Gestão do conhecimento em equipas: Desenvolvimento de um instrumento de medida multidimensional

This paper describes the development of the Team Knowledge Management (TKM). Following a deductive method, TKM was developed based on Cardoso’s (2003) model of knowledge management. This instrument allows the evaluation of fourteen dimensions of knowledge management distributed by six main sections: creation and acquisition of knowledge, attribution of meaning to the knowledge, knowledge share and diffusion, memory of the team, knowledge recovery and use, and knowledge management catalysts. Considering preliminary tests, the psychometric properties of TKM are satisfactory.Este artigo descreve o processo de desenvolvimento do instrumento Gestão do Conhecimento em Equipas (GCE). Recorrendo a um método dedutivo, o GCE foi desenvolvido com base na adaptação para o contexto grupal do modelo de gestão do conhecimento de Cardoso (2003). O instrumento permite avaliar catorze dimensões da gestão do conhecimento grupal distribuídas por seis secções: criação e aquisição de conhecimento, atribuição de sentido ao conhecimento, partilha e difusão do conhecimento, memória da equipa, recuperação e utilização do conhecimento, e catalisadores de gestão do conhecimento. Considerando um conjunto de testes preliminares, as propriedades psicométricas do GCE são satisfatórias

Mapping the knowledge flow in sustainable construction project teams using social network analysis

Purpose Knowledge transfer (KT) practices in five construction projects delivering sustainable office buildings in Germany and the UK are examined using Social Network Analysis (SNA). Anchor Design/methodology/approach Case studies were adopted as research strategy, with one construction project representing one case study. A combination of quantitative data, social network data and some qualitative data on perceptions of the sustainable construction process and its KT were collected through questionnaires. The data was analysed using a combination of descriptive statistics, cross tabulations, content analysis and SNA. This resulted in a KT map of each sustainable construction project. Anchor Findings The findings resulted in a better understanding of how knowledge on sustainable construction is transferred and adopted. They show that large amounts of tacit knowledge were transferred through strong ties in sparse networks. Anchor Research limitations/implications The findings could offer a solution to secure a certain standard of sustainable building quality through improved KT. The findings indicate a need for further research and discussion on network density, tie strength and tacit KT. Anchor Originality/value This paper contributes to the literature on KT from a social network perspective. It provides a novel approach through combining concepts of network structure and relatedness in tie contents regarding specialised knowledge, i.e. sustainable construction knowledge. Thereby it provides a robust approach to mapping knowledge flows in office building projects that aim to achieve high levels of sustainability standards

Mapping knowledge flows in virtual teams with SNA

Purpose - The aim of the paper is to illustrate the use of Social Network Analysis (SNA) to map information and knowledge flow in six virtual project teams with members of diverse cultures in private and public sector companies in different sectors. Methodology/approach - Due to the area of research, the authors supplemented the in-depth interviews with an embedded SNA questionnaire and two stage analysis. Findings - The SNA findings demonstrated that network ties are useful predictors of how information and knowledge flows in virtual project teams and can be better indicators than formal project structures. assessment of participants’ prestige, activity and influence and their generic formal team functions, thus leadership, member and support roles. Research limitations/implications – SNA does not yield information about causal factors, context or history of the team contributing to the current team relationships. Practical implications - SNA as a method in this study delivers information on diverse members' influence, prestige and specific team member-related brokerage roles. It highlights what boundary-crossing knowledge sharing activities they engage in and maps the knowledge and information flows between members of the virtual project teams within the companies. Originality/value of paper. The multi-method research design represents a sound approach to target knowledge management in virtual project environments in international contexts

Social Capital and Knowledge Sharing in Global Virtual Teams

Virtual collaborations gradually emerged with the development of information and communication technologies coupled with the invention of the internet. It became easier and more cost effective to bring the best talents together to work on common tasks and combine their expertise and knowledge regardless of their physical locations. The utilization of broader, richer and more diverse knowledge bases is the underlying argument for using global virtual teams as a new work arrangement. However, virtual settings present challenges for building social capital among team members which can consequently undermine interpersonal knowledge sharing. This study addresses these interrelationships through two main research questions. The first question looks at the characteristics of global virtual teams that affect the development of social capital among virtual team members. The second research question aims to investigate the main factors of social capital that influence interpersonal knowledge sharing in global virtual teams. The empirical study was conducted through qualitative research methods in the form of an in-depth case study of semi-structured personal and phone interviews. Ten interviews with representatives from five different countries were carried out to collect data for the research. The role of geographical dispersions of team members, high reliance on information and communication technology, and cultural and language diversities in the development of social capital and knowledge sharing within global virtual teams was observed. Based on the collected data, the factors influencing the development of three dimensions of social capital and their impact on knowledge sharing in global virtual teams were identified. The results of the research show that technology alone does not ensure knowledge sharing. Building social capital helps mediate the communication challenges and breakdowns within global virtual teams and reduce associated losses. Teams that develop social capital are more responsive and attentive to other members’ communication, information, and knowledge needs.fi=Opinnäytetyö kokotekstinä PDF-muodossa.|en=Thesis fulltext in PDF format.|sv=Lärdomsprov tillgängligt som fulltext i PDF-format

PRIMUS/Informed Cities: Making research work for local sustainability

The final report of a three year European Commission FP7 project

The relationship between knowledge management and leadership: mapping the field and providing future research avenues

Purpose: Effectively handling knowledge is crucial for any organisation in order to survive and prosper in the turbulent environments of the modern era. Leadership is a central element for knowledge creation, acquisition, utilisation and integration processes. Based on these considerations, this study offers an overview of the evolution of the literature regarding the knowledge management-leadership relationship published over the last twenty years. Design/methodology/approach: A bibliometric analysis coupled with a systematic literature review were performed over a dataset of 488 peer-reviewed articles published from 1990 to 2018. Findings: We discovered the existence of four well-polarised clusters with the following thematic focuses: human and relational aspects, systematic and performance aspects, contextual and contingent aspects, and cultural and learning aspects. We then investigated each thematic cluster by reviewing the most relevant contributions within them. Research limitations/implications: Based on the bibliometric analysis and the systematic literature review we developed an interpretative framework aimed at uncovering several promising and little explored research areas, thus suggesting an agenda for future knowledge management-leadership research. Some steps of the paper selection process may have been biased by the interpretation of the researcher. We addressed this concern by performing a multiple human subject reading process whose reliability was confirmed by a Krippendorf’s Alpha coefficient value > 0.80. Originality/value: To our best knowledge, this is the first study to map, systematise and discuss the literature concerned to the topic of the knowledge management-leadership relationship

Language Advice Networks: a form of social capital in the multinational corporation

This thesis introduces the emerging phenomenon of Language Advice Networks (LANs) in multilingual, multinational corporations. As an informal network of individuals, a LAN is utilized on a need basis to seek and offer language-related advice, with the common goal of performing efficiently and avoiding more time-consuming traditional translation. Through three separate yet related studies, I introduce the LAN, its structural and relational formation, and the career implications of LAN engagement for individuals. The three studies entail both qualitative and quantitative approaches. Conducted in QatarCo (a pseudonym), the MNC’s headquarters is located in Qatar and operates with English as its lingua franca. I accumulated participant observation fieldnotes for 10 consecutive months, conducted 65 one-to-one, semistructured interviews and two focus groups, and surveyed 107 employees representing four departments. Study 1 explores how employees with varying degrees of lingua franca fluency deploy their intra-firm social capital to exchange – seek and offer – language-related knowledge, on a need basis. Using a mixed methods approach, I define the LAN, elaborate its properties and dimensions, and distinguish its structure from that of general advice networks. Study 2 extends the structural exposition by examining the relational dimension of LANs. To investigate the individual and dyadic attributes of the language advisors. I apply exponential random graph modelling to reveal that that the advisory role is predicted by a cosmopolitan mindset: ability to articulate advice in a manner understood by a culturally dissimilar counterpart. Study 3 uses grounded theory to demonstrate that advising in a LAN entails generalized reciprocity with career implications, including enhanced status, non-financial rewards, financial incentives, and sense of empowerment. The data also indicate that the relationship between LAN engagement and career success can be explained through two mechanisms: establishing a rewarding reputation and enhancing one’s intra-firm social capital. I conclude by discussing the thesis’s theoretical contributions to the International Business, career, and social capital literature, as well as managerial implications, research limitations, and future research directions

Knowledge sharing in multinational organizations : the impact of language

Knowledge sharing is a key collaborative activity that plays a significant role in organizational learning and performance. Knowledge sharing between organizational employees is important, not only for running basic administrative tasks, but also for major and critical organizational activities such as development and execution of organizational strategies meant to develop a competitive advantage in the market. The 21st century has seen a rise in multilingual workforces. Globalization, immigration and organizational international business dealings have rendered many organizations linguistically diverse. However, we do not find much research on information and knowledge sharing in multilingual work contexts. This study tries to fill this research gap and investigates the influence of language on knowledge sharing in multilingual organizations. To understand the concept of language and its influence on knowledge sharing, this study adopts an interdisciplinary approach. Therefore, the theoretical framework is built on insights from sociolinguistics, linguistic anthropology and knowledge management. This analysis is specifically focused on determining the relationship between linguistic association and interpersonal knowledge networks, and language practices and knowledgesharing interactions. Overall, the dissertation is comprised of four articles, each pair of articles answers one sub-question. Using a multiple method approach, both, quantitative and qualitative investigations were conducted in a large Finnish multinational organization that has subsidiaries in more than 70 countries around the world. A survey containing 403 usable responses was analyzed using regression analysis and one-way ANOVA to understand the effect of linguistic association on interpersonal knowledge networks. In addition, 21 in-depth interviews were conducted with employees from different subsidiaries. These interviews were analyzed using inductive logic to understand the influence of language practices on knowledge-sharing interactions. Analysis of the data shows that language influences both the development of knowledge networks and knowledge-sharing interactions between employees. Regarding knowledge networks, it was found that multilingual organizations have a language hierarchy in terms of access to information. Employees who speak the parent-company’s language do not build knowledgesharing connections with those who belong to a different language community. As most of the important positions in the organization are held by its homecountry nationals, an employee’s capability to speak their language provides him/her the opportunity to build a relationship with them and consequently gain access to critical information, which, in turn, lower his/her motivation to connect and share knowledge with others. Moreover, it was found that language diversity in personal knowledge networks positively correlates with employee performance. In other words, employees with highly multilingual personal knowledge networks perform better than those with monolingual personal knowledge networks. In terms of knowledge-sharing interactions between linguistically diverse employees, a major finding was that knowledge sharing interactions conducted in a non-native language differ from those conducted in a native language. It was found that employees adopt three different strategies to deal with problems in the knowledge-sharing process caused using a non-native language. These strategies – namely, discourse adjustment, language adjustment and media adjustment – play an important role in the successful exchange of knowledge between linguistically diverse individuals. Due to high awareness of linguistic differences, knowledge-sharing participants put in extra effort during interactions, leading to positive knowledge-sharing outcomes, which means linguistic differences can sometimes be helpful in knowledge-sharing contexts. This study contributes to existing research by adopting a comprehensive view of the relationship between language and knowledge sharing. It focuses not only on the impact of language on the development of knowledge networks, but also on the influence of language differences on the process of knowledge sharing that is knowledge-sharing interactions.Kunskapsdelning en är en nyckelaktivitet som spelar en signifikant roll för organisationens lärande och prestation. Kunskapsdelningen mellan medarbetarna är ytterst viktigt, inte bara för att hantera administrativa uppgifter, men även som förutsättning för de mest kritiska aktiviteterna såsom utvecklingen och verkställandet av strategier för att uppnå konkurrensfördel på marknaden. Under tjugohundratalet har andelen flerspråkig arbetskraft i organisationer ökat. Globalisering, immigration och internationell affärsverksamhet har förändrat många organisationer till arbetsplatser med språkligt mångfald. Trots detta finns det få undersökningar om informationsoch kunskapsdelningen i flerspråkiga arbetssammanhang. Genom att studera språkets inflytande på kunskapsdelningen i mångspråkiga organisationer bidrar denna avhandling till att fylla denna forskningslucka. För att bättre förstå begreppet språk och dess inflytande på kunskapsdelningen införs i denna forskning ett tvärvetenskapligt angreppssätt. Den teoretiska referensramen är därför uppbyggd på forskning inom sociolingvistik, lingvistisk antropologi och kunskapsledning (knowledge management). Analysen fokuserar speciellt på att bestämma relationen mellan språkbruk och interpersonella kunskapsnätverk samt språkpraktiker och växelverkan i kunskapsdelning. Avhandlingen består av fyra artiklar som besvarar frågorna kring dessa relationer. Genom att använda en multimetodisk ansats genomfördes både kvantitativa och kvalitativa studier inom ett stort finländskt multinationellt företag med dotterbolag i över 70 olika länder. En enkätundersökning som besvarades av 403 respondenter analyserades med regressionsanalys och enkelriktad ANOVA för att förstå inverkan av språkbruk på interpersonella kunskapsnätverk. Därtill djupintervjuades 21 medarbetade vid olika dotterbolag. Dessa intervjuer analyserades genom induktiv logik för att förstå hur språkpraktiker påverkar växelverkan i kunskapsdelningen. Analyserna visar att språket påverkar både utvecklingen av kunskapsnätverk och växelverkan i kunskapsdelningen mellan de anställda. Beträffande kunskapsnätverken visar resultaten att det existerar en språkhierarki i flerspråkiga organisationer när det gäller tillgången till information. Medarbetare som talar moderbolagets språk bygger inte upp relationer som främjar kunskapsdelningen med de anställda som tillhör en annan språkgemenskap. Eftersom den största delen av organisationens viktiga befattningar handhas av finsk- eller svenskspråkiga medarbetare, ger de anställdas kunskaper i dessa språk dem möjligheten att växelverka med dessa och därför få tillgång till viktig information, vilket i sin tur kan minska deras motivation att ta kontakt och dela kunskap med andra. Därtill visar resultaten att språklig mångfald i personliga kunskapsnätverk korrelerar positivt med medarbetarnas prestation. Med andra ord, anställda med mångspråkiga personliga kunskapsnätverk presterar bättre än de med enspråkiga personliga kunskapsnätverk. När det gäller växelverkan i kunskapsfördelningen mellan medarbetare som talar olika språk visar resultaten att växelverkan på ett främmande språk avviker från växelverkan på modersmålet. Resultaten i denna avhandling visar på tre olika strategier som de anställda tillämpar när de möter problem orsakade av användningen av ett främmande språk i kunskapsdelningsprocesser. Dessa strategier, det vill säga anpassningen av diskursen, anpassningen av språket och anpassningen av mediet, spelar en viktig roll i en lyckad kunskapsdelning mellan individer som talar olika språk. Eftersom individerna i kunskapsdelningsprocesserna var ytterst medvetna om språkskillnaderna ansträngde de sig att lyckas i dessa processer, vilket ledde till positiva resultat. Detta innebär att språkliga skillnader ibland kan främja kunskapsdelningen. Denna avhandling bidrar till den existerande forskningen genom att mångsidigt granska relationen mellan språk och kunskapsdelning. Den fokuserar inte enbart på språkets inverkan på utvecklingen av kunskapsnätverk, men även på hur språkskillnaderna påverkar samspelet i kunskapsdelningen

Collaboration dynamics in virtual innovation teams : a longitudinal social network analysis

There is a need for practical wisdom around innovative behaviors in modern organizations, in which online collaboration supports the creation of value and knowledge. Virtual teams – a strategy for innovation used increasingly in organizations – face challenges of knowledge integration and coordination across time and space. Collaborative structures and communication patterns that distinguish thriving virtual innovation teams are not well defined. With this dissertation, we explored how collaborative structures of virtual teams change over time and considered the extent to which these dynamics may impact innovation processes and performance. This longitudinal study of eleven virtual teams in the context of a health care system design project seeks new theoretical insights about innovation in distributed groups. Our primary data were collected from digital archives of project email correspondence over twenty-three months. We used social network analysis to observe structures and interactions in team email communication networks. We examined team centrality, structural dynamics, and participation equality as potential drivers of virtual innovation team outcomes, also considering how distinctive innovation process phases (e.g., design, testing, implementation) during the innovation team lifespan moderated these relationships. We found partial support for the six hypotheses tested. As predicted, participation equality was positively associated with work group performance and structural dynamics was positively associated with radical innovation. Contrary to what we predicted, team centrality was positively associated with performance and innovation. We observed interesting variation in these relationships across four innovation process phases. This research contributes to what is known about the temporality of virtual innovation teams and more generally about virtual team performance. Results from this study could inform the design and management of future virtual innovation teams and the ecosystems in which they are embedded.Information, Risk, and Operations Management (IROM

The Role and Contribution of Knowledge and Knowledge Management Practices in Policing. The Case of An Garda Síochána

Thisresearch was undertaken in response to knowledge, and particularly knowledge management practice in policing that finds it complex, multifaceted, under researched and lacking in structure and cohesion. This exploratory research sets out to evaluate the role and contribution of knowledge and knowledge management practices in policing, and using An Garda Síochána, (the Police Service ofthe Republic of Ireland), as the underlying case exemplar in this work, it will contribute to the extant literature and understanding in the area by use of a study which contains unprecedented insider access to a modern police force, practical findings for knowledge change predicated on structured methodological data analysis, and viable recommendations for knowledge in policing based on these.Secondary data was initially collected from within and outside An Garda Síochána. This data provided the context and content for the topic list utilised to collect the primary data. Primary data was collected via in-depth interviews, which were conducted with key informants from within the organisation, and one with a key informant from the Irish Parliament. These semi-structured interviews were then analysed in a sequential three-stage data analytical process, using process coding, followed by in-vivo coding, and thematic analysis. Access to the organisation was obtained as a result of rigorous security clearance protocols and granted as the researcher is also serving police officer