy issue networks, interest groups interaction and evidence-supported ideas and how they influenced the general climate for EIHSP.

Geographic distance between venture capitalists and target firms and the value of quality signals

Abstract: In this paper, we examine whether the value of quality signals (patent activity and founding team characteristics) transmitted by emerging biotechnology firms is influenced by the geographic distance between venture capitalists and biotechnology firms. In line with the notion that signals are more valuable to receivers in environments of elevated information asymmetries and under the premise that long-distance transactions present such an environment, we empirically reveal that patent activity and founding team entrepreneurial experience are more effective in increasing venture capital investments when the distance between investors and investees is elevated. Our results, therefore, corroborate the rationale that because tacit knowledge circulates mostly within local circles, it diminishes the value of signals for local transactions, as a priori knowledge about potential target firms is more easily assessed by investors. Our study contributes to the literature on the factors that drive the value of signals, on the literature that studies the function of patents and other forms of intellectual property as a means to boost firm performance, and on the literature on the geography of venture capital investments.