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.     

Virtual lead user communities: Drivers of knowledge creation for innovation

This study examines the creation of innovation-related knowledge in virtual communities visited mainly by lead users. Such communities enable firms to access a large number of lead users in a cost-efficient way. A propositional framework relates lead users’ characteristics to unique virtual community features to examine their potential impact on the development of valuable innovation knowledge. The authors empirically validate this framework by analyzing online contributions of lead users for mobile service innovation projects. The findings indicate that the value of their contributions stems from their ability to suggest solutions instead of simply describing problems or stating customer needs. Lead users’ technical expertise also makes them particularly well-suited to develop new functionalities, but less so for design and usability improvements. The digital context favors the creation of explicit knowledge that can be easily integrated into the development of new products. Finally, contributions given by lead users in a proactive way contain more novel insights than reactive contributions such as answers to community members’ questions. The findings should help managers stimulate, identify, and improve the use of lead users’ input in virtual communities.     

Knowledge map creation and maintenance for virtual communities of practice

This paper proposes a knowledge map management system to facilitate knowledge management in virtual communities of practice. To realize the proposed knowledge map management, we develop knowledge map creation and maintenance functions by utilizing information retrieval and data mining techniques. The knowledge maps created respectively from the documents of the teachers’ professional community, SCTNet, and the thesis repository at Taiwan’s National Central Library, are evaluated by experts of these two domains. Knowledge maps generated by the system are accepted by domain experts from the evaluation since the degree of their modification of the automatically created knowledge maps is proportionally small. The knowledge structure representing the categories of community documents maintains its high purity, diversity, specificity, and structure adaptation by using the knowledge map maintenance function with limited computational cost. Thus, the knowledge map creation and maintenance mechanisms developed in this research enable the dynamic knowledge management of communities of practice on the Internet.     

The knowledge-creating theory revisited: knowledge creation as a synthesizing process

This paper is a part of our attempt to build a new knowledge-based theory of the firm and organization to explain the dynamic process of knowledge creation and utilization. For this, we revisit the theory of knowledge creation through the SECI process and ba, and try to advance them further by incorporating the dialectic thinking. In this paper, knowledge creation is conceptualized as a dialectical process, in which various contradictions are synthesized through dynamic interactions among individuals, the organization, and the environment. With the view of a firm as a dialectic being, and strategy and organization should be re-examined as the synthesizing and self-transcending process instead of a logical analysis of structure or action. An organization is not an information-processing machine that is composed of small tasks to carry out a given task, but an organic configuration of ba. Ba, which is conceptualized as a shared context in motion, can transcend time, space, and organization boundaries to create knowledge.     

Trust as an antecedent to knowledge sharing in virtual communities of practice

This study focusses on the role of trust in knowledge sharing within the context of virtual communities of practice. Trust is widely accepted as an important enabler of knowledge management (KM) processes. We conceptualise trust across three dimensions, namely: competence, integrity and benevolence; we test hypotheses as to the effect of these facets of trust on knowledge sharing by surveying an intra-organisational global virtual community of practitioners. The results indicate that all three dimensions of trust are positively related to knowledge-sharing behaviour. Trust based on the perceived integrity of the community was found to be the strongest predictor of knowledge-sharing behaviour. Our findings suggest that the dimensions of trust buttress each other; although they are theoretically distinct, they appear to be empirically inseparable. We propose that in order for knowledge sharing to be enabled, trust must concurrently exist in all three dimensions. Implication to organisations in their recruitment policy is to include competence, integrity and benevolence in their sought-for attributes of new employees. KM practitioners also have to encourage these attributes in existing employees, who are potential members of on-line communities of practice. Knowledge sharing itself was conceptualised with three components – quantity (frequency), quality (usefulness or value) and focus (the degree to which an individual feels that they engage in knowledge sharing). Of the three components, focus exhibits the most significant relationship with trust factors. This finding makes knowledge sharing less tangible than perhaps would be expected. It suggests that establishing whether knowledge has been shared is more than counting the frequency or trying to evaluate the usefulness of the shared knowledge. These aspects are important especially to management, but to the individual who shares knowledge, her feelings of having shared knowledge appear to be more important. With the current understanding that knowledge sharing is more of a human activity than technology, it is important that any information system should be assistive in boosting users’ confidence that they are indeed sharing knowledge. If the systems do not re-enforce the users’ knowledge-sharing orientation, knowledge sharing may be discouraged. Notwithstanding the point made about knowledge-sharing focus, it is necessary to take into consideration all the components of knowledge sharing to fully capture the concept. This was well indicated when the combined variable of all (rather than individual) knowledge-sharing items had the strongest correlation with trust factors.

     

Spatio-temporal processes of knowledge creation

This article presents a novel spatio-temporal framework for studying knowledge creation. To achieve this, we analyzed the recent literature on space, time and knowledge and conducted an empirical study. The intensive case was about four international distinguished university research groups in Finland in the fields of technology and science. Object, communicative and cognitive spaces with linear and relational times were used as tools for empirical analysis. Combinations of space and time bring out different aspects of knowledge. Knowledge processes of progressing knowledge (time-space), creating distinguished knowledge (space-time), and path-taking and bundling knowledge (spacetime) bind spaces and times closely together. Besides academy, the spatio-temporal framework can be applied to study the knowledge creation processes in art, business and local communities, for example.     

知识管理策略与知识创造

知识创造过程是揭示显性知识和隐性知识在个体或组织中相互转化和作用从而产生新的知识的重要模型和理论。本文在分析、归纳了知识创造过程与知识管理策略的相互关系的基础上,提出了对应于不同的知识创造过程所应采用的知识管理策略。     

The future of value creation and innovations: Aspects of a theory of value creation and innovation in a global knowledge economy

What enhances innovation and value creation in the global knowledge economy? We offer several answers here, chief among them this: Leaders need to move away from focusing on developing innovations and value within the mental models, systems, and organizational solutions of the old industrial economy, with its firm- and product-centric view of value. Instead, they need to focus on providing tailor-made products and services to the newly connected and interconnected customer. They can do this with individualized immediate feedback, a new organizational logic, and new cooperating structures.     

绿色创业导向对绿色竞争优势的影响研究

随着绿色创业理论的丰富与完善,绿色创业导向成为绿色创业研究领域的重要议题。基于知识创造螺旋理论,引入绿色知识创造和知识吸收能力作为中介变量和调节变量,构建绿色创业导向对绿色竞争优势影响机制的理论模型。通过对589份调查问卷进行实证分析,结果显示：绿色创业导向对绿色竞争优势具有正向影响;绿色知识创造在绿色创业导向与绿色竞争优势之间起中介作用;知识吸收能力正向调节绿色创业导向与绿色竞争优势、绿色知识创造与绿色竞争优势之间的关系;知识吸收能力正向调节绿色创业导向通过绿色知识创造影响绿色竞争优势的过程。研究结果有助于丰富和拓展绿色创业理论,为绿色创业实践提供指导。     

知识创造与知识创新的涵义及其关系论

基于创造和创新涵义的知识创造和知识创新各具其特有的涵义,前者主要指创造新的、思想性的流程性知识的过程,而后者是指将所创造的、新的思想性的流程性知识具体应用于新产品的开发和生产过程之中。二者既相互区别又相互联系,并统一于RD活动中。     

From knowledge theory to management practice: towards an integrated approach

This paper critically contrasts the three main schools of thought on knowledge – namely, those that respectively conceptualize knowledge as situated in mind, process, and object – and assesses the resulting implications for knowledge management (KM). Against the background of the existing diversity of definitions of KM an integrated and holistic view of the KM value chain is put forward. Within this theoretical framework five main research streams (culture, knowledge location, awareness, evaluation, and absorption) are identified with a view to devising a practical concept of KM applicable in a business context. With a focus on knowledge flow and detailed approaches to potential solutions, conflicts and compatibilities between existing business strategies and KM are examined. A conceptual model is devised to offer a holistic integration of the theoretical and practical themes in order to serve as a framework for developing a future research agenda for the development of theoretically grounded, yet practical, KM business tools and applications.     

论跨国公司中知识的创造和共享

知识已成为跨国公司最具竞争优势的资源,因为它能够使跨国公司比其它竞争对手更具优势。有效采用跨国团队的形式,可以提高充分利用全球分散知识的能力,这对跨国公司是非常重要的。     

知识创造的复杂适应系统角度分析

认为知识创造系统的适应性主体是知识单元及其拥有者的组合体,从而利用复杂适应系统理论,建立知识创造系统的刺激反应模型,并分析知识创造的过程和机理.     

企业群体知识的创造与互动性研究

在竞争日趋激烈的今天，企业总是在创造并利用知识，知识资本已成为企业的重要价值基础，企业中个体成员的创造性知识经过有效的互动，被整合为企业的群体知识，并通过企业间的知识流动，形成企业的核心竞争力。本文就企业群体知识的创造过程和模型作了相关研究。     

Emergence and evolution of new industries: The path-dependent dynamics of knowledge creation. An introduction to the special section

In this introduction, we review the arguments that underpin the rationale for the special section, and provide a structured sequence for the contents of the six selected papers that comprise the section.     

Measuring knowledge creation in virtual teams through the social network analysis

The current literature regarding virtual teams (VTs) lacks outcomes related to intellectual capital (IC) and knowledge management (KM). Moreover, e-collaboration and VTs need the necessary metrics to assess the real benefits that KM derives from the use of new e-collaboration technologies. There is also scarce evaluation of the cause–effect linkage between a VT structural configuration and its creative performance. Following this lead, we propose an evaluation method based on social network analysis (SNA) and indexes referring to knowledge creation. The paper concludes with an application on a real case study that shows how this methodology can be used as a KM tool to increase the creative output of VTs.     

Passing the torch of knowledge: Star death,collaborative ties,and knowledge creation

Stars hold a large portion of organizational knowledge, and their sudden absence may have non-trivial consequences for firms. In this study, I investigate what happens to the knowledge of star inventors following their absence. In particular, I consider the composition of stars' ties with coinventors and examine how it affects the future use of stars' knowledge (i.e., patents). Using the death of star inventors as an exogenous cause for their absence in firms, I find that the use of a star's patents in a firm's subsequent inventive efforts declines following the star's death. The results also indicate that when star inventors frequently collaborate with coinventors, the negative effect of stars' absence on the future use of their knowledge is somewhat alleviated. Further, the presence of central inventors in stars' collaboration networks increases the relative use of stars' knowledge in future inventions. The findings inform managers about conditions that favor “passing the torch” of knowledge from stars to their peers.     

英国知识要素参与分配的实践与思考

从２０世纪初著名的经济学家马歇尔（Ｍａｒｓｈａｌｌ）提出“知识是经济发展的首要引擎”的论断到今天，知识在推动经济增长方面已显示出巨大驱动力。许多有识之士把今天由知识经济引发的变革等同于１８世纪瓦特发明蒸汽机所引发的世界工业革命，其寓意不可不谓深远。知识经济正在快步向我们走来，它所带来的变革将是巨大和深远的。首先知识的创造和开发成为人类创造财富的重要方式；推动世界经济由传统的物质资源驱动向知识资源驱动的转变；极大地压缩了世界经济地理空间，加剧了竞争；影响并改变世界传统资源力量对比。 英国作为老牌资…     

基于"知识能级跃迁"的知识创造途径研究

企业知识创造能力是企业竞争优势的主要来源。从知识跃迁的角度提出了知识能级跃迁模型,并对其中的知识跃迁黑箱进行了深入的探究。在此模型的基础上,论文从知识形态、知识主体、社会思维过程三个方面对知识创造的途径进行了研究。