Design in Complex Environments: Application in Emergency Management

Abstract: This paper describes ways to identify issues in complex environments using emergency response and recovery as an example. Emergency response and recovery is recognized as a complex problem. The complexity is the result of the number of entities involved and the frequently changing relationships between them. The paper describes a systematic way based on design thinking to analyze systems in complex environments and identify design issues to be addressed. It then shows how such issues can be used to develop joint value propositions that lead to conceptual solutions. The systematic design process begins by identifying manageable themes. It then looks at ways to address identified theme issues by defining joint value propositions and conceptual solutions. The paper draws on data from a number of emergencies to identify issues especially in communication and its proposals. Solutions must be framed not only in the local relationships but also using frameworks such as resilience

To develop constructivist learning environments on the web with the help of software agent technology

There has been a widespread increase to conduct teaching and learning over the Internet. However, many instruction sites just provide teaching materials on the Internet to support traditional face-to-face methods. Learners then passively retrieve information from the Web pages. They are not engaged in actively constructing meaningful understandings of the topics being studied by using constructivist learning methods. This paper proposes that software agents be used to develop constructivist learning environments (CLEs) on the Web, to assist learners to construct new knowledge. The constructivist theory of learning is first reviewed and the characteristics of the CLEs are then outlined. The paper then suggests a process constructed out of constructivist learning methods over the Internet. Ways of using software agent technology to assist learners in constructivist learning are then investigated, along with the relevant implementation approaches. Finally future work in this area is presented

Exploring factors influencing knowledge sharing behaviour: The moderating effect of transformational leadership

© The Authors, 2017. The Vietnamese Government has been struggling to build a higher education system that is innovative to the requests of national knowledge-based development. It is essential to explore knowledge sharing behaviour (KSB) from environmental and personal perspectives which contribute to improve creativity and innovation in Vietnamese higher education institutions (HEIs). Social influences and individual factors are examined as critical factors on KSB. The literature suggests a complex relationship between these factors and KSB. However, the literature typically hypothesises and examines simple main-impacts model. Drawing upon the role of transformational leadership, we propose a contingent research model based on social cognitive theory that comprises environmental factors (subjective norms, trust), personal factors (knowledge self-efficacy, organisational rewards, reciprocal benefits, and psychological ownership of knowledge) and KSB. Our focus will be on the moderating effect of transformational leadership on the relationship between these factors and KSB. We advance to conduct a survey to examine our proposed conceptual model. It is expected that this research will contribute to the deeper understanding of the effects of personal and environmental factors and KSB moderated by transformational leadership within Vietnamese HEIs

Classifying knowledge-sharing barriers by organisational structure in order to find ways to remove these barriers

© 2016 IEEE. Research in knowledge management (KM) has recently revealed that barriers to knowledge sharing (KS) can significantly influence KS and reduce creativity. KS is a critical contributor to creativity and innovation among individuals in organizations. This paper introduces a framework using the Lotus Blossom technique to classify KS barriers. This technique emphasizes the power of brainstorming on the field of interest by the application of a visual representation of ideas. An exploration of steps to classify barriers is discussed. One of the key aims of the framework is to ensure that barriers can be classified in ways that best identify in order to find ways to remove them. A review of a large number of KM articles in the literature has identified 160 barriers to KS in a variety of organizations. These were classified into eight themes: Social, Individual, Culture, Technology, Political, Organization, Content, and Routine, procedure and process. The paper, then, discussed the most significant barriers to KS: Psychological ownership, Lack of a motivation, Lack of trust, Lack of incentive and reward systems, Lack of organization culture, Lack of leadership, Lack of technical support, Insufficient technology infrastructure. Implications and future research in this area are also proposed

Evaluating information systems for collaborative wellness

We are refining a system for studying Collaborative Wellness (CW) developed by us for use in evaluating knowledge creation and information systems. CW is founded on reaching agreement between stakeholders on ways to address issues arising in complex environments and create the necessary knowledge to address these issues. Such a model is needed in the increasingly complex and dynamic environment now found in business and society. Creating, managing and disseminating knowledge is crucial to enabling organisations to adapt to change in their dynamic environments. Despite this, we found gaps in organisational knowledge creation theory for supporting fine grained studies of knowledge creation. The Collaborative Wellness System (CWS) is intended to address this situation. CWS treats collaborations of knowledge creators as social information systems. CWS has an adaptable framework of measures that may be deployed to suit the circumstances of a collaboration. The measures of CW record assessments of the usefulness of created knowledge relative to agreed stakeholder expectations. The system allows collaborative experiences to be shared and compared. CWS informs the development, application, tracking and refinement of improvements to existing information systems. The CWS presented in this paper has been validated in four case studies involving business and government agencies

The influence of the knowledge-sharing process on technology business incubator performance in Saudi Arabia

In the competitive global market, technology business incubators are considered to be the backbone of the economic development of a country. Technology business incubators are involved in the creation of employment opportunities, boosting the local economy, and commercializing innovative technologies. This research-in-progress will propose a framework for technology business incubators to examine the impact of the knowledge-sharing practices of incubatees on technology business incubator performance both in general and in Saudi Arabia in particular. The key findings of this study will allow technology business incubators to better formulate the incubation process

Supporting adaptive learning in hypertext environment : a high level timed Petri net based approach

One problem for hypertext-based learning application is to control learning paths for different learning activities. This paper first introduced related concepts of hypertext learning state space and Petri net, then proposed a high level timed Petri Net based approach to provide some kinds of adaptation for learning activities. Examples were given while explaining ways to realizing adaptive instructions. Possible future directions were also discussed at the end of this paper.<br /