Knowledge management and the links to HRM: Developing leadership and management capabilities to support sustainability

PURPOSE - To explore linkages between knowledge management (KM) and human resource management (HRM) as a means of developing leadership and management capabilities to support sustainability. DESIGN/METHODOLOGY/APPROACH - A range of relevant literature is explored initially. A framework linking KM and HRM is then applied to the development of leadership and management capabilities to support sustainability. FINDINGS - Provides a means by which to promote sustainability through effective KM and HRM linkages and suggests means by which organisations can develop leadership and management capabilities to support sustainability across business, environmental and social justice contexts. ORIGINALITY/VALUE - This paper fills a gap in current literature by providing managers with a framework for addressing sustainability issues and for developing individual and organisational capabilities to support sustainability through KM and HRM practices

Exploring the relationship between knowledge management and innovation performance

The process of innovation depends heavily on knowledge, and the management of knowledge and human capital should be an essential element of running any type of business. Recent research indicates that organisations are not consistent in their approach to knowledge management (KM), with KM approaches being driven predominantly within an information technology (IT) or humanist framework, with little if any overlap. This paper explores the relationship between KM approaches and innovation performance through a preliminary study focusing on the manufacturing industry. The most significant implication that has emerged from the study is that managers in manufacturing firms should place more emphasis on human resource management (HRM) practices when developing innovation strategies for product and process innovations. The study shows that KM contributes to innovation performance when a simultaneous approach of "soft HRM practices" and "hard IT practices" are implemented

Knowledge management: developing knowledge leadership through HRM and industrial relations

tional performance. The proposed framework intends to add to the understanding of the specific processes that mediate between best HRM practices and organizational performance. This paper seeks to explore the potential contribution that an integrated human resource management and industrial (employee) relations approach may make to knowledge leadership

The dual paradigm nature of knowledge management: implications for achieving quality outcomes in human resource management

Two paradigm orientations exist in the emerging field of knowledge management (KM). In one paradigm, information technology predominantly influences ideas about knowledge management. In the other, organizational learning is the major influence. For KM to contribute effectively to organizational strategy, organizations must build and strengthen the linkages between KM, human resource management (HRM), and business development. The dual paradigm nature of KM suggests that strategies driven by information technology exhibit quite different characteristics to those driven by organizational learning, the former being driven by technology, while the latter is dominated more by a focus on people. It is important for HR practitioners to understand how certain paradigm orientations to KM can lead to very different paths into thinking about HRM practices and can result in a lack of continuity between various strategic initiatives in an organization. In turn, quality initiatives in HRM will be affected. Suggestions for dealing with the dual paradigm nature of KM are also offered

Culture and globalization in the curriculum: Theory, cases and practice

Globalization has profound implications for and impacts on national and organizational cultures, on human resource practices and human resources management, on the organization of production and the social organization of labour. Globalization is also having profound repercussions for education in the broad field of business and management, including internationalization of education markets and of curricula. Internationalization of education necessitates the inclusion of cultural and cross-cultural issues and perspectives both in curricula and in management development programs. Reports in The Australian¿s Higher Education Supplement (September 15 2004) testify to concerns both among MBA and Executive Education directors in Australia and internationally, as well as among national and multinational business executives, about the importance of education and training in cultural awareness and cultural sensitivity. However, much of the attention to culture in business curricula has been superficial, often focusing on culture in an instrumental mode, simply as adding economic value to corporations. There is a need for critical, research-grounded approaches to culture, yet, at the same time presented in ways that are accessible to students in business fields. This paper outlines theoretical issues and debates around culture in the business curriculum. It then draws upon Australian and international examples of approaches to and uses of culture in business education, and compares methods of instruction and management development focusing on culture, in order to illustrate innovative practices and new directions

Government relations and managing political risks

[Extract - English translation] Since the early civilization of human beings, trade activities cross borders and regions have occurred. The discovery of rich materials located in distant lands stimulated the excitingly historical exploration. Almost all the fortunes created by the industrial revolutionary were manufactured like this: taking raw materials obtained in one region to another one to process, then selling the products worldwide. It has been 200 years since this kind of trade model was defined as international trade. However, the con cept of globalization that came into being during the past years has a profound meaning. For business activities, globalization means integrating all the activities on the world scale. For many industries, investment, research, production, distribution and marketing are increasingly becoming globalized

Cultural values, workplace behavior and productivity in China: A conceptual framework for practising managers

Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to examine the influence of the Chinese cultural architecture on motivating workplace behaviour for enhanced productivity in Chinese workplaces. Design/methodology/approach: The paper describes the Chinese cultural architecture and presents a cursory review of the substantive literature in this field. Based on this review, a conceptual framework for managing within Chinese organizations is presented, based on the first-hand experience in the field as well as anecdotal evidence provided by practitioners in international management. Findings: In the light of research, which suggests that the realities about motivation in the context of Chinese workplaces are more complicated than originally thought, this paper moves away from viewing Chinese workplace behaviour from a purely systems-based perspective. Although ideas about collectivism and individualism certainly explain important aspects of workplace behaviour, an orientation to practicality and the emotive side of life in Chinese workplaces also affects behaviour in quite subtle ways. Research limitations/implications: While the development of a conceptual framework for practicing managers provides a guide to managing in China, work that is more empirical is necessary to test the resilience of the framework. Practical implications: The paper offers practical steps to improve the performance and productivity of both managers and employees in Chinese organizations. Originality/value: The framework presented utilizes the conventional collectivism/individualism dichotomy with notions of practicality and emotion in Chinese workplaces. This is one potential step forward to the development of a more motivating management style in China

Achieving benefits with enterprise architecture

There is strong anecdotal evidence that Enterprise Architecture (EA) brings benefits to organisations and that organisations are investing significantly in EA initiatives. However, demonstrating the business value of EA has proven elusive. Many of the benefits of EA are intangible and value is achieved indirectly within business change projects. Furthermore, it is not the EA itself that provides benefits, it is the ability to provide advisory services enabled by the EA that is important. In this paper we focus on EA service capability and develop and test a new research model that explains how EA service brings benefits to organisations. Our findings highlight the importance of EA service capability and dynamic capabilities in creating benefits from EA

The role of organisational support in teleworker wellbeing: A socio-technical systems approach

The prevalence of telework and other forms of mobile working enabled by digital technology is increasing markedly. Following a socio-technical systems approach, this study aims to examine the role of organisational social support and specific support for teleworkers in influencing teleworker wellbeing, the mediating role of social isolation, potentially resulting from a person-environment mismatch in these relationships, and possible differences in these relationships between low-intensity and hybrid teleworkers. Teleworkers' (n = 804) perceptions of support and telework outcomes (psychological strain, job satisfaction, and social isolation) were collected using an on-line survey of teleworking employees distributed within 28 New Zealand organisations where knowledge work was undertaken. Organisational social support and teleworker support was associated with increased job satisfaction and reduced psychological strain. Social isolation mediated the relationship between organisational social support and the two outcome variables, and some differences were observed in the structural relationships for hybrid and low-intensity teleworker sub-samples. These findings suggest that providing the necessary organisational and teleworker support is important for enhancing the teleworker-environment fit and thereby ensuring desirable telework outcomes