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Development and Learning in Organizations: An International Journal, vol. 26 no. 3
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1477-7282

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Article
Publication date: 16 May 2013

Kaj U. Koskinen

The purpose of the paper is to explore the potential of autopoiesis theory to open up new ways to understand knowledge production in business organizations.

366

Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of the paper is to explore the potential of autopoiesis theory to open up new ways to understand knowledge production in business organizations.

Design/methodology/approach

Initially essential theoretical information is presented, by reviewing the concept of knowledge‐based competitive advantages in business organizations, and describing the notions of autopoiesis as a basis for the understanding of knowledge production in organizations, and micro‐macro problem within the companies' structure and production. After that follows the main content of the paper, namely descriptions of processes influencing knowledge production in business organizations.

Findings

Knowledge is embedded in social practices and a local setting and it is very much tacit in nature providing then a basis for creating a sustainable competitive advantage for business organizations. A business organization's memory and production are mutual media for one another in autopoietic recursive processes.

Originality/value

Finding a viable perspective and approach with which business organizations can understand how their knowledge production takes place is an important issue. It is claimed in this paper that the idea of autopoiesis can potentially provide a new understanding for business organizations' knowledge production.

Details

International Journal of Organizational Analysis, vol. 21 no. 2
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1934-8835

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Article
Publication date: 11 May 2015

Christina Ling-hsing Chang and Tung-Ching Lin

The purpose of the study is to focus on the enhancement of knowledge management (KM) performance and the relationship between organizational culture and KM process intention of…

36227

Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of the study is to focus on the enhancement of knowledge management (KM) performance and the relationship between organizational culture and KM process intention of individuals because of the diversity of organizational cultures (which include results-oriented, tightly controlled, job-oriented, closed system and professional-oriented cultures). Knowledge is a primary resource in organizations. If firms are able to effectively manage their knowledge resources, then a wide range of benefits can be reaped such as improved corporate efficiency, effectiveness, innovation and customer service.

Design/methodology/approach

The survey methodology, which has the ability to enhance generalization of results (Dooley, 2001), was used to collect the data utilized in the testing of the research hypotheses.

Findings

Results- and job-oriented cultures have positive effects on employee intention in the KM process (creation, storage, transfer and application), whereas a tightly controlled culture has negative effects.

Research limitations/implications

However, it would have been better to use a longitudinal study to collect useful long-term data to understand how the KM process would be influenced when organizational culture dimensions are changed through/by management. This is the first limitation of this study. According to Mason and Pauleen (2003), KM culture is a powerful predictor of individual knowledge-sharing behavior, which is not included in this study. Thus, this is the second limitation of this paper. Moreover, national culture could be an important issue in the KM process (Jacks et al., 2012), which is the third limitation of this paper for not comprising it.

Practical implications

In researchers’ point of view, results- and job-oriented cultures have positive effects, whereas a tightly controlled culture has a negative effect on the KM process intention of the individual. These findings provide evidences that challenge the perspective of Kayworth and Leidner (2003) on this issue. As for practitioners, management has a direction to modify their organizational culture to improve the performance of KM process.

Social implications

Both behavioral and value perspectives of the organizational cultural dimensions (results-oriented, tightly control, job-oriented, sociability, solidarity, need for achievement and democracy) should be examined to ascertain their effects firstly on KM culture and then on the KM process intention of the individual. It is hoped that the current study will spawn future investigations that lead to the development of an integrated model which includes organizational culture, KM culture and the KM process intention of the individual.

Originality/value

The results-oriented, loosely controlled and job-oriented cultures will improve the effectiveness of the KM process and will also increase employees’ satisfaction and willingness to stay with the organization.

Details

Journal of Knowledge Management, vol. 19 no. 3
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1367-3270

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Article
Publication date: 29 March 2013

Kaj U. Koskinen

The purpose of this paper is to explore what the role of individuals' observations is in the implementation of technically complex projects.

418

Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to explore what the role of individuals' observations is in the implementation of technically complex projects.

Design/methodology/approach

Initially essential theoretical information is presented, by reviewing the concepts of systemic view and autopoiesis. Then the notion of communication is described focusing on Niklas Luhmann's theory on communication in social autopoietic systems. After that follows an illustration of the concept of technical complexity in projects. Next notions of problem and problem solving are highlighted. Then follows the main content of this paper; namely descriptions of the concepts of observation and distinction making focusing particularly on the Spencer Brown's ideas of these concepts. And finally, the paper deals with the notion of importance of shared understanding.

Findings

The project team members act under the limitations of their subjective observations. However, individuals' observations play an important role in the implementation of technically complex projects.

Originality/value

Literature dealing with systems – projects in this case – has largely ignored the problem of the observer simply discussing the characteristics of different types of systems as if they were observer‐independent. Obviously, there seems to be a need to shed new light on the issues: observer and observation.

Details

International Journal of Managing Projects in Business, vol. 6 no. 2
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1753-8378

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Book part
Publication date: 10 June 2015

Alexandra E. MacDougall, Zhanna Bagdasarov, James F. Johnson and Michael D. Mumford

Business ethics provide a potent source of competitive advantage, placing increasing pressure on organizations to create and maintain an ethical workforce. Nonetheless, ethical…

Abstract

Business ethics provide a potent source of competitive advantage, placing increasing pressure on organizations to create and maintain an ethical workforce. Nonetheless, ethical breaches continue to permeate corporate life, suggesting that there is something missing from how we conceptualize and institutionalize organizational ethics. The current effort seeks to fill this void in two ways. First, we introduce an extended ethical framework premised on sensemaking in organizations. Within this framework, we suggest that multiple individual, organizational, and societal factors may differentially influence the ethical sensemaking process. Second, we contend that human resource management plays a central role in sustaining workplace ethics and explore the strategies through which human resource personnel can work to foster an ethical culture and spearhead ethics initiatives. Future research directions applicable to scholars in both the ethics and human resources domains are provided.

Details

Research in Personnel and Human Resources Management
Type: Book
ISBN: 978-1-78560-016-6

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Article
Publication date: 30 March 2012

Kaj U. Koskinen

The purpose of this paper is to explore how the systems integrator type project‐based companies integrate knowledge of different sub‐systems.

776

Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to explore how the systems integrator type project‐based companies integrate knowledge of different sub‐systems.

Design/methodology/approach

Initially, essential theoretical information is presented by reviewing the concept of systemic view. After that follows illustrations of the concepts of knowledge and knowledge integration. Then, the implications for project‐based companies acting as systems integrators through knowledge integration are discussed through the concepts of interaction, interface element, absorptive capacity, and motivation to transfer knowledge. The paper ends with a section on conclusions.

Findings

The main finding is: the existence of systems integrator type project‐based company can only be understood through systemic view, i.e. through relationships between parts and wholes.

Originality/value

Finding a viable perspective and approach, with which project‐based companies acting as systems integrators can ensure that knowledge integration takes place efficiently, is a very important issue. Therefore, it is suggested that the systemic view provides a basic approach through which understanding of project‐based companies' knowledge integration may be advanced.

Details

International Journal of Managing Projects in Business, vol. 5 no. 2
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1753-8378

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Article
Publication date: 1 September 2005

Kaj U. Koskinen

In order that knowledge distribution in companies can be efficient and effective, it should take place without boundaries. However, this is not often the reality. People tend to…

2217

Abstract

Purpose

In order that knowledge distribution in companies can be efficient and effective, it should take place without boundaries. However, this is not often the reality. People tend to build up their own boundaries, often creating overly technical terminology so that others cannot participate in what they do. In other words, identity hinges on difference. Establishing these identities weakens the existence of real innovative companies and reinforces barriers within and between organisations. The ability of companies to transcend these barriers is partly based on the recognition of boundary objects. This means that the better the companies understand the nature of the existing boundary objects, the better they can take actions that will help to overcome existing barriers. Therefore the goal of the paper is to highlight boundary objects that co‐ordinate knowledge sharing within and between firms' innovation processes.

Design/methodology/approach

There are many different types of boundary objects. The conceptual paper especially addresses the question of what kind of role metaphoric boundary objects play in the knowledge sharing within and between firms' innovation processes. The study is conducted with the help of a literature survey.

Findings

The results of the study suggest that metaphoric boundary objects may play a significant role as a co‐ordinating mechanism in the knowledge sharing of companies' innovation processes.

Originality/value

The relevance of metaphoric boundary objects resides in the fact that with them companies can create the necessary shared understanding behind the framing and resolution of the emerging problem in innovation activities.

Details

European Journal of Innovation Management, vol. 8 no. 3
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1460-1060

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Article
Publication date: 5 April 2011

Heli Aramo‐Immonen, Kaj U. Koskinen and Pasi L. Porkka

The purpose of this paper is to examine the significance of formal training in project‐based companies.

1276

Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to examine the significance of formal training in project‐based companies.

Design/methodology/approach

First the discussion deals with the concepts of learning, the learning environment, and the motivation to learn in a way in which special focus is on the project team members' motivation to learn. The hypothesis, “People working for project‐based companies are not interested in formal training” is tested by an empirical study, which was conducted on ten Finnish marine and offshore industry companies. Altogether, 54 project team members and project managers attended the multiple‐case study.

Findings

According to the results of the study, formal training is not seen as a necessity among the people working for project‐based companies. This seems to mean that nowadays formal training does not play a significant role in the development of project‐based companies. Further, the people do not necessarily have time to reflect because they are being bombarded by urgent problems and pressing deadlines. A lack of time and a feeling of heavy work load seem to be a normal practise.

Originality/value

Based upon the paper's findings, further research is suggested that would be focussed first on designing integrated learning environments in project‐based companies' processes, and/or second on the training methods utilized, interaction between trainers and project people, and relevancy and efficiency of formal training offered by training organizations to the project‐based companies.

Details

International Journal of Managing Projects in Business, vol. 4 no. 2
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1753-8378

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Article
Publication date: 7 January 2014

Rainer Breite and Kaj U. Koskinen

This paper seeks to present a comprehensive overview of the supply chain as an autopoietic system. The new autopoietic approach suggests a transition from traditional cognitivist…

1308

Abstract

Purpose

This paper seeks to present a comprehensive overview of the supply chain as an autopoietic system. The new autopoietic approach suggests a transition from traditional cognitivist epistemology to the theory of learning as a creational matter, and this type of thinking can potentially shed light on the role of knowledge creation as a part of supply chain management.

Design/methodology/approach

The paper is structured as follows: the first section describes the theoretical background of the concept of knowledge management in the supply chain. After that, the paper examines the general systems theory and the role of an autopoietic system within it. Then the paper addresses autopoietic epistemology. In particular, the notions of knowledge, learning, and knowledge flows are described so that the focus is on the context of the supply chain and supply chain management at operational level.

Findings

The supplier's, customer's, and firm's own organization and parts of the organization have autonomy system memories, which ultimately formulate how the intended development ideas are in fact realized and how they are adopted by the organization. Supply chain managers should take into account the fact that the routines and norms of the node are part of the system that are not controlled from outside. Instead, the system can modify its objectives internally as part of its autonomous operation, which should be taken into consideration in the knowledge sharing process.

Originality/value

The description of a supply chain as an autopoietic knowledge system is a new way to examine knowledge sharing in a supply chain.

Details

Supply Chain Management: An International Journal, vol. 19 no. 1
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1359-8546

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Article
Publication date: 4 April 2008

Kaj U. Koskinen and Heli Aramo‐Immonen

Project team members frequently need to learn things already known in other projects, i.e. they need to acquire and assimilate organisational memory. The literature mentions…

487

Abstract

Purpose

Project team members frequently need to learn things already known in other projects, i.e. they need to acquire and assimilate organisational memory. The literature mentions numerous different types of repositories which form an organisational memory, and where organisational knowledge is maintained and into which newly‐acquired knowledge is deposited for later use by other people and teams. However, only seldom does the literature mention individuals' personal notes as a repository of knowledge. The purpose of this paper is to deal with the question of what is the role of individuals' personal notes in remembering in a project work context.

Design/methodology/approach

The conceptual part of the paper deals with the concepts of knowledge, organisational memory, knowledge sharing and motivation to share knowledge. The special focus in this connection is on the external memory aids and individuals' personal notes. Owing to the need to attain a better understanding of the role of individuals' personal notes in a project work context, results of an empirical study conducted in several Finnish project‐based companies are described in detail.

Findings

The results of the study suggest that the project team members' personal notes may play a very important role on the individual level and a rather important role on the team level of project work.

Originality/value

Personal notes making and utilisation of these notes as an external memory aid represents a challenge that many project‐based organisations are only now beginning to acknowledge.

Details

International Journal of Managing Projects in Business, vol. 1 no. 2
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1753-8378

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