A sensemaking model of knowledge in organisations: a way of understanding knowledge management and the role of information technologies

The objective of the paper is to demonstrate how a sensemaking model of knowledge enables better and deeper understanding of knowledge management (KM) processes in organisations and the role of information technologies (IT) in these processes. Inspired and informed by a sensemaking view of organisations, the model identifies four types of knowledge, corresponding to four sensemaking levels: the individual, collective, organizational, and cultural. Each knowledge type, as the paper shows, is of different nature and has different characteristics but is constituted and affected by all other knowledge types. An organisation is thus seen as a ‘distributed knowledge system’ composed of numerous instances of these four knowledge types and their dynamic interplay. By drawing from three empirical studies, the paper illustrates how the sensemaking model of knowledge can be applied to investigate different ways companies (try to) manage knowledge and use IT-based systems to improve KM and ultimately company performance. A deeper understanding of these processes through the lens of the model reveals mechanisms and forces underlying KM phenomena that help explain why some processes were successful and others failed. The paper intends to make the following contributions: propose a theoretical framework of knowledge and KM in organizations, which is reasonably comprehensive and empirically grounded and also demonstrate its relevance and usefulness to both researchers and practitioners as they investigate and make sense of specific KM processes and IT applications in practice.     

The role of Lean principles in supporting knowledge management in IT outsourcing relationships

Knowledge management (KM) in information technology outsourcing (ITO) is important to the organizations which pursue long-term strategic benefits and innovation. Effective KM mechanism in outsourcing enables both parties to continuously exchange knowledge and promotes collective learning. This paper investigates the role of Lean principles in supporting KM in ITO relationships. Drawn from the knowledge-based view of the firm, knowledge accessing and knowledge integration and utilization are identified as two key KM processes in outsourcing. Three case studies conducted in different service industries with 18 interviews indicate that the two KM processes were supported by four Lean principles: respect for people, continuous improvement, systems thinking, and proactive behavior. Those principles can be implemented with different tools at different organizational levels. This study reveals the relevance between Lean and KM in ITO relationships, which has not been reported by the KM literature. It also provides implications to ITO practitioners for the implementation of Lean principles.     

Society-in-the-loop: programming the algorithmic social contract

Recent rapid advances in Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Machine Learning have raised many questions about the regulatory and governance mechanisms for autonomous machines. Many commentators, scholars, and policy-makers now call for ensuring that algorithms governing our lives are transparent, fair, and accountable. Here, I propose a conceptual framework for the regulation of AI and algorithmic systems. I argue that we need tools to program, debug and maintain an algorithmic social contract, a pact between various human stakeholders, mediated by machines. To achieve this, we can adapt the concept of human-in-the-loop (HITL) from the fields of modeling and simulation, and interactive machine learning. In particular, I propose an agenda I call society-in-the-loop (SITL), which combines the HITL control paradigm with mechanisms for negotiating the values of various stakeholders affected by AI systems, and monitoring compliance with the agreement. In short, ‘SITL = HITL + Social Contract.’     

Streams of shared knowledge: computational expansion of knowledge-flow theory

In this article, we investigate empirically the theoretical split between emphases upon specialist vs trans-specialist knowledge in the organization – or more generally between exploitation and exploration – a split that divides knowledge-flow theory at present, and hence represents an important issue for knowledge management (KM). We review the relevant literature, articulate hypotheses, and employ computational experimentation to test them empirically. Our findings provide novel, insightful understanding of the factors that contribute toward understanding the relative balance between specialist vs trans-specialist knowledge in particular, and exploitation vs exploration more generally. We offer three main contributions: (1) we critique extant theory relating to the substitutability of specialist and interspecialist knowledge; (2) we offer new conceptual insight and empirical evidence concerning substitutability of these knowledge types in the organization; and (3) we demonstrate the empirical power of computational experimentation to examine KM questions of both theoretical and practical interest.     

Effect of Tulsi (<Emphasis Type="Italic">Ocimum sanctum</Emphasis> Linn.) Supplementation on Metabolic Parameters and Liver Enzymes in Young Overweight and Obese Subjects

Ocimum sanctum Linn. (also known as Tulsi) is a sacred Indian plant, the beneficial role of which, in obesity and diabetes is described traditionally. This is a randomized, parallel group, open label pilot study to investigate the effect of O. sanctum on metabolic and biochemical parameters in thirty overweight/obese subjects, divided into two groups A and B. Group A (n = 16) received one 250 mg capsule of Tulsi (O. sanctum) extract twice daily in empty stomach for 8 weeks and group B (n = 14) received no intervention. Statistically significant improvements in the values of serum triglycerides (p = 0.019); low density lipoprotein (p = 0.001); high density lipoprotein (p = 0.001); very low density lipoprotein (p = 0.019); Body Mass Index, BMI (p = 0.005); plasma insulin (p = 0.021) and insulin resistance (p = 0.049) were observed after 8 weeks in the O. sanctum intervention group. The improvement in HDL-C in the intervention group when compared to the control group was also statistically significant (p = 0.037). There was no significant alteration of the liver enzymes SGOT and SGPT in both the intervention (p = 0.141; p = 0.074) and control arms (p = 0.102; p = 0.055) respectively. These observations clearly indicate the beneficial effects of O. sanctum on various biochemical parameters in young overweight/obese subjects.     

Objections to Ostritsch’s argument in “The amoralist challenge to gaming and the gamer’s moral obligation”

This paper raises three objections to the argument presented by Ostritsch in The amoralist challenge to gaming and the gamer’s moral obligation, in which the amoralist’s mantra “it’s just a game” is viewed as an illegitimate rebuttal of all moral objections to (typically violent) video games. The first objection focuses on Ostritsch’s ‘strong sense’ of player enjoyment, which I argue is too crude, given the moral work it is meant to be doing. Next, I question the legitimacy of Ostritsch’s claim that certain video games are immoral. I examine what is involved in making this claim and what would be required for a normative position to be established: none of which is addressed by Ostritsch. Finally, I challenge the legitimacy of his claim that players are obliged not to play certain video games in certain ways (i.e., games endorsing immorality as ‘fun games’). I distinguish between immoral and suberogatory actions, arguing that the latter is in fact more applicable to cases Ostritsch has in mind, and that one is not obliged not to engage in these actions.     

The effect of internal social capital on knowledge sharing

On the basis of the Chinese schema, we propose that internal social capital manifests itself in the form of ‘guanxi’, trust, and norms. We discuss the concept of interpersonal relationships within the context of Chinese culture by embedding the guanxi concept into a model to investigate the relationships among the three dimensions. We used a survey-based methodology to collect data from 230 employees of the top 100 high-technology firms in Taiwan and structural equation modelling (SEM) with LISREL 8.54 to examine the hypotheses model. The results indicated that at the individual level, guanxi is positively related to both trust and norms, which are also positively related to knowledge sharing. The mediating effects of trust and norms were also found to be significant. Trust directly influences knowledge sharing, and plays a mediating role between knowledge sharing and guanxi. This suggests that knowledge sharing is likely to occur when trust exists among employees. The results further indicate that norms mediate the relationship between guanxi and knowledge sharing. Guanxi among members influences knowledge sharing; therefore, organizations require a feasible solution using the relational norms mechanism. Previous studies have either emphasized the direct influence of social capital or regarded all variables to be of similar importance for knowledge sharing; however, no clear explanations have been provided explaining its influence on knowledge sharing. We advance understanding of why social capital enhances knowledge sharing among employees and the means by which this occurs.     

A study of knowledge management enablers across countries

Knowledge has been long cited as a strategic asset and a source of competitive advantage for organizations. However, the creation of knowledge is a complex process that is influenced by several factors beyond the typical practice of knowledge management (KM). In this research, we assess the effects of leadership, Ba (shared context in motion), organizational culture, organizational control, and work style on KM defined in terms of the SECI process of socialization, externalization, combination, and internalization. On the basis of data gathered from a questionnaire survey of a Japanese pharmaceutical company and its subsidiaries in the United States, France, and China, we compare how the aforementioned organizational factors influence the processes of KM in these organizations. The results show that organizational factors affect KM practices differently in each of the targeted countries, and suggest that KM activities need to be tailored to the organizational idiosyncrasies of each local office, without betraying the global vision of the corporation.     

Aflatoxins: Implications on Health

Environmental occurrence of Aspergillus and other fungal spores are hazardous to humans and animals. They cause a broad spectrum of clinical complications. Contamination of aflatoxins in agri-food and feed due to A. flavus and A. parasiticus result in toxicity in humans and animals. Recent advances in aspergillus genomics and aflatoxin management practices are encouraging to tackle the challenges posed by important aspergillus species.     

Bionomics of Mansonioides mosquitoes in relation to community structure of hydrophytes/breeding habitats in Cherthala,Kerala

Three species of Mansonioides vectors viz.,Ma. annulifera, Ma. uniformis andMa. indiana were found in Cherthala taluk, Kerala which is one of the endemic areas due toB. malayi. The immatures of Mansonioides thrive mainly in association with macrophytic hydrophytes such asP. stratiotes, S. molesta andE. crassipes in perennial habitats (ponds, channels/ canals etc.,) andI. miliaceae in seasonal habitats (fallow lands etc.) Breeding potential was higher (130.19) in clean ponds withP. stratiotes, compared to that of polluted ones (40.69). However, the polluted habitats infested with the same host plants were found to be the most productive forMa. annulifera, with an average daily adult emergence rate of 601/100 sq.m.). The clean habitats played a major role in the contribution ofMa. uniformis, whereS. molesta in the perennial habitats and I. miliaceae in the seasonal fallow lands were the favourable plants contributing a daily output of 12.5/100 sq.m and 221.81/100 sq.m. respectively.E. crassipes infested polluted habitats formed the major source forMa. indiana, the emergence rate being 13.89/100 sq.m. The perennial habitats supported mainly the breeding ofMa. annulifera (70.82%), whereas the seasonal habitats contributed the major chunk ofMa. uniformis (92.54%) andMa. indiana (71.43%). The bionomics of Mansonioides mosquitoes are thus shown to be greatly influenced by the community structure of hydrophytes and also the nature of breeding habitats.     

Privacy: an institutional fact

Let us show how property is grasped as an institutional fact. If Jones steals a computer, he does not own it in the sense of property, but only exercises control towards it. If he buys the computer, he controls it too, and moreover owns it in the sense of property. In other words, simply exercising control towards something is a brute fact. This control counts as property only in a certain context: the computer counts as Jones’s property only if he got it through a licit transfer. This is why property is not a brute fact, and is therefore an institutional fact. The same kind of reasoning applies to privacy. When a personal information P about Jones is openly diffused, it seems that P becomes public. From this point of view, a violation of privacy equates to a publication. The problem about this account is the following: who would call “publication of a book” the hacking of it on its author’s computer? No one, because the word “publication” is an institutional word that only refers to a licit diffusion. Considering this answer, we may conclude as follows: if the diffusion of P is illicit, P still counts as private, even if everyone knows about it. If that conclusion is true, privacy is an institutional fact.     

A citation and co-citation analysis of 10 years of KM theory and practices

In a previous issue of Knowledge Management Research & Practice (KMRP), we analysed the content and keywords of all articles published in the first decade of KMRP. With this article, we extend our preliminary analysis to the citation and co-citations made by these articles. The study covers all the 256 articles published. The most cited article was A dynamic theory of organisational knowledge creation by Nonaka. The most cited KMRP article was by Nonaka and Toyama: The knowledge-creating theory revisited: knowledge creation as a synthesizing process. The co-citation analysis of the 100 most cited articles in KMRP publications showed that four groups of topics emerged, one around communities and situated learning, the second group around networks, knowledge transfer and research methods, a third group around the foundations of knowledge management and a fourth group around intellectual capital.     

Genetic Variation in <Emphasis Type="Italic">CD166</Emphasis> Gene and Its Association with Bladder Cancer Risk in North Indian Population

Adhesion molecules play a key role in cancer progression and tumorigenesis. Genetic polymorphism of adhesion molecules may alter the normal functioning thereby leading to bladder cancer susceptibility. Hence we aimed to evaluate three SNPs of CD166 gene (CD166rs6437585 C/T, CD166rs10511244 C/T, and CD166rs1157 A/G) in bladder cancer patients and normal controls of North Indian population. A total of 270 healthy controls and 240 confirmed bladder cancer patients were recruited for this study. Three SNPs of CD166 gene viz. CD166rs6437585 C/T, CD166rs10511244 C/T, and CD166rs1157 A/G were selected for this study. CD166rs6437585 C/T and CD166rs10511244 C/T were genotyped by Taqman allelic discrimination assay and CD166rs1157 A/G was genotyped by PCR–RFLP. The statistical analysis was done using the SPSS software, version 16.0 (SPSS, Chicago, IL), and p < 0.05 was considered statistically significant. Haplotypic analysis was done by using SNP analyzer version 1.2A. CD166rs6437585 C/T and CD166rs10511244 C/T showed significant association with reduced risk in bladder cancer while CD166rs1157 A/G showed significant high risk along with association at genotypic and allelic levels. Haplotypic analysis showed 1.8-folds risk in CCG combination, whereas CTA and TCG showed significant association with reduced risk. Further stratification on the basis of smoking, tumor grade/stage and BGC therapy revealed no association of these three polymorphic sites of CD166. Our study suggests that CD166rs6437585 C/T and CD166rs10511244 C/T are predictive for the reduced risk of bladder cancer, whereas CD166rs1157 A/G had shown significant association with high risk of bladder cancer in North Indians. This somehow suggests that CD166rs1157 A/G can be used as a marker for risk prediction of bladder cancer.     

Effects of <Emphasis Type="Italic">Alternanthera sessilis</Emphasis> on Liver Function in Carbon Tetra Chloride Induced Hepatotoxicity in Wister Rat Model

Alternanthera sessilis commonly known as ‘sessile joy weed’ or ‘dwarf copperleaf’ is found throughout the hotter parts of India up to an altitude of 1200 m². In Assam, the plant has been traditionally used in the treatment of jaundice along with other ailments. The study focuses primarily on the evaluation of hepatoprotective activity of the plant with special references to its putative protective role in carbon tetrachloride induced liver injury on Wister albino rat. The in vivo hepatoprotective activity of the methanolic extract at the dose of 250 mg/kg body weight was highly effective in controlling SGPT, SGOT, ALP, serum cholesterol and serum bilirubin level as compared to silymarin. The said extract also significantly lowered the lipid profile caused by CCl₄. The activity shown by methanolic extract of the whole plant of A. sessilis is of considered importance and thus justified its use in controlling hepatic diseases in traditional treatment system.     

Seizing control?: The experience capture experiments of Ringley &; Mann

Will the proliferation of devices that provide the continuous archival and retrieval of personal experiences (CARPE) improve control over, access to and the record of collective knowledge as Vannevar Bush once predicted with his futuristic memex? Or is it possible that their increasing ubiquity might pose fundamental risks to humanity, as Donald Norman contemplated in his investigation of an imaginary CARPE device he called the “Teddy”? Through an examination of the webcam experiment of Jenni Ringley and the EyeTap experiments of Steve Mann, this article explores some of the social implications of CARPE. The authors’ central claim is that focussing on notions of individual consent and control in assessing the privacy implications of CARPE while reflective of the individualistic conception of privacy that predominates western thinking, is nevertheless inadequate in terms of recognizing the effect of individual uptake of these kinds of technologies on the level of privacy we are all collectively entitled to expect. The authors urge that future analysis ought to take a broader approach that considers contextual factors affecting user groups and the possible limitations on our collective ability to control the social meanings associated with the subsequent distribution and use of personal images and experiences after they are captured and archived. The authors ultimately recommend an approach that takes into account the collective impact that CARPE technologies will have on privacy and identity formation and highlight aspects of that approach.     

Successful knowledge management requires a knowledge culture: a case study

Culture is widely acknowledged to be a critical success factor in knowledge management (KM). This paper presents the case of KM implementation at MKS, an IT consulting firm based in India. Although the KM initiative at MKS had many of the hallmarks associated with successful KM projects, the initiative failed to get off the ground due to the absence of a ‘knowledge culture’ within the organisation. Subsequent interviews with MKS staff uncovered a range of cultural themes that appeared to impede the institutionalisation of KM at MKS. These cultural themes included:

• internal competitiveness among MKS staff resulting in ‘knowledge hoarding’,
• a lack of personal reward and incentive to engage in knowledge sharing,
• concerns over job security and the ‘devaluation’ of employees,
• stigma associated with the reliance on someone else's ideas,
• preference for a face-to-face mode of knowledge sharing over a tool-supported approach and
• doubts over the quality of knowledge shared by more junior staff.

     

Cytochrome P450 Genes (CYP2E1 and CYP1A1) Variants and Susceptibility to Chronic Hepatitis B Virus Infection

Hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection is a worldwide health concern which is associated with significant morbidity and mortality. Both viral and host factors have a significant effect on infection, replication and pathogenesis of HBV. The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of CYP2E1 and CYP1A1 genetic variants on susceptibility to HBV. 143 individuals including 54 chronic HBV patients and 89 healthy controls were enrolled in the genotyping procedure. rs2031920 and rs3813867 at CYP2E1 as well as rs4646421 and rs2198843 at CYP1A1 loci were studied in all subjects using PCR–RFLP (restriction fragment length polymorphism) analysis. Both variants at CYP2E1 locus were monomorphic in all studied subjects. Genotype frequency of rs4646421 was significantly different between chronic HBV patients and healthy blood donors (P = 0.04, OR 4.31; 95% CI 1.04–17.7). Furthermore, individuals carrying at least one C allele (CC or CT genotypes) for rs4646421 seemed to have a decrease risk of hepatitis in comparison with TT genotype (P = 0.039). Our results showed a relationship between rs4646421 TT genotype (rare genotype) and the risk for developing chronic HBV infection (four times higher). Further studies are needed to examine the role of CYP1A1 polymorphism in susceptibility to chronic HBV infection.     

Managing supply chain knowledge-based linkages for improving operational performance

Purpose – This paper aims to explore the role of internal and external knowledge-based linkages across the supply chain in achieving better operational performance. It investigates how knowledge is accumulated, shared, and applied to create organization-specific knowledge resources that increase and sustain the organization’s competitive advantage. Design/methodology/approach – This paper uses a single case study with multiple, embedded units of analysis, and the social network analysis (SNA) to demonstrate the impact of internal and external knowledge-based linkages across multiple tiers in the supply chain on the organizational operational performance. The focal company of the case study is an Italian manufacturer supplying rubber components to European automotive enterprises. Findings – With the aid of the SNA, the internal knowledge-based linkages can be mapped and visualized. We found that the most central nodes having the most connections with other nodes in the linkages are the most crucial members in terms of knowledge exploration and exploitation within the organization. We also revealed that the effective management of external knowledge-based linkages, such as buyer company, competitors, university, suppliers, and subcontractors, can help improve the operational performance. Research limitations/implications – First, our hypothesis was tested on a single case. The analysis of multiple case studies using SNA would provide a deeper understanding of the relationship between the knowledge-based linkages at all levels of the supply chain and the integration of knowledge. Second, the static nature of knowledge flows was studied in this research. Future research could also consider ongoing monitoring of dynamic linkages and the dynamic characteristic of knowledge flows. Originality/value – To the best of our knowledge, the phrase ‘knowledge-based linkages’ has not been used in the literature and there is lack of investigation on the relationship between the management of internal and external knowledge-based linkages and the operational performance. To bridge the knowledge gap, this paper will show the importance of understanding the composition and characteristics of knowledge-based linkages and their knowledge nodes. In addition, this paper will show that effective management of knowledge-based linkages leads to the creation of new knowledge and improves organizations’ operational performance.     

Towards a codification of practical knowledge

As practical knowledge seems to have a central place in organisational issues, we focus on possibilities of studying and formalising it. From an unusual theoretical perspective, we view practical knowledge as embodied knowing that is only manifest through action in a particular situation. Although this knowledge is largely implicit, we try to make what is articulable explicit. After highlighting the stakes involved in the codification of practices, we review the ontological and epistemological assumptions underlying the method developed. The method is founded on participant observation, a video recording of a situated subjective perspective and an ex post interview using this perspective to aid an actor in making part of his/her practical knowledge explicit. We present its implementation within research on polar expeditions in order to understand how an experienced actor deals with risks. In conclusion, we point out (1) the importance of this kind of data in knowledge management, (2) some lines of further research.