Matteo Mura, Emanuele Lettieri, Giovanni Radaelli and Nicola Spiller
The purpose of this paper is to provide arguments and empirical evidence that different knowledge sharing behaviours – i.e. sharing best practices, sharing mistakes, seeking…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to provide arguments and empirical evidence that different knowledge sharing behaviours – i.e. sharing best practices, sharing mistakes, seeking feedbacks – are promoted and enabled by different types of knowledge assets, and differently affect employees’ innovative work behaviours.
Design/methodology/approach
The research framework includes four sets of constructs: employees’ innovative work behaviour, knowledge sharing, knowledge assets, psychological safety. The literature-grounded hypotheses were tested collecting data from healthcare professionals from three hospice and palliative care organisations in Italy. In all, 195 questionnaires were analysed using structural equations modelling technique.
Findings
First, findings show that the linkage between knowledge assets and knowledge sharing is both direct and indirect with psychological safety as relevant mediating construct. The linkage between relational and structural social capital and seeking feedbacks and sharing mistakes is fully mediated by psychological safety. Second, findings show that each dimension of knowledge sharing affects the different dimensions of employees’ innovative work behaviour – i.e. idea generation, idea promotion, idea implementation – in a distinct manner. While sharing of best practices influences all of them, seeking feedbacks affects idea promotion and sharing mistakes influences idea implementation.
Practical implications
The results provide operations managers with a clearer picture of how to pursue improvements of current operations by leveraging on knowledge sharing among employees through the creation of numerous, high-quality interpersonal relationships among employees, based on rich and cohesive network ties.
Originality/value
This study, by adopting a micro-level perspective, offers an original perspective on how knowledge assets and knowledge sharing initiatives may contribute to the engagement of innovative work behaviour by employees.
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Matteo Mura, Giovanni Radaelli, Nicola Spiller, Emanuele Lettieri and Mariolina Longo
The purpose of this paper is to enter the debate on the antecedents of knowledge exploration and exploitation by investigating the role of social capital and environmental…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to enter the debate on the antecedents of knowledge exploration and exploitation by investigating the role of social capital and environmental dynamisms. The contribution is grounded on existing insights that no empirical evidence exists on the link between social capital and exploration/exploitation behaviors.
Design/methodology/approach
The model considers three social capital dimensions – structural, relational and cognitive. It also considers the moderation effect of environmental dynamism on the link between social capital and knowledge exploration and exploitation. Head physicians from Italian hospitals were surveyed using a structured questionnaire. The data set consists of 174 observations, analyzed using seemingly unrelated regression techniques.
Findings
This research provides evidence of the positive effect of structural, relational and cognitive social capital on knowledge exploration and exploitation – thus adding to a literature which has thus far concentrated on contextual and structural properties. Cohesive and strong ties are instrumental to gain access to external knowledge assets and stimuli, and to recombine the knowledge available within the unit.
Practical implications
The results can support hospital managers in designing initiatives that recognize the centrality of network ties for strategies of continuous improvement. Social networks represent the locus in which hospital units can identify and acquire knowledge from outside and the locus in which knowledge can be shared and recombined. Managers should encourage initiatives that support systematic connections among units.
Originality/value
This research provides evidence of the positive effect of structural, relational and cognitive social capital on knowledge exploration and exploitation – thus adding to a literature which has thus far concentrated on contextual and structural properties. Cohesive and strong ties are instrumental to gain access to external knowledge assets and stimuli, and to recombine the knowledge available within the unit. The results adds to conflicting evidence on environmental dynamism –shown here to exert a direct positive impact on exploitation and exploration, as well as to moderate the link between relational and structural social capital and exploration.
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Matteo Mura, Emanuele Lettieri, Giovanni Radaelli and Nicola Spiller
This study aims to offer new insights to further the understanding on the relevance of engaging employees in knowledge sharing behaviours in order to improve current operations.
Abstract
Purpose
This study aims to offer new insights to further the understanding on the relevance of engaging employees in knowledge sharing behaviours in order to improve current operations.
Design/methodology/approach
The authors' conceptual model proposes a direct relationship between knowledge sharing behaviours and employees' innovative behaviour, moderated by employees' perception of social capital. Six hypotheses were developed from the literature, grounded and tested among 198 employees of four hospices and palliative care organisations (H&PCOs) for dying cancer patients. All constructs were measured using multiple‐item scales that were adapted from previous related studies. The authors' hypotheses were tested using seemingly unrelated regression (SUR).
Findings
This study has three main results. First, the authors found a positive role of knowledge sharing behaviours in affecting sharers' innovativeness, in terms of propensity and capacity to promote and implement new ideas. Second, sharing best practices and sharing mistakes are two distinct drivers of individuals' innovativeness. Third, individuals' perceptions of social capital have a relevant moderation effect on the linkage between knowledge sharing and innovative behaviour.
Originality/value
Past research posited that knowledge sharing is convenient for others, and possibly at the expense of sharers' best interest. The authors' research was grounded on a different notion of knowledge sharing as: a self‐interested behaviour, which individuals deploy to generate a norm of reciprocity among knowledge recipients, which might create future benefits in the short term; and an improvement process, which individuals can use to translate new ideas into workable innovations.
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Karim Moustaghfir and Giovanni Schiuma
This introduction paper to the special issue on “The twenty‐first century knowledge‐based value drivers of innovation and sustainable development” aims to focus on such…
Abstract
Purpose
This introduction paper to the special issue on “The twenty‐first century knowledge‐based value drivers of innovation and sustainable development” aims to focus on such relationships between knowledge, learning, capabilities, innovation and competitive advantage in different forms of organization: businesses, clusters and regions. The purpose is to point out the conceptual pillars and contribute to the ongoing debate on: how knowledge assets impact organizational performance, what are the characteristics of such value‐generating processes, what factors affect the process of building organizational capabilities and distinctive competences, and how organizations translate specific capabilities into sustainable competitive advantages.
Design/methodology/approach
The article is based on a thorough analysis of the management literature addressing the nature, role and relevance of knowledge, organizational capabilities, learning and knowledge management for organization competitiveness. The conceptual background sets the foundations for a better understanding of the strategic importance of knowledge‐based value drivers for innovation and sustainable organizational value creation.
Findings
As knowledge management is establishing itself as a research discipline, it is fundamental to define the conceptual pillars grounding the application of knowledge management initiatives for innovation and business performance improvements. This paper provides a framework summarizing the key assumptions at the basis of understanding the strategic relevance of knowledge‐based value drivers for growth and competitiveness.
Research limitations/implications
In addressing some of the questions posed, this article provides some implications for future research that build on different perspectives and emphasize the importance of adopting multi‐disciplinary approaches to disentangle the complexities of how organizations convert knowledge resources to a long‐lasting competitive advantage.
Originality/value
This editorial presents the key conceptual pillars explicating the role of knowledge resources as building blocks of organizational capabilities and how firms can develop and maintain their competences by promoting and nurturing learning processes. The value of this paper is the definition of a conceptual framework outlining the relationships between knowledge management, organizational capabilities, organizational learning and competitiveness.
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Antonio Lerro, Roberto Linzalone and Giovanni Schiuma
This introduction paper to the special issue on “Managing intellectual capital dimensions for organizational value creation” aims to focus on the relationships between…
Abstract
Purpose
This introduction paper to the special issue on “Managing intellectual capital dimensions for organizational value creation” aims to focus on the relationships between intellectual capital (IC), innovation, performance improvement and competitive advantage in private and public organizations. The purpose of this paper is to review and underline some relevant theoretical pillars and contribute to the ongoing debate on how knowledge assets may impact organizational performance and innovation dynamics.
Design/methodology/approach
The paper is based on a deep analysis of the managerial literature addressing the nature, the role and the relevance of the IC dimensions for organizational value creation. The conceptual background sets the foundations for a better understanding of the strategic importance of knowledge-based value drivers for innovation and sustainable competitive advantage.
Findings
This paper provides a framework summarizing the key assumptions at the basis of a better understanding the strategic relevance of the knowledge-based value drivers for competitiveness.
Originality/value
The value of this paper is the definition of a conceptual framework outlining the relationships between IC management, innovation, performance improvement and value creation capacity.
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Jason Paul Mika, Nicolas Fahey and Joanne Bensemann
This paper aims to contribute to indigenous entrepreneurship theory by identifying what constitutes an indigenous enterprise, focussing on Aotearoa New Zealand as a case.
Abstract
Purpose
This paper aims to contribute to indigenous entrepreneurship theory by identifying what constitutes an indigenous enterprise, focussing on Aotearoa New Zealand as a case.
Design/methodology/approach
This paper combines policy (quantitative survey) and academic research (qualitative interviews) to answer the same question, what is an indigenous enterprise in Aotearoa New Zealand?
Findings
The authors found a degree of consistency as to what counts as an indigenous enterprise in the literature (e.g., identity, ownership, values), yet a consensus on a definition of Maori business remains elusive. They also found that an understanding of the indigenous economy and indigenous entrepreneurial policy are impeded because of definitional uncertainties. The authors propose a definition of Maori business which accounts for indigenous ownership, identity, values and well-being.
Research limitations/implications
The main limitation is that the literature and research use different definitions of indigenous enterprise, constraining comparative analysis. The next step is to evaluate our definition as a basis for quantifying the population of indigenous enterprises in Aotearoa New Zealand.
Practical implications
The research assists indigenous entrepreneurs to identify, measure and account for their contribution to indigenous self-determination and sustainable development.
Social implications
This research has the potential to reconceptualise indigenous enterprise as a distinct and legitimate alternative institutional theory of the firm.
Originality/value
The research challenges assumptions and knowledge of entrepreneurship policy and practice generally and the understanding of what is the nature and extent of an indigenous firm.
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Ali GhaffarianHoseini, John Tookey, Amirhosein GhaffarianHoseini, Nicola Naismith and James Olabode Bamidele Rotimi
The purpose of this paper is to review extant literature and to provide perspectives on approaches to enhancing built environment sustainability in Africa. There is a mismatch…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to review extant literature and to provide perspectives on approaches to enhancing built environment sustainability in Africa. There is a mismatch between global societal resources and the increasing demand for natural resources. The consequences of this mismatch are prevalent in many African countries, causing the need to implement of built environment sustainability as a matter of cause.
Design/methodology/approach
Little research has been undertaken to date with a focus on the environmental sustainability of Africa. With this in mind the review was undertaken through a series of incremental steps. It began with an initial review, before developing through exploratory and development phases. The process culminated with the refined literature review presented.
Findings
The paper finds that a different approach is required to achieve built sustainable development for developed and developing countries, with a clear difference in terms of its application observed between the Northern and Southern hemispheres. Current energy and water crisis facing Africa is brought to the fore and an evaluation is provided of the systems being used to ameliorate its effects. The study explores a range of technological solutions that are appropriate for consideration in the African context. It also examines the barriers that need to be overcome to facilitate the widespread use of the suggested solutions in Africa.
Originality/value
This study examines built environment sustainability through the Africa lens. It highlights its importance and the contextual factors inhibiting the widespread uptake of built environment sustainability solutions. The study offers a number of recommendations for the future to encourage long-term built environment sustainability in Africa and more specifically the Sub-Saharan region.
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Leonardo Casini, Caterina Contini, Nicola Marinelli, Caterina Romano and Gabriele Scozzafava
The purpose of this paper is to verify the market potentials of health claims by means of a study that tests the effectiveness of extra-virgin olive oil promotion based on the…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to verify the market potentials of health claims by means of a study that tests the effectiveness of extra-virgin olive oil promotion based on the nutraceutical indications recently authorised by European regulations.
Design/methodology/approach
The methodology utilises a discrete choice experiment on a sample of Italian consumers. Market segmentation is performed by means of applying a latent-class model.
Findings
The health claim proves particularly interesting for two consumer segments: the “functional claim seekers” (24 per cent) and the “reduction of disease risk claim seekers” (13 per cent). The former segment consists of young, single males who prefer more moderately priced olive oils. The latter is instead made up of elderly individuals who prefer an explicit message on disease and are oriented towards the higher price ranges.
Practical implications
The potentials in implementing a promotional strategy based on the awareness of olive oil’s nutraceutical properties are demonstrated. Strategies will have to target specific characteristics of the various consumer segments.
Originality/value
This paper has confirmed the opportunities that the recent European regulations on health claims have introduced for the olive oil market. This form of promotion could prove particularly important for quality productions that are often insufficiently recognised vis-à-vis their high production costs.
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Renaud Lunardo and Dominique Roux
– The purpose of this article is to show how consumers’ inferences of manipulative intent mediate the effects of in-store arousal on pleasure and approach behavior.
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this article is to show how consumers’ inferences of manipulative intent mediate the effects of in-store arousal on pleasure and approach behavior.
Design/methodology/approach
A qualitative study identifies arousal as a dimension of the store environment that may lead to inferences of manipulative intent. An experiment manipulating arousal tests the mediating effect of inferences of manipulative intent on the relationship of arousal with pleasure and approach behavior.
Findings
A qualitative study and the results of an experiment suggest that arousing store environments lead to negative outcomes when consumers infer that such environments are manipulative. The experimental study results show that high in-store arousal increases inferences of manipulative intent, which in turn negatively affect pleasure and approach behaviors. The results also indicate that the effects of in-store arousal on inferences of manipulative intent vary with age.
Practical implications
The study results recommend that practitioners carefully design their store environments, such that arousal they create does not lead consumers to believe that the environment is manipulative.
Originality/value
This article contributes to extant literature by emphasizing the crucial role of inferences of manipulative intent in the effects of in-store arousal.