Why Open-mindedness Needs Time to Explore and Exploit Knowledge

It is clear from the literature that in situations where organizations and their members face changing environments, it is necessary that mechanisms (learning) exist to capture the new knowledge which enables the firms to address those changes. This article examines the relative importance and significance of the existence of an `open-mindedness context' to the existence and nature of `organizational learning'. We include time as a variable in the analysis and focus on the need to unlearn at a moment (T) in order to learn more efficiently at a moment after (T+1). These relationships are examined through an empirical investigation of 107 Spanish small to medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) within the telecommunications industry. The results indicate that the effects of exploration and exploitation of knowledge at moment T+1 is conditioned by the existence of an `open-mindedness culture' at moment T

Implementing telemedicine technologies through an unlearning context in a homecare setting

Despite the opportunities the health sector will offer as a result of the design and development of a technology infrastructure, the fact is that hospitals have been slow to adopt telemedicine technologies, largely because very few organisations are prepared to face this challenge. A possible explanation for the efficiency and effectiveness gaps of services provided by Hospital-in-the-Home Units (HHUs) may relate to the advantages and disadvantages of the knowledge processes that these units exhibit as a result of their different structural properties. This paper investigates the approaches that HHUs have used to update the knowledge of physicians and their members' knowledge of technology, and relates them to an unlearning context (UC) and improvement in the quality of health services. These relationships are examined through an empirical investigation of 55 doctors and 62 nurses belonging to 44 HHUs. The research findings suggest that the key benefits of a UC in HHUs are clear. It enables them to identify and replace poor practices and also avoids the reinvention of the wheel; it enables cost reduction by minimising unnecessary work caused by the use of poor methods and it enables improvements adopting new telemedicine technologies.Ministerio de Educación CO2008-0641-C02-02Junta de Andalucía SEJ-608

How knowledge management processes can create and capture value for firms?

Knowledge has become the main competitive tool for firms. Just as knowledge is considered as the most important strategic resource, knowledge management (KM) is considered to be critical to a firm’s success. Several attempts have been undertaken to identify and define the different KM processes. From the literature review, four key dimensions stand out as affecting KM processes: knowledge creation, knowledge transfer, knowledge storage/retrieval, and knowledge application. The aim of this paper is to contribute to the KM and value literature by determining the importance of the different processes of KM for increasing value creation and value capture in firms. The context for the research hypotheses is the Spanish banking industry in 2010. The results support a positive relationship between KM and value creation, and between value creation and value captureMinisterio de Economía y Competitividad ECO2013-49352-EX

Las plazas de toros de Andalucía y su incidencia turística: un análisis de grupos estrátégicos

Andalucía es una de las Comunidades Autónomas que tiene una mayor protagonismo en el sector taurino español, ya sea por el número de sus plazas o de sus ganaderías. Siendo el objetivo de este artículo estudiar la relación entre las plazas de toros situadas en esta comunidad y la capacidad que tienen de atraer turismo. Utilizándose variables tales como el número de plazas, categoría, aforo, número de festejos o establecimientos turísticos, entre otras. Con los datos aportados hemos establecido una relación de las variables antes mencionadas mediante la confrontación de diferentes hipótesis,así como un estudio de grupos estratégicos

Social capital, absorptive capacity and entrepreneurial behaviour in an international context

This study proposes a learning-based model that contributes to understanding the international growth of small and medium-sized enterprises. It shows the influence of the social capital of the firm on external access to and exploitation of knowledge and how this in turn affects entrepreneurial orientation. This model is tested with structural equation modelling (Partial Least Squares) applied to a sample of 178 international Spanish firms. Our results emphasise, on the one hand, the importance of managing inter-organisational relationships in the learning processes of the firm and, on the other, how knowledge exploitation exerts a significant influence on the firm's entrepreneurial behaviour and, therefore, how it is a decisive force in international expansionMinisterio de Economía y Competitividad ECO2013-45329-

Aplicando en la práctica la técnica pls en la administración de empresas

En este trabajo nos planteamos resolver la casuística práctica con la que los investigadores de administración de empresas se encuentran cuando deciden utilizar la técnica PLS en sus investigaciones. En este trabajo tratamos de responder a cuestiones tales como: ¿Cuándo trabajar con PLS en lugar de LISREL? ¿Por qué utilizar PLS? ¿Qué permite PLS que otros métodos de MEE no? ¿Cómo trabajar con PLS en la práctica? ¿Qué modelos se pueden estimar con PLS? La respuesta a todas estas cuestiones es el objeto principal de este trabajo y son fruto de la investigación, de la práctica diaria con la técnica en los últimos cinco años y de las cuestiones que muchos investigadores de otras universidades han ido plateando a los autores

An explanatory and predictive PLS-SEM approach to the relationship between organizational culture,organizational performance and customer loyalty: The case of health clubs

Purpose This study aims to analyze the impact and predictive capacity of organizational culture on both customer loyalty and organizational performance in health clubs using data from managers and customers of health clubs in Spain. Design/methodology/approach A total of 101 managers were asked to measure organizational culture and organizational performance and 2,931 customers were asked to indicate their customer loyalty. The proposed hypotheses were tested and their predictability assessed through PLS-SEM. A composite concept was adopted to analyze the relationships between the different constructs and their indicators. Findings The findings suggest that organizational culture has a positive relationship with both customer loyalty and organizational performance. The four main dimensions of organizational culture that influence this relationship are, in order of significance, organizational presence, formalization, atmosphere and service-equipment. The authors’ model has a very good predictive power for both dependent variables. Originality/value Customer loyalty is an aspect of health clubs that can be improved. This study highlights the importance of creating a strong organizational culture in health clubs, as it enhances and predicts customer loyalty and organizational performance. Its predictability has already been tested with samples of managers and customers, with the analysis being performed from the perspective of the organization’s management and customer perceptions. This study also contributes to the field of sport management, using a predictive PLS-SEM techniqu

Linking unlearning with innovation through organizational memory and technology

While the information technologies provide organizational members with explicit concepts, such as writing instruction manuals, the ‘organizational memory’ provides individuals with tacit knowledge, such as systematic sets, routines and shared visions. This means that individuals within an organization learn by using both the organizational memory and the information technologies. They interact to reduce organizational information needs contributing to improve organizational innovativeness. However, the utilization of the organization memory or the technology infrastructure does not guarantee that appropriate information is used in appropriate circumstances or that information is appropriately updated. In other words, previous memories reflect a world that is only partially understood and assimilated, which might lead individuals to doing the wrong things right or the right things wrong. This paper examines the relative importance and significance of the existence of unlearning to the presence and nature of ‘organizational memory and technology’. We further examine the effect of the existence of organizational memory and information technology on conditions that promote organizational innovativeness. These relationships are examined through an empirical investigation of 291 large Spanish companies. Our analysis found that if the organization considers the establishment of an unlearning culture as a prior step in the utilization of organization memory or the technology infrastructure through organizational innovativeness, then organization memory and technology have a positive influence on the conditions that stimulate organizational innovativeness

Improving the absorptive capacity through unlearning context: an empirical investigation in hospital-in-the-home units

The Spanish healthcare system has undergone important changes, particularly in the development of new homecare services. In practice, however, results have been mixed. Some homecare services have been successful, but implementation failures are common and the intended patients are frequently reluctant to use the homecare services. A possible explanation for efficiency and effectiveness gaps of services provided by hospital-in-the-home units (HHUs) may relate to the advantages and disadvantages of the knowledge processes that these units highlight as a result of their different structural properties. This study examines the impact of an unlearning (forgetting) context on the HHU's ability to challenge basic beliefs and to implement processes that are explicitly or tacitly helpful in the reception of new ideas (absorptive capacity). These relationships are examined through an empirical investigation of 54 doctors and 62 nurses belonging to 44 HHUs. The results show that the unlearning context plays a key role in managing the tension between potential absorptive capacity and realized absorptive capacity.Ministerio de Educación ECO2008-0641-C02-0