Organisational ‘know-where’ and ‘know-when’: re-framing configurations and distributions of knowledge in organisations

This paper explores varying configurations of knowledge in organisations. A multi-dimensional framework of distinctive forms of knowledge is used to highlight different patterns of organisational knowledge, demonstrating their heterogeneity and variability – over time, in terms of depth of expertise, and their distribution within and between organisations. Common knowledge that is shared across an organisation accounts for only a small proportion of organisational knowledge, indicating that strategies to exploit this resource for competitive advantage will be constrained unless mechanisms are developed that enable access to and transfer of knowledge that is not yet shared or common.     

Issues in the management of embedded knowledge in project-based organizations: the project actor’s role

Knowledge management (KM) in project-based organizations has received substantial attention in recent years, as knowledge processes are insufficiently supported within the organization as a whole. This study specifically focuses on the project actor’s role in managing knowledge. From an actor’s perspective, the problems raised by knowledge embeddedness are identified as a key issue to link project knowledge and organizational knowledge. A conceptual framework is developed that addresses three different aspects of knowledge embeddedness: a relational dimension, a temporal dimension and a structural dimension. Three cases are studied, covering varying forms of organizations in different areas (a consulting firm, an R&D department and an industrial business unit). The results concerning the relational dimension indicate that project actors re-build the network of relationships supporting knowledge. Regarding the temporal dimension, and specifically in their professional field, actors frame professional knowledge related to their project experience. However, actors fail to surmount the problems raised by the structural dimension of knowledge embeddedness. The resulting recommendations for KM concern both Human Resource Management practices and organizational design.     

Serious games in favour of knowledge management and double-loop learning?

How can universities develop a knowledge management dynamic in order to train knowledge workers who are effective in an organizational learning process? Can games, and more specifically serious games, contribute to reaching this goal? To answer this question, we hypothesize that play can serve as a lever for knowledge management and double-loop learning. The purpose of this article is to show that serious games contribute to training knowledge workers in an organizational learning process. From this perspective, we attempt to understand how serious games promote the acquisition of knowledge and we explain the research method used in the field (participant observation, investigation using questionnaires). The final part analyses the main results: a community of practice and organization learning, internalization through Learning by Doing and better understanding of the environment’s complexity, towards double-loop learning and student satisfaction with the serious game.     

Information culture and records management: a suitable match? Conceptualizations of information culture and their application on records management

Good information and records management is assumed to promote organizational efficiency. Despite established management regimes and available technology, many organizations still consider information and records management challenging. The reason may be cultural factors. This study based on a literature review, aims to explore the academic discourse on information culture and to discuss its relevance for records management. The findings show that the concept information culture is used in various ways: as an explanatory framework; as an analytical and evaluative tool; or as normative standard. The research on information culture addresses several areas: business performance, systems implementation, the manifestation of information culture in different organizations, and a few concerns records management practices. The research settings and the objects of study varied, why general conclusions are difficult to draw, but often a positive correlation between culture and performance is assumed. The focus has been on how information is used, shared and disseminated, while the production and management, that is the vital object of records management, has with few exceptions been neglected. If information culture should fully function as an analytical framework concerning records management, a widened and more inclusive conceptualization is required, which also will enrich information culture as a theoretical concept.     

Positive management in libraries: if you build it,they won’t necessarily come

Both Jim Lynch and Stuart Fitzgerald are UK representatives of the American company, Library Systems & Services. LSSI is a private management company working for local authorities wishing to outsource library services. Jim Lynch is also a consultant with Ploszajski Lynch Consulting, specialising in sport, leisure and cultural projects. Stuart Fitzgerald is a management consultant with many years’ experience in procurement and performance management in the private, public and voluntary sectors.     

Customer’s role in knowledge management and in the innovation process: effects on innovation capacity and marketing results

Scholars have acknowledged customer knowledge management (CKM) as a key strategic resource for improving innovation and supporting long-term customer relationship management. This study provides a deeper understanding of the internal antecedents of business innovation capacity overcoming previous approaches. A model that had not previously been tested was used to analyse the role of customer collaboration and CKM – measured as a second-order construct – in innovation processes and marketing results. To test the model, structural equation modelling (partial least squares) was applied to a random sample of 210 Spanish companies. Results confirm that CKM and customer collaboration are antecedents of innovation capacity and marketing results. Furthermore, the effect of CKM is greater than the effect of customer collaboration. This paper provides a basis for managers to encourage innovation in their companies and explains how managers can improve marketing results.     

A model for assessing the coherence of companies’ knowledge strategy

This paper proposes a strategic model for assessing the coherence between companies’ knowledge strategies and their business strategies as well as in their competitive and organisational contexts. In analysing knowledge management literature, we locate three principal strategies: (1) knowledge development (internal or external), (2) knowledge sharing (codification or personalisation) and (3) knowledge exploitation (internal or external). We then position the three strategies and six related policies in the context-content-process dimensions of Pettigrew's model to create a useful framework for strategic analysis and a model to assess the coherence of companies’ knowledge strategy. The model can be used to evaluate how an existing knowledge strategy aligns with a company's characteristics and to formulate and implement a coherent knowledge strategy based on the current competitive environment, organisational context and business strategy.     

‘I’m busy (and competitive)!’ Antecedents of knowledge sharing under pressure

This study considers the dilemma faced by employees every time a colleague requests knowledge: should they share their knowledge? We use adaptive cost theory and self-efficacy theory to examine how individual characteristics (i.e., self-efficacy and trait competitiveness) and situational perceptions (i.e., ‘busyness’ and perceived competition) affect knowledge sharing behaviours. A study was conducted with 403 students who completed a problem-solving exercise and who were permitted (but not required) to respond to requests for knowledge from people who were doing the same activity. Our results suggest that people who perceive significant time pressure are less likely to share knowledge. Trait competitiveness predicted perceived competition. This and low task self-efficacy created a sense of time pressure, which in turn led to people feeling ‘too busy’ to share their knowledge when it was requested. Perceived competition was not directly related to knowledge sharing. Implications for research and practitioners are discussed.     

Deep strategic mediatization: Organizational leaders’ knowledge and usage of social bots in an era of disinformation

We identified a lack of theoretical concepts and empirical knowledge about the perception and usage of social bots from the organizational and communication management perspective. Therefore, we first introduce social bots in the realm of communication and information management by using a profound literature review. Second, by building on mediatization theory and strategic communication, we introduce the concept of deep strategic mediatization. By surveying the attitudes towards and usage of social bots of leading European communication professionals (n = 2,247) from 49 European countries, we thirdly offer first indications how diverse European organizations in different European regions use social bots. Results indicate, that leading communication professionals in Central and Western Europe as well as Scandinavia perceive highly ethical challenges, while in Southern and Eastern Europe professionals are less skeptical regarding the usage of social bots. Only 11.5 percent (n = 257) declare their organization uses or are making plans to use social bots for strategic communication. They are used primarily for identifying and following social networks users. This refers specifically to the usage of digital traces for strategic communication purposes e.g., to identify topic area opinion leaders or social media influencers. However, this represents only a small minority of the sample – leading to the conclusion that only a small minority of organizations already practice deep strategic mediatization.     

Development of a holistic model for the management of an enterprise’s information assets

Organisations increasingly realise that they must transform into true digital enterprises to create competitive advantage and ensure corporate survival. However, many organisations do not realise that successful digital transformation (DT) requires much more than technology; it can only succeed if they manage their data, information and knowledge as true business assets. This paper describes collaborative research conducted by academic and industry partners, a mutually beneficial journey spanning the past ten years. The aim was to develop a Holistic Information Asset Management (HIAM) model indicating the important areas of information asset management (IAM) that support the DT journey. Interviews were conducted with C-level executives in organisations from all industries on three continents to investigate their IAM practices, the barriers to good IAM and the benefits of managing information assets (IAs) well. This paper proposes that organisations should focus on ten domains in their quest for effective IAM: i) business benefits, ii) business environment, iii) executive awareness, iv) leadership and management, v) information environment, vi) information systems, vii) information behaviour, viii) information attributes/quality, ix) information performance and x) justification.     

Customers’ acceptance of artificially intelligent service robots: The influence of trust and culture

This study addresses two critical research gaps in human-robot interaction (HRI): the limited systematic research on the role of trust in customers’ acceptance of artificially intelligent (AI) robots; and the lack of understanding of robot acceptance under different cultural backgrounds. Drawing on the AIDUA framework, this study examines the impacts of trust and moderating effects of both national (the U.S. and China) and individual culture on customers’ intentions to use AI robots in hospitality services by developing a theoretical model. The model is tested on data collected using online data collection platforms from 491 U.S. and 495 Chinese respondents. PLS-SEM and the bootstrapping method were used to test the hypothesized relationships and analyze the moderating effects of culture, respectively. The findings suggest that trust in interaction with AI robots is a significant higher-order construct that influences the intention of use. Furthermore, uncertainty avoidance, long-term orientation, and power distance have been found to exhibit significant moderation effects. The results of this study extend the theoretical frameworks in HRI and provide detailed guidance to promote AI robot applications across different cultures.     

How organisations evaluate their knowledge management projects: a meta-study of the period 1992–2002

The key objective of this research was to develop an understanding of what organisations are measuring within the context of knowledge management (KM) evaluation. A comprehensive meta-analysis of international articles dealing with the evaluation of KM, Intellectual Capital and other closely related domains between the years 1992 and 2002 was undertaken. A total of 1539 articles reflected the search topic. A manual review of all abstracts resulted in a narrowed selection of 223 articles, sourced from 126 different journals. Data for 1992–1995 were rejected due to insufficient occurrences of empirical measurement. Content analysis with the use of the NUD^*IST^® software of the data resulted in 12 evaluation factors being identified. Four factors made up 72% of the study's findings: human capital, financial, process and customer. However, by charting the number of measures within each factor against each year from 1996 to 2002, some identifiable trends were highlighted. Financial, human capital, internal infrastructure and composite measures, such as the Balanced Scorecard, have grown in varying degrees in frequency of use, while customer, process, intellectual property, innovation and quality-related measures have gradually lost ground.     

Retweets of officials’ alarming vs reassuring messages during the COVID-19 pandemic: Implications for crisis management

Coronavirus related discussions have spiraled at an exponential rate since its initial outbreak. By the end of May, more than 6 million people were diagnosed with this infection. Twitter witnessed an outpouring of anxious tweets through messages associated with the spread of the virus. Government and health officials replied to the troubling tweets, reassuring the public with regular alerts on the virus's progress and information to defend against the virus. We observe that social media users are worried about Covid 19-related crisis and we identify three separate conversations on virus contagion, prevention, and the economy. We analyze the tone of officials’ tweet text as alarming and reassuring and capture the response of Twitter users to official communications. Such studies can provide insights to health officials and government agencies for crisis management, specifically regarding communicating emergency information to the public via social media for establishing reassurance.     

Dialectics of design: how ideas of ‘good design’ change

This paper advances a first‐pass theory of change in the styling of objects of domestic utility. It is based on the idea that the expressive potential of design for the maker, the user and the designer exists in tension with other desirable properties of the designed artefact. Respectively these are mass availability, conformity to professionally‐defined ideas of good taste, and the demands of function and marketability. The theory is illustrated by reference to the emergence and subsequent dilution of three design movements; Arts and Crafts, Art Nouveau and certain versions of Modernism.     

The intermediating role of organizational culture and internal analytical knowledge between the capability of big data analytics and a firm’s performance

Firms are increasingly relying on business insights obtained by deploying data analytics. Analytics-driven business decisions have thus taken a strategic imperative role for the competitive advantage of a firm to endure. The extent and effectiveness through which business firms can actually derive benefits by deploying big data-based practices requires deep analysis and calls for extensive research. This study extends the big data analytics capability (BDAC) model by examining the mediatory effects of organizational culture (CL) between internal analytical knowledge (KN) and BDAC, as well as the mediating effects of BDAC between CL and firm performance. The findings bring into focus that CL plays the role of complementary mediation between BDAC and KN to positively impact firm performance (FP); BDAC also plays a similar mediatory role between CL and the performance of a firm.     

Knowledge workers’ perceptions of potential benefits and challenges of inter-organizational knowledge sharing systems: a Delphi study in the health sector

Inter-organizational knowledge sharing systems (IOKSS) can serve as strategic systems for knowledge-based sectors. Most prior research on inter-organizational systems (IOSs) focuses on organizations’ adoption of such systems; they reveal little about knowledge workers’ adoption of IOS, especially in horizontally linked firms. Knowledge workers’ perception is critical to the deployment of IOKSS at all stages. On the basis of a Delphi technique in the health sector, this study demonstrates that IOKSS can benefit individuals, customers, organizations, the sector, and the knowledge sharing process, and that the challenges of IOKSS arise from individuals, peers, IOKSS, organizations, and the sector.     

Innovation with ‘Chinese’ characteristics? Reflecting on the implications of an ethnic-based paradigm of management and innovation

Cultural studies seem to dominate the field of management and innovation in China. Researchers have defined and considered Confucianism and a number of common, transnational Asian/Chinese values and practices allegedly unifying China and parts of East Asia. These values and practices have been erected as the cultural pillars of ‘Chinese management’, ‘Chinese entrepreneurship’ and, more recently, ‘indigenous innovation’ in the ethnic Chinese world and now mainland China. We believe these values and practices, frequently claimed as unique and fueling innovation in Chinese firms, to be potentially manipulated for strategic purposes, by political authorities as well as business organizations. This paper examines the aforementioned premises and questions the notions of Chinese ethnicity, values, management and innovation from political and strategic perspectives. We first present the emergence of Chinese values and Chinese management. We then consider this emergence in relation to political agendas and the renewal of Asianism or New Confucianism. The second part of the paper analyzes how such values and ethnicity can be utilized by entrepreneurs for both defensive and offensive business purposes. We then illustrate our debate with some reflections on the Shanzhai form of indigenous innovation before concluding with implications for researchers, managers and entrepreneurs and discussing the dangers of exoticism and avenues for future empirical research.     

Can people hear others’ crying?: A computational analysis of help-seeking on Weibo during COVID-19 outbreak in China

Social media like Weibo has become an important platform for people to ask for help during COVID-19 pandemic. Using a complete dataset of help-seeking posts on Weibo during the COVID-19 outbreak in China (N = 3,705,188), this study mapped their characteristics and analyzed their relationship with the epidemic development at the aggregate level, and examined the influential factors to determine whether and the extent the help-seeking crying could be heard at the individual level using computational methods for the first time. It finds that the number of help-seeking posts on Weibo has a Granger causality relationship with the number of confirmed COVID-19 cases with a time lag of eight days. This study then proposes a 3C framework to examine the direct influence of content, context, and connection on the responses (measured by retweets and comments) and assistance that help-seekers might receive as well as their indirect effects on assistance through the mediation of both retweets and comments. The differential influences of content (theme and negative sentiment), context (Super topic community, spatial location of posting, and the period of sending time), and connection (the number of followers, whether mentioning others, and verified status of authors and sharers) have been reported and discussed.