Modelling a Trusted Mechanism for Knowledge Sharing

Knowledge sharing has been identified as a major focus area for knowledge management. Efforts are made with a view to identify the most effective ways to share knowledge, as a step towards improving organizational performance. In this striving, various factors have been identified as impediments for knowledge sharing, including inadequate organizational structures, sharing unfriendly organizational cultures, and denominational segregation. Related problems may occur when information systems, such as intranets, distributed libraries, document management systems, or groupware applications, are introduced to support knowledge sharing. The extensive use of the IT&C has only added new questions on how to address issues of trust within the present knowledge -rich environment. This paper proposes a new way of approaching knowledge sharing in the context of information and communication technology development. The study provides an overview of the manner and extent in which information assurance concepts of integrity, authenticity, availability, non-repudiation and access-control may be employed to ensure a trusted and effective knowledge sharing process.knowledge sharing; sharing policy; access control; trusted knowledge sharing; barriers in knowledge sharing.

Konteks Organisasi, Teknologi Informasi dan Kapabilitas Knowledge Sharing Pegawai di PT PLN (Persero) Area Palembang

Rapid changes in the information age indirectly require reforms in the public sector. The public sector must continue to improve, one of which is through the creation of innovation. Innovation in the public sector is carried out through the creation of ideas that cannot be separated from the knowledge sharing process. Knowledge sharing is important for organizations considering the nature of knowledge which is complementary and no single individual masters all fields of knowledge. Unfortunately, not many public agencies have implemented knowledge management properly through the use of information technology by considering organizational culture and the type of organizational structure. The purpose of this study was to examine how the influence of internalization of organizational culture and functional organizational structure on knowledge sharing capability at PT. PLN (Persero) Palembang Area by including information technology as an intervening variable. The method used in this study is a quantitative method using a questionnaire as primary data. The sample used in this study is a census sample so that the entire population is used as research respondents. The results showed that the use of information technology mediates the effect of internalization of organizational culture on knowledge sharing capabilities but does not mediate the effect of functional organizational structures on knowledge sharing capabilities. Based on these findings, the suggestions given by the researcher are: maximizing the use of information technology while maintaining a conducive organizational culture and climate for increasing knowledge sharing capabilities

The perceptions of the link between knowledge sharing and management development in the South African workplace.

Masters Degree. University of KwaZulu-Natal, Westville.Knowledge sharing has been highly associated with organizational success, project completion, and the achievement of organizational objectives (Castaneda & Toulson, 2013). Previous studies have found that knowledge sharing was directly linked to the organizational culture and the actions of top management. Certain factors have been studied in relation to knowledge sharing including: management support, personality types, incentive/reward structures, organizational culture. Pillani (2007), as cited by Naicker (2010) found that there were eight factors for knowledge management sharing success: understanding and defining knowledge management; finding a commonplace between individual and business needs; carefully selecting and integrating knowledge management champions and a support team; gaining senior management support, educating on the benefits of financial and non-financial rewards; and creating a balance between IT and people. Although there is a wide variety of literature demonstrating the positive effects of knowledge sharing and knowledge management, there is a scarcity of literature sources that discuss the importance of knowledge sharing for the success of management development programmes. Most importantly there is no study according to the researcher’s knowledge, that addresses the gaps in organizational understanding of knowledge sharing and knowledge management. The study used a web-based questionnaire that was administered to 54 managers from various levels of the University of Kwazulu-Natal. Findings confirmed the tenets of the social exchange theory in relation to knowledge sharing in the workplace, and the significance and value of knowledge sharing in the organizational context. The results confirmed the existence of a high level of competition and knowledge hoarding behaviors within the organization. The findings described a disconnect between organizational objectives and management development objectives, and highlighted some of the shortfalls of existing management development programmes. This study sought to address the link between knowledge sharing and management development by seeking to uncover the perceptions and understanding of these two concepts and if they perceive the two to be linked. This broad work to investigate a link between knowledge sharing and management development spurs on a more refined investigation in this area of research, and has particular significance for the improvement of knowledge systems and management development initiatives within the organization

How does IT Occupational Culture Affect Knowledge Sharing in Organizations?

In this study, we investigate the relationship between the occupational culture of information technology (IT) personnel and knowledge sharing in organizations. We suggest that some elements of IT occupational culture affect knowledge sharing among IT personnel and business end users. Drawing on cultural psychology, we present one possible approach through which IT occupational culture manifests through six elements of organizational structure (i.e., stories, symbols, power structures, control systems, and rituals and routines) and affects the knowledge-sharing process. In doing so, we better understand behaviors related to knowledge sharing and IT diffusion in organizations beyond the limitations of previous IT-diffusion studies

Using Peer-to-Peer Technology for Knowledge Sharing in Communities of Practices

Communities of Practices (CoPs) are informal structures within organizations that bind people together through informal relationships and the sharing of expertise and experience. As such, they are effective tools for the creation and sharing of organizational knowledge, and, increasingly, organizations are adopting them as part of their knowledge management strategies. In this paper, we examine the knowledge sharing characteristics and roles of CoPs and develop a peer-to-peer knowledge sharing architecture that matches the behavioral characteristics of the members of the CoPs. We also propose a peer-to-peer knowledge sharing tool called KTella that enables members of CoPs to voluntarily share and retrieve knowledge more effectively

Governing Knowledge Sharing and Transfer in MNCs by Organizational Mechanisms Enabling Social Interaction

This dissertation aims to contribute to the understanding of how multinational companies (MNCs) use organizational mechanisms enabling social interaction to govern knowledge sharing and transfer within the company. The international management literature has, over recent decades, shown an increased interest in the importance of social interaction in the government of knowledge processes and integration of units by MNCs. Even though research provides support for the association between social interaction and the sharing and transfer of knowledge, researchers have neither fully explained how MNCs leverage this association nor identified the underlying mechanisms whereby social interaction positively affects related processes and under what conditions. The dissertation consists of three papers: one literature review and two empirical studies. The literature review investigates how organizational mechanisms enabling social interaction are covered in the international management literature, with a specific focus on the role of socialization and social capital. The review identifies seven main categories covering 35 different mechanisms, which are defined as formal or informal. Additionally, the review proposes a model for how formal and informal mechanisms are connected to socialization and the development of social capital. The empirical papers report two different studies. The first investigates intra-organizational learning structures that enable social interaction among managers across borders and examines the extent of their association with strategic and HRM structures and the institutional context of the subsidiary’s operation. This paper investigates both company-level factors and institutional context as a macro factor influencing the focal subsidiary. The second empirical paper investigates the micro-foundations of knowledge sharing and transfers within formal knowledge networks in an MNC. The focus is on the interaction between knowledge-sharing behavior and knowledge application and how these processes are influenced by network management, structural social capital, and different types of autonomous motivation. Together, these papers contribute to the understanding of how MNCs use organizational mechanisms enabling social interaction to govern knowledge sharing and transfer within the company

Knowledge Management as a Survival Strategy to Enhance Competitive Advantage in the Zimbabwean Tourism and Hospitality Industry

The Tourism and Hospitality industry has been exposed to turbulent business environment as a result of the unstable economic challenges affecting the Zimbabwean economy. .In this unpredictable environment, thinking smart creates sustainability hence the study aims to leverage the appropriateness of Knowledge management as a survival strategy to enhance competitive advantage in the Zimbabwean Tourism and Hospitality industry:   The research was prompted by the observation that, despite Zimbabwe leapfrogging in the   tourism sector from the time of multi currency, the country remains essentially a consumer nation with nothing to show on the knowledge based  economy. The researchers used a descriptive research design to systematically examine the significance of incorporating knowledge management concept in human resource policies, culture, structure and ICT systems in the hotel and tourism sector in Zimbabwe. Questionnaires and interviews were used to collect data. The main findings   are that human resources does not align its policies with knowledge management practices, lack of knowledge management system in the ICT is affecting knowledge sharing and utilisation to take place, bureaucratic organizational structures and individualistic or unsupportive culture are hindering the flow of information from deep smarts to novice. Poor knowledge management comes from lack of clear human  resource  management procedures, lack of policies for management of intellectual capital and lack of learning culture and organizational structures. The study recommends that human resources should align knowledge management with rewards, support knowledge sharing culture, teamwork and reduce bureaucratic structures .There has  be a general shift from traditional  information management  approach whereby data with no real meaning is stored ,shared and captured. A Knowledge Officer to be used. A paradigm shift from tall organizational structures to more flatter and matrix structures so that knowledge can flow freely in the entities Keywords: Zimbabwe, tourism and hospitality, knowledge management, technology, knowledge bureaucrac

Knowledge Management as a Survival Strategy to Enhance Competitive Advantage in the Zimbabwean Tourism and Hospitality industry.

The Tourism and Hospitality industry has been exposed to turbulent business environment as a result of the unstable economic challenges affecting the Zimbabwean economy. .In this unpredictable environment, thinking smart creates sustainability hence the study aims to leverage the appropriateness of Knowledge management as a survival strategy to enhance competitive advantage in the Zimbabwean Tourism and Hospitality industry:The research was prompted by the observation that, despite Zimbabwe leapfrogging in the tourism sector from the time of multi currency, the country remains essentially a consumer nation with nothing to show on the knowledge based economy. The researchers used a descriptive research design to systematically examine the significance of incorporating knowledge management concept in human resource policies, culture, structure and ICT systems in the hotel and tourism sector in Zimbabwe. Questionnaires and interviews were used to collect data. The main findings are that human resources does not align its policies with knowledge management practices. Lack of knowledge management system in the ICT is affecting knowledge sharing and utilisation to take place. Bureaucratic organizational structures and individualistic or unsupportive culture are hindering the flow of information from deep smarts to novice. Poor knowledge management comes from lack of clear human resource management procedures, lack of policies for management of intellectual capital and lack of learning culture and organizational structures. The study recommends that human resources should align knowledge management with rewards, support knowledge sharing culture, teamwork and reduce bureaucratic structures .There has been a general shift from traditional information management approach whereby data with no real meaning is stored ,shared and captured. A Knowledge Officer to be used. A paradigm shift from tall organizational structures to more flatter and matrix structures so that knowledge can flow freely in the entities Keywords: Zimbabwe, tourism and hospitality, knowledge management, technology, knowledge bureaucrac

Enabling Knowledge Broker Analysis through Actor Clusters in Organizational Structures in Enterprise Social Media

Knowledge brokers serve as facilitators of knowledge sharing. The extant literature calls for nuanced analyses of different organizational structures as the spaces knowledge brokers operate in. Our interest lies in formal, semiformal, and informal organizational network structures and in how knowledge brokers are positioned in them. In this paper, we outline a collaborative analysis method, with researchers from different disciplines working together in data sprints. The benefit of this process is that it enables analyzing large organizational networks with deep insights. Amplifying social network analysis with field knowledge offers a deeper understanding of the connections in the network. This paper describes the analysis process and proposes interdisciplinary data processing techniques. We applied the proposed method using an extensive empirical data set that includes intraorganizational social media interactions between employees in a global organization. Our analysis transforms enterprise social media data into a network model that describes an organization’s social structure

Photocatalytic activity of nitrogen-doped TiO2-based nanowires: a photo-assisted Kelvin probe force microscopy study

The emerging industrial business partnerships, which feature cross-functional and cross-company development efforts, raise the barrier for the establishment of effective knowledge sharing practices in the larger organization. This chapter aims to highlight the role of knowledge as a key enabler for effective engineering activities in the light of such emerging enterprise collaboration models. Knowledge Enabled Engineering (KEE) is presented as an approach to enhance the extended organization’s capability to establish effective collaboration among its parts, in spite of different organizational structures, technologies or processes. KEE is analysed in its constituent parts, highlighting areas, methods and tools that are particularly interesting for leveraging companies’ knowledge sharing capabilities