– The purpose of this paper is to investigate the relationship of knowledge management (KM) with organisational culture, a subject of interest to academics and KM practitioners.
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to investigate the relationship of knowledge management (KM) with organisational culture, a subject of interest to academics and KM practitioners.
Design/methodology/approach
It is based on case study research in the voluntary sector, which is relatively less studied than the commercial or public sectors.
Findings
One major finding was that although culture was recognised as an intricate concept, KM programmes were often simplistically intended to “change culture”. Two instances of long-term change were identified. Strong and persistent leadership, with a clear rationale for culture change, and also a well-established technology innovation programme, using local “champions” to help align knowledge programmes with daily work routines, did have an impact on organisational culture.
Research limitations/implications
The findings provide food for thought for practitioners in the voluntary sector. As external pressures and common technology are leading the different sectors to follow more similar work practices, it is likely that the findings of this paper will have relevance also for other sectors, where organisations face similar resource constraints.
Practical implications
The paper provides a thoughtful analysis of data collected over several years that suggests sectoral differences will not be the crucial factor to consider when looking at the impact of KM.
Originality/value
It provides practical examples of what has worked to “change organisational culture” and what has not, as well as ideas for future research.
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In this paper, my claim is that employee ownership of industrial companies enables economic survival, democracy, and joint responsibility. My main focus is a case study of Ljuders…
Abstract
In this paper, my claim is that employee ownership of industrial companies enables economic survival, democracy, and joint responsibility. My main focus is a case study of Ljuders Nickelsilfverfabrik and its change to employee ownership. In 1980, 36 of the 42 employees became owners. My research question is how have the economy and democracy in an employee-owned industrial company changed over the years? My main research method includes a 35-year in-depth longitudinal case study of Ljuders Nickelsilfverfabrik since its employee takeover. The empirical material includes documents, interviews, participant observations, and informal talks over the entire study period. My theory is based on the study by Connell Fanning and McCarthy (1983, 1986), who have compiled the critical literature on employee-owned companies and have asked why so few employee-owned companies exist in Western economies. They formulate six non-viability hypotheses for employee ownership, against which I present my empirical study and conclude that employee ownership is possible. From my case study in combination with the literature about organizational changes, I formulate a recipe for a successful employee takeover and collective entrepreneurship. The experience of Ljuders Nickelsilfverfabrik shows that a more complete business idea can subsequently unfold with the help of different people’s knowledge and experiences. Degeneration from democratic to more traditional ownership and control can be avoided by placing new people in leadership positions. The management must create legitimacy for a different organizational form for internal and external stakeholders.
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The Asian crisis, which exploded in Thailand in July 1997 initially, spilled to the other ASEAN countries (Indonesia, Malaysia, and Philippines) and later it spreads to Korea and…
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The Asian crisis, which exploded in Thailand in July 1997 initially, spilled to the other ASEAN countries (Indonesia, Malaysia, and Philippines) and later it spreads to Korea and even crossing the continent to Russia and Brazil. The chronological pattern seems to indicate the contagious behaviour of the crisis. However, the sequential economic down‐turns that occurred in the Asia Pacific do look like a contagion effect. The idea that currency speculators contributed to the depth of the crisis is agreeable but to conclude that they are the roots of the problem would be misleading. This paper argued that the roots of the problems lie in current account deficit and loss of competitiveness, and moral hazard and over‐investment This paper also argued that the currency crisis is a symptom and not the cause of the Asian crisis.
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Attempts by workers to take‐over and revive companies in crisis have been a recurring response to the threat of closure, particularly in times of economic recession. Being above…
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Attempts by workers to take‐over and revive companies in crisis have been a recurring response to the threat of closure, particularly in times of economic recession. Being above all a response to the threat of unemployment, they logically tend to occur in industries undergoing restructuring where the workforce possesses industry‐specific skills, or where a local community is economically dependent upon the threatened plant. Thus, the current wave of worker take‐overs — beginning in the 1970's and variously manifest throughout the European Community — conforms to a clear, overall pattern which often includes a solidaristic or co‐operative response to such crisis periods.
Maria Vittoria Colucci D’Amato and Letizia Migliola
In post-normal times, when surprises and conflicts rule and the concept of normal is increasingly useless (Dufva & Rowley, 2022), leaders in organisations are faced with new and…
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In post-normal times, when surprises and conflicts rule and the concept of normal is increasingly useless (Dufva & Rowley, 2022), leaders in organisations are faced with new and never-before-faced problems. That’s why it becomes crucial to focus on innovation leadership and its components. This chapter introduces Design2Be, a new methodology developed by Evidentia, a consulting firm, that changes the paradigm of leadership development. The very structure of Design2Be guides participants into an innovative experience of learning, no longer linear and sequential but circular and holistic, in which the goal is the development of an innovative self and team leadership mindset, by discovering and acting out a personal growth towards self-expression and fulfilment. We reflect on the development and application of this new approach, through a case story in a large Italian company with a group of (future) leaders testing and applying the new methodology. The chapter uses Paton’s (2001) reflective model to reflect on our roles as consultants, co-creating the approach with our client.
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Larissa Marchiori Pacheco, Elizabeth M. Moore, Elizabeth Allen, Robin K. White and Luis Alfonso Dau
Sustainability and resilience challenges persist globally due to the lack of coordinated action among firms and community stakeholders. This is even more challenging for…
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Sustainability and resilience challenges persist globally due to the lack of coordinated action among firms and community stakeholders. This is even more challenging for multinational corporations (MNCs) interacting across multiple, and often diverse, institutional environments. To be effective, MNCs’ sustainability efforts must respond to interdependent functions and systems in communities and rely on adaptive governance frameworks targeting long-term initiatives. The authors highlight the importance of public–private interconnections to promote resilience and enable the achievement of the sustainable development goals (SDGs). The authors introduce a methodology to analyze community resilience and present an in-depth, single case study of New Orleans. Findings provide important insights for the international business (IB) literature, but also critical implications for policymakers and practitioners.
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Rob Poole, Catherine Robinson and Lindsey Poole
Over the past 30 years there has been a steady increase in the availability and affordability of alcoholic drinks in the UK. This has been associated with a dramatic increase in…
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Over the past 30 years there has been a steady increase in the availability and affordability of alcoholic drinks in the UK. This has been associated with a dramatic increase in alcohol‐related harm, involving premature death, chronic health problems and social ills. These adverse outcomes are not inevitable. They could be avoided by rational policy‐making that followed the scientific evidence. Efforts to directly influence drinking culture and to encourage ‘responsible drinking’ have failed. Sharply increasing the price and restricting the availability of alcohol would be likely to have major benefits for the well being of the UK population.
With this number the Library Review enters on its ninth year, and we send greetings to readers at home and abroad. Though the magazine was started just about the time when the…
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With this number the Library Review enters on its ninth year, and we send greetings to readers at home and abroad. Though the magazine was started just about the time when the depression struck the world, its success was immediate, and we are glad to say that its circulation has increased steadily every year. This is an eminently satisfactory claim to be able to make considering the times through which we have passed.
Controversy on this subject has now ranged over our past six numbers, and still the discussion continues, but with rather less urbanity on the part of some colleagues than might…
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Controversy on this subject has now ranged over our past six numbers, and still the discussion continues, but with rather less urbanity on the part of some colleagues than might have been expected. In this further Symposium the contributors are Mr. B. A. Ower, Librarian, Dominion Bureau of Statistics, Ottawa; Miss Freda F. Waldon, Librarian, Hamilton Public Library, Ontario; Mr. Eric Moon, Editor, Library Journal and lately Secretary and Director of the Newfoundland Public Library Services; Miss Dorothy McNaughton, Secretary to the Institute of Professional Librarians, Ontario Library Association; A Canadian Librarian; Mr. W. B. Paton, Honorary Secretary of the Library Association. From the nature of the comments and the theories presented, British, Canadian and American librarians who propose to be at the Montreal Conference will be enabled to follow every angle of the discussions.