How Knowledge Organizations Work: The Case of Real Estate Agencies

This paper is concerned with value configurations that represent different value creation logic. We suggest the value shop as an appropriate value configuration for real estate agencies, where knowledge is the most important resource that is applied to solve problems. The knowledge organization has emerged as the dominant structure of both public and private organizations in the transition from an industrial to a knowledge society. According to the knowledge-based theory of organizations, knowledge is the main resource for an organization’s survival and success.Value configuration; Value shop; Knowledge management; Problem solving

Constructing managerial manoeuvring space in contradictory contexts

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When sensemaking remains local: implications for distributed sensemaking in reform implementation

Source at https://www.emerald.com/insight/publication/issn/1366-5626Purpose - This paper aims to contribute to the literature on distributed sensemaking by studying how the police establish and develop their new position as police contacts during the police reform. Design/methodology/approach - The authors studied how the position of police contact, a cornerstone of the recent Norwegian police reform, was interpreted and practised. The authors interviewed police contacts at two different times during reform implementation to explore how they made sense of and practised their job. Findings - The authors identified three interpretations of the position of police contact and describe them as ideal types: an administrative position, a professional position and a strategic position. The ideal types were reinforced rather than developing towards a shared understanding. Our data demonstrate that the sensemaking processes and experimentation to settle into the new position involved local actors internally in the police and externally in relation to local authorities, and reinforced local interpretations. Originality/value - This study supports the notion of sensemaking as distributed but extends previous research by suggesting that “ideal types” help us understand the content of interpretations. This study also extends the understanding by showing that distributed sensemaking takes place as individuals make sense of more open-ended problems. This challenges the understanding of the term distributed, because unless challenged, distributed sensemaking in isolated pockets of the organization remain local, and the authors suggest that the term local distributed sensemaking captures this phenomenon

Crossing power and knowledge boundaries in learning and knowledge sharing

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to investigate the crossing of knowledge and power boundaries within a bureaucratic organization using Enterprise Social Media (ESM). Carlile’s (2004) boundary crossing framework is used to guide this research. Design/methodology/approach- This is a qualitative study based on semi-structured interviews and observations in a large Norwegian public sector organization. Findings- We find that crossing knowledge and power boundaries using ESM is problematic at both a syntactic, semantic and pragmatic level. ESM is used predominantly for sharing, storing and retrieving explicit knowledge, which is a display of crossing the information processing boundary. While the use of ESM allows for potential power shifts among different levels, shared meaning, taking the perspective of other and new knowledge-in-practices are not achieved. Therefore examples of crossing the semantic and pragmatic knowledge boundaries are rarely found. Research limitations/implications- The framework could be applied to a variety of contexts to further explore the role of ESM in learning and knowledge sharing and its ability to cross power and knowledge boundaries. Practical implications- Organizations will benefit from understanding issues related to the use of ESM to enhance knowledge sharing, learning and the development of new practices, as well as potential power, knowledge and trust issues that may arise in connection with the use of ESM. Originality/value – This paper addresses a gap in the literature around discussions of power, trust, boundary crossing and the use of enterprise social media for knowledge sharing and learnin

How newcomers use role models in organizational socialization

This study examines how newcomers use colleagues as role models in organizational socialization, taking a multiple level approach to organizational socialization as individual, social and cultural learning processes. The newcomers' most important personal characteristics are expectations, experience, self-confidence and competitive instinct. These personal characteristics were affected by early experience during the first four to six weeks in their new job. The study shows not only the correlation between early experience and personal characteristics, but also reveals a strong correlation between early experience and organizational socialization outcome. Newcomers rely on role models, and as a result of interaction and observation they acquire different qualifications from several role models. The term “multiple contingent role models” is introduced to explain how newcomers use role models

The politics of sensemaking and sensegiving at work

Purpose – The aim of this paper is to investigate how political activities and processes influence sensemaking and sensegiving among top management, middle management and employees and to examine its consequences for implementing new knowledge. Methodology – Data were collected in a Norwegian bank using in-depth interviews with middle managers and financial advisers. Observations of meetings, informal conversations and verbatim notes were also used in data collection among top managers. A practice-based approach was used as an analytical lens. Findings – Top managers’ political activities of excluding others from the decision process affects their sensemaking and resulted in sensegiving contradictions between spoken intent and how to change practice. Middle managers’ political activities were to accept top managers’ sensegiving instead of managing themselves in their own sensemaking to help financial advisers with how to change their role and practice. As a result, middle managers’ sensemaking affects their engagement in sensegiving. For financial advisers, the political processes of top and middle managers resulted in resistance and not making sense of how to change and implement new knowledge. Originality – No studies to our knowledge identify the three-way conceptual relationship between political activities, sensemaking and sensegiving. In addition, we believe that the originality lies in investigating these relationships using a three-level hierarchy of top management, middle management and employees. Research limitations – A total of 30 in-depth interviews, observations of five meetings and informal conversations might call for further studies. In addition, a Norwegian study does not account for other countries’ cultural differences concerning leadership style, openness in decisions and employee autonomy

Creating a learning organization in law enforcement: Maturity levels for police oversight agencies

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to conceptualize a stage model for maturity levels for police oversight agencies. Design/methodology/approach – The paper is based on a literature review covering police oversight organizations and stages of growth models. Findings – As a conceptual paper, the main findings are related to the appropriateness of the stage model, each identified stage, and the characteristics of each stage. Research limitations/implications – An empirical study of police oversight agencies all over the world would be necessary to verify the proposed stage model. Practical implications – The managers of police oversight agencies can apply the model in three ways: identify the current status; identify future direction; and evaluate the past progression. Originality/value – Hitherto, knowledge transfer from police misconduct case

Becoming a learning organization: The espoused value of police managers from two Norwegian districts

Purpose – The aim of this paper is to investigate the extent to which espoused values among police managers in the Norwegian police force are compatible with those of a learning organization. Design/methodology/approach – A questionnaire was developed and administered to police managers in two police districts in Norway. A set of values was developed to measure police culture and their significant correlation with those of a learning organization. All values were believed to represent cultural dimensions of potential importance to law enforcement performance. Findings – It was found that police managers espoused values of informality and empowerment rather than authority and hierarchical order. These values are the only police values that are found to be significantly correlated with those of a learning organization. Moreover, these findings contradict the previous literature within policing, which describes a police culture of hierarchy, authority and closeness. Also, these values only represent two of the eight values that were found to be crucial for becoming a learning organization. Research limitations/implications – There is a need for police managers to both espouse and enact values in accordance of those of a learning organization, but this study only investigates espoused values. Hence, further research is needed to investigate the possibilities for the Norwegian police force to become a learning organization. Originality/value – The paper provides empirical research to generate insights into espoused values of the Norwegian police force and identifies those values that are crucial for their possibilities of becoming a learning organizatio