Collaborative knowledge management practices:theoretical development and empirical analysis

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to develop and empirically test a framework analyzing the relationship of collaborative knowledge management practices (CKMP) with supply chain integration and supply chain knowledge quality. Design/methodology/approach – The design of the study is based on a survey of 411 firms from eight manufacturing industries that are actively involved in inter-firm knowledge management practices with supply chain partners. First a measurement instrument for CKMP was statistically validated with confirmatory factor analysis. Then the structural equation modeling (SEM) path analysis was used to assess the structural relationship of CKMP with supply chain knowledge quality and supply chain integration. Findings – The study found that engagement in CKMP can lead to better integration between supply chain partners and increased organizational knowledge quality. Research limitations/implications – The study was conducted at the firm level for activities involving inter-firm knowledge sharing. Some measurement inaccuracy might be generated with a single respondent from each organization answering questions about both supply chain management issues and knowledge management-related issues. Practical implications – By identifying collaborative knowledge generation, storage, access, dissemination and application as the major components of CKMP, this study advises organizations on how to collaborate with partner firms on sharing supply chain knowledge. CKMP's positive relationship with knowledge quality and supply chain integration provides organizations with practice-related motivation for engaging in collaborative knowledge management and alerts them to the possibility of other potential benefits from it. Originality/value – As one of the first large-scale empirical efforts to systematically investigate collaborative knowledge management processes in a supply chain management context, this paper can be used as basis for enhanced homological understanding of this domain, by exploring antecedents and consequences of collaborative knowledge management

Lessons from Volunteering and Free/Libre Open Source Software Development for the Future of Work

Part 6: Section 5: The Future of Industrial-Institutional Practices and Outcomes through Information TechnologyInternational audienceIn this paper, we review research on voluntary organizations to identify key features of and problems in volunteer work and organizations. We then use the example of free/libre open source software (FLOSS) development teams to examine how those features and problems apply in this situation and how they might be affected by the use of information and communications technologies (ICT). We suggest that understanding volunteer organizations can illuminate the changing nature of all knowledge work, paid as well as unpaid

Selection models in the music industry: How a prior independent experience may affect chart success

The is article analyses the two main approaches for artists’ selection in the recording industry: the direct model in which large major companies directly choose new artists from the supply market, and the agency model in which small independent labels realise the first choice and, subsequently, large organisations pick their new artists among those pre-selected by independents. An empirical analysis of chart sales reveals that artists selected through the agency model exhibit a longer presence on the chart due to repeated successes, while they are slower to reach heavy success once they have entered the chart. Conversely, the direct model leads to artists with a faster path to a strong success, but the same artists have a shorter presence on the chart due to the sporadic nature of their success. The profile of artists selected through these two models is also found to be different: big international soloist stars are more frequently selected through the direct model, while national bands are more frequently selected through the agency model. The insights suggest important implications for management in the cultural industries and especially in the recording industry. Copyright Springer Science+Business Media, Inc. 2006Artist selection, Cultural industries, Music market,

Copy, transform, combine: exploring the remix as a form of innovation

The reuse of existing knowledge is an indispensable part of the creation of novel ideas. In the creative domain knowledge reuse is a common practice known as “remixing”. With the emergence of open internet-based platforms in recent years, remixing has found its way from the world of music and art to the design of arbitrary physical goods. However, despite its obvious relevance for the number and quality of innovations on such platforms, little is known about the process of remixing and its contextual factors. This paper considers the example of Thingiverse, a platform for the 3D printing community that allows its users to create, share, and access a broad range of printable digital models. We present an explorative study of remixing activities that took place on the platform over the course of six years by using an extensive set of data on models and users. On the foundation of these empirically observed phenomena, we formulate a set of theoretical propositions and managerial implications regarding (1) the role of remixes in design communities, (2) the different patterns of remixing processes, (3) the platform features that facilitate remixes, and (4) the profile of the remixing platform’s users