How to use analogies for breakthrough innovations

Analogies can trigger breakthrough ideas in new product development. Numerous examples demonstrate that substantial innovations often result from transferring problem solutions from one industry or domain to another. For instance, the designers of the new running shoe generation of Nike, Nike SHOX, use the same suspension concept like the technologies applied for Formula 1 racing cars, or the biological Lotus-effect led to the development of various self-cleaning surfaces. Academic research on analogical thinking has been so far heavily influenced by general theoretical work from cognitive psychology or systematic inventing. Only a small number of studies have investigated the application of analogies in the specific context of breakthrough innovation projects. This paper focuses on the question how analogies can be systematically used in the early innovation phases of new product development and which factors influence the successful use of analogical thinking in innovating companies. Special attention is paid to organizational facilitators and the requests on people involved in this process. --

Challenges of Developing an Interactive Knowledge Warehouse within the Media Industry: Significance of Emergent Frameworks

It has been common practice among organisations to develop standard operating procedures to gain advantages like standardisation, ensure continuity, and deal with contingency needs. Over time, processual perspectives of activity within organisations have enabled appreciation of such practices as what is commonly referred to as organisational knowledge. With recent advances in both recognition of ‘knowledge’ as a form of asset within the organisation, as well as the fact that ‘management’ of such assets requires some sort of a strategy, it is increasingly popular to have strategies to derive optimal benefits. Many organisations keen on leveraging competitive advantage, are therefore involved in designing intranet-based repositories that would both allow sharing as well as recycle experiences to ensure success in future ventures. Whilst the process of knowledge development can be unique to the context, practical dimensions of development may be considerably different from that suggested by established theory. The present paper firstly reviews different frameworks that have come to be recognised as being effective in categorising organisational knowledge. Secondly, in the light of experiences of both authors in developing an interactive knowledge warehouse, the present paper discusses usefulness of these frameworks in estimating and categorising shareable knowledge. Prevalence of non-disclosure and confidentiality conditions would mean that the mentioned organisation would need to remain anonymous. For the purposes of the present paper, the chosen organisation would be referred to as Dresimi

The rhetoric of ‘knowledge hoarding’: a research-based critique

Purpose - Via a study of IT service professionals, this article responds to a recent trend towards reifying ‘knowledge hoarding’ for purposes of quantitative/deductive research. A ‘rhetorical theory’ lens is applied to reconsider ‘knowledge hoarding’ as a value-laden rhetoric that directs managers towards addressing assumed worker dysfunctionality. Design/methodology/approach - A qualitative study of practicing IT service professionals (assumed within IT service management ‘best practice’ to be inclined to hoard knowledge) was conducted over a 34 day period. 20 workers were closely observed processing IT service incidents and 26 workers were interviewed about knowledge sharing practices. Findings - The study found that the character of IT service practice is more one of pro-social collegiality in sharing knowledge/know-how than one of self-interested strategic knowledge concealment. Research limitations/implications - The study concerns a single occupational context. The study indicates that deductive research that reifies ‘knowledge hoarding’ as a naturally-occurring phenomenon is flawed, with clear implications for future research. Practical implications - The study suggests that management concern for productivity might be redirected away from addressing assumed knowledge hoarding behaviour and towards encouraging knowledge sharing via social interaction in the workplace. Originality/value - Previous studies have not directly examined the concept of knowledge hoarding using qualitative methods, nor have they considered it as a rhetorical device

Mapping wisdom as a complex adaptive system

This is the second of two papers concerning wisdom as an ecosystem appearing in sequential editions of Management & Marketing journal. The notion of wisdom as an ecosystem, or "the wisdom ecology", builds on work by Hays (2007) who first identified wisdom as an organisational construct and proposed a dynamic model of it. The centrepiece of this and its former companion paper is a relationship map of the Wisdom Ecosystem (the Causal Loop Diagram at Figure 1). The first paper, "The Ecology of Wisdom", introduced readers to the topics of wisdom and complex adaptive systems, and presented a dynamic model of the Wisdom Ecosystem. This second paper discusses systems dynamics modelling (mapping systems) and covers the Wisdom Ecosystem model in detail. It describes the four domains, or subsystems, of the Wisdom Ecosystem, Dialogue, Communal Mind, Collective Intelligence, and Wisdom, and walks readers through the model, exploring each of its 25 elements in turn. It examines the relationships amongst system elements and illuminates important aspects of systems function, providing a rare tutorial on developing and using Causal Loop Diagrams.Causal Loop Diagramming, Complexity, Dialogue, Organisational Learning, Systems Dynamics, Wisdom.

Gestión del conocimiento en intranets corporativas: desarrollo de un modelo de diseño

Intranets are considered as tools for corporative knowledge management. Their basic features, types, advantages and disadvantages, factors of success in their development, limitations and challenges that their effective implementation faces are analyzed. Intranet design must put the users in the first stageSe analizan las intranets como instrumento de gestión del conocimiento corporativo. Se presentan su características principales, su tipología, sus ventajas e inconvenientes, los factores de éxito en su desarrollo, sus limitaciones y los retos a los que se enfrenta su implementación eficaz. El diseño de la intranet ha de hacerse pensando más en los usuarios que en la tecnología. (A

The rhetoric of “knowledge hoarding”: a research-based critique

This paper was accepted for publication in the journal Journal of Knowledge Management and the definitive published version is available at http://dx.doi.org/10.1108/JKM-04-2017-0146Purpose - Via a study of IT service professionals, this article responds to a recent trend towards reifying ‘knowledge hoarding’ for purposes of quantitative/deductive research. A ‘rhetorical theory’ lens is applied to reconsider ‘knowledge hoarding’ as a value-laden rhetoric that directs managers towards addressing assumed worker dysfunctionality. Design/methodology/approach - A qualitative study of practicing IT service professionals (assumed within IT service management ‘best practice’ to be inclined to hoard knowledge) was conducted over a 34 day period. 20 workers were closely observed processing IT service incidents and 26 workers were interviewed about knowledge sharing practices. Findings - The study found that the character of IT service practice is more one of pro-social collegiality in sharing knowledge/know-how than one of self-interested strategic knowledge concealment. Research limitations/implications - The study concerns a single occupational context. The study indicates that deductive research that reifies ‘knowledge hoarding’ as a naturally-occurring phenomenon is flawed, with clear implications for future research. Practical implications - The study suggests that management concern for productivity might be redirected away from addressing assumed knowledge hoarding behaviour and towards encouraging knowledge sharing via social interaction in the workplace. Originality/value - Previous studies have not directly examined the concept of knowledge hoarding using qualitative methods, nor have they considered it as a rhetorical device

Knowledge Domains and Skills that Facilitate Knowledge Sharing in Project Management - A Case Study in the Chinese Construction Industry

The aim of this thesis is to identify different sets of skills that facilitate the knowledge sharing practice of project managers within the context of a construction project. This aim stems from a gap identified in the knowledge sharing literature concerning the individual skills that contribute to knowledge sharing by project managers in the applied setting of construction projects. In order to achieve the research aim, an exploratory qualitative study was conducted following a combination of Grounded Theory and case study as the research method. The study focuses specifically on a construction project in China. The construction industry in China has been experiencing an increasing development as a result of the national economy’s sustained growth and continuing urbanisation trends, but it is still confronted with challenges in knowledge sharing practice especially concerning the role of project manager, who performs the high level control of projects. Grounded Theory is the main method and a case study provides the appropriate context for the research. Empirical data were collected through a total of twenty-one interviews at a five-star hotel construction project, located in Hebei Province, eastern China. Following the constant comparison method, iterations in data analysis contributed to the development of an integrative framework. The framework indicates knowledge pertaining to five domains, including risk, planning, implementation, people, and business strategies and operations, needs to be shared by project managers. It also illustrates three sets of skills that contribute to the practice of sharing knowledge. Social cognitive skills assist project managers in interpreting differences in knowledge and achieving mutual understanding; interpersonal skills facilitate knowledge sharing through creating a positive project environment; strategic orientation skills contribute to reaching agreement among participating organisations and stakeholders. Furthermore, the framework reveals the specific relationships between the knowledge domains and skills, within the three phases of the construction project. In addition, findings suggest that the sharing of knowledge and the application of skills are of a dynamic and relational nature. The project is a collective and interactive process where knowledge pertaining to different domains needs to be dynamically shared and skills need to be dynamically applied. The knowledge domains and skills do not operate independently but overlap and interact over the duration of the project. Moreover, they are open to different interpretations according to various positions of actors within the project. This thesis contributes to an enhanced theoretical understanding of skills for knowledge sharing in the specific context of construction projects. It also delivers practical guidance for project managers on how to develop and apply the skills in these knowledge sharing practice

Enhancing pharmaceutical innovation through the use of knowledge management

Pharmaceuticailn novation is a complex task that is reliant upon the availability of relevant information and knowledge. To date, the aspects of how, when and where this information and knowledge is applied throughout the drug development processes, has been lightly researched. Furthermore, the science of Knowledge Management can potentially aid the drug development processes and allow an organisation to reduce the time and costs associated with innovative drug development. This thesis examines these issues in greater depth through a series of case studies conducted within the innovative pharmaceutical organisation AstraZeneca. The end result of this research is a Knowledge Management tool set which is capable of driving pharmaceutical innovation. The thesis firstly explores the literature associated with innovation, pharmaceutical innovation, Knowledge Management and Intellectual Capital. The second aspect of the research used the literature review to develop a novel research framework with which to examine pharmaceutical innovation in greater detail. The third stage of the research utilised the results of the previous stages to develop a novel Innovation and Knowledge Management focused model. The fourth stage of this research utilised the research findings to develop a Knowledge Management tool set that can be used to drive innovation. This tool set is comprised of three distinct levels of functionality, namely: the social and collaborative level, the information assimilation and dissemination level and a level that encourages the capture of knowledge. The final stage of the research concludes with a discussion on evaluating Knowledge Management and its use in driving pharmaceutical innovation.EThOS - Electronic Theses Online ServiceGBUnited Kingdo