A Framework for Strategic Balancing of Knowledge Management Initiatives

Enterprises need to understand the impact of different types of knowledge management (KM) approaches on business strategy, and how they interact with other types of initiatives to produce synergistic effects. The hypothesis of this paper is that a model based on the balanced scorecard approach (BSC) can be used to balance the diverse set of KM approaches that are described in the KM literature. A literature study has been carried out connecting general examples of BSC objectives to KM approaches and applications. The resulting framework indicates that each of the major aspects of KM has its place in the BSC model, and thus has a role in the success of the company from a strategic viewpoint. A KM strategy according to this perspective should articulate how a company intends to strike a balance between different KM approaches. Contributions of the framework to related theory are discussed and illustrated by using a rich case from literature

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Nollvisionen: en av de bästa visioner som någonsin lanserats i Sverige? Denna versions mål speglar ett så trafiksäkert vägnät att man ska komma ner till en nollpunkt när det gäller dödade i trafiken. Vi har i detta arbete satt oss in i nollvisionens tankar och mål och sett hur man försöker komma tillrätta med trafikproblemen. Vägverkets roll som mest riktar in sig på infrastrukturella problem medan polisen försöker få bilisterna till ett mera rättsriktigt handlande i trafiken. Sedan har vi bilindustrin som försöker utveckla tekniken i våra fordon så de blir mer säkra. Vi ska inte heller förglömma en av de viktigaste bitarna i detta sammanhang och det är alla vi trafikanter och vad kan vi göra för att minska alla olyckor

An Evaluation of a KM Diagnostic Instrument

Knowledge management is today an established approach to improve and renew organizations. The right use of information systems are often essential element in a successful KM strategy, however creating the right mix of KM activities and system is difficult and failures are frequent. Getting a good grip of the current situation and the special condition of the organization is therefore essential. In this paper we study an initiating questionnaire, taken from the KM literature, with a background in US management consulting industry. The aim of the paper is to evaluate the questionnaire, from a Swedish perspective. This is done with the aim to search for more general advice for anyone wanting to adapt and use such a questionnaire in their own situation. For this purpose, a number of applications of the questionnaire is presented and investigated. The outcome of the study is an initial assessment of the usefulness of the questionnaire and some recommendations for further use and research into the questionnaire. The usefulness seems to depend on the situation of persons that the questionnaire is given to. The analysis shows that the questionnaire seems to fit rather well to companies that were included in the study, especially on a management level. However, some possible problem areas were also discovered, the background, motivation and work situation of some personnel group could interfere with the effectiveness of the questionnaire

Occupational balance and associated factors among students during higher education within healthcare and social work in Sweden : a multicentre repeated cross-sectional study

Objective The aim was to explore whether occupational balance is associated with health, health-promoting resources, healthy lifestyle and social study factors among students during higher education within healthcare and social work. Design The study has a multicentre repeated cross-sectional design. Data were collected via a self-reported, web-based questionnaire based on the validated instruments: the 11-item Occupational Balance Questionnaire (OBQ11), the Sense of Coherence (SOC) Scale, the Salutogenic Health Indicator Scale (SHIS) and five questions from the General Nordic Questionnaire (QPS Nordic) together with questions about general health and lifestyle factors. Setting Students at six universities in western Sweden at one of the following healthcare or social work programmes: biomedical scientists, dental hygienists, nurses, occupational therapists, physiotherapists, radiology nurses and social workers. Participants Of 2283 students, 851 (37.3%) participated. Results The students experienced that occupational balance increased during education. The total OBQ11 score was higher among students in semesters 4 and 6/7, compared with semester 1 students. Students with higher OBQ11 also reported higher SOC throughout their education, while health seemed to decrease. Students who reported higher levels of OBQ11 reported lower levels of health and well-being in semesters 4 and 6/7, compared with semester 1. There was an opposite pattern for students reporting lower levels of OBQ11. Conclusions The association between higher levels of OBQ11 and lower levels of health and well-being is remarkable. There is a need for more research on this contradiction and what it means for students’ health and well-being in the long run.CC BY NC 4.0</p

Policy design for the Anthropocene

Today, more than ever, ‘Spaceship Earth’ is an apt metaphor as we chart the boundaries for a safe planet1. Social scientists both analyse why society courts disaster by approaching or even overstepping these boundaries and try to design suitable policies to avoid these perils. Because the threats of transgressing planetary boundaries are global, long-run, uncertain and interconnected, they must be analysed together to avoid conflicts and take advantage of synergies. To obtain policies that are effective at both international and local levels requires careful analysis of the underlying mechanisms across scientific disciplines and approaches, and must take politics into account. In this Perspective, we examine the complexities of designing policies that can keep Earth within the biophysical limits favourable to human life