Managing Knowledge and Technology to Foster Innovation at The Ohio State University Medical Center

Biomedical knowledge is expanding at an unprecedented rate—one that is unlikely to slow anytime in the future. While the volume and scope of this new knowledge poses significant organizational challenges, it creates tremendous opportunities to release and direct its power to the service of significant goals. The authors explain how the Center for Knowledge Management at The Ohio State University Medical Center, created during the academic year 2003–04, is doing just that by integrating numerous resource-intensive, technology-based initiatives— including personnel, services and infrastructure, digital repositories, data sets, mobile computing devices, high-tech patient simulators, computerized testing, and interactive multimedia—in a way that enables the center to provide information tailored to the needs of students, faculty and staff on the medical center campus and its surrounding health sciences colleges. The authors discuss how discovering, applying, and sharing new knowledge, information assets, and technologies in this way is a collaborative process. This process creates open-ended opportunities for innovation and a roadmap for working toward seamless integration, synergy, and substantial enhancement of the academic medical center’s research, educational, and clinical mission areas

UIG Collaboration in Malaysia: The Significance of Intermediary Organization

In recent years, there has been a huge debate among researchers in identifying the best University- Industry-Government (UIG) partnership model which could drive innovation. The problems with UIG collaboration are due to differences in objectives, functions, and mechanisms among stakeholders, therefore such collaboration is difficult to form and sustain. A review of relevant literature and critical insights related to the topics from various management theories/ models are discussed in this paper. Some researchers suggested the concept of Triple Helix Model (TH) where UIG should work together as a team to create innovative and successful outcomes. Innovation is one of the national agendas in increasing the quality and productivity of our economic growth through strategic partnership. The government has introduced intermediary organization to harness the collaboration amongst UIG where it plays a crucial role in facilitating the TH. Therefore, this paper aims to further elaborate the significance of intermediary organizations in stimulating the TH. It also incorporates the concept of strategic partnership and innovation which become crucial tasks for intermediary organization in promoting synergic collaboration. Moreover, it analyses the correlation between the development phase of TH and innovation process by identifying the blockages or gaps in the existing system. This paper contributes towards a sustainable partnership framework and provides a solution for innovation creation especially in managing stakeholders’ involvement by explaining why and how collaborative intermediary organizations can facilitate the dynamic and synergy of collaboration, hence moving towards innovation

Demystifying Distributed Leadership: How Understanding Principles of Practice and Perceptions Regarding Ambiguity Can Enhance the Leadership Capacity of Department Chairs

Due to increased accountability, demands, and responsibilities, principals struggle to effectively lead schools. Therefore, they look to strengthen the structure and operations of schools by utilizing distributed leadership and the role of department chairs to build leadership capacity and improve school culture (Elmore, 2000; Harris, 2005; Spillane, 2008). A critical aspect of distributed leadership is a school’s organizational culture or “the way we do things around here” (Bryk & Schneider, 2003), which can positively or negatively influence any school initiative. Since organizational culture can foster collaboration and a shared commitment to school goals, which in turn can build leadership capacity, the school culture’s capacity to influence the success or demise of any shared leadership model is explored. Unfortunately, ambiguity within distributed leadership and the role of department chair complicate effective implementation of distributed leadership by impeding task completion and successful navigation of relationships (Mehta, Gardia, & Rathmore, 2010). Due to ever changing administration and complex and at times paradoxical mandates, a certain level of ambiguity will always exist in schools. Therefore, school leaders should accept ambiguity not as a stigma but as an asset and necessary adaptive skill that gives people the confidence and motivation to navigate the unknown. The conceptual framework for this study incorporates my experiences as a principal and former department chair, as well as the theoretical anchors of distributed leadership, role theory, organizational leadership theories, self-efficacy, and organizational commitment. This study utilized an ethnographic qualitative approach, relying on a descriptive single case study strategy of inquiry to examine the unique relationships that exist between a principal and her department chairs to identify specific examples of and participants’ perceptions towards distributed leadership, school culture, and incidents of role ambiguity. Research methods included individual and small group interviews, direct non-participatory observations, and analysis of site documents. Key principles of distributed leadership, as well as descriptions of how ambiguity and school culture can influence distributed leadership are explored in the findings, which are intended to help school systems conceptualize a framework for successful and efficacious implementation of distributed leadership

Effective Knowledge Management (KM) strategy within a business organization

A cohesive Knowledge Management (KM) strategy is found at the cornerstone of every successful business enterprise\u27s overall business strategy. The full benefit of this strategy can only be achieved through a dynamic, technology-enabled framework that encourages best and better practices to capture the outputs of human innovation and creative knowledge. Competitive pressures and technological convergence, most prevalent in high technology business sectors, have demonstrated the critical need for an information strategy that can harness and discern the continual amass of intellectual property. The continual accumulation of information and knowledge critical to the sustained viability of many business organizations, presents significant and complex management challenges. The dynamic changes in economic conditions and technical innovation and advance, coupled with the need to manage the outputs of human innovation and creative capacity, continues to present a paradigm shift from the traditional management approaches to more adaptive, dynamic, non-traditional management approaches and technology solutions. A major KM challenge many organizations continue to face is no longer just how to capture and manage their intellectual property, but how to identify and discern between true intellectual content and simple information, the real knowledge of their business. A successful KM strategy becomes synonymous with the overall business strategy, and includes the requirement for a process model that provides a framework that can be adapted to an ever-changing business model. This framework must provide the ability to identify and discern between static data or information and dynamic intellectual property, which the latter is often the direct output of human creativity and innovation.1 Accordingly, one important aspect of KM as a practice is the development of knowledge transfer systems. However, the one-size-fits-all approach to the technical solution is only part of the success equation.2 The other critical element in the equation is the approach to integrate it into the related business process framework. The means of specific process improvement may vary based on business requirements and scope of technical solution, but the underlying basis of need for change or improvement remains a constant. A foundational framework for business process strategy and execution takes on much greater significance as part of the overall business strategy. Thomas A. Stewart, a member of the board of editors at Fortune Magazine, says Because knowledge has become the single most important factor of production, managing intellectual assets has become the single most important task of business. This paper will focus on the discipline of knowledge management and associated knowledge transfer practices in a pragmatic context to illustrate its importance as an integral component of a successful business strategy. This includes the perspectives of both as strategic asset in the management of intellectual capital, and as an enabling technology to leverage the intellectual capital for business fulfillment. The assertions and discussions put forth, while centered on knowledge management, can be paralleled for several IT-centric business disciplines. However, the analysis of the research and case studies referenced in this paper will illustrate the growing breadth and importance of knowledge assets as the primary cornerstone in a broad spectrum of business disciplines. More importantly, it will clearly demonstrate the critical need to effectively manage and control knowledge assets for competitive advantage as part of the overall business strategy. 1 Yogesh Malhotra, Knowledge Management for E-business Performance: Advancing Information Strategy to Internet Time ; Information Strategy, The Executive\u27s Journal. Summer 2000, vol. 16 (4), pp. 5-16 2 James Conlan, Improving Business Processes , KMWorld, November/December 2001, pp. S13

From transaction to transformation: Organizational learning and knowledge creation experience within Informed Systems

https://scholarlycommons.pacific.edu/libraries-books/1013/thumbnail.jp

Center-commissioned external review of International Water Management Institute: Consolidated report, 19-29 May 2003

Agricultural research / Research institutes / Research policy / Research priorities / Planning / Monitoring / Evaluation / Financial resources / Gender

Creative Processes Among HRD Professionals

Creativity is a required element for training and development (T&D) professionals to create successful learning initiatives. While research has noted how T&D professionals engage in creative practices, little research has been conducted regarding how their creative processes were developed. This study uncovered how T&D professionals first developed their creative processes through 1) their perception of creativity; 2) development of their creative processes when they first started as a T&D professional; 3) application of creativity in developing successful T&D interventions; and 4) use of the creative process to get back on track when facing a difficult project. Focusing on how HRD professionals develop their creative processes can result in tremendous success among T&D professionals while further enhancing organizational creativity and effectiveness. This can produce more knowledgeable and skilled HRD professionals who could then create interventions that promote success to an organization’s human resources. This study followed a qualitative research case study approach for participants to provide a description of their experiences. Furthermore, this study followed a descriptive case study approach allowing participants to offer a thick rich analysis of their creative process. Participants were selected using the snowball sampling method where the researcher first reached out to former colleagues. These initial participants referred the researcher to other T&D professionals who qualified as participants. Data was collected through semi-structured interviews and individual artifacts. Each participant engaged in a 30–60-minute interview via videoconference or telephone and were asked to provide an artifact that relates to their creativity. While this study is on-going, several themes have started to emerge. Preliminary findings display that T&D professionals require obtaining collaborative feedback to create successful interventions, which is often done by eliciting feedback from managers, co-workers and friends/family. They also require design autonomy, or the freedom to determine content, in developing the learning initiatives. Furthermore, T&D professional often utilize previous experience by applying successes and failures to new projects. While this study is still on-going, future research, such as a quantitative survey that elicits instructional designers’ perception of creativity more in-depth, can provide for a more comprehensive analysis of the T&D professionals’ creative process

Importance of emotional intelligence in conceptualizing collegial leadership in education

We focus on the importance of emotional intelligence (EI) in conceptualizing collegial leadership in education. Research findings, both nationally and internationally, strongly suggest that a technocratic (managerial) approach to leadership is in conflict with the visionary, people-centred approach of modern organisations, including educational institution s at school level. Research on leadership over the past two decades indicates that the emotional intelligence of leaders matters twice as much as cognitive abilities such as IQ or technical expertise. EIis not in opposition to IQ bu t it is an extension of the human’s potential to succeed in a people-orientated environment. Traditional cognitive intelligence (IQ) is combined with no n-cognitive intelligence (EI) to help leaders perform at their best and inspire their followers to be successful and happy. Although the principal’s leadership is an essential element in the success of a school, current research indicates that the complexities o f schools require a new focus on collaborative (collegial) leadership. This research on EI, collegial leadership, and job satisfaction is illustrated in the Triumvirate Leadership Grid. It strongly suggests th at a personal and emotional accountability system is essential for positive human development within the learning environment