Exploring the role of structural holes in learning: an empirical study of Swedish pharmacies

Purpose \u2013 There is a lack of studies investigating the role of the structural configuration of social capital \u2013 more specifically, structural holes \u2013 for employees' individual learning. The objective of this paper is to address this gap in the literature, ultimately enhancing understanding of the link between the structural configuration of social capital and individual learning. Design/methodology/approach \u2013 An online questionnaire survey was administered to employees affiliated to 22 pharmacies in Sweden to gather attributional and relational data on the individual level. Social network analysis techniques were used to describe salient structural characteristics of individuals' social capital. The impact of social capital on individual learning was explored through ordinal logistic regression models based on maximum likelihood estimations. Findings \u2013 The presence of structural holes initially increases the degree of individual learning, then reaches a maximum and begins to gradually decrease. Practical implications \u2013 The results of the study provide valuable input for the development and management of networks within firms, in order to improve learning and innovation. In addition, given the close proximity between learning, as conceptualized in this study, and other job attitudes, human resource management practices in general could benefit greatly from the results. Originality/value \u2013 In this paper, the authors focus on the structural configuration of social capital, more specifically structural holes, and its inter-relationship with learning. Although prior literature has analyzed various beneficial effects of social capital, this study is the first of its kind to investigate the role of the structural configuration of the social capital for employees' individual learning

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

Applying Social Capital Theory to the Management of IT Outsourcing

This thesis develops a conceptual framework for relating Social Capital theory to large IT outsourcing projects. It uses this to explore how social factors that arise in outsourcing situations can influence organisations’ competence in IT innovation. It finds that social capital principles provide a valuable alternative perspective to established practices in managing IT outsourcing. Social capital can be applied both in the analysis of IT outsourcing results and in planning outsourcing transitions that lead to improved longer term knowledge creation and innovation capability. Research was carried out in two large and established users of IT outsourcing, a UK government agency and a major bank. Based on this, two detailed case studies were prepared and an interpretive methodology used to understand how the respective outsourcing projects had developed. A conceptual model of the interacting organisational factors that lead to IT competence is derived from existing literature and tested against the case study data. This model sets out the new concept of an ‘outsourcing enclave’ as a unique structure in which knowledge resources of outsourcing client and vendor are combined, supported by social capital that is distinct from that in either feeding organisation. The thesis uses the model to observes how, in the cases studied, effective management of social capital in outsourcing enclaves has created situations conducive to knowledge creation and innovation and the barriers to this that were encountered. This reveals that social capital management in these organisations called for time after outsourcing transition during which social capital can stabilise in the enclave, for learning from the achievement of short term objectives and for application of relational governance alongside the outsourcing contract. The main contributions of the thesis are the conceptual framework of the outsourcing enclave and the use of this to apply social capital theory to specific situations of IT outsourcing. It also demonstrates how theorised dimensions of social capital can be used to interpret outcomes in real outsourcing situations. The cases provide further empirical support for social capital theory and their interpretation a basis for further research in the specific area of outsourcing and IT outsourcing in particular

El efecto de la alerta emprendedora, el capital social y la orientación emprendedora en el reconocimiento, evaluación y explotación de oportunidades en el emprendimiento corporativo

El emprendimiento conlleva mucho más que estimular a los individuos para que creen nuevas empresas (Kuratko & Morris, 2018). En los últimos años, se aprecia un creciente interés en el estudio del emprendimiento corporativo o en compañías establecidas (Barney, Foss & Lyngsie,2018). Las oportunidades emprendedoras son fundamentales en la investigación del emprendimiento en las empresas (Saemundsson & Candi, 2017) e implican un proceso de reconocimiento, evaluación y explotación de las mismas (Lim, Oh & De Clercq, 2016). De la misma forma, la literatura manifiesta la importancia del emprendimiento a nivel internacional desarrollando estudios que examinan los comportamientos emprendedores internacionales. Estos comportamientos están orientados al reconocimiento, a la evaluación y a la explotación de oportunidades emprendedoras internacionales (Mainela, Puhakka & Servais, 2014)..

Estudio de la capacidad de absorción del conocimiento en la empresa industrial española: propuesta de un modelo de capacidad de absorción desde la gestión del conocimiento

En esta Tesis Doctoral se investiga el núcleo de la capacidad de absorción de conocimiento en la empresa, para explicar la conversión de su dimensión potencial a realizada, identificando los principales elementos que intervienen en este proceso de absorción. Paralelamente, se propone una conceptualización y un modelo propio de la capacidad de absorción, como competencia directiva, que supone la inclusión de un mecanismo estratégico formado por la gestión tecnológica y las estrategias hacia el exterior (colaboraciones tecnológicas), que interactúa, como fase de gestión, con el resto de fases de la capacidad de absorción (exploración, asimilación, transformación y explotación). A partir de un estudio longitudinal representativo de las empresas industriales españolas, procedente de la Encuesta de Estrategias Empresariales de la Fundación SEPI, se contrasta empíricamente la validez del modelo de capacidad de absorción propuesto y se ofrece una guía de buenas prácticas para su aplicación y puesta en práctica.This Doctoral Thesis investigates the core of the knowledge absorptive capacity in the firm, to explain the conversion of the potential dimension to the realized dimension, identifying the main elements of this absorption process. Simultaneously, it proposes a conceptualization and an own model of the absorptive capacity, as a managerial competence, which involves the inclusion of a strategic mechanism formed by the technology management and strategies toward the outside (technological collaborations), which interacts, as management phase, with the rest of the absorptive capacity phases (exploration, assimilation, transformation and exploitation). From a representative longitudinal study of the Spanish industrial companies, from the Survey of Business Strategies of the SEPI Foundation, contrast empirically the validity of the model of the proposed absorptive capacity and provides a guide to good practices for its application and implementation