Providing value to a business using a lightweight design system to support knowledge reuse by designers

This paper describes an alternative approach to knowledge based systems in engineering than traditional geometry or explicit knowledge focused systems. Past systems have supported product optimisation rather than creative solutions and provide little benefit to businesses for bespoke and low volume products or products which do not benefit from optimisation. The approach here addresses this by supporting the creativity of designers through codified tacit knowledge and encouraging knowledge reuse for bespoke product development, in particular for small to medium sized enterprises. The implementation and evaluation of the approach is described within a company producing bespoke fixtures and tooling in shorter than average lead times. The active support of knowledge management in the company is intended to add value to the business by further reducing the lead times of the designs and creating a positive impact to business processes. The evaluation demonstrates a viable alternative framework to the traditional management of knowledge in engineering, which could be implemented by other small to medium enterprises

Modelo de conhecimento para mapeamento de instrumentos da gestão do conhecimento e de agentes computacionais da engenharia do conhecimento baseado em ontologias

Tese (doutorado) - Universidade Federal de Santa Catarina, Centro Tecnológico, Programa de Pós-graduação em Engenharia e Gestão do Conhecimento, Florianópolis, 2009Esta tese tem como base a visão interdisciplinar da práxis das áreas Engenharia do Conhecimento e Gestão do Conhecimento. Para apoiar a Gestão do Conhecimento em seus processos de criação, organização, formalização, compartilhamento, aplicação e refinamento de conhecimento, a Engenharia do Conhecimento desenvolve modelos, utilizando sistemicamente métodos, técnicas e ferramentas. Uma análise da literatura dessas áreas revelou um desconhecimento dos construtos utilizados em pesquisas e desenvolvimentos interdisciplinares e a necessidade de um modelo de conhecimento da convergência de construtos inerentes. Assim, este trabalho teve como objetivo propor um modelo de conhecimento baseado em ontologias para mapear a utilização de Agentes Computacionais da Engenharia do Conhecimento em Instrumentos da Gestão do Conhecimento. Utilizando elementos da Engenharia de Ontologias, o modelo foi desenvolvido e teve sua viabilidade técnica comprovada em dois cenários, confirmando sua capacidade para: (a) organizar, formalizar e compartilhar conhecimento já estabelecido; e (b) criar conhecimento novo, não estabelecido academicamente, para ser aplicado e/ou refinado. O modelo também foi verificado por nove especialistas de domínio das áreas inerentes, os quais apontaram como resultados: (i) um conjunto de questões que norteiam o entendimento de objetos de investigação em aplicações e pesquisas interdisciplinares da Engenharia e Gestão do Conhecimento; (ii) a explicitação de parte de um modelo de conhecimento no domínio da Engenharia do Conhecimento a ser utilizado no projeto de seus Agentes Computacionais; (iii) a explicitação de parte de um modelo de conhecimento no domínio da Gestão do Conhecimento a ser utilizado na implantação de seus Instrumentos; (iv) uma forma de integração do conhecimento inerente ao projeto de Agentes Computacionais da Engenharia do Conhecimento como soluções tecnológicas mais aderentes aos Instrumentos da Gestão do Conhecimento; e (v) alguns insumos à prospecção de um ambiente aberto para publicação, compartilhamento e exploração do conhecimento interdisciplinar

Approccio relazionale e co-creazione di valore in sanità: il caso dell’Assistenza Domiciliare Integrata

2014 - 2015Aim – The work aims to analyse the National Heath Care Service (NHCS) in order to trace pathways and evolutions that have produced its actual configuration. It highlights limitations of traditional managerial models in health care in order to define new approaches built on the tradition but oriented to a new vision of health service. The aim is to point out some relevant variable for the survival of National Heath Care Service that, in the last years, have been neglected. The purpose is to propose possible actions to focus the attention on the patient in the perspective of relational approach and value co-creation. In order to achieve this aim, an empirical investigation on the satisfaction produced by Integrated Home Care (IHC) in the Salerno province is proposed. Methodology – The work offers an analysis of the National Heath Care Service’ evolution and of the relationship among providers and users in health context. The increasing dissatisfaction in the health context is analysed through a Systematic Literature Review focused on the topics of knowledge management, information asymmetry and cognitive distance. Evidences of literature are analysed using a conceptual framework based on the Viable Systems Approach and on the Service Dominant Logic. Proposed hypothesis are verified trough an empirical investigation on the satisfaction produced by Integrated Home Care in the Salerno province. Specifically, the pathway of research is based on the collection and elaboration of direct data, through a survey, and indirect data, extracted from medical records of patients and analysed with a structural equation model. The investigation aims to measure the satisfaction of patients produced by IHC in the Salerno province and its evolution along the time in order to verify the validity of the hypothesis on which the work is based. Findings – The work offers an interpretation of National Heath Care Service based on the more recent indications of managerial studies. The adoption of a quali-quantitative pathway of research produces some reflections useful to improve the fitting of NHCS to the emerging context’s needs. Empirical evidences show the relevance of relational approach and value co-creation to face the emerging challenges in the health context. Approccio relazionale e co-creazione di valore in sanità: il caso dell’Assistenza Domiciliare Integrata IV Research limitation – Empirical evidences should be further checked with reference to different pathways of National Heath Care Service and observing a more extensive geographical area. Results, therefore, should be considered only the first step of a research pathways oriented to define the future evolution of NHCS. Research and Managerial implication – The study provides a new interpretative perspective of National Heath Care Service’s dynamics. Building on the existent literature and on the adopted conceptual framework, it traces some guidelines to improve efficiency, effectiveness and sustainability in the management of NHCS acting on the Relational Approach and on the value co-creation logic. Originality – The analysis of dissatisfaction in the health context as result of information asymmetry and cognitive distance among provider and user is an advancement of the existent national and international contributions on the topic. The definition of an interpretative model oriented to explain the relationships among providers and users in order to trace possible actions to improve the satisfaction in the health context opens to new possible research pathways. In the end, the empirical investigation on the satisfaction produced by Integrated Home Care represents the first step of an ambitious long pathway of research to which it is linked the evolution of NHCS. Keywords – National Heath Care Service; Integrated Home Care; Relational Approach; Value co-creation; Viable Systems Approach; Service Dominant Logic; Systematic Literature Review; Information Asymmetry; Cognitive Distance; Structural Equation. [edited by Author]XIV n.s