IT Supported Open Innovation in a Chinese Context

The authors examine digital innovation and how it is supported by portfolios of digital services within a digital innovation platform

The influence of knowledge sharing behavior and transactive memory systems on innovative work behavior: A conceptual model

© 2017 IEEE. Although knowledge sharing (KS), the key to creativity and innovation, are increasingly common in organisations, research on the relationship between knowledge sharing behaviour (KSB) and transactive memory system (TMS) and its effect on innovative work behaviour (IWB) is relatively rare. Prior studies have reported that KS influences IWB in organisations. However, the effect of KSB on IWB and the join influence between TMS on KS and IWB have not been adequately investigated in past research. Therefore, the goal of this research-in-progress is to propose a conceptual model comprising three construct domains including KSB, TMS quality and IWB to examine the impact of the KS practices of employees on their IWB in organisations. We advance to conduct a survey to examine our discussion of the proposed conceptual model. It is expected that this research will contribute to the deeper understanding of the effects of KSB and TMS on IBW within organisation. Implications and future research are also proposed

Knowledge sharing and information security: a paradox?

This paper presents the findings of a knowledge sharing and information security literature review and identifies an interesting research gap in the intersection of the two practices. In a fast changing environment where there is increasing need to understand customers’ demands and competitors’ strategies (Lin et al, 2012), knowledge sharing is recognised as an essential activity for organisational success (Wasko and Faraj, 2005; Renzl, 2008). Organisations continuously aim to exploit existing knowledge, seek new ways to improve and increase knowledge sharing activities, as well as to identify and reduce possible knowledge sharing barriers. However, albeit the integral role and benefits of knowledge sharing having been widely recognised, the security or protection of knowledge has not received the same level of attention. Although the importance of protecting knowledge has been stressed by some researchers (e.g. Gold et al, 2001; Desouza and Awazu, 2004; Desouza 2006; Ryan, 2006), research into the ‘softer’ or the human behaviour aspects of knowledge protection is scarce. Information security is another field that has grown tremendously and is now a globally recognised discipline (Gifford, 2009) receiving attention from academics and practitioners (Wiant, 2005). Information security measures aim to prevent the loss or leakage of an organisation’s valuable information and manage the resulting cost of any loss. Despite organisations’ investments in prevention measures, information security breaches are still common where humans are often seen as the weakest link and ‘incorrect’ human behaviour as the most common point of failure. However, much of the research carried out to prevent information security breaches focuses on technical facets (Gordon and Loeb, 2006; Coles-Kemp, 2009). From the literature review, it is evident that knowledge sharing and information security have become well-established concepts in academia and within organisations. However, the middle ground between these two equally important, and adjacent, practices, has received inadequate attention. Knowledge sharing aims to encourage individuals to share knowledge with colleagues, organisational partners and suppliers; on the other hand, information security initiatives aim to apply controls and restrictions to the knowledge that can be shared and how it is shared. This paper draws attention to the perceived paradoxical nature of knowledge sharing and information security and raises awareness of the potential conflict that could compromise the protection of knowledge, or alternatively, reduce the openness of knowledge sharing

Users’ privacy perceptions in interorganizational information sharing

Existing privacy theories shed light on the mechanisms at work when users decide to share information with an organization – yet do not sufficiently encompass the common practice of sharing user information across organizations. This research study introduces the concept of Interorganizational Information Sharing (IIS) and theorizes on boundary uncertainty and boundary control to develop a model of privacy perceptions in IIS. To empirically validate this model, we collect data through an online survey in the context of smart fitness devices. Our research aims at advancing and articulating the concept of IIS, conceptualizing privacy perceptions based on that understanding, and subsequently relating those perceptions to behavioral intentions to protect privacy in IIS. We thereby contribute to IS privacy literature, considering the complexity of information sharing relationships in a granular manner

Changing the Game : A Case for Gamifying Knowledge Management

Purpose: This exploratory paper investigates gamification as a medium for knowledge workers to interact with each other. The paper aims to open the discussion around the sustaining impact that gamification might have on knowledge management. Design/methodology/approach: The paper employs an exploratory literature review investigating the current state of the art in relation to knowledge management and gamification; this literature review serves as the starting point of subsequent theorizing. Findings: Based on the literature review we theorize that the use of gamification in knowledge management can go far beyond the motivational aspects. To name just a few uses of gamification, it can help in: supporting flexibility, facilitating transparency and therefore improving trust, visualizing skills and competences as well as generating requirements for new competences, and promoting a collaborative environment among the knowledge workers. Research limitations/implications: This paper opens the discussion around knowledge management and gamification and suggests a wide range of areas for further research. Practical implications: In this paper we argue that by looking at gamification as more than just a set of tools for improving motivation and engagement a company can address some pitfalls of a particular type of knowledge workers. Social implications: Originality/value: Gamification is a new, but increasingly popular approach, which has been shown to be to be powerful in many areas. This paper is novel in that it initiates a dialogue around the impact that gamification might have on knowledge management

Knowledge Adoption: A New Perspective and the Influence of Knowledge Characteristics

Knowledge may be regarded as one type of innovations that are potentially beneficial to knowledge recipients. However, benefits of knowledge sharing or transfer can only be realized if knowledge recipients are aware of the existence of knowledge, adopt it and deploy it. This paper first provides a review and comparison of innovation characteristics and knowledge characteristics examined in the existing literatures. Then, integrating ideas from the innovation adoption, cognitive psychology and financial real options literatures, this paper provides a new perspective of knowledge adoption that includes two processes (i.e., awareness and evaluation) and three possible adoption decision outcomes (i.e., strong adoption whereby the knowledge is adopted for immediate deployments, weak adoption whereby the knowledge is consciously archived for possible future applications, and faint adoption whereby the knowledge is not adopted for immediate application nor archived for future application). Using the new perspective of knowledge adoption, a set of propositions is offered regarding the influence of knowledge characteristics on adoption decisions. This paper contributes to both knowledge management and innovation adoption literatures

Information Technology and Organizational Learning Interplay: A Survey

The objective of this paper is to provide a systematic review of the evolutionary trends in the research domain of information technology and organizational learning. Having surveyed various journals and key conferences between 2000 and 2018 on the topic, we observe that information technology (IT) has expanded from its general form to various contemporary information systems, e.g. knowledge organization systems, communication and collaborative systems and decision support systems. However, organization learning (OL) now essentially occurs through knowledge management activities, e.g. knowledge acquisition, storing, sharing and application of knowledge. The survey reported here not only validates the interplay of IT and OL but also reveals some important intervening factors between IT and OL, e.g. absorptive capacity, organization culture, user trust, acceptance and satisfaction that work as deterministic elements in the reciprocal relationship of IT and OL. We propose future research to explore interaction between big data analytical systems and organizational learning