Meliha Handzic, John S. Edwards, Sandra Moffett, Alexeis Garcia-Perez, Aino Kianto and Ettore Bolisani
The purpose of this paper is to discuss key aspects of knowledge management (KM) education in response to challenges posed by the necessity to improve KM as a discipline and an…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to discuss key aspects of knowledge management (KM) education in response to challenges posed by the necessity to improve KM as a discipline and an established professional field.
Design/methodology/approach
The paper is based on a systematic review of the current literature. This review was used as input in a recent panel held at the 2016 International Conference on Knowledge Management (ICKM). The paper brings together current literature with thought-provoking panelists’ presentations and subsequent debates with the audience.
Findings
KM education from the “why, what, who, where and when” perspectives were first addressed and analyzed, and the end result was a reflection on “how” to approach KM education in the future.
Research limitations/implications
This paper effectively underlines that, KM being a relatively new phenomenon, there is no clear consensus about roles that KM employees should play in an organization, what KM competencies and skills are needed, and where and when these should be obtained. Broad guidelines on how to approach KM education in the future may serve as a basis for further research.
Practical implications
The study provides suggestions on how to place KM in adult education.
Originality/value
The paper tackles the research questions through an innovative combination of a systematic literature review and a panel discussion on the topic of KM and education. Overall, the paper provides a fresh view of the state of the art of knowledge and research on the topic and also shows the common vision of a group of KM researchers and educators.
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Aino Pöyhönen and Anssi Smedlund
To provide a theoretical model of the dynamics of intellectual capital creation in regional clusters and in inter‐organizational networks. The model has been constructed on the…
Abstract
To provide a theoretical model of the dynamics of intellectual capital creation in regional clusters and in inter‐organizational networks. The model has been constructed on the basis of earlier studies, especially system's theoretical interpretation of organizations as knowledge systems, and then applied to the examination of a regional cluster operating in the mechanical wood processing industry in Eastern Finland. Intellectual capital in regional clusters is created by three main knowledge creation activities, each of which corresponds to a specific type of an inter‐organizational network. First, production networks aiming at efficiency and replication should function according to mechanistic system logic, focusing on the enactment of rules and regulations. Development networks aiming at continuous incremental development, on the other hand, are most successful when adhering to an organic mode, which emphasizes participation, tacit knowledge sharing, dialogue and mutual adjustments. Finally, innovation networks seeking to produce new intangible assets benefit from a dynamic systems model, where entropy and spontaneous knowledge flows form the basis for mastering radical change. Model should be applied to more cases to ascertain its validity. Provides means for understanding, assessing and managing creation of knowledge‐based value in inter‐organizational collaboration. Addresses three gaps in existing research: it focuses on regional intellectual capital; it examines the ways in which intellectual capital is created as a dynamic process; it provides means for understanding the future potential of a region.
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The purpose of this article is to discuss issues raised at The 1st World Conference on Intellectual Capital for Communities in the Knowledge Economy: Nations, Regions and Cities…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this article is to discuss issues raised at The 1st World Conference on Intellectual Capital for Communities in the Knowledge Economy: Nations, Regions and Cities, which took place in Paris, June 20, 2005.
Design/methodology/approach
The conference was structured into four sessions: intellectual capital and the knowledge economy; intellectual capital for nations; intellectual capital for regions; and looking at the future.
Findings
Finds that there is a gap that must be addressed. There are very few actual case studies that articulate how a knowledge economy is nurtured and operates on a regional and local basis.
Originality/value
This article is based on the first conference, which was a remarkable convocation and springboard event and will be of interest to those in the field of intellectual capital.
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Aino Kianto, Paavo Ritala, John-Christopher Spender and Mika Vanhala
Organizational performance is increasingly grounded on knowledge-related issues. The two key academic discussions addressing knowledge in organizations are the intellectual…
Abstract
Purpose
Organizational performance is increasingly grounded on knowledge-related issues. The two key academic discussions addressing knowledge in organizations are the intellectual capital (IC) and knowledge management (KM) literatures. However, there are very few earlier studies systematically combining these approaches and demonstrating how IC assets and their management mechanisms might interact in organizational value creation. Therefore, the purpose of this paper is to develop and argue a theoretical model depicting the connections between IC, KM practices and organizational performance outcomes.
Design/methodology/approach
The paper draws on IC and KM literatures to build a theoretical model on how intellectual asset assets and their management practices interact in producing organizational performance. Several conceptual models and related discussion on the interaction of IC and KM practices are put forth.
Findings
Organizational value creation is based on both static (IC assets) and dynamic (KM practices) aspects of organizational knowledge, in various combinations. In this paper, potential interaction effects between IC assets and KM practices in terms of moderation and mediation were conceptually analysed, and four alternative models were proposed on how the knowledge-based issues affect organizational performance.
Research limitations/implications
The paper is purely theoretical without empirical evidence.
Practical implications
The paper suggests that organizational value creation is a function of both possessing valuable intangible assets as well as being able to manage these assets systematically. The four models concerning the interaction of IC assets and KM practices in value creation presented in the paper provide managers with tools to reflect about their own thinking model concerning how knowledge produces value in their own firms.
Originality/value
By addressing both the “static” asset aspect of IC as well as the “dynamic” perspective of how leveraging IC assets can be enabled by systematic managerial activities, the paper combines the key issues in IC and KM literatures and demonstrates how intangible resources should be managed to produce value. The authors are not aware of any previous studies explicitly combining and distinguishing IC and KM fields to this extent. The paper therefore contributes to the literature on knowledge-based issues in organizations at large and potentially offers a theoretical grounding for many empirical and theoretical future studies.
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Aino Kianto, Pia Hurmelinna‐Laukkanen and Paavo Ritala
As service companies are occupying an increasingly significant place as drivers of economic growth, there is a pressing need to understand their peculiarities in order to…
Abstract
Purpose
As service companies are occupying an increasingly significant place as drivers of economic growth, there is a pressing need to understand their peculiarities in order to facilitate their effective management and governance. One important area in which this kind of understanding is lacking is intellectual capital (IC) and knowledge management. Although intellectual capital has become the key value driver for all types of organizations, there is a lack of systematic research on whether there are fundamental differences in the IC of service‐oriented versus product‐oriented companies. In an attempt to bridge this gap the paper aims to examine the main differences in IC stocks, creation, management and protection mechanisms between service‐oriented and product‐oriented companies.
Design/methodology/approach
The analysis is based on empirical evidence collected from 418 respondents representing HR and R&D functions in 335 Finnish companies.
Findings
The results demonstrate that service‐oriented companies possess more human capital and renewal capital, and focus more on IC creation than product‐oriented companies. In addition, IC protection is stronger in product‐oriented companies. As companies move towards a service orientation they need to change their approach to IC stocks and management, and in this acknowledging the differences between a service and a product orientation is the first step.
Originality/value
The results presented in this study shed new light on the differences between service‐oriented and product‐oriented companies in terms of the possession, management, creation and protection of intellectual capital.
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Antti Lönnqvist, Aino Kianto and Virpi Sillanpää
This paper aims to examine the role of intellectual capital (IC) management in an organizational change process. The purpose is to obtain new empirical findings and an enhanced…
Abstract
Purpose
This paper aims to examine the role of intellectual capital (IC) management in an organizational change process. The purpose is to obtain new empirical findings and an enhanced understanding of the role of IC in an organizational change process is obtained.
Design/methodology/approach
First, the existing literature on change management and IC management is reviewed. Then, empirical research is carried out in terms of an action research project on IC development processes in three case companies. These processes and their outcomes are evaluated using interviews.
Findings
An IC model can be a useful tool for change management as it helps to ensure the alignment of the change content with the strategic goals of the organization.
Research limitations/implications
The study is based on applying the Danish IC management model in Finnish companies. Different results might have been obtained if another IC management model had been used or the companies representing other countries and cultures had been selected.
Practical implications
The paper demonstrates that IC tools can be useful for promoting organizational change processes. However, more important than the specific conceptual model or measurement method chosen seems to be the process of organizational representatives connecting their contextual and idiosyncratic understandings to the model.
Originality/value
This paper makes a contribution to the existing knowledge by reporting and critically evaluating the implementation of dynamic IC management practices. This is a contribution to the existing conceptually oriented literature on the topic. In addition, the analysis of empirical IC management projects applied in a change context has novelty value.