Knowledge Management Application in the Service Industry

Knowledge management is now considered as one of the pressing challenges in economic development related to the world of industry, studies in services and information. The adoption and implementation of knowledge management may be considered as a breakthrough factor for companies willing to integrate it in the knowledge-based economy. In service industry, knowledge management enables organizations to make in more intelligent decisions as they render services to the public. Nowadays, the foundation of new economics has shifted from natural resources to intellectual assets and top manager in service industry might be forced to focus on knowledge management which have been acknowledged as the most important resources and capability of modern firms’ achievement. Companies within this industry perform tasks that are useful to their customers. The purpose of this paper is to examine the application of information and knowledge management in the service industry. The paper discusses the concept of knowledge management as regards to service industry as well as service industry, which involves the provision of services to businesses as well as final consumers. There are three (3) main areas of knowledge management which are discussed in this paper, and they are – accumulating knowledge, storing knowledge and sharing knowledge. Importance, advantages and disadvantages of knowledge management in service industry is equally discussed, including knowledge management best practices in service industry. The paper concludes that in applying knowledge management in service industry, the key is making sure that people, particularly in top management, understand the advantages of knowledge management and what makes it usefu

Determinant factors of knowledge management practice: the case of ministry of health, Ethiopia

This study aims at assessing knowledge management maturity level and the effect of the determinant factors of knowledge management in Ethiopia’s federal ministry of health. Explanatory survey design involving both the quantitative and qualitative methods was employed. General knowledge management maturity model based on people, process and technology key process areas was used to measure knowledge management maturity level in the organization. The qualitative data was analyzed using thematic analysis and summarized under pre identified and emerging themes. The quantitative and qualitative data were triangulated to enrich the findings. The study determined that the ministry’s overall knowledge management maturity level was close to maturity level-2 (Aware), which is generally to mean that the organization was aware of and has the intention to manage its organizational knowledge, but it might not know how to do so. Organizational culture, human resource, information technology and knowledge management process were identified as having significant and positive linear relationship with the knowledge management practice in the organization. It is essential for the ministry to reestablish knowledge management or define improvement plans using model such as the general knowledge management maturity model. The improvement should address the identified determinant factors as well as criterion set for each of the people, process and technology key process areas

A conceptual framework highlighting e-learning implementation barriers

Purpose– E-learning has gained much focus from educators and researchers, with many extolling e-learning over traditional learning. Despite this focus, implementation of e-learning systems often fails. Literature considers a range of barriers, impacting the success of e-learning implementations, yet to the best of our knowledge no conceptual framework is able to consolidate existing research. Design/methodology/approach– This paper undertook an in-depth review of literature concerning e-learning implementation barriers. Papers were extracted from established journals and open sources. Articles not related to e-learning implementation barriers were discarded. A total of 259 papers were identified, published between 1990 and 2016. Hermeneutics and data-driven qualitative content analysis was used to define 68 unique barriers. Findings– The 68 unique barriers were thematically grouped into four conceptual categories, i.e. Technology (T), Individual (I), Pedagogy (P) and Enabling Conditions (EC). These 4 categories led to the conceptualization of ‘TIPEC’ Framework, which highlights the key concepts hindering e-learning implementation and delivery. Results show that most articles only consider a narrow range of success barriers. Practical implications – The proposed TIPEC framework acts as a guide for education practitioners, system developers, policy makers and researchers. It provides stakeholders with a summary of e-learning barriers. Originality/Value – This paper fulfils an identified need for a conceptual framework that consolidates all current research related to E-learning implementation barriers

Knowledge Sharing Among School Teachers

Today, knowledge is considered as wealth to the individual and the society. The purpose of this study is to investigate the relation of organization culture, attitude and motivation toward knowledge sharing among teachers in Keningau district, Sabah, Malaysia. In this study a total of number of 176 respondent was randomly selected from 10 primary schools in Keningau, Sabah. A structured questionnaire was then administered to the respondents. The structured questionnaire in this study was designed precisely to capture the three main variables, namely; knowledge sharing, organization cultures and, attitude and motivation. The result indicated that there is significant relation between organization culture, (r=.49, P<.05), attitude (r=.288, p<.05) and motivation (r=.350, p<.05) with knowledge sharing. The study shows that knowledge sharing among teachers can be enhanced by developing work group for discussion. It can encourage workers to communicate and share their knowledge effectively as a community of practitioners, through knowledge network in retrospective ways

Business not as usual: Understanding the drivers of tacit knowledge-sharing behavior in teleworking modality

Dissertation presented as the partial requirement for obtaining a Master's degree in Information Management, specialization in Knowledge Management and Business IntelligenceIn recent years, companies have differentiated themselves from their competitors through their intellectual capital, an essential resource for survival. As such, tacit knowledge gives companies leverage when it comes to obtaining a competitive advantage, as it originates in personal actions or attitudes, making its formalization, sharing, and expression very difficult, which in turn results in a big challenge for competitors who want to appropriate it when compared to explicit knowledge. Applying the theory of planned behavior and extending it to individual and organizational factors, this study aims to examine the drivers of employees' tacit knowledge-sharing behavior for workers that are in traditional, hybrid, and teleworking modalities, which is the current norm in the corporate world. This research begins with a brief review of the context of the COVID-19 pandemic in organizations and people. The literature review allows studying the concepts of organizational knowledge creation and sharing, tacit knowledge, telework, and the theory of planned behavior. Our research model is based on a sample where, surprisingly, almost 80% of respondents work remotely for at least half of their time and data analysis was performed using the partial least squares technique, supported by SmartPLS. The results demonstrate that the proposed factors can explain more than 40% of employees' tacit knowledge-sharing behavior variation

KNOWLEDGE SHARING AND CREATIVITY: A SYSTEMATIC LITERATURE REVIEW

ABSTRACT   Purpose: This paper reviews how knowledge sharing and creativity have been studied together in research literature. To this end, studies published over the last decade (from 2011 to 2021) related to knowledge sharing and creativity were systematically reviewed

Change Readiness Influences on Knowledge Management Processes: A Case of Three Professional Service Firms

Introduction: The current dynamic market is characterised by stiff competition and ever-changing clients’ demand for better and innovative products and services. In this challenging environment, the need for developing and managing knowledge transcends the importance of accumulating physical capital. With an increasing awareness of the potential of knowledge as a competitive source for firms’ survival, there is an increased knowledge management initiatives and investments by firms. Nevertheless, literature highlights increasing failures of knowledge management initiatives, with reasons for the failure yet to be established conclusively. On the basis of the premise that implementation of the knowledge management process could induce changes in firms’ practices and culture, and employees’ beliefs and cognitive structure, the current thesis addresses the issue from the change management perspective. The main idea that drives the research evolves from the understanding that failure in knowledge management initiatives could be rooted in the lack of readiness to change. Objective: The primary objective of this thesis is to understand how the change readiness construct shapes the various processes for managing knowledge in professional service firms. Change readiness in this thesis was conceptualised as a multidimensional and multilevel construct. This thesis contributes to the body of knowledge by explicating the way these change readiness elements shape knowledge management processes. The study setting within the professional service industry offers unique insights, which is less explored in the extant KM literature. Method: The study was conducted within the professional service firms’ context, on the basis that knowledge represents the main source for survival and competitiveness in this knowledge-intensive industry. This research is grounded in the interpretive paradigm and is studied from the constructivist epistemological lens. This qualitative research employed multiple case study design in three New Zealand professional service firms. Two firms are accounting establishments and one represents an engineering maintenance firm. Sixteen semi-structured interviews, conducted over the period of two months, involved the managerial and operational professionals in these participating firms. Data were analysed following the grounded theory analysis and findings presented using cross-cases analysis. Results: This thesis contributes to the body of knowledge in the field of knowledge management (KM) by revealing the distinctive influences of multidimensional elements of the change readiness construct on the knowledge acquisition, knowledge application and knowledge sharing processes in the firms studied. The thesis proposes three dimensions of the change readiness construct, which are categorised as KM change understanding, KM change context and individual differences. The dimension of KM change understanding consists of change goal, change benefit, need for knowledge, perceived management support and collective commitment. The KM change context is comprised of learning, participation, communication and management support. Individual expertise and adaptability represent the individual differences dimension of the change readiness construct. Specifically, findings show that: 1) Readiness for the knowledge acquisition process is largely shaped by the individual’s change readiness elements, including the understanding of the need for knowledge and perceived management support, and the individual’s capability of expertise and adaptability. Learning and communication provides the essential contexts that shape the firm’s readiness for the knowledge acquisition process. 2) Readiness for the knowledge application process is largely shaped by the individual’s change readiness elements, including the understanding of change goal, change benefit and perceived management support, and the individual’s capability of expertise and adaptability. Collective commitment shapes professionals’ understanding of knowledge application at the firm level. Learning and management support provides the essential contexts that shape the firm’s readiness for the knowledge application process. 3) Readiness for the knowledge sharing process is largely shaped by the firm’s change readiness elements, consisting of professionals’ understanding of collective commitment, and the essential contexts of communication, participation and learning. Understanding of the need for knowledge and change benefit, as well as the professional’s expertise, shapes the individual’s readiness for the knowledge sharing process. 4) The way these change readiness elements shapes the distinctive KM processes in the professional service firms studied vary due to the effects of firm archetypes, inter-profession differences, change nature, knowledge nature and the demographic characteristic. These factors moderates the interrelationships described in in 1), 2), and 3)

O papel da gestão do conhecimento no onboarding em contexto de teletrabalho: a experiência da COVID-19

Internship Report presented as the partial requirement for obtaining a Master's degree in Information Management, specialization in Knowledge Management and Business IntelligenceDurante o período pandémico, as empresas continuaram a laborar, ainda que de forma remota, e a receber novos trabalhadores. No entanto, o processo de onboarding nem sempre esteve preparado para os receber da forma mais eficiente tanto para os colaboradores, como para os seus gestores. Verificado a existência de um problema, realizou-se um inquérito à equipa e foi então traçado e posto em prática um plano apoiado no modelo ADKAR criando-se assim uma nova plataforma com o objetivo de melhorar a experiência de um processo normal de onboarding, facilitando a gestão de uma equipa global, equipa essa que não teria possibilidade de partilhar fisicamente o mesmo escritório. Esta plataforma permitiu aos engenheiros uma melhor organização das atividades a realizar e do tempo alocado para cada tarefa, e permitiu aos gestores uma melhor capacidade de gestão e de que tarefas ficaram por concluir por cada engenheiro, permitindo desbloquear ajuda de forma mais rápida, tornando assim o processo mais eficiente para esta equipa internacional.During the pandemic period, companies continued to work, albeit remotely, and kept receiving new hires. However, the onboarding process was not always prepared to receive them in the most efficient way for both employees and managers. After verifying the existence of a problem, a survey was conducted to the team in analysis and a plan was outlined supported by the ADKAR model and later on put into practice. It was created a new platform with the objective of improving the experience of a normal onboarding process, simplifying the onboarding processes allied to the management of an international team with no possibilities of gathering all the team physically in the office. This platform allowed a better organization of the activities to be performed and the time allocated to each task by the new engineers, as well as a possibility for the managers to manage all engineers and which tasks were left uncompleted by each engineer, allowing help to be unlocked more quickly, therefore making the process more efficient for this international team

Knowledge management in Finnish SMEs

In the upcoming years, many employees will leave the working life and proceed to a well-earned retirement. Coevally, due to digitalization and internationalization, the amount of novel business initiatives has increased rapidly, information flow has intensified, and competition between organizations for skilled employees has escalated. With these factors, valuable experience, knowledge, and professionalism can exit the companies without being captured in any tangible form. These occurrences are relatively easy to tackle when considering larger organizations with comprehensive resources and holistic, predetermined operating policies. However, compared to SMEs, with fewer resources and possibilities, these occurrences may have veritably negative sequences for overall business operations. However, the dilemma is that when considering the global economy as a whole, the vast majority of all companies are SMEs, and in Finland, over half of the total revenue generated by businesses are handprint of SMEs. This matter raises concern about how we will manage to keep these essential drivers of the economy healthy. This thesis is discovering the current state of knowledge management in Finnish SMEs and how they perceive knowledge management as part of their operations. In addition, the work focuses on how SMEs govern the tacit knowledge of their organization and how this intangible knowledge is transferred into a collective understanding of the organization. The thesis aims to answer to following research questions: (1) How do Finnish SMEs transfer their organization's tacit knowledge into a joint resource, (2) how systematic is knowledge management in Finnish SMEs, and (3) what knowledge management-related challenges do Finnish SMEs face in their operations. The empirical part of this study was conducted using qualitative research methodology, and data were collected using semi- structured interviews. Overall, six Finnish SMEs participated in this study, whence five were operating in communications, and one was operating in software development. The theoretical material of thesis was composed of existing literature, statistics, scientifical articles, and existing research in the field. For a theoretical framework, Marquardt's (2002) "A systems model for managing knowledge" and Kaplan's (2006) "Knowledge convergence framework" were used. Based on the theoretical materials and empirical findings of this study, it can be betokened that in Finnish SMEs, tacit knowledge is shared between individuals through practical work and dialogue and by observing how peer is implementing the job. It was also found that the company's size partially compounds how knowledge management is perceived in Finnish SMEs. The larger the SME, the more systematic and organized knowledge processes are, and vice versa. When it comes to knowledge management- related challenges, there raise many challenges that SMEs face in their operations when considering knowledge management. For instance, the rising trend of employee turnover rate and its adverse effect on knowledge sharing, lack of communication, information overload, and difficulties in finding relevant knowledge was experienced to be challenges for SMEs. In addition, how the manager can share their tacit knowledge forward to employees and how to capture tacit knowledge and know-how of departing or absent individuals can be captured to further use was seen as a challenge. Although there were many similarities in the interviewees' answers, different views and phenomena emerged from the research, which is relevant when considering future research. For example, the value of not sharing tacit knowledge and the impact of artificial intelligence and machine learning on knowledge management, in general, and tacit knowledge, in particular, require further research