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.

     

Organizational culture and its relationship with knowledge management strategy: a case study

In this paper, we study the relationship between organizational culture and knowledge management strategy in Pars Oil, an Iranian oil refining public company. The Denison organizational culture model is used. The model measures four essential traits of culture and leadership: involvement, consistency, adaptability, and mission. Each of these traits has three indices providing a richness of detail about the trait. Data collection method is a survey using a suitable questionnaire. The results of data analysis show that there are significant relationships between four dimensions of knowledge management strategies (creation and transfer of knowledge) and organizational culture in the organization studied. Moreover, the results of ranking the factors influencing the knowledge management strategy show that the priority and importance of the organizational culture traits based on their effects on knowledge management strategy are, respectively, participation, adaptability, consistency, and mission cultures.     

Influencing scientists’ collaboration and productivity patterns through new institutions: University research centers and scientific and technical human capital

This paper analyzes the effect of university research centers on the productivity and collaboration patterns of university faculty. University research centers are an important subject for policy analysis insofar that they have become the predominant policy response to scientific and technical demands that have not been met by extant institutions, including academic departments, private firms, and government laboratories. Specifically, these centers aim to organize researchers from across the disciplines and sectors which, collectively as a research unit, possess the scientific and technical capacity relevant to scientific and technical goals of the sponsoring agencies. In this paper, we measure the productivity and collaboration patterns of university researchers affiliated with a relatively large-scale and “mature” university research center to discern the effects, if any, of the center mechanism on individual scientists and engineers. Based on an analysis of longitudinal bibliometric data, the results from this case study demonstrate affiliation with the center to be effective at enhancing overall productivity as well as at facilitating cross-discipline, cross-sector, and inter-institutional productivity and collaborations.     

网络嵌入性对产学研知识协同绩效的影响

产学研合作的网络化趋势影响着企业和学研机构之间的知识转移、共享与整合,探讨网络嵌入性对产学研知识协同绩效的影响机制具有重要意义。文章基于网络嵌入性视角,构建了网络嵌入性、知识搜索、产学研合作行为、产学研知识协同绩效之间关系的概念模型,提出了知识搜索与产学研合作行为作为中介变量的假设,并通过大规模问卷调查的数据进行了验证。结果发现：结构嵌入和关系嵌入对产学研知识协同绩效均有正向影响,知识搜索和产学研合作行为在“信任–产学研知识协同绩效”的关系中起完全中介作用,在网络嵌入性的其他三个维度与知识协同绩效之间的关系中都具有部分中介作用。论文的理论探讨和实证研究拓展了网络嵌入性的研究范围,深化了产学研知识协同的理论研究。     

多维度组织的知识协同管理研究

首先与一般意义的企业内部知识管理进行对比,分析了基于协同的知识管理的六个基本特征。然后,提出阻碍多维度组织知识共享的影响因素主要有文化、员工和机制。最后,基于上述三个影响因素,分别从业务、流程和战略的角度建立了各自的知识管理模型,进而基于模型提出了相应的实施流程与保障机制。     

Structuring fragmented knowledge: a case study

When the need to record and track the point of view of different actors in organizational processes becomes a key point for decision makers, a common representation of knowledge from different perspectives and a map of the situation and the decision and action needs could be useful. A methodology that easily and transparently integrates different ‘soft’ and ‘hard’ tools in a common knowledge structuring approach is proposed to deal with complexities and uncertainties in a socio-technical contest. The purpose of this paper is to show the potentialities of this methodology in a real case, in terms of organizational knowledge acquisition and structuring in a multi-actor public context, a university faculty, in relation to a radical change.     

The impact of funding on research collaboration: Evidence from a developing country

In this paper we evaluate the impact of research grants on the amount of collaboration among scientific researchers in Argentina. We find a positive and significant impact of funding on collaboration which is measured in terms of the number of co-authors for publications in peer-reviewed journals. Our identification strategy is based on comparing collaboration indicators for researchers with financially supported projects with those of a control group of researchers who submitted projects that were accepted in terms of quality, but not supported because of shortage of funds. We obtain consistent results by using different non-experimental techniques including difference-in-differences models combined with propensity score matching algorithms.     

跨界合作网络与专利产出的性别差异：基于中科院科研人员调查的实证研究

本文以中科院所属研究院所科研人员为主要调查对象，从跨界合作网络的视角出发，分析专利产出性别差异的社会网络机制。研究主要有3个发现：1.女性科研人员跨界合作网络规模和网络关系强度上均存在明显的欠缺；2.与企业界、其他学科领域合作网络规模和网络关系强度上的欠缺是影响专利产出性别差异的重要因素，而且网络关系强度的影响作用要大于网络规模的影响；3.性别对于跨界合作网络与专利产出关系的调节作用并不显著，即在拥有相同网络规模和网络关系强度的情况下，女性从与各类合作网络关系中获得专利产出回报的可能性与男性并无显著区别。与男性同事相比，女性的专利产出会更多地受到其他因素的影响，如职业早期的企业工作经历、单位组织的知识产权培训等。最后，在结果讨论的基础上提出在学术成果商业化新趋势下减少科技领域性别差异的政策建议。     

跨界合作网络与专利产出的性别差异：基于中科院科研人员调查的实证研究

本文以中科院所属研究院所科研人员为主要调查对象,从跨界合作网络的视角出发,分析专利产出性别差异的社会网络机制。研究主要有3个发现：1.女性科研人员跨界合作网络规模和网络关系强度上均存在明显的欠缺;2.与企业界、其他学科领域合作网络规模和网络关系强度上的欠缺是影响专利产出性别差异的重要因素,而且网络关系强度的影响作用要大于网络规模的影响;3.性别对于跨界合作网络与专利产出关系的调节作用并不显著,即在拥有相同网络规模和网络关系强度的情况下,女性从与各类合作网络关系中获得专利产出回报的可能性与男性并无显著区别。与男性同事相比,女性的专利产出会更多地受到其他因素的影响,如职业早期的企业工作经历、单位组织的知识产权培训等。最后,在结果讨论的基础上提出在学术成果商业化新趋势下减少科技领域性别差异的政策建议。     

Aggressively pursuing knowledge management over 2 years: a case study at a US government organization

As the US federal civilian workforce is ‘graying’, knowledge management (KM) can play a critical role in the strategic management of human capital in a government organization. KM should probably be a key pillar of the human capital strategy, along with competency management, performance management, and change management. Even though the need is great for knowledge management in government organizations, many of these agencies do not have a clear vision or strategy as to how to implement KM in their organization. To help those in the federal sector in implementing KM, this paper will discuss components of the knowledge management implementation plan at a leading US government organization (using GOV as the pseudonym) following a KM pyramid framework.     

创新管理中的性别影响评估与案例检验

由于性别的社会建构属性、创新成果形式的多元化，传统的“性别影响评估”作为一种政策分析工具，已经无法完全适用于评价实体和非实体创新成果。为解决这一问题，本研究从过程视角出发，提出“创新管理中的性别影响评估”，包含了筛选、设计、审查和价值实现四阶段和评估工具包（投入-产出-影响模型、影响评估标准矩阵和空间递推矩阵）。随后，以失能老人辅助器具的市场探索为例，将性别影响评估应用于该行业。创新管理中的性别影响评估为创新成果本身及其外溢的社会性别影响提供客观评价和反身思考的机会，促进创新成果达成两性共享、服务社会以及社会普惠的价值取向。     

The impact of geographical distance on learning through collaboration

There is little question that new communication and transportation technologies have effectively “shrunk the world” for a great many activities. At the same time, the “death of distance” has been greatly exaggerated, especially in fields such as academic scholarship and knowledge development where the positive benefits of knowledge spillovers remain highly distance dependent. We analyze 17.6 million publications authored by 1.7 million scholars to examine how knowledge spillovers between scholars collaborating at different geographical distances impacts their future knowledge portfolios. Our results show that in 1975, scholars collaborating locally were 57 % more likely to learn from knowledge spillovers than similar scholars collaborating non-locally. We identify four factors that structure these findings. Individuals deriving the greatest learning premiums from local collaboration tend to be (1) in earlier stages of their career; (2) associated with lower-ranked institutions; (3) working with fewer collaborators; and (4) in STEM fields. The probability of learning drops with geographical distance and correspond to the number of institutional boundaries crossed during collaboration. We conclude that even in the 21st century, geographical distance still negatively impacts knowledge spillovers through collaboration. These findings have implications for debates in innovation and management studies concerning knowledge spillovers, the spatial organization of (knowledge-intensive) economic activity, regional innovation policies, structuring team-work and working-from-home vs. returning to office.     

产学研合作中的主体差异性对知识转移的影响研究

本研究从主体差异性的不同维度的角度, 深入分析了不同合作主体差异性对学习意愿和吸收能力对知识转移直接效应的调节作用。通过对211家参与产学研合作的企业调查数据进行统计分析,结果表明, 产学研合作主体目标差异对于学习意愿和吸收能力与知识转移之间的关系存在负向调节效应,主体合作目标差异程度越大,企业学习意愿和吸收能力对知识转移的促进作用越低;合作主体知识技术差异对吸收能力与知识转移的关系具有显著的倒U型影响,高程度的知识技术差异减弱吸收能力对知识转移的影响,而知识技术差异程度过低也将负向调节吸收能力对知识转移的影响。基于以上研究结果, 本文提出了一系列的管理启示。     

供应链知识协同管理绩效评价研究

知识协同管理是提高知识创新与运用的效率进而保持供应链核心竞争力的必然选择。如何对整个供应链的知识协同管理绩效水平进行客观、准确地评价,对于找出影响绩效提高的关键因素并及时采取有效措施,充分发挥供应链知识资源效能,实现供应链的高效、敏捷运作具有非常重要的意义。在理论研究和实证调研的基础上构建了供应链知识协同管理绩效的评价指标体系,并运用层次分析法确定了各个指标的权重,进而利用多级模糊综合评价模型对供应链知识协同管理绩效进行了综合评价,最后运用一个算例验证了指标体系和模型的有效性和实用性。     

Identifying the information management process and knowledge creation in technology-based companies: a Brazilian comparative case study

Knowledge Management Research & Practice - Information and knowledge have been cited over the last two decades as competitive advantage tools. Recently, the use of them has been discussed to...     

隐性知识与企业核心能力:案例研究

随着知识经济的日益崛起,企业的经营和持续发展不再主要依赖资本、自然资源、劳动力等传统资源,而是更多地依赖专业知识、想法和洞察力这些智慧资产。就知识而言,由于显性知识容易沟通和共享,也极易被竞争对手复制和模仿,所以,显性知识显然难以形成企业持续的经营优势。案例研究表明,企业中,经验、技能、心智模式和组织惯例等这些隐性知识由于其巨大的客户价值性、稀缺性、不易模仿性和难以复制性,因此越来越多的企业将其看成企业的战略资源。而能否发掘企业中的隐性知识,充分发挥这些隐性知识的作用,便成为了获取和保持持续竞争优势的关键。     

出版社客户知识管理研究

出版社客户知识管理研究在分析其最终消费者--读者的消费特性的基础上,提出出版社客户知识管理的必要性.而且出版社的产品特性也决定出版社的发展不能停留在现阶段的满足读者阅读需求的层次上,而是树立"以客户为中心"的经营理念,与客户建立战略合作的伙伴关系.与客户资源共享,通过各种渠道获取客户资料,建立企业客户知识库,通过数据挖据技术来发掘客户潜在需求,进而去满足其潜在需求,在促进我国文化事业繁荣的同时,实现出版社的经济利益.     

Facts and fads in academic research management: The effect of management practices on research productivity in Australia

As a response to competitive market forces and governmental steering policies, Australian universities have strengthened considerably their internal research management in the last two decades. This paper examines empirically the effect of management on academic research productivity. The results suggest that management practices indeed seem to have some positive effect on research productivity, and the effect is consistent in the earlier (1995–2000) and later (2001–2007) time period. Universities with a more intensive management approach not only have higher absolute level of research productivity but they demonstrate also faster growth in productivity. An omitted variable bias and robustness of the results to the choice of the output measure are under a particular attention and call for some caution in interpreting the results.     

Professional networks, scientific collaboration, and publication productivity in resource-constrained research institutions in a developing country

We test the hypothesis that scientific collaboration is associated with increased publication productivity. We differentiate our approach from other studies by (a) incorporating professional networks in the productivity model, (b) casting productivity and collaboration as distinct phenomena, and (c) examining these phenomena in the context of resource-constrained research institutions in a developing country. We use survey data and employ negative binomial regression models. Results indicate that publication productivity is significantly linked to professional network factors, but there is no evidence of any association with scientific collaboration. We observe that most scientists collaborate in research projects despite coordination difficulties, and without any measurable impact on their productivity. Our interviews reveal that a possible answer to this puzzle appears to be rooted in a practice that views collaborative research projects not mainly as a means to producing knowledge and gaining recognition, but for acquiring professional opportunities and extrinsic rewards. Our findings suggest a new way of modeling publication productivity, with implications for science and innovation policy in both the developed and the developing world.