The purpose of this viewpoint paper is to question the widely adopted tacit-explicit distinction of knowledge, arguing that this is based on a misappraisal of the original source…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this viewpoint paper is to question the widely adopted tacit-explicit distinction of knowledge, arguing that this is based on a misappraisal of the original source of the “tacit” phenomenon.
Design/methodology/approach
It is argued that Michael Polanyi’s theory of personal knowledge and philosophical grounds have been misinterpreted. The tacit problem is approached from three different directions: knowledge management, cognitive psychology and discursive psychology. The first offers an imperative to regard the tacit as vital to organizational success and an underplayed “implicit” perspective on the tacit. The second offers empirical evidence for the formulation of the tacit as acquired automatically and unconsciously through implicit learning and as influencing action. The last offers a theory and methodology for studying what is argued as being the primary site of knowledge work – discourse.
Findings
A novel aspect of the tacit – “tacit knowing” – is shown to be action-orientated and influential, and while it is a hidden aspect of a person’s knowledge, it can be revealed through the study and analysis of discourse.
Originality/value
This is the first known paper in the extant literature to examine the tacit knowledge challenge from these combined directions. Implications for practice and study are discussed, and new directions for research proposed.
Details
Keywords
Knowledge management (KM) is a global organizational practice that focuses on core questions around knowledge sharing and creation, and which is characterized by definitional…
Abstract
Purpose
Knowledge management (KM) is a global organizational practice that focuses on core questions around knowledge sharing and creation, and which is characterized by definitional issues and a schism over the nature of knowledge. Against this by definition problematic background, this study aims to investigate how KM practitioners construct identities as expert in an online discussion forum, showing how knowledge sharing is inextricably linked to identity construction.
Design/methodology/approach
The study adopts a discourse analytic approach, grounded in the discourse psychology paradigm, and its underlying theory that all language, including both talk and text, is situated action in social interaction, marked by variation, function and consequences.
Findings
Analysis demonstrates how forum contributors deploy discursive devices constructively, actively and relationally to formulate membership of an expert elite group, and that group membership is marked by inter‐group competitive rivalry. This has synergies with the theory of creative abrasion.
Practical implications
The study has implications for KM theories and practice in showing how attention to the social‐interaction practices of talk and text can reveal deeper understanding of how people share knowledge, and in demonstrating the important and consequential relationship between identity construction and knowledge.
Originality/value
This is among the first studies to take a discursive approach to the study of language in the KM domain, and demonstrates the rich potential for future studies.
Details
Keywords
Andrea Tonner, Kathy Hamilton and Paul Hewer
Our paper is centred on exploring the experiences of opening up closed doors to strangers in the context of home exchange.
Abstract
Purpose
Our paper is centred on exploring the experiences of opening up closed doors to strangers in the context of home exchange.
Methodology/approach
This paper is based on a year-long research project which has drawn on multiple qualitative methods of data collection. A bricolage approach was adopted to enable the authors to gather data which is sensitive to multivocality and conscious of difference within the consumer experience.
Findings
Our findings demonstrate that home exchangers treat their home as an asset to be capitalised, to allow them to travel to places and communities otherwise unreachable. Home exchangers simultaneously engage in the symbolic creation of home in a temporary environment and utilise the kinship and community networks of their home exchange partner.
Practical implications
Our paper adds depth and an insight to the increasing media coverage of the home exchange phenomenon.
Social implications
As a consumption practice that is witnessing widespread appeal, home exchange uncovers evidence of trust amongst strangers. While it is common practice to open the home in order to build friendship, it is less common for this invitation to be extended to strangers.
Originality/value
We extend the extensive theorisation of the home as a symbolic environment and reveal that the home can also be used in an enterprising fashion.
Details
Keywords
Butler's well‐documented concept of the tourism destination area life cycle (Butler 1980) was adapted from the marketing notion of the product life cycle and used to examine the…
Abstract
Butler's well‐documented concept of the tourism destination area life cycle (Butler 1980) was adapted from the marketing notion of the product life cycle and used to examine the rise and decline of tourist resorts and the regions within which they are located. Initially few empirical studies attempted to examine the validity of this concept but published findings of such applications have begun to come forward. Among the studies available, that of Cooper and Jackson (1989) on the Isle of Man demonstrates the descriptive value of the concept and its ability to act as an analytical framework for explaining the evolution of tourism in particular areas. However they do note (Cooper & Jackson 1989 p. 386) that Butler's model is less valuable as a prescriptive tool.
Gordon Fletcher and Anita Greenhill
Despite the rapid growth of the Internet during 1994 and 1995 no adequate or consistent method of referencing material from this source has been developed. Failure to address this…
Abstract
Despite the rapid growth of the Internet during 1994 and 1995 no adequate or consistent method of referencing material from this source has been developed. Failure to address this issue will result in Internet resources not being awarded full recognition within academic discourse. Unless corrected, the significance of this oversight will be exacerbated as more academic journals become available online and more computer literate students enter tertiary study. Furthermore, the status of researchers who have published in this medium will be affected and universities may deprive themselves of the staff best equipped to meet the challenges of the electronic age.
Liz Gill, Lesley White and Ian Douglas Cameron
The purpose of the paper is to identify and describe the themes underlying four concepts: client orientation, client involvement, provider empowerment, and client empowerment…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of the paper is to identify and describe the themes underlying four concepts: client orientation, client involvement, provider empowerment, and client empowerment, which have been reported in the literature as influencing service participant interaction in the formation of a service. The meaning that service participants assign to each of those themes is also to be examined.
Design/methodology/approach
Triadic studies were undertaken in two separate locations with three discrete community‐based service networks, purposively recruited from the same aged healthcare organisation. Using a phenomological approach, 29 individual semi‐structured in‐depth interviews with managers, providers, and clients were conducted. Inductive and deductive analysis was used to identify the emerging themes and their meaning for each participant category.
Findings
Key themes were identified for each concept, but the meaning ascribed to each theme was found to differ between the participant categories. It is suggested that these results reflect participant role differences in the service co‐creation process.
Research limitations/implications
The findings are limited by the small sample and its relative homogeneity.
Practical implications
The findings offer service managers insights into how to engage clients in the service creation process, which in turn will affect the ultimate quality of the service that is created. They also provide information that will assist with service design, staff selection, training, and assessment.
Originality/value
This is the first study that investigates the four concepts, client orientation, client involvement, provider empowerment, and client empowerment, in the context of service co‐creation. It identifies associated abstract themes and the applied meaning differences of the service participants.
Details
Keywords
Abstract
Details
Keywords
On April 2, 1987, IBM unveiled a series of long‐awaited new hardware and software products. The new computer line, dubbed the Personal Systems 30, 50, 60, and 80, seems destined…
Abstract
On April 2, 1987, IBM unveiled a series of long‐awaited new hardware and software products. The new computer line, dubbed the Personal Systems 30, 50, 60, and 80, seems destined to replace the XT and AT models that are the mainstay of the firm's current personal computer offerings. The numerous changes in hardware and software, while representing improvements on previous IBM technology, will require users purchasing additional computers to make difficult choices as to which of the two IBM architectures to adopt.