Communication Gone Wired: Working Toward a "Practiced" Cyberfeminism

Abstract

Numerous environmental forces exist today that contribute to changing industry and market segments. The least studied of these is the impact of information systems which transcend traditional company boundaries. One of the subtle impacts of contemporary developments in information systems technology is the redefinition of traditional organizational and industrial boundaries. Examples of these interorganizational systems (referred to as IOS), reviewed by the author, imply that a wide range of organizations may have an opportunity to use these systems to improve their operations, services to their customers, and their competitive position.

Some of these systems raise public policy issues that are not well understood, nor are they being addressed in a comprehensive manner. This article is designed to provide a conceptual framework for thinking about these systems.     

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.     

机构库建设与组织的知识集成探讨

本文讨论了目前在世界范围内蓬勃开展的机构知识库的特点、资源内容、代表性项目与技术系统,另外对作为研究热点的知识管理体系中知识集成的定义与模式加以探讨.通过分析认为,建设机构知识库可作为组织的知识集成的有效手段之一,实现组织内外的知识与知识集成、知识与人集成、知识与实践集成,并实现传统学术交流方式不易实现的隐性知识与显性知识集成,促进组织的知识创新,提高核心竞争力.机构知识库的建设可以丰富知识集成的理论与实践.     

An assessment of knowledge growth stages in organizations

This paper examines the stages of knowledge growth in 50 companies through a qualitative research study that asked employees to identify where their organization ranks along Bohn's eight-stage scale ranging from complete ignorance to complete knowledge. Participants were also asked to identify their competitors ranking and the ideal stage of knowledge to which their company should strive. The results found that companies today rank on the Bohn scale between stage three (the measure stage) where knowledge is typically written and stage four (control of the mean) where knowledge is written and embodied in hardware. Respondents also stated that their companies were perceived as usually slightly ahead of their competitors, but not nearly at the ideal level that they believe their organizations should achieve. Recommendations are made for further qualitative and empirical research regarding the stages of knowledge growth at organizations, and how organizations can support movement toward complete knowledge.     

In the hearts and minds of employees: A model of pre-adoptive appraisal toward artificial intelligence in organizations

Organizations face increasing pressure to implement artificial intelligence (AI) within a variety of business processes and functions. Many perceived benefits surround AI, but a considerable amount of trepidation also exists because of the potential of AI to replace human employees and dehumanize work. Questions regarding the future of work in the age of AI are particularly salient in pre-adoption organizations, before employees have the opportunity to gain direct experience with AI. To cope with this potentially stressful situation, employees engage in cognitive appraisal processes based on their own knowledge and personal use of AI. These pre-adoptive appraisals of AI influence both affective and cognitive attitudes, which in turn trigger behavioral responses that influence an organization’s ability to leverage AI successfully. Our survey of 363 Taiwanese employees shows that perceptions of AI’s operational and cognitive capabilities are positively related to affective and cognitive attitudes toward AI, while concerns regarding AI have a negative relationship with affective attitude only. Interaction effects of employee knowledge and affective attitude are also observed. This work’s main contribution lies in the development of an empirically-tested model of the potential impact of AI on organizations from an employee perspective in the pre-adoption phase. These results have practical implications for how organizations prepare for the arrival of this transformative technology.     

组织信任与知识共享行为的演化博弈分析

知识是企业最为重要的战略性资源，为了提高知识的价值，企业需要促进员工间知识共享行为以增加其竞争优势。在有限理性的基础上，构建知识共享行为的演化博弈模型，依此分析影响员工间知识共享行为的因素，探究组织信任对知识共享行为的影响。结果表明，知识数量、知识贡献系数、共享奖励系数和共享惩罚系数与知识共享行为正相关而共享风险系数和成本系数与知识共享行为反相关，情感信任促进知识获取而认知信任促进知识贡献。     

知识型员工非正式地位对创新行为的影响研究

非正式地位是员工竞相争取的宝贵资源,它能有效地改善个体的自我认知、情感和行为表现。本研究以知识型员工为研究对象,基于社会认同理论,将创新期望与差错氛围引入非正式地位与创新行为关系的分析框架中,构建差错氛围调节创新期望在非正式地位和创新行为之间起中介作用的模型,对问卷调查法收集到461份有效问卷进行实证分析。研究结果表明：（1）非正式地位对创新行为有显著的正向影响,创新期望在其中起到部分中介作用;（2）差错氛围正向调节创新期望与创新行为的关系,还进一步正向调节知识型员工非正式地位通过创新期望影响创新行为的中介机制。     

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.

     

To share or not to share? Self-perception and knowledge-sharing intent

The paper explores the intent of knowledge sharing in complex organizational contexts. Findings from semi-structured interviewing with 54 subjects in two large organizations in Saudi Arabia indicate that self-perception and contextual interpretation create tensions that affect the way knowledge is managed and shared. The dichotomy between self-centeredness and self-doubt was found to affect trust and openness necessary for genuine knowledge sharing. Mutual trust, developed through timely self-disclosure, was found to offer psychological safety for employees to share knowledge more openly. Inner tensions become the stimuli for maximizing the social aspect of interaction to negotiate meanings, strategize knowledge sharing, and redefine role identity. The interplay of cognitive and behavioural participation challenges one’s knowing and becoming, increasing the complexity and dynamics of knowledge sharing. Knowledge-sharing intent determines the learning of individuals and learning in organizations. A conceptual framework is introduced and implications for practice are discussed.     

内外整合开发对个体创新绩效的影响——知识操纵与证明目标导向的作用

本研究基于社会信息加工与资源保存理论,通过构建有调节的中介作用模型,结合391名员工的问卷调查和分层回归分析,探究内外整合开发对个体创新绩效影响的知识操纵中介作用机制,同时考察其作用机制发生的证明目标导向边界条件作用。实证研究发现：（1）内外整合开发对个体创新绩效有显著正向影响;（2）知识操纵在内外整合开发对个体创新绩效的影响中有显著中介作用;（3）证明目标导向调节内外整合开发对知识操纵的直接影响及其通过知识操纵对个体创新绩效的间接作用。     

防御定向、动机氛围对企业中知识隐藏的影响

知识隐藏是组织中个体面对知识请求时的故意隐瞒行为,抑制创新并削弱组织绩效。对注重安全和风险厌恶的防御定向员工来说,控制与保留知识可以维持自身优势,动机氛围调节了防御定向对知识隐藏的影响。为了揭示知识隐藏的动机和主要影响因素,本文运用实证研究方法,提出研究假设,并通过大样本分析检验假设得出结论。研究验证了防御定向对企业中知识隐藏具有促进作用,绩效氛围能够增强防御定向对知识隐藏的影响,且弱绩效氛围和强绩效氛围起的调节效果随防御定向变化而改变。掌控氛围削弱了防御定向对知识隐藏的影响,当防御定向较低时强掌控氛围起到更大的调节作用,当防御定向较高时弱掌控氛围作用更明显。绩效氛围和掌控氛围有相互抵消的倾向,组织中同时存在两种动机氛围时,各自的作用都会减弱。     

Minding the communications gap: How can universities signal the availability and value of their scientific knowledge to commercial organizations?

We posit that a communications gap exists between universities and commercial organizations, attributed to their idiosyncratic goals, interests, and incentives. To bridge this gap, universities need to recognize and leverage observable differences in the strength of signals and the width of channels used to disseminate their scientific knowledge externally. We explore these ideas by analyzing knowledge dissemination and academic engagement activities in 133 UK universities in the period 2011–2019. Our analysis shows that universities with a lower scientific impact have a higher intensity of collaborative research, contract research, and consultancy activities if they communicate that impact through more prominent scientific outlets. In turn, universities with a higher scientific impact have a lower intensity of interaction with commercial organizations if they communicate their scientific impact through less prominent scientific outlets. We further reveal that universities with a higher economic impact show a higher intensity of collaborative research. At the same time, we find no evidence that the social impact generated by universities is linked to the intensity of university-industry interaction, no matter the channels through which that impact is communicated. Using these findings, we draw implications for practice and policy.     

知识更新对员工创造力的影响

知识员工是企业赖以生存和发展的宝贵财富。随着知识老化速度日益加快,知识更新成为知识员工普遍面临的压力。基于挑战—阻断性压力分类理论和压力交互理论,探讨知识更新要求对女性知识员工创造力的影响,分析了挑战性压力评估和个体技能发展的链式中介作用和工作家庭冲突的调节作用。运用结构方程模型和Bootstrapping方法对假设进行检验,结果表明：知识更新要求对员工创造力有显著正向影响,包括直接影响和间接影响;在间接影响方面,挑战性压力评估和个体技能发展在知识更新要求与员工创造力关系中起部分链式中介作用;在直接影响方面,工作家庭冲突在知识更新要求与员工创造力关系中起调节作用。     

个体感知差异和职场排斥对知识共享行为的影响机制

本研究基于自我归类理论和社会需要理论，探索个体感知差异对职场排斥和知识共享行为的影响，以及成就需要和归属需要在这个过程中的调节效应。利用来自356位企业员工的样本数据，采用分层回归的方法进行假设验证。结论显示个体感知差异负向影响知识共享行为，职场排斥中介了二者之间的负向关系，个体成就需要和归属需要反向调节个体感知差异与知识共享行为、个体感知差异与职场排斥之间的关系。研究结果为知识共享领域的研究提供了新的视角和框架，同时对企业管理实践有一定的现实意义。     

Differential influences of perceived organizational factors on younger employees’ participation in offline and online intergenerational knowledge transfer

Intergenerational supportive climate, top management support, organizational institution are seen as three types of important organizational factors for intergenerational knowledge transfer (IGKT), however, current studies are qualitative with little empirical evidence, further, the interrelations of them are little known. This paper investigates and verifies their relationships by an empirical study, especially focuses on their differential effects on younger employees’ participation in IGKT using offline versus online communication methods drawing upon social influence theory. A survey with younger doctors was conducted in the medical industry to test the research model proposed in this study. Results show that younger employees’ perceived intergenerational supportive climate (PISC) has a significant positive influence on offline IGKT, but not on online IGKT; perceived top management support (PTMS) has a significant positive influence on offline IGKT, but has a negative impact on online IGKT; perceived organizational institution support (POIS) has a significant positive influence on online IGKT, but not on offline IGKT. These findings contribute to a more comprehensive understanding about IGKT, as well as help managers be more effective to enhance younger employees’ participation in IGKT through offline/online methods, which contribute to offline and online intergenerational knowledge transfer to knowledge management.     

Fragments of your communication: Email,vmail, and fax

Abstract

How are new media, such as electronic mail, voice mail, and fax, used when people have access to several of them simultaneously? This paper reports findings from a field study of media use in four sizable subunits within two large organizations where most employees had access to email, vmail, and fax. Respondents tended to use multiple electronic media rather than relying on one. However, they also showed a tendency to prefer one medium for asynchronous communication and to use the others for occasional, specialized purposes. Further, there were considerable differences across subunits in typical media use patterns. Although respondents expressed strong desires for multimedia integration, this study suggests that technological integration may not necessarily result in seamless, collaborative work.     

同事评价与研发人员知识共享：群体关注的调节效应

结合绩效评价理论、动机理论、社会交换理论和社会焦虑理论，通过对535名企业研发人员的问卷调查，实证检验了不同类型的同事评价对员工知识共享的影响机理。研究发现：（1）同事正面和负面评价对研发人员知识共享分别产生显著促进和削弱作用；（2）结果和过程导向的评价对知识共享均产生促进作用，其中，过程导向的评价对显性知识共享的促进作用更显著，结果导向的评价则对推动隐性知识共享更有效；（3）结果导向的评价弱化正面评价对显性知识共享的积极作用，过程导向的评价强化负面评价对隐性知识共享的消极作用；（4）在群体关注较高时，结果评价对显性知识共享的促进作用变强，对隐性知识共享的促进作用变得不显著。     

Driving innovation: Public policy and human capital

Human capital, the set of skills, knowledge, capabilities and attributes embodied in people, is crucial to firms’ capacity to absorb and organize knowledge and to innovate. Research on human capital has traditionally focused on education and training. A concern with the motivationally-relevant elements of human capital such as employees’ job satisfaction, organizational commitment, and willingness to change in the workplace (all of which have been shown to drive innovation), has often been overlooked in economic research and by public policy interventions to date. The paper addresses this gap in two ways: First, by studying firms’ human resource systems that can enhance these elements of human capital, and second, using the results of this research as a springboard for a public policy program targeted at elements of human capital that have been ignored by traditional education and training interventions. Using a sample of 1070 employee-managers in Ireland, we apply a series of probit regressions to understand how different human resources systems influence the probability of employee-managers reporting the motivationally-relevant elements of human capital. The research: (1) Finds that respondents in organizations with certain human resource systems are more likely to report motivationally-relevant elements of human capital. Specifically, employee-managers in organizations with proactive work practices and that consult with their employee-managers increase the predicted probability of reporting that they are satisfied with their job, willing to change, and are committed to the organization; (2) Highlights the need to consider the role of policy interventions to support the motivationally-relevant elements of human capital; (3) Proposes a new policy program offer to support the motivationally-relevant elements of human capital in order to increase firms’ innovation activity.     

Towards conceptual clarity for ‘tacit knowledge’: a review of empirical studies

Tacit knowledge is important for organizations and management, but we lack adequate theory, and find conflicting claims about the concept. A review of empirical studies of tacit knowledge phenomena found the term has been applied to both articulable and inarticulable knowledge. It is suggested that in the interests of clarity use of the term should be limited to the latter. Tacit knowledge appears due to both experience with the particular objects it is applied to, and to general experiences. A solution to the problem of tacit knowledge explication is proposed, and implications of the study for both managerial and academic practice are outlined.

     

授权型领导影响知识型员工创新的信任机制

授权型领导是领导对员工信任基础上所作出的管理决策和领导方式,并影响到员工创新行为。本文研究授权型领导如何通过影响知识型员工的两种信任,并进一步影响知识型员工创新行为的中间信任机制,以及组织支持感在该机制中的调节作用。通过配对调研和数据收集与处理,实证研究发现,授权型领导能够正向影响知识型员工对领导产生的基于情感的信任和基于认知的信任,并最终正向影响知识型员工的创新行为,组织支持感正向调节授权型领导对知识型员工基于情感的信任和基于认知的信任的影响关系。