The hidden investments in information technology: The role of organisational context and system dependency

Management effectiveness is strongly influenced by the quality and availability of the information resource available to managers. This is partially dependent upon the information and communication technologies which transport events, data and knowledge from isolated consciousness to individual and collective awareness. However, the use of these technologies rarely occurs in isolation. Rather, it is embedded in a far wider organisational context which recognises the politics of decision making and technical change, and the broader culture and experiences of organisations. Central to this is understanding how information technology (IT) investments cause organisations to reflect on the importance of their processes of communication and the value they place on information. A key part of this organisational flux acknowledges that IT applications are built on the existing systems, structure and past experiences of the organisation. Accordingly, investments in IT form part of an ongoing organisational development. Such intangible aspects create a dilemma for management in that they prove problematic to evaluate using conventional approaches to cost justification. By drawing on a series of case studies, questionnaires and interviews, this paper suggests a fresh approach to this dilemma by developing the concepts of dependency, legacy and heritage. The paper concludes by recognising that current approaches to investment appraisal emphasise a narrow, short-term perspective which focuses on a single investment, rather than on a continuous investment stream.     

Who needs memory? the case for the Markovian organisation

This paper examines the contradiction of organisational memory: that an organisation requires a memory to operate effectively, but that that same memory inhibits and constrains its ability to operate effectively. We briefly review the field of organisational memory and note its close connection with organisational learning.We introduce a conceptual framework pioneered by Schultze and Stabell for examining contradictions in the area of knowledge management. We use this framework to distinguish between the conventional view of organisational memory, which implicitly or explicitly regards knowledge as a commodity, and a constructivist view, from which emerges a picture of the Markovian organisation: an organisation the future behaviour of which is determined not by memories of the past but by its current state, characterised by an organisational consciousness informed by the activities in which it is engaged. While the emphasis of this paper is theoretical, we suggest that adopting this Markovian view of the organisation might be particularly appropriate to practitioners in organisations that are immersed in turbulent environments.     

The <Emphasis Type="Italic">MinK</Emphasis> framework: towards measuring individual knowledge

Knowledge is the currency of the current economy and a vital resource for sustaining organisational performance in today’s knowledge-based intensively competitive business environment. To avoid the detrimental consequences of knowledge loss, managers are urged to identify where knowledge stocks exist and how knowledge flows within their organisations by identifying knowledge holders among their employees. Although some studies have attempted to use different methods to measure knowledge at the organisational level, very few have addressed the individual knowledge holder. Moving from a critical literature review of the existing knowledge measurement approaches, this paper proposes a novel framework that enables organisations to measure individual knowledge in the business context using a set of metrics, which are subsequently validated via a series of in-depth interviews with senior managers. A summary of the managers’ views on individual knowledge measurement is presented, and reflections on the industry application of the proposed framework and recommendations for its improvement are also discussed.     

What have we learned so far? The development and application of an organisational learning narrative

The use of narratives and stories has been growing in popularity in the field of knowledge management. Narratives may be used as useful vehicles for several knowledge-based activities within organisational (and other) contexts. These include acquiring and sharing knowledge in the form of personal experiences; the storage of explicit knowledge; and significantly, the development of personal knowledge and understanding through the use of narratives for sense-making. This paper presents research into the development and application of a method for the construction of a ‘learning narrative’: an organisational narrative developed for the specific purpose of sharing experiential knowledge. The paper presents a rationale for the use of narratives within knowledge management; details a methodological approach for the development of learning narratives; and highlights a number of benefits of the use of learning narratives, notably their use in sustaining and enhancing the quality of project-based work.     

Organisational conditions for service encounter-based innovation

This article investigates the organisational conditions for service encounter-based innovation. Its focus is on the initial crucial part of the innovation process during which ideas/new practises are developed by front-line employees and integrated in the organisation. The article argues that service encounter-based innovation varies among service organisations because of different organisational conditions. This is illustrated in a multiple comparative case study of 11 Scandinavian service organisations. A model of conditions for service encounter-based innovation is developed based on the theoretical discussions and the case study. The model suggests how and why some service organisations derive innovation benefits from service-encounters while others do not. Thus, the article provides new and important knowledge concerning user-driven innovation in services.     

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.     

The managerial foundations of knowledge assets dynamics

The ability of an organisation to harness knowledge assets dynamics lies at the core of organisational value creation capacity. A key challenge both for researchers and for practitioners is to understand how to measure and manage knowledge assets dynamics. In this paper the managerial foundations of knowledge assets dynamics are introduced. For measuring and managing knowledge assets dynamics within organisations three processes are discussed as follows: knowledge assets identification, knowledge assets mapping and knowledge assets flow. The ability of an organisation to gain sustainable competitive advantages is related to the capacity of mastering these processes. Each process is analysed introducing the possible frameworks that can inspire both scholars investigating the microfoundations of organisational knowledge dynamics, and practitioners looking for approaches to leverage knowledge assets to improve business performance.

     

Eliciting and mapping tacit knowledge on teamwork success of Six Sigma teams

This study aims to elicit and map tacit knowledge on teamwork success as a lens to examine variations in team performance. A new approach based on narrative simulations and the traditional similarity ratings were adopted with Six Sigma teams in an international manufacturing company. Convergence in the knowledge maps among team members and that between teams and the management of the company have been examined. Both approaches revealed differences in high performance teams and average teams. The narrative simulations elicited richer knowledge, provided a second layer with contexts to a better understanding of team knowledge, and generated more actionable suggestions for team development. Misconceptions in some Six Sigma teams were also identified, which provide insights for team training and development. The study demonstrates the application of narratives and sensemaking theories to the elicitation of team knowledge in rich contexts and multiple layers.     

An enterprise resource planning system innovation and its influence on organisational culture: a case study in higher education

Many organisations are adopting new enterprise resource planning (ERP) systems to address their organisational and business problems. These technologies may promise utopian visions of information management, yet often they have the potential to re-shape organisational life and bring even more control to the workplace; in some instances outcomes that are unpredictable and detrimental to the organisation. The study of ERPs and their influence on organisational life and culture is a complex and highly contested area of research which has been the subject of much theorising. This paper adds to the debate through a longitudinal case study of an integrated information system implementation undertaken within a large UK university. The system (known as SITS – strategic information technology services) was introduced into a university in 2006 and the focus of the research has been on culture change within the SITS environment. Document analysis, interviews and participant observation were used to collect data. What has emerged from this study is that many current approaches are unable to account for the complexity of cultural studies within an integrated information systems environment. Therefore we have adopted an approach which acknowledges technology’s power to facilitate or constrain, as well as the role that individuals play in the use of technology to organise.     

Learning cycles in knowledge-intensive organisations: an exploratory study of the nature and dimensions of knowledge development in four departments

From the perspective of Organisational Learning, organisations have the capacity to learn. Processes of organisational learning and knowledge development have been described mostly in idiosyncratic studies. In this paper, the question raised is how these learning processes can be mapped in a more general way? Can phenomena such as learning abilities of organisations or characteristic learning cycles as several authors broadly describe them, be detected? Unlike other theoretical currents of organisation research, the absence of shared research instruments makes it difficult to compare organisations and be able to pronounce upon their learning capabilities in a more general way.In this paper, the learning abilities of organisations are distinguished and described according to the model of the social learning cycle. A questionnaire was designed and validated to characterise the dimensions of a knowledge space and the stages of a learning cycle. The results, given by the four departments of three knowledge-intensive organisations, are analysed.     

Understanding of knowledge management roles and responsibilities: a study in the Australian context

Most of the studies in knowledge management (KM) argue for leadership as a vital success factor for any initiative. Top management leadership enables the effective promotion of knowledge sharing by creating an appropriate organisational culture, and making arrangements for corresponding policies and procedures across the organisation to facilitate management of knowledge resources and practices. There is little empirical research reported that has focussed on capturing the awareness and understanding of KM teams’ constitutions and their responsibilities. This study reports on the survey of top managers with respect to KM strategy development and implementation. It is based on a survey data collected from leading Australian companies, and builds on other empirical case studies, which looked at mechanisms of KM strategy development and implementation. The results provide a better understanding of the roles and responsibilities for successful KM strategy development and implementation, and can assist with designing KM teams in organisations.     

Unravelling knowledge creation and management in educational organisations: barriers and enablers

Knowledge Creation and Management (KCM) is one of the main strategies for fostering improvement in any kind of organisation, including educational organisations, on which this paper is focused. While KCM is being widely studied, little attention has been given to KCM in organisations supplying education, training and/or assessment services to learners (i.e., primary and secondary schools or higher education institutions, among others). From an educational management approach, the aim of this paper is to describe and analyse the factors that foster or inhibit KCM processes conducted within educational organisations. Professionals (n=84), moderators and managers or institutional leaders of four selected cases were surveyed and interviewed. Results show the importance of the main organisational and procedural factors (i.e., organisational values and goals, leadership, structure, culture, dynamics, Information and Communications Technologies, KCM processes and people) to improve KCM results in educational organisations.     

Auditing knowledge management practices: model and application

This paper proposes a knowledge management audit model to assist organisations to obtain an accurate picture of their knowledge-based assets and the strategies used to manage that knowledge across the organisations. The model also serves as a means for assessing how well the identified assets and strategies meet organisational business goals and strategies. The practical application of the model is illustrated in the local government environment. Implications of such an audit are also discussed.     

Intellectual capital and knowledge sharing: the mediating role of organisational knowledge-sharing climate

Healthcare organisations are facing the constant trade off to contain expenditures without sacrificing the quality of patient's care. This challenge to do ‘more with less’ induced healthcare executives to heavily invest in innovations activities in order to increase the efficiency of their organisations. By taking an individual-level perspective, our study focuses on knowledge-sharing behaviour among healthcare practitioners as a critical element to continuously improve the performance of healthcare organisations. Specifically we explore the effect of intellectual capital on practitioners’ knowledge-sharing behaviour, and propose organisational knowledge-sharing climate as mediator. We conducted a survey on three healthcare organisations. Our results substantiate the positive link between intellectual capital and knowledge-sharing behaviour, and reveal that organisational knowledge-sharing climate fully mediates this relationship. These findings provide hospital managers with key implications for the management of intellectual capital as a lever to improve the sharing and the diffusion of knowledge among practitioners.     

Competition and pluralism in the public sciences: the impact of institutional frameworks on the organisation of academic science

The role of the public sciences in supporting the growth of new industries with radically innovative technologies has varied between countries that encourage different levels of reputational competition and intellectual pluralism and flexibility. These two characteristics of public science systems help to explain: (a) significant differences in the degree to which research is coordinated across universities and similar organisations to solve common problems and, (b) the ease with which new intellectual goals and approaches are developed and incorporated into research programmes to deal with new kinds of problems. They thus help to account for continuing differences in the rate at which public science systems produce highly novel intellectual innovations and deal with a variety of problems.These characteristics of public science systems are in turn affected by four major features of the institutional frameworks governing the production of public formal knowledge in different countries. These are: the extent of state delegation of employment and resources control to scientific elites, concentration of intellectual and administrative control within research organisations, the stability and strength of the hierarchy of research organisations, and organisational segmentation of research goals and labour markets. Together these features help to explain major differences in competition and pluralism between public science systems.     

Freelancers and the absorption of external knowledge: practical implications and theoretical contributions

The term absorptive capacity (AC) describes the process of utilising external knowledge. Although firms are becoming increasingly reliant on highly skilled freelancers as a source of external knowledge, the literature on AC has not incorporated this collaboration for freelancers. In this paper, we address this research deficit in two ways: First, we argue that the ability to collaborate effectively and efficiently with freelancers plays a crucial role in the process of absorbing external knowledge. Second, we argue that the example of freelancers challenges researchers to rethink the conceptualisation of organisational boundaries within the concept of AC. Our paper is based upon previous theoretical insights and exploratory empirical data from a research project on German IT freelancers. For the practice of knowledge management, our paper elaborates upon how organisations can enhance their AC by investing in practices and routines that contribute to successful collaboration with freelancers.     

Managing knowledge assets in a complex business landscape: the relevance of emotive knowledge

In today's complex business landscape it is critical to identify and understand what are the knowledge-based value drivers affecting business value creation. This paper focuses on the relevance of the emotive knowledge as a key knowledge asset shaping organisational capabilities of 21st century organisations. The concept of emotive knowledge is analysed in accordance with a twofold perspective. On the one hand, it is considered as a driver of people's engagement, and on the other it is viewed as a key factor affecting the creation of intangible value to be incorporated into organisational infrastructures and products.     

Factors affecting attitudes and intentions towards knowledge sharing in the Dubai Police Force

This study contributes to the limited research base on knowledge sharing in public sector organisations, specifically police forces, and organisations in the Middle East through a case study investigation into the factors that affect knowledge sharing in the Dubai Police Force. A questionnaire-based survey was conducted with staff in key departments in the Dubai Police Force. Informed by the literature and by interviews conducted in a previous phase, the core of the questionnaire was a bank of Likert-style questions covering the dependent variables intention to knowledge share, and attitude towards knowledge sharing, and the independent variables, trust, organisational structure, leadership, reward, time, and information technology. Data was analysed using structured equation modelling, in order to test the measurement model using confirmatory factor analysis, and to test the structural model. The structural model suggests a strong relationship between attitude to knowledge sharing, and intention to share knowledge. Hypotheses regarding the influence of leadership, trust, organisational structure, time, and information technology on attitude to knowledge sharing were upheld. Rewards did not to influence attitude to knowledge sharing. Recommendations are offered for practice and further research.     

Sharing knowledge,being different and working as a team

Knowledge-intensive work in modern global organisations is largely organised in teams or groups. Most of this work can be classified as knowledge creation with outcomes such as plans, contracts, proposals and analyses. Cooperating for knowledge-intensive work is recognised as a social process in which identification and organisational climate play an important role. Yet despite the mutual interdependence of members, their relations in teams are not necessarily closely knitted. Teams in multinational companies consist of members with different national, ethnic, functional and educational backgrounds, who are often situated at different locations, using a combination of means to communicate. These are not the most favourable conditions for an open way of exchanging knowledge and insights. On the other side, diversity in expertise is supposed to be a necessary condition for knowledge creation. It offers the requisite variety that is needed to cope with complex problems and the cognitive distance that is supposed to stimulate organisational learning. It is expected that identification of team members with their group can counterbalance the negative effects of diversity, while it can enforce the positive effect of task interdependence. This research is directed to the relations between social identification, diversity, interdependence and knowledge sharing in corporate teams. Social identification is an important issue since it is known as a builder of extra role behaviour in organisations. Diversity and interdependence are team features that shape the identification with a team. Social identification is considered as an important mediator between these independent variables and knowledge sharing as a dependent variable. The research has been carried out in a large beverage company with plants and agencies all over the world. A questionnaire has been used with validated scales. The research data stem from a sample of 169 respondents from 30 teams. A strong relation between knowledge sharing and social identification was found, while diversity of teams plays an intriguing role in stimulating and inhibiting knowledge sharing between team members.     

The appropriation of conversational AI in the workplace: A taxonomy of AI chatbot users

There is an exponential growth of the use of AI applications in organisations. Due to the machine learning capability of artificial intelligence (AI) applications, it is critical that such systems are used continuously in order to generate rich use data that allow them to learn, evolve and mature into a better fit for their user and organisational context. This research focuses on the actual use of conversational AI, in particular AI chatbot, as one type of workplace AI application to answer the research question: how do employees experience the use of an AI chatbot in their day-to-day work? Through a qualitative case study of a large international organisation and by performing an inductive analysis, the research uncovers the different ways in which users appropriate the AI chatbot and identifies two key dimensions that determine their type of use: the dominant mode of interaction and the understanding of the AI chatbot technology. Based on these dimensions, a taxonomy of users is presented, which classifies users of AI chatbots into four types: early quitters, pragmatics, progressives, and persistents. The findings contribute to the understanding of how conversational AI, particularly AI chatbots, is used in organisations and pave the way for further research in this regard. The implications for practice are also discussed.