Fostering knowledge sharing through people management practices

This paper focuses on the issue of knowledge sharing, one of the key mechanisms by which knowledge transfer can take place within organizations. The aim of the paper is to identify the people management practices that will be most effective in fostering knowledge sharing. We begin with a theoretical analysis of the socio-psychological aspects of knowledge-sharing behaviour in order to identify the variables that facilitate and encourage sharing. We also include a thorough review of the research to date on knowledge sharing and related behaviours. After identifying the factors expected to influence knowledge-sharing behaviour, we then proceed to detail the key people management practices that, according to theory and research, should be most effective in fostering knowledge sharing in organizations.     

The effect of researchers' interdisciplinary characteristics on team innovation performance: evidence from university R&D teams in China

This study examines the effect of researchers' characteristics on the performance of R&D teams. Based on the multi-perspective of organization behavior and knowledge management, the authors adopt the framework of ‘Input-Process-Output’ regarding the process of the R&D team as knowledge creation. The theoretical model and corresponding hypotheses were tested empirically, drawing on a sample of 80 R&D teams from four universities in China. We concluded that knowledge communication, sharing, and integration play very important mediated roles in the knowledge creation process of the R&D team. Though researchers might have differing opinions on interdisciplinary research, they still tend toward communication and sharing their knowledge, experience, and viewpoints in the R&D process; this is an essential means for the achievement of knowledge integration. In order to achieve high innovation performance, management should pay attention to the process of knowledge communication, sharing, and integration.     

组织内知识共享的信任模型研究

随着知识经济时代的到来,知识管理已经成为学术界和企业界竞相关注的热点。在知识管理的相关研究中,知识共享和组织内部信任问题是研究的重点课题,但对两者的综合研究还不多见。本文在前人对知识共享和信任机制的研究基础上,整合两个概念,引入组织制度、认知因素、情感因素、信任倾向等影响因素,分析出一个全新的组织内知识共享的综合信任模型,希望能够帮助组织更好地理解信任机制,促进组织内知识共享行为。     

How can organizations use wikis for innovation?

Wikis were first developed over 15 years ago. Research has shown that organizational or corporate wikis are sustainable and can be beneficial to organizations particularly in improving work processes, collaboration and knowledge management. However, there has been little research done to show how organizations can use wikis to support innovation processes. To bridge this gap, this paper explores how wikis can be used in different stages of innovation. We review existing literature as well as analyze case studies of wikis deployed in four organizations in order to highlight how wikis can be used to address challenges of knowledge management and collaboration in different stages of innovation from idea generation to commercialization. In particular, we propose a model that explains how wikis require a clear purpose for their use, a culture of collaboration, and integration within a formal innovation process.     

The world is not flat: Examining the interactive multidimensionality of culture and virtuality in teams

As organizations continue to spread their influence into foreign countries and take on increasingly complex tasks, the need for an accurate understanding as to how global, virtual teams function becomes more integral. At this time, although there are many organizations utilizing global, virtual teams, there is a dearth of literature that examines the impact of cultural differences within these teams. This paper aims to bridge this gap by offering an integrative interdisciplinary theoretical review, merging a lens of relevant cultural values, including Hofstede's five dimensions and extending to other conceptualizations such as the Triandis (1995) typology, with the Kirkman and Mathieu (2005) conceptualization of virtuality. Ultimately, theoretical propositions are provided for future examination of each cultural dimension. Finally, implications and future research are discussed in the hopes of providing invaluable insight as to the currently under-researched ‘global’ aspect of global, virtual teams.     

Integrating quality management practices with knowledge creation processes

Several quality thought leaders have considered the role of knowledge in quality management practices. For example, Deming proposed The Deming System of Profound Knowledge™ that dealt explicitly with knowledge. However, various authors in the quality field diverge considerably when contemplating knowledge. We propose an integrated view of quality and knowledge using Nonaka's theory of knowledge creation. This integrated view helps illuminate how quality practices can lead to knowledge creation and retention. The knowledge perspective also provides insight into what it means to effectively deploy quality management practices. Previous empirical research noted the importance of effective deployment, but provided little insight into what effective deployment means. This research argues that quality management practices create knowledge, which leads to organizational performance. Taking a knowledge-based view (KBV) of the firm provides a deeper understanding of why some organizations are more successful at deploying quality management practices than others.     

The Difficult but Necessary Task of Developing a Specific Project Team Research Agenda

Project teams are central to organizations everywhere; however, there is a knowledge gap between project management scholars on the one hand and organizational behavior and industrial–organizational (OB/IO) scholars on the other. This gap seriously impedes the advancement of knowledge, because scholars from both fields have not leveraged each other's considerable knowledge and might be relying on outdated models and evidence to study project team phenomena, manage project teams, or develop university curricula. A call is made for interdisciplinary research projects devoted specifically to developing a research agenda on project teams.     

模块化网络组织中的知识流动与技术创新

模块化网络组织是知识经济时代兴起的一种新型产业组织形式,它为知识流动和技术创新提供了网络平台,同时它的组织特性又有利于促进知识流动和技术创新。知识流动和技术创新能够提升模块化分工水平,推动网络组织升级,化解模块化风险,从而增强模块化网络组织的竞争优势。本文引入企业知识理论,分析了模块化网络组织内部知识流动和技术创新的动态过程及其相互作用机制。     

Integrating knowledge and knowing: A framework for understanding knowledge-in-practice

The foundation of an organization's strategy often lies in its ability to generate, combine, recombine, and exploit knowledge. Two very different perspectives have emerged in knowledge management research: a commodity view which sees knowledge as something to be acquired, stored, and converted and a community perspective which emphasizes knowing and the ability to act on what one knows. We propose a new framework for understanding knowledge in organizations which integrates these two views and complements prior research by focusing on knowledge-in-practice. In doing so, we clarify the organizational knowledge construct by examining the underlying knowledge-based characteristics of work practices. We create a multidimensional understanding of the knowledge-in-practice construct and introduce the concept of learnability. We explain how the proposed framework can lead to future research and discuss managerial implications for achieving fit between knowledge-in-practice and organization policies.     

Reframing human resource management in Africa: a cross-cultural perspective

Current approaches to understanding the management of people in Africa are often framed within a pejorative 'developing/developed' world paradigm that not only paints a negative view of management in Africa, but also assumes the need to develop towards the 'developed' world approach. Cross-cultural analysis that focuses first on historical and current cultural interaction across continents suggests a difference between an instrumental view of people as a resource to serve the ends of the organization and a humanistic view which sees people as having a value in themselves. This offers a more useful paradigm for progressing both research and practice in this area. Both a conceptual model and a typology of management systems are offered as a way forward. Research should also focus on cross-cultural difference and interactions at cross-national and interethnic levels. This will facilitate a cross-cultural approach to management development and team building through developing synergies in organizations in Africa     

Gender,family and career in the era of boundarylessness: determinants and effects of intra- and inter-organizational mobility

Changes in patterns of long-term employment make understanding the determinants of different career forms increasingly important to careers research. At the same time, the rise of dual-earner families demands greater attention to the ways in which gender and family characteristics shape careers than has been paid by traditional research. This paper addresses these issues, examining the determinants and consequences of intra-organizational and inter-organizational mobility, using a sample of employees from dual-earner couples. We find significant gender differences in these different types of career mobility, and in the effect of family relations on different forms of mobility. Women experience more inter-organizational mobility, while men experience more intraorganizational mobility. Having more children positively influences men's intra-organizational mobility, but increases inter-organizational mobility for women. Marital instability increases intra-organizational mobility among women, but has no effect among men. Each form of mobility has distinctive effects on objective and subjective indicators of career success for both men and women. Moving between organizations tends to depress earnings, but has no effect on how successful people feel in their careers. Job changes within an organization increase earnings, but have a negative effect on perceived success.     

Trust in the employer: the role of high-involvement work practices and procedural justice in European organizations

Despite the central role of trust in the organizational sciences, we know little about what makes people trust the organizations they work for. This paper examines the antecedents of employees' trust in their organizations drawing on survey data from over 600 European professional workers and managers. The results revealed direct as well as indirect relationships of both human resource (HR) practices and procedural justice with trust. The relationships of both HR practices and procedural justice with trust were partially mediated by perceptions of organizational trustworthiness (in terms of perceived ability and trustworthy intentions of the organization). Justice and HR practices were also found to interact such that justice forms a stronger predictor of trust in organizations when HR practices are less developed. In addition, employees' dispositional propensity to trust explained significant variance in employee trust in their organization, even when it was controlled in our analysis. The implications of these findings for research and practice are discussed.     

Systems for Sustainable Organizations: Emergent Strategies,Interactive Controls and Semi-formal Information

New-form organizations are likely to organize more explicitly around processes than traditional-form organizations that emphasize functional hierarchy. Developing process-based strategic responses quickly using diffuse sets of resources is likely to play an increasingly important role in sustaining new organizational forms. Three ideas introduce alternative perspectives on strategy formulation, management control and information systems design that may be useful in understanding organizational performance in this area. They focus on: (1) emergent strategies, (2) interactive management controls, and (3) semi-formal systems. In combination these three perspectives describe relationships between strategy, organizational design and systems support that suggest mechanisms for improving the sustainability of new organizational forms. To some degree distributed organizational structures such as networked organizations and quasi-organizational forms such as alliances, partnerships and joint ventures represent attempts to solve a paradox of competitive agility. This paradox suggests that in the context of rapidly changing, increasingly global markets, organizations need to be flexible (so they can respond quickly to competitive threats) yet remain stable (so they can learn and grow based on their strengths). If this is the case, what systems and tools are available that encourage a productive balance between flexibility and stability? This paper uses the experience of regional management teams at a large consumer goods company to suggest how interactive controls and semi-formal information systems combine to increase the agility of a distributed organization that can employ emergent strategies. Evidence illustrates some of the mechanisms by which (a) faster response times deliver organizational flexibility while (b) semi-formal analytics add the stability of knowledge and guidance shared across organizational sites. Examples discuss the use of information within management teams, discussion behaviour within management meetings, and organizational performance in response to crisis events. In this context the paper analyses the characteristics of new-form systems that could be used to sustain new-form organizations While the development of process-oriented semi-formal systems is just beginning, the potential for linking such technology with newly developed approaches to management control appears to have important implications for the practice and performance of management in new-form organizations. In particular, interactive controls and semi-formal information appear to offer leverage as mechanisms for organizational adjustment during times when organizations must exploit emergent strategies     

A cybernetic view of environmental management: the implications for business organizations

Current environmental management practice is judged to be mechanistic and based on previous experience with health and safety and with quality management systems. In support of the claim that systems approaches to management are required, the question is asked: what is the systemic nature of environmental management and will it lead an organization towards some concept of sustainable business practice? To try and answer this question the Viable System Model (VSM) developed by Stafford Beer was used to analyse current environmental management practice from a systems perspective in seven manufacturing organizations. The findings suggest that significant structural changes in organizations will be necessary as well as changes in management practices (core competencies) and attitudes if organizations are to become viable. Tomorrow's business strategy is likely to be driven much more by cooperation rather than by competition. Some possible implications for business are: (1) Corporate portfolios will be organized around the supply chain (or flows of energy and materials) instead of products and markets. (2) Strategy will not only continue to be made at the corporate and business unit levels but also at the industry level. (3) Such developments will require much higher degrees of integration and cooperation than is currently practised between companies. © 1997 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd and ERP Environment.     

Traders as sustainability governance actors in global food supply chains: A research agenda

Corporate actors are rapidly gaining ground as nontraditional forms of authority that shape sustainability governance efforts in global food supply chains. This paper highlights the critical, but underresearched role of traders—companies whose core business lies in the movement and exchange of agricultural commodities between producers and manufacturers—in linking corporate sustainability ambitions to on-the-ground impacts. Drawing on a systematic analysis of the major transnational corporations trading cocoa, coffee, and palm oil, we present advantages and potential pitfalls of relying on traders as implementers of sustainability governance and outline a future research agenda that focuses on producer-level impacts, changes in supply chain organization and power dynamics, and traders' interactions with state and other nonstate actors. At the intersection of supply chain management, political economy, geography, and global governance, research on traders as key sustainability governance actors also provides novel opportunities for interdisciplinary work and stakeholder engagement.     

Learning, Teamwork and Appropriability: Managing Technological Change in the Department of Social Security

Drawing on an extensive case study, we argue that management has to actively manage information flows, both within the organization and between the organization and its environment. Three tasks of knowledge management are, in our view, important in building technological capability: appropriation, teamworking and learning. 'Appropriation' includes the retention and effective utilization of internal knowledge. 'Teamworking' refers to the integration of diverse knowledge bases. 'Learning' embraces the acquisition and exploitation of externally held knowledge     

How information systems help create OM capabilities: Consequents and antecedents of operational absorptive capacity

In contemporary business environments, the ability to manage operational knowledge is an important predictor of organizational competitiveness. Organizations invest large sums in various types of information technologies (ITs) to manage operational knowledge. Because of their superior storage, processing and communication capabilities, ITs offer technical platforms to build knowledge management (KM) capabilities. However, merely acquiring ITs are not sufficient, and organizations must structure information system (IS) designs to leverage ITs for building KM capabilities. We study how technical and strategic IS designs enhance operational absorptive capacity (OAC) – the KM capability of an operations management (OM) department. Specifically, we use a capabilities perspective of absorptive capacity to examine potential absorptive capacity (POAC) and realized absorptive capacity (ROAC) capabilities – the two OAC capabilities that create and utilize knowledge, respectively. Our theory proposes that integrated IS capability, – an aspect of technical IS design – is an antecedent of POAC and ROAC capabilities, and business-IT alignment – an aspect of strategic IS design – moderates the relationship between integrated IS capability and ROAC capability. Combining data gleaned from a multi-respondent survey with archival data from COMPUSTAT, we test our hypotheses using a dataset from 153 manufacturing organizations. By proposing that IS design enables an OM department's KM processes, i.e., the POAC and ROAC capabilities, our interdisciplinary theoretical framework opens the “black box” of OAC and contributes to improved understanding of IS and OM synergies. We offer a detailed discussion of our contributions to the literature at the IS-OM interface and implications for practitioners.     

ORGANIZATIONAL ANALYSIS: AN INTEGRATION OF THE MACRO AND MICRO APPROACHES

This article [1] suggests that the macro and micro approaches to organizational analysis represent different perspectives of the management of organizations. Differences and crossover points in the two approaches are discussed in terms of research focus, unit of analysis, and application. An integrative approach is presented in a framework which brings together key aspects of the macro and micro schools of thought. Data from a preliminary test are presented, and it is suggested that our understanding of organizations and their management may be enhanced when a holistic perspective is utilized.     

A comparative analysis of certification in human resource management

This comparative analysis explores the certification process in three leading organizations in the USA, Canada and the UK. The findings show considerable similarity across countries concerning the major stakeholders and certification criteria. Conversely, they reveal major differences with respect to the basic assumptions underlying the programmes, the standards and qualifications, the programmes' complexity and the programmes' integration with the government, industry and academia. Dissimilarity also exists in the certification process. Hence, certification programme models for each organization are advanced to illustrate the process. Moreover, an overall strategic programme framework is developed for all the agencies collectively. Finally, suggestions for future research are provided.     

How gender matters: A conceptual and process model for family-supportive supervisor behaviors

Work-family management has become a highly salient issue for organizations as the world of work experiences ongoing changes due to globalization, technological advances, and new challenges spurred by the COVID-19 pandemic. In the past decade or so, the concept of family-supportive supervisor behaviors (FSSB) has been recognized by management and organizational science scholars as an important resource for alleviating negative pressures related to work-family management. However, despite evidence suggesting organizations are heavily gendered (i.e., built upon and structured according to assumptions about gender) and that FSSB represent a set of gendered behaviors, the role of gender is largely missing from FSSB theorization. In addition, little is known regarding the antecedents of FSSB and the mechanisms responsible for the enactment or withholding of FSSB by supervisors. To address these gaps, we perform an interdisciplinary theoretical integration to develop a conceptual and process model of gendered antecedents of the FSSB decision-making process. We present theoretically driven propositions regarding how gender-related variables of the supervisory dyad influence both 1) if/how supervisors become aware of an FSSB opportunity, and 2) supervisors' FSSB decisions to enact, withhold, or neglect FSSB. We conclude with practical implications and opportunities for future FSSB research based on implications of our theoretical insights.