Jacqueline L. Kenney and Siegfried P. Gudergan
The purpose of this paper is to provide the results from empirically testing the effects of different combinations of organizational forms and combinative capabilities on the…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to provide the results from empirically testing the effects of different combinations of organizational forms and combinative capabilities on the efficiency, scope and flexibility of firm‐level knowledge integration, given the influence of knowledge types and forms.
Design/methodology/approach
The research is based on a case‐study methodology employed to collect data from ten firms of low, medium and high knowledge complexity environs; manual and automated data mining techniques were employed.
Findings
The findings suggest that organizational form and combinative capabilities explain the effects of efficiency, scope and flexibility on firm‐level knowledge integration. In turn, differences in knowledge types and forms necessitate the use of secondary combinative capabilities.
Research limitations/implications
While the study provides a coherent and detailed understanding of firm‐level knowledge integration and explain the development of a firm's knowledge architecture through organizational structures and synthesize existing literature contributing to an emergent understanding of the ambiguities surrounding combinative capabilities, further research identifying the effects of and relationship with the deep knowledge in combinative capabilities on strategic capabilities and a firm's knowledge vision would be beneficial.
Practical implications
Of practical relevance is the strategic and operational management implications detailing the specific organizational structures to achieve desired firm‐level knowledge integration capacity and manage particular integration efficiency, scope and flexibility requirements to enhance the development of architectural knowledge and, thus, firm capabilities.
Originality/value
The original contribution of this paper is reflected in providing empiric and theoretic insights, which directly address the specific combinations of organizational structures that influence integration process characteristics and thus accommodate differences in knowledge types and forms.
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Cynthia M. Webster and Jacqueline Kenney
The purpose of this paper's novel, research‐oriented approach is to embed research‐based activities in a core second‐year course of a university business degree program to support…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper's novel, research‐oriented approach is to embed research‐based activities in a core second‐year course of a university business degree program to support and develop student research capabilities.
Design/methodology/approach
The design draws on Boud and Prosser's work to foster participation in a learner‐centred, discipline‐based approach. Activities rely on technology supports and mixed delivery modes to combine diverse theoretical perspectives and research methodologies.
Findings
The initial implementations of the design generated improved student learning experiences compared to the previous year. Voluntary participation was high and informal evidence suggested that research activities were a core‐contributing element to positive student outcomes.
Research limitations/implications
A formal evaluation study is required to measure precisely the extent to which research activities like those described in this paper have an effect on students' learning experiences.
Practical implications
The research activities embedded in the course curriculum enriched learner participation and experiences without overtaxing resources and, with minor modification, are transferable to different courses and disciplines.
Social implications
The technology‐supported environment described in this study allowed for online viewing of submitted research activities and provided students the opportunity to continually review, reflect and share their insights.
Originality/value
Learner‐focused research activities offer students a novel opportunity to experience research firsthand as informants, inventors and interpreters of knowledge. The adoption of research activities within the curriculum structure is a creative and multifaceted effort to extend students' research understanding.
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Jacqueline Kenney, Antoine Hermens and Thomas Clarke
The development of e‐learning by government through policy, funding allocations, research‐based collaborative projects and alliances has increased recently in both developed and…
Abstract
The development of e‐learning by government through policy, funding allocations, research‐based collaborative projects and alliances has increased recently in both developed and under‐developed nations. The paper notes that government, industry and corporate users are increasingly focusing on standardisation issues and the scalability of technology platforms to meet demand. This paper assesses the challenges for further development that e‐learning faces in the coming years, including: access to appropriate technology, scalability, measurement, and changed governance structures.
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The paper aims to introduce this special issue on LEAD, the research management system under which the papers collected in this issue were produced. The paper explains the…
Abstract
Purpose
The paper aims to introduce this special issue on LEAD, the research management system under which the papers collected in this issue were produced. The paper explains the background that led to the establishment of the system, presents a short history of LEAD, describes how it is managed, and details the various stages of a typical LEAD “cycle”. It concludes with a brief description of the papers to follow.
Design/methodology/approach
Reflective description.
Findings
LEAD is a successful collaborative system for organising “action research” in learning and teaching within a business faculty. The papers in this issue serve to demonstrate the system's outcomes.
Research limitations/implications
The paper is essentially descriptive. The described system illustrates one way of organising collaborative research in a university faculty, in this instance focused on research into learning and teaching in a business faculty.
Practical implications
LEAD provides a model for managing collaborative university research, one that could be applied in any university faculty and across different research areas. Apart from illustrating the potential of the system, each of the papers collected in this issue is of interest in its own right, as a study of learning and teaching in a particular disciplinary context.
Originality/value
The LEAD system is a novel way of organising learning and teaching research in a university context.
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Jacqueline Mayfield and Milton Mayfield
The purpose of this paper is to extend the motivating language (ML) theory conceptualization by examining the role of leader‐level communication (as compared to the current dyadic…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to extend the motivating language (ML) theory conceptualization by examining the role of leader‐level communication (as compared to the current dyadic level conceptualization) in employee performance and job satisfaction.
Design/methodology/approach
Partial least squares (PLS) analysis is used to test how leader and dyadic‐based ML effects employee outcomes. PLS analysis is applied in an incremental fashion, adding leader‐level language after dyadic‐level ML had been included in the model. Such an incremental approach shows the extent of added variance by leader‐level ML. The sample is drawn from 151 health care workers in a Southeastern health facility.
Findings
Results indicate that leader‐level ML significantly and positively effects follower performance. In comparison, dyadic‐level ML significantly and positively effects both employee performance and job satisfaction.
Research limitations/implications
This research only examines a subset of the outcome variables that have been examined in ML research. As such, it is not clear how extensively leader‐level ML effects related employee outcomes.
Practical implications
The paper helps us to better understand how ML actually effects employee outcomes. As a result, this research contributes insights into improved organizational interventions that are designed to improve follower outcomes through leader communication.
Originality/value
The paper extends our understanding of ML and leader communication. The paper adds a leader‐level component to the original dyadic‐level theory. This reconfiguration offers new avenues for research investigation and implications for leader training.
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Clare M. Ryan and Ryan D. Bidwell
Over the last decade, new governance-style, collaborative approaches to environmental management have increased exponentially. What is not well known is how the structure of these…
Abstract
Over the last decade, new governance-style, collaborative approaches to environmental management have increased exponentially. What is not well known is how the structure of these partnerships, particularly the policies that foster their development, may contribute to theʼ ability to achieve either procedural or substantive policy goals. Our study investigated efforts in the States of Washington and Oregon to encourage the development of collaborative watershed management institutions. Thirtyfive watershed partnerships were examined to understand how the planning groups implement policy objectives and how partnerships are creating or modifying institutions for planning and implementation. Our findings suggest that both States face similar challenges in important respects. Challenges include obtaining adequate participation, developing and sustaining organizational capacity, and planning implementation. Together, these findings demonstrate that new governance strategies are not a panacea for water management.
The following annotated list of materials on providing library orientation to users and instructing them in library and information skills is the tenth annual review of this…
Abstract
The following annotated list of materials on providing library orientation to users and instructing them in library and information skills is the tenth annual review of this literature and covers publications from 1983. A few items have not been annotated because the compiler was unable to secure a copy of these items.
The following is an annotated list of materials that discuss the ways in which librarians can provide library users with orientation to facilities and services, and instruct them…
Abstract
The following is an annotated list of materials that discuss the ways in which librarians can provide library users with orientation to facilities and services, and instruct them in library information and computer skills. This is RSR's 11th annual review of this literature, and covers publications from 1984. A few items from 1983 have been included because of their significance, and because they were not available for review last year. Several items were not annotated because the compiler was unable to secure them.