Inter-organizational learning in drifting environments - Experiences from a multi-firm software development project

This paper examines conditions under which organizations can acquire and profitably utilise knowledge generated in joint product development ventures. Past research states that such learning depends on relationships between knowledge accumulation at the level of joint venture and the evolution of knowledge structures in the wider organizational environment. An important argument of this paper is that such relationships might drift abruptly due to unforeseen events taking place during project operation, creating new challenges and opportunities for learning. Drawing upon previous research on project-based learning, the paper proposes a model of interorganizational learning aimed to help managers and researchers visualising links between drift and learning in distributed project contexts. The paper illustrates and assesses the empirical relevance of the analytical framework through a case study of a multi-firm product development project in the European software industry.

The complex interaction between Global Production Networks, Digital Information Systems and International Knowledge Transfers

Traditionally many studies of knowledge in economics have focused on localized networks and intra-regional collaborations. However, the rising frequency by which firms collaborate within the context of global networks of production and innovation, the increasingly intricate divisions of labor involved and the extensive use of the Internet to facilitate interaction are all relatively novel trends that underline the importance of knowledge creation and flows across different locations. Focusing on this topic, the present chapter examines the complex interactions between global production networks (GPN), digital information systems (DIS) and knowledge transfers in information technology industries. It seeks to disentangle the various conduits through which different kinds of knowledge are transferred within such networks, and investigate how recent generations of DIS are affecting those knowledge transfers. The paper concludes that the dual expansion of GPN and DIS is adding new complexity to the practice of innovation: To access knowledge necessary for sustained creativity firms often have to link up with remote partners in GPN, but to be able to absorb and utilize this knowledge, they also frequently have to engage in local interactive learning processes. These local- global linkages - and the various skills necessary to operate them - are strongly interdependent, mutually reinforcing and critical for the development and maintenance of innovation-based competitiveness.

The Next Generation of National R&D Programmes in Norway: Consequences for Action Research and Regional Development

"This paper examines the impact of a new national R&D programme in Norway, Programme for Regional Innovation and R&D (VRI), which uses action research (AR) to facilitate innovation-oriented collaboration between regional industry, R&D and public institutions. While the VRI programme builds on a sequence of previous AR-oriented regional development programmes, it represents a significant novelty as it democratizes control over research funds from central authorities to regional coalitions of private and public decision makers. Drawing on our own experiences from a long-standing AR project in the Telemark region, we discuss how the commencement of the VRI programme is affecting ongoing development initiatives there and the conditions for conducting AR in regional contexts. We conclude that VRI has led to a situation in which more regional actors are involved in action research activities, and in which there is closer collaboration between researchers and regional decision makers. At the same time, we suggest, there is a risk that the new programme will lead to regional lock-in, and marginalization of national R&D institutions and action research competencies accumulated there during previous R&D programmes." (author's abstract

The effect of organizational separation on individuals' knowledge sharing in MNCs

The ability of an organization to apply knowledge globally has been conceptualized as critical for the existence of multinational corporations (MNCs). We argue for an organizational separation effect on knowledge sharing that challenges the view of the MNC as a latent social community. Using a unique data-set of more than 4.000 individual responses from an MNC, Telenor, we test how three types of drivers for individuals’ knowledge sharing –individuals’ motivation, and individuals’ perceptions of organizational values and organizational work practices- work differently within, as opposed to across, business units. Our analysis suggests that while intrinsic motivation, innovative values and job autonomy are relatively important drivers of knowledge sharing within the business units, extrinsic motivation, result-oriented values and participation in corporate employee development are relatively more important for knowledge sharing across business units

Understanding the Difference between Office Presence and Co-presence in Team Member Interactions

Although the public health emergency related to the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has officially ended, many software developers still work partly from home. Agile teams that coordinate their office time foster a sense of unity, collaboration, and cohesion among team members. In contrast, teams with limited co-presence may experience challenges in establishing psychological safety and developing a cohesive and inclusive team culture, potentially hindering effective communication, knowledge sharing, and trust building. Therefore, the effect of agile team members not being co-located daily must be investigated. We explore the co-presence patterns of 17 agile teams in a large agile telecommunications company whose employees work partly from home. Based on office access card data, we found significant variation in co-presence practices. Some teams exhibited a coordinated approach, ensuring team members are simultaneously present at the office. However, other teams demonstrated fragmented co-presence, with only small subgroups of members meeting in person and the remainder rarely interacting with their team members face-to-face. Thus, high average office presence in the team does not necessarily imply that team members meet often in person at the office. In contrast, non-coordinated teams may have both high average office presence and low frequency of in-person interactions among the members. Our results suggest that the promotion of mere office presence without coordinated co-presence is based on a false assumption that good average attendance levels guarantee frequent personal interactions. These findings carry important implications for research on long-term team dynamics and practice.Comment: the 57th Hawaii International Conference on System Sciences (Hicss 2024

Contextualizing AMO explanations of knowledge sharing in MNEs: the role of organizational and national culture

Ability, motivation, and opportunity (AMO) approaches have dominated stud ies of knowledge sharing in multinational enterprises (MNEs). We argue that there is a need to consider both the national and organizational cultural contexts. Beyond their direct infuence on knowledge sharing with colleagues in other busi ness units (BUs), national and organizational culture signifcantly reinforce the positive relation between individual motivation and knowledge sharing. Thus, our multi-level approach to knowledge sharing in MNEs gives rise to a contextualized AMO approach that provides a novel and more potent understanding of variations in knowledge sharing. At the individual level, our approach includes the degree of ability in the sense of professional competence, intrinsic motivation, and oppor tunities to interact with colleagues in other BUs. At the organizational and coun try levels, we examine the direct and indirect efects of a collaborative culture on knowledge sharing. We employ data from an MNE that operates across a variety of regions, including the Nordic countries, Central and Eastern Europe, and Southeast Asia. The sample consists of 11,484 individuals nested in 1235 departments in 11 countries. As well as confrming the signifcance of individual competence, intrin sic motivation, and opportunities for interaction for knowledge sharing, our fndings reveal that both organizational culture and national culture are important factors for our understanding of knowledge sharing. This suggests that over and above recruit ing intrinsically motivated employees, managers can enhance knowledge sharing by developing collaborative organizational cultures at the departmental level

Sharing Tacit Knowledge Online: A Case Study of e-Learning in Cisco's Network of System Integrator Partner Firms

This paper contributes to an ongoing debate about the impact of information and communication technologies (ICTs) on the interpersonal sharing of tacit knowledge. Drawing upon the philosophical writings of Michael Polanyi and an original case study of e-learning in Cisco Systems, the paper challenges the widespread argument that ICT-mediated communication is inadequate for the sharing of tacit knowledge. The main conclusion is that advanced e-learning systems—particularly remote laboratories—make possible efficient sharing of tacit knowledge between internationally dispersed technicians. However, successful knowledge-sharing depends crucially on the degree to which the users are motivated to acquire new knowledge online. Motivation can be facilitated through the participation in online networks of practice, but in order to access and benefit from these networks people require a certain threshold level of technical relevant knowledge, which is the most easily generated in local communities of practice.Information and communication technology, e-learning, tacit knowledge, communities of practice, networks of practice,

På vei mot en ny region?

Dersom regjeringen Stoltenbergs tydelig uttalte intensjon i Soria Moria-erklæringen blir en realitet, går det mot etablering av et nytt folkevalgt regionnivå fra 2010. Fylkeskommunen som vi i dag kjenner den forsvinner, og til erstatning skal det etableres større geografiske enheter. Gjennom sitt unike og på mange måter dristige regionforsøk har fylkeskommunene i Buskerud, Telemark og Vestfold forgrepet denne utviklingen. De har brakt sammen ulike politiske og administrative kulturer i et frivillig arbeid, og på den måten skaffet seg et erfaringsgrunnlag med relevans for den kommende regionformen. Fylkeskommunene i Buskerud, Telemark og Vestfold (BTV) Steen, Arild Henriktet sitt fireårige regionforsøk i 2004, der de samarbeider politisk og administrativt om områdene samferdsel, næringsutvikling, internasjonalt arbeid og regional planlegging. Statlige og fylkeskommunale oppgaver på disse områdene er overført til et politisk regionråd sammensatt av fylkespolitikere. Målene for samarbeidet er økt verdiskaping, styrket demokrati og bedre tjenester til innbyggerne, samt det å bli en kraftfull regional utviklingsaktør. BTV-forsøket er det eneste forsøket i Norge i sitt slag der man har etablert en felles, politisk beslutningsmyndighet på tvers av flere fylker. På oppdrag fra BTV-samarbeidets regionråd, har Arbeidsforskningsinstituttet gjennomført en formativ evaluering av forsøket. I denne rapporten drøfter vi de utfordringer, problemstillinger og dilemmaer som regionforsøket har avdekket i sin oppSteen, Arild Henriktsfase. Rapporten er den første systematiske gjennomgangen av erfaringene fra forsøket