The knowledge based-view of the firm: from theoretical origins to future implications

The Knowledge-based view of the firm is a recent extension of the Resourcebased view of the firm very adequate to the present economic context. Knowledge is considered to be a very special strategic resource that does not depreciate in the way traditional economic productive factors do, and can generate increasing returns. The nature of most knowledge-based resources is mainly intangible and dynamic, allowing for idiosyncratic development through path dependency and causal ambiguity, which are the basis of the mechanism for economic rent creation in the Knowledge-based view of the firm. Future implications that emerge from these characteristics are presented at the end of the paper

Organizational learning and organizational design

Literature review Approach This paper explores a new idea presenting the possible relationship between organizational learning and organizational design. The establishment of this relation is based upon extensive literature review. Findings Organizational learning theory has been used to understand several organizational phenomena, like resources and competencies, tacit knowledge or the role of memory in the organization; however, it is difficult to identify fits and consequent misfits between organizational learning and the organizational design. Research limitations This one is a theoretical paper, so there is a possible limitation, regarding the lack of empirical support. Practical implications At the end of the paper a number of recommendations regarding the organizational design are suggested, in order to promote organizational learning in the firms. Value of the paper This paper identifies some links between organizational learning and organizational design, providing the grounds for a subsequent development and empirically testing of those relations

Perceptions of knowledge management and intellectual capital in the banking industry

The purpose of this article is to capture the perceptions of knowledge management and intellectual capital in the banking industry. The reason for developing such a study is that little research as clearly addressed both subjects at the same time. After verifying that knowledge management and intellectual capital are identified as different concepts in the banking industry, the final aim of the author is to identify the relevancy and perceived value of such organizational variables in the banks. In that sense, this research paper follows a qualitative approach and considers two different knowledge management strategies: exploitation and exploration and three different intellectual capital components: human capital, internal structures and external structures. The paper develops and analyses several interviews in the banking industry at top management level across different banks. This study led to some interesting findings, allowing to empirically verify most of the theoretical knowledge management and intellectual capital literatures, as well as to gather some examples of its routines and elements, and also to identify the value given to knowledge management and intellectual capital by the banks that took part of the study. There are some research limitations regarding the industry context, but this may result in a stimulus for the replication of the work in other industries. The originality of the paper regards the way it addresses simultaneously knowledge management and intellectual capital, such related concepts

Managing intellectual capital: the MIC matrix

Knowledge assets represent a special set of resources for a firm and as such, their management is of great importance to academics and managers. The purpose of this paper is to review the literature as it pertains to knowledge assets and provide a suggested model for intellectual capital management that can be of benefit to both academics and practitioners. In doing so, a set of research propositions are suggested to provide guidance for future research

The knowledge-based view of the firm and its theoretical precursor

The knowledge-based view of the firm is a recent extension of the Resource-Based View (RBV) of the firm and provides a strong theoretical underpinning for the organisation learning and intellectual capital researchers. Knowledge is considered to be a special strategic resource that does not depreciate in the way traditional economic productive factors do. The nature of most knowledge-based resources is mainly intangible and dynamic, allowing for idiosyncratic development through path dependency and causal ambiguity, which are the basis of the mechanism for economic rent creation in the Knowledge-Based View (KBV) of the firm. Future implications that emerge from these characteristics as they relate to learning organisations are presented at the end of the paper

Gender Bias in promotion : is it real?

The present study uses a nationwide longitudinal database to analyze the Portuguese workforce searching for gender differences in promotion. The database presents longitudinal data from employees in eight different professions across the country. The research examines individual dimensions such as age, tenure and education looking for their impact over promotion and possible cumulative gender effects. Results seem to indicate considerable gender dissimilarities regarding promotion rates, consistent with previous literature, but also reports differences, namely by questioning the glass escalator effect, the impact of tenure and the influence of education over promotion. The paper contributes to the body of knowledge on gender issues and career related impacts.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

O efeito mediador das estratégias de gestão de conhecimento entre componentes do capital intelectual: um estudo realizado na indústria bancária portuguesa

Doutoramento em GestãoA presente tese de doutoramento estuda o efeito mediador das estratégias de gestão de conhecimento entre componentes do capital intelectual. A relevância do tema é suportada por ampla revisão de literatura, que sustenta a importância do capital intelectual e a gestão do conhecimento nesta nova economia de serviços, consistente com a teoria da empresa baseada no conhecimento. Existem diversos estudos estabelecendo relações entre componentes do capital intelectual, assim como pesquisa sobre estratégias de gestão do conhecimento, e a possibilidade de integrar teoricamente ambos os domínios já foi apresentada na literatura. Contudo, tanto quanto sabemos, esta tese é a primeira a utilizar constructos destas duas áreas de pesquisa num único modelo estrutural, testando empiricamente a integração dos dois campos científicos. Esta tese utiliza o nível de análise da organização e apresenta um modelo para testar. Este é um estudo com teste de hipóteses, correlacional e cross-sectional. Ele estabelece um estudo de campo no sector de serviços (indústria bancária) em Portugal, com a menor interferência possível de investigador. O inquérito foi precedido por um pré-teste e um teste piloto. A análise estatística envolveu a utilização de um modelo de equações estruturais. O estudo apresenta ainda uma análise qualitativa complementar, baseada na análise de conteúdo de entrevistas.This Ph D thesis addresses the issue of the mediator effect of knowledge management strategies between intellectual capital components. The relevancy of the issue is supported by large literature review stating the importance of intellectual capital and knowledge management in the new, services economy, consistent with the knowledge based view of the firm. There are several studies establishing relationships between intellectual capital components, as well as research on knowledge management strategies, and the possibility of integrating theoretically both domains has been already presented in the literature. However, to our knowledge, this Ph D thesis is the first to use constructs from these two research areas in one single structural model, testing an empirical integration of these two scientific fields. This Ph D thesis focuses on a firm level analysis presenting a model to test. This is a hypothesis testing, cross-sectional, correlational study. This Ph D project establishes a field study in the services sector (banking industry) in Portugal, with the smallest possible interference from the researcher. This survey application has been preceded by a pre-test and a pilot-test. Statistical analysis involved the use of a structural equation model. The study also presents a complementary qualitative analysis, based upon interviews' content analysis

Leader's human capital as alternative for relational leadership

The current research attempts to revitalize contingency leadership theory. Instead of focusing on subordinate attributes as a substitute for leadership theory, this study examines leader’s human capital attributes as a leadership contingency variable. This paper offers a fresh perspective to contingency leadership literature by exploring a new set of variables. Addressing leader-member exchange (LMX) rather than the conventional focus on leader’s behaviors, this study examines previously untested contingency variables. Using a matched sample of leaders and employees from Portuguese firms, this study examines leader’s education and leader’s organizational tenure as alternatives for LMX with assessed job performance and organizational citizenship as dependent variables. Testing new independent variables sheds additional light on contingency approaches to leadership; as a result, this paper improves the current state of research on contingency leadership. Results seem to indicate that leader’s education is an alternative for LMX as well as suggesting that the leader’s organizational tenure improves LMX. This paper proposes that research focusing on the substitute for leadership may need to examine a different set of variables to determine the viability of contingency approaches to leadership.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Knowledge sharing among scientists : A causal configuration analysis

Scientists are professionals who create knowledge, and academia is a place for creating and sharing knowledge. In this study, we examine the causal configurations that identify particular patterns that lead to knowledge sharing among scientists. Our examination uses a fuzzy-set qualitative comparative analysis. The data come from an online survey of 620 scientists in top Portuguese research centers in engineering, technology, health sciences, social sciences, and the arts and humanities. The results show that being a research team leader is an important condition for knowledge sharing. Productive scientists tend to share their knowledge, whereas unproductive ones tend not to share. The fear of losing power due to knowledge sharing restrains its use, while the scientists who are not afraid share their knowledge. The results do not identify the contribution of senior scientists. This finding indicates older or more experienced scientists are not related to the phenomena.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Voluntary or mandatory enrolment in training and the motivation to transfer training

The purpose of this study is to examine the motivation to transfer training in a multidimensional way. It investigates autonomous and controlled motivation and explores the difference in motivation to transfer according to whether the employee is enrolled in training on a voluntary or mandatory basis. This is a cross-sectional hypotheses-testing study. Data were collected at a large insurance company involving employees who had participated in training programs in the previous 6 months. Findings show that when considering autonomous motivation to transfer, results support the argument that being voluntarily enrolled in the training program shows a higher impact on motivation to transfer than being mandatorily enrolled. When considering controlled motivation to transfer, results do not support such an argument, probably because of the nature of controlled motivation to transfer that in practice reduces the difference in results between the two types of enrollment.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio