Satyendra C. Pandey, Andrew Dutta and Amar KJR Nayak
The aim of this paper is to understand the role of organizational capabilities in knowledge management (KM) success pattern and how KM initiatives can be designed for…
Abstract
Purpose
The aim of this paper is to understand the role of organizational capabilities in knowledge management (KM) success pattern and how KM initiatives can be designed for organizational success.
Design/methodology/approach
The authors adopted a qualitative, descriptive case study research design to study the complex contextual issue of organizational capabilities and its role in KM success of information technology companies.
Findings
Findings of the study indicate that success of KM is not only bound by its processes but also by key infrastructure which can either promote or inhibit KM. To realize KM success, infrastructure capabilities have to be supported by knowledge process capabilities and vice versa.
Research limitations/implications
Future research can continue to examine organizational capabilities from the perspective of teams or business units in contrast to the organization.
Originality/value
This paper adds valuable empirical insights from Indian standpoint to the existing KM literature concerning preconditions of success and failure of KM initiatives in companies.
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Satyendra C. Pandey and Andrew Dutta
In today's dynamic business environment knowledge is overturning the old rules of strategy and competition. In this context, communities of practice (CoPs) have recently found a…
Abstract
Purpose
In today's dynamic business environment knowledge is overturning the old rules of strategy and competition. In this context, communities of practice (CoPs) have recently found a distinct position as a learning and change tool. The aim of this paper is to understand the critical role that CoPs have been found to play in organizational learning and knowledge sharing.
Design/methodology/approach
The study is built mainly around the “how” question related to organizational CoPs within a social context. It makes use of a case study approach to map and describe the relationships between CoPs and organizational learning and knowledge sharing in a midsized global IT solutions company.
Findings
The results show that CoPs could be significant for learning and sharing and gaining organizational competitive advantage. To achieve this, they require a supportive culture and management team.
Research limitations/implications
The main limitation is the use of a single case study.
Practical implications
It was found that businesses must guide and nurture CoPs thoroughly. If an organization ignores cultural support, CoPs will fail to promote organizational learning. Therefore, organizational culture plays a bridge role to connect CoPs and organizational learning.
Originality/value
The paper points to the need for starting and developing CoPs in a way that contributes to organizational learning. It adds empirical insight from an Indian point of view to the existing literature on CoPs and organizational learning.
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Satyendra C. Pandey and Andrew Dutta
The purpose of this paper is to describes the role of knowledge management at MindTree, a medium-sized Indian information technology firm that has featured among the Global Most…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to describes the role of knowledge management at MindTree, a medium-sized Indian information technology firm that has featured among the Global Most Admired Knowledge Enterprises (MAKE) and the best companies to work for.
Design/methodology/approach
The paper investigates the relationship between knowledge management and innovation at the company and describes its various knowledge-management initiatives.
Findings
The paper explains that the company streamlined the process of discovering what knowledge was lying where and established various policies and processes to encourage information sharing and creativity.
Practical implications
It highlights the role of self-organized knowledge communities, various software tools and the prevailing organizational culture in promoting knowledge exchange and original thinking.
Social implications
It hints that knowledge management will be an increasingly important source of competitive advantage in the years ahead.
Originality/value
It describes knowledge-management practices that can be used by other companies to foster innovation and business leadership among employees.
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Satyendra C. Pandey and Andrew Dutta
In a progressively more knowledge‐dependent economy, businesses need to learn to harness the knowledge that resides within their organizations. However, organizations often find…
Abstract
Purpose
In a progressively more knowledge‐dependent economy, businesses need to learn to harness the knowledge that resides within their organizations. However, organizations often find it challenging to manage this most important asset that people possess. Researchers have asserted that it is mostly organizational factors that pose a challenge to the management of knowledge. The purpose of this paper is to examine the role of knowledge infrastructure capability in knowledge management (KM) practices within an organization.
Design/methodology/approach
This paper employs a single case study strategy to explore the objective. A medium‐sized, global Indian IT solutions company, headquartered in Bengaluru, India (MindTree Ltd) was chosen, as this company is admired globally for its KM initiatives and also featured in the Globally Most Admired Knowledge Enterprises (MAKE) list in 2010. Research methods included in‐depth, semi‐structured interviews with key informants, as well as non‐obtrusive participant observation.
Findings
The study's findings show the relevance of knowledge infrastructure capability in KM excellence. The case highlights the role of a knowledge‐sharing culture throughout management systems and routines. The findings also suggest that organizational structure plays a facilitating and steering role in developing the culture of knowledge.
Research limitations/implications
The issues identified are explored in a single case‐study setting. Future research could look at the relevance of the findings to other similar settings and in multi‐site settings, to bring about a wider theoretical generalization.
Practical implications
This study will help managers to understand the role of knowledge infrastructure capabilities in KM success and will help them to devise further studies to realize the full potential of KM initiatives.
Originality/value
This paper adds empirical insight from the Indian ITES industry on existing literature concerning KM.
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Joshua V. White, Sanjay Chaudhary and Vishal K. Gupta
The concept of entrepreneurial orientation (EO) attracts considerable attention in the organizational literature. Focusing on issues related to measurement of EO and using a…
Abstract
The concept of entrepreneurial orientation (EO) attracts considerable attention in the organizational literature. Focusing on issues related to measurement of EO and using a three-pronged framework to organize the growing diversity of EO measures, the authors conduct a systematic literature review on how EO is captured and assessed in the empirical literature. Specifically, the authors classify 551 empirical works according to the approach to measurement (i.e., managerial perceptions, content analysis, and resource allocations) which allows the authors to document and critically analyze prevalent measurement practices within the literature. Based on the synthesis, the authors identify key measurement-related tensions that may inhibit cumulative knowledge development in the area of EO, such as ad hoc modification of seminal scales and lack of theoretical clarity with respect to measurement. Additionally, the authors find that research into the antecedents of EO as well as causality and temporality of the phenomenon is underdeveloped, which the authors attribute to scarce use of mixed methods. The authors conclude chapter by discussing the challenges involved in measuring EO and offering possible recommendations for future inquiry.
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This study locates one surprisingly powerful ally of neoliberalism enabling its proliferation in certain contexts, the discursive notion of the “long term” (LT). Earlier…
Abstract
Purpose
This study locates one surprisingly powerful ally of neoliberalism enabling its proliferation in certain contexts, the discursive notion of the “long term” (LT). Earlier literature has shown that neoliberalism is concerned with investors' decision-making that has been claimed to be based on LT forecasts. This research explains this focus on the “long term.”
Design/methodology/approach
Share-based compensation (SBC) is investigated in one case company. The data consist of interviews with executives, board members, analysts and owners and also of archival data on the executives' performance measurement and compensation.
Findings
Much research equates “share-based compensation” with “long-term compensation,” and the present study terms this relation “the myth of long-term compensation.” It is demonstrated that multiple features of share-based plans, characteristics of the management in question and contextual factors of the company and its governance tie in with the time orientation of such compensation. Multiple contradictions and irregularities in the literature on SBC are analyzed, undermining the claim that SBC is invariably LT oriented. Relying on Barthes' work, the study illustrates how LT SBC is a myth contributing to the ideology of neoliberalism.
Research limitations/implications
It is proposed that the terms “share-based compensation” and “long term” be distinguished from each other for analytical and practical purposes. SBC, and thus neoliberalism, can sometimes be linked to the short term.
Originality/value
“Long term” is illustrated as a significant instrument for deploying ideologies.
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Over one half of the previous century, the Europeanization of Europe has reached a high point, of course, with its unique challenges. From the Treaty of Rome in 1957 to the Treaty…
Abstract
Over one half of the previous century, the Europeanization of Europe has reached a high point, of course, with its unique challenges. From the Treaty of Rome in 1957 to the Treaty of Lisbon in 2009, it has been a glorious march forward from the modest effort at regional integration of a select group of six West European economies to the bold pronouncement of political identity of the EU-27. The European Union (EU) has now become a learning model for other continents.