A STUDY ON INFRASTRUCTURE AND ORGANIZATIONAL LEARNING: RETHINKING KNOWLEDGE PERFORMANCE PERSPECTIVE

This paper aims to present an integrated outlook of knowledge performance by reviewing the linkage between knowledge management (KM) infrastructure and organizational learning dimensions. The study endorses infrastructure capabilities i.e. culture, structure, technology and human resource to influence learning which subsequently leads to enhance knowledge performance within organizational context. A systematic review has been applied to assess KM literature including prior conceptual and research studies that help to substantiate the linkages among KM infrastructure, organizational learning and knowledge performance. The proposed conceptual model provides insights for managers and strategists to analyze the role of KM infrastructure in improving learning practices and knowledge performance. Furthermore, this study emphasizes on enabling learning processes and knowledge infrastructure dimensions, particularly mentioned by Lee and Choi (2003). In spite of various researches in KM there is still a need to review the linkages among the key elements which may affect knowledge performance. This paper contributes to the KM literature by adjoining KM infrastructure to organizational learning and visualizes the integrative effect that may enhance knowledge performance. Study limitations and future scope of the study has also been discussed in the later section

Team Learning: A Theoretical Integration and Review

With the increasing emphasis on work teams as the primary architecture of organizational structure, scholars have begun to focus attention on team learning, the processes that support it, and the important outcomes that depend on it. Although the literature addressing learning in teams is broad, it is also messy and fraught with conceptual confusion. This chapter presents a theoretical integration and review. The goal is to organize theory and research on team learning, identify actionable frameworks and findings, and emphasize promising targets for future research. We emphasize three theoretical foci in our examination of team learning, treating it as multilevel (individual and team, not individual or team), dynamic (iterative and progressive; a process not an outcome), and emergent (outcomes of team learning can manifest in different ways over time). The integrative theoretical heuristic distinguishes team learning process theories, supporting emergent states, team knowledge representations, and respective influences on team performance and effectiveness. Promising directions for theory development and research are discussed

Learning: What and How? An Empirical Study of Adjustments in Human Resource Systems

What information do firms use when they design their organizational structure? How do they learn what direction they should take? Generally, firms may learn from their own experiences and outcomes, as well as those of other firms. In the economics literature, learning from these sources has been investigated in conjunction with three theoretical strands: learning-by-doing, matching theory, and social learning. We construct a conceptual framework that incorporates these three strands and develop hypotheses about the effects of various factors on learning about adjusting one important element of organizational structure, the human resources system. We concentrate on four human resource systems: traditional (the simplest system), decision-making oriented, financial-incentives oriented, and high-performance (the most complex system). The hypotheses regard (1) the effects of learning-by-doing on adoption of more or less complex systems, (2) the shape of the performance-experience learning curves associated with different systems, (3) the match between perceived organizational capabilities and the degree of complexity of human resource systems, (4) the influence of other firms’ systems and the performance associated with them on a firm’s adjustment of its system, (5) the effect of a firm’s location on its adjustment decisions, and (6) the effects of various factors on the speed with which firms adjust their systems. We use a unique panel dataset of firms in Minnesota concerning decisions about adjustments in human resource systems, as well as about firm characteristics, geographic location and financial results. We obtain a rich set of findings: organizational learning is multifaceted, learning by doing one system does help with other systems, we replicate the famous learning curve only for the complex human resources system but not others, firms use changes in their performance as signals of their capabilities, and firms learn from other firms’ experiences. Larger and higher-wage firms learn faster to cope with complex systems, older firms learn slower, and firms located near a major metropolitan center adjust faster to more complex systems

Social capital, organizational learning and enterprise performance: an empirical study on pharmaceutical companies in China

With the transformation and upgrading of China's industrial structure, the market-driven restructuring of the global pharmaceutical value chain and the innovation-led structuring of the pharmaceutical industry have led to increasingly fierce competition among pharmaceutical enterprises and the challenge is choosing to survive or to die. In order to meet these challenges, it is necessary for pharmaceutical enterprises to deeply carry out organizational learning. Therefore, what is the effect that various types of social capital have in promoting intra-organizational and inter-organizational learning in Chinese pharmaceutical enterprises? Which types of organizational learning should be adopted to achieve collaborative innovation and improve innovation performance of Chinese pharmaceutical enterprises, thus promoting their overall performance and sustainable development? Combining empirical research with case study, including normative research, and from the perspective of exploratory learning and exploitative learning, this thesis makes a comprehensive and in-depth study of the impact of social capital on enterprise performance in Chinese pharmaceutical enterprises, theoretically explores the connections between the main research variables, constructs a theoretical model, and puts forward the hypotheses of this study. After validation, the main conclusions are drawn as follows: (1) External social capital is conducive to exploratory learning of pharmaceutical enterprises, while internal social capital is favorable for exploitative learning of pharmaceutical enterprises. (2) Exploratory learning of pharmaceutical enterprises plays a positive role in improving the ability of exploitative learning, but exploratory learning and exploitative learning have different impact on different aspects of enterprise performance. (3) Organizational learning plays an intermediary role between social capital and business performance of pharmaceutical enterprises.Com a transformação e melhoria da estrutura industrial da China, a que se junta a restruturação da cadeia de valor da indústria farmacêutica, mais orientada para o mercado e para a inovação, o desafio está entre sobreviver ou morrer e, para tal, as empresas desta indústria deverão introduzir na sua estrutura interna formas de aprendizagem organizacional contínua. Que efeito têm os diferentes tipos de capital social na aprendizagem intra e inter organizacional no caso das empresas farmacêuticas na China? Que tipos de aprendizagem organizacional devem ser adoptados para se conseguir melhorar a inovação nessas empresas e assim promover o seu desempenho e desenvolvimento sustentável? Esta tese procura responder a estas perguntas através de um estudo empírico e da análise de um caso para, a partir da perspetiva das aprendizagens incremental e exploratória, estudar o impacto do capital social no desempenho das empresas farmacêuticas chinesas escolhidas como objeto de estudo. Teoricamente exploraram-se as relações entre as variáveis da pesquisa e elaborou-se um modelo conceptual a partir do qual se propuseram as hipóteses. Os principais resultados revelam que: (1) o capital social externo afeta positivamente a aprendizagem exploratória das empresas estudadas enquanto que o mesmo sucede com a influência que o capital social interno tem na aprendizagem incremental; (2) A aprendizagem exploratória desempenha um papel positivo na capacidade de melhorar a aprendizagem incremental mas ambos os tipos de aprendizagem têm impactos diferentes no desempenho das empresas estudadas; (3) a aprendizagem organizacional, refletida na interação entre as aprendizagens exploratória e incremental desempenha um papel mediador no desempenho das empresas objeto da amostra

Investigating knowledge management factors affecting Chinese ICT firms performance: An integrated KM framework

This is an Author's Accepted Manuscript of an article published in the Journal of Information Systems Management, 28(1), 19 - 29, 2011, copyright Taylor & Francis, available online at: http://www.tandfonline.com/10.1080/10580530.2011.536107.This article sets out to investigate the critical factors of Knowledge Management (KM) which are considered to have an impact on the performance of Chinese information and communication technology (ICT) firms. This study confirms that the cultural environment of an enterprise is central to its success in the context of China. It shows that a collaborated, trusted, and learning environment within ICT firms will have a positive impact on their KM performance

Three Conceptual Themes for Future Research on Teams

[Excerpt] Tannenbaum, Mathieu, Salas, and Cohen (2011) identify three change themes – dynamic composition, technology/distance, and delayering/empowerment – that are affecting the nature of teams and discuss future research directions within each thematic area. They acknowledge that these emerging research needs may require new theories, research methods, and analyses and describe a few specific approaches that may hold promise, but focus their attention largely on describing the substantive issues and questions research should target going forward. We do not dispute that these themes are important – they are garnering substantial research attention (see Bell, 2007; Chen & Tesluk, in press; Kirkman, Gibson, & Kim, in press). However, they are among many issues that are in flux and important to consider in future research on teams. In this commentary, we adopt a broader perspective aimed at highlighting several conceptual, rather than substantive, themes that we believe can focus and leverage future research on the changing nature of teams. These conceptual themes are: (1) multilevel influences, (2) emergence, and (3) temporal dynamics. Sophisticated research questions and designs that encompass these conceptual issues will advance our understanding of the themes identified by Tannenbaum et al. (2011) as well as other emerging issues surrounding teams. In the following sections, we describe the three conceptual themes and then highlight the implications of these themes for future research on the changing nature of teams

Managing knowledge in organizations : a Nonaka’s SECI model operationalization

Purpose: The SECI model (Nonaka, 1994) is the best-known conceptual framework for understanding knowledge generation processes in organizations. To date, however, empirical support for this framework has been overlooked. The present study aims to provide an evidence-based groundwork for the SECI model by testing a multidimensional questionnaire Knowledge Management SECI Processes Questionnaire (KMSP-Q) designed to capture the knowledge conversion modes theorized by Nonaka. Methodology: In a twofold study, the SECI model was operationalized via the KMSP-Q. Specifically, Study One tested its eight-dimensional structure through exploratory and confirmatory factorial analyses on 372 employees from different sectors. Study Two examined the construct validity and reliability by replicating the KMSP-Q factor structure in knowledge-intensive contexts (on a sample of 466 health-workers), and by investigating the unique impact of each dimension on some organizational outcomes (i.e., performance, innovativeness, collective efficacy). Findings: The overall findings highlighted that the KMSP-Q is a psychometrically robust questionnaire in terms of both dimensionality and construct validity, the different knowledge generation dimensions being specifically linked to different organizational outcomes. Research/Practical Implications: The KMSP-Q actualizes and provides empirical consistency to the theory underlying the SECI model. Moreover, it allows for the monitoring of an organization’s capability to manage new knowledge and detect the strengths/weaknesses of KM-related policies and programs. Originality/Value: This paper proposes a comprehensive measure of knowledge generation in work contexts, highlighting processes that organizations are likely to promote in order to improve their performance through the management of their knowledge resources

Team Learning, Development, and Adaptation

[Excerpt] Our purpose is to explore conceptually these themes centered on team learning, development, and adaptation. We note at the onset that this chapter is not a comprehensive review of the literature. Indeed, solid conceptual and empirical work on these themes are sparse relative to the vast amount of work on team effectiveness more generally, and therefore a thematic set of topics that are ripe for conceptual development and integration. We draw on an ongoing stream of theory development and research in these areas to integrate and sculpt a distinct perspective on team learning, development, and adaptation

The Determinants of the Relationship of Corporate Social Performance and Financial Performance: Conceptual Framework

The objective of this paper is to investigate relationship between CSP and CFP using contingency perspective derived from the strategic management domain. The investigation will be done using lens of slack resource and good management theory. This study is expected to provide a new insight on the link between corporate social performance and corporate financial performance using contingency perspective as suggested in the strategic management and accounting literature, an area has not been examined in the prior studies. The result of this study can resolve the existing conflict in the literatures by developing an integrated model of the link between CSP and CFP and the notion of corporate performance which, in strategic management, is highly affected by four factors: business environment, strategy, organization structure, and control system. The model will explain in what condition the relationship of CSP and CFP is valid Keywords: Corporate social performance, corporate financial performance, slack resource theory, good management theory, contingency theory, and moderating effect