Yuri W. Ramirez and Harry J. Steudel
The purpose of this paper is to present the knowledge work (KW) quantification framework – a mathematical model to quantify KW. The framework calculates a knowledge work score…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to present the knowledge work (KW) quantification framework – a mathematical model to quantify KW. The framework calculates a knowledge work score (KWS) that positions each worker in the KW continuum.
Design/methodology/approach
The framework states that KW is a continuum and that eight KW dimensions can be used to differentiate between manual and KW. A methodology was developed that follows a series of steps to calculate the KWS. Operational definitions are presented and explained.
Findings
By assigning a knowledge work intensity score to the tasks a worker does, the knowledge work quantification framework (KWQF) calculates the intensity score for the job hence an intensity score for the worker. KWSs are calculated for two example jobs to illustrate the KWQF and the allocation of the jobs in the KW continuum.
Research limitations/implications
Since there have been no previous studies like this, it is difficult to compare results. A larger sample of workers for different work types would provide more data points in the KW continuum. Other limitations are discussed in the paper.
Practical implications
The knowledge worker (KWr) has become the predominant type of worker in today's economy. With most of manual work being researched and optimized, it is in scientifically improving our understanding of the KWr where the opportunities for improving productivity lie.
Originality/value
In the past, the field has lacked a scientific approach and has been studies more in terms of opinions and theories rather than an empirical research frame of mind. This paper is the first attempt to create a methodology that quantifies KW.
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Yuri W. Ramírez and David A. Nembhard
The structure of the economy continues to change; where once they are dependent on the productivity of a manual workforce, companies increasingly depend on the productivity of…
Abstract
The structure of the economy continues to change; where once they are dependent on the productivity of a manual workforce, companies increasingly depend on the productivity of knowledge workers. Today, knowledge workers account for more than two‐thirds of the workforce, and thus should be the focus of strategic plans to improve productivity. Currently there are no universally accepted methods to measure knowledge worker productivity, or even generally accepted categories. This paper provides a taxonomy of knowledge worker productivity measurements, and identifies a number of productivity dimensions that are used to categorize the findings of previous research. Also describes the relative density of discussions along these dimensions and identifies critical areas for future research.
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Ali Mohammadi, Jiami Yang, Yuri Borgianni and Yong Zeng
The purpose of this paper is to analyze theory of inventive problem-solving (TRIZ) in terms of knowledge, skill, workload and affect to understand its effectiveness in enabling…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to analyze theory of inventive problem-solving (TRIZ) in terms of knowledge, skill, workload and affect to understand its effectiveness in enabling designers to achieve their optimized mental performance.
Design/methodology/approach
TASKS framework, which aims to capture the causal relations among Task workload, affect, skills, knowledge and mental stress, is adopted as our methodology. The framework supports the analysis of how a methodology influence designer’s affect, skills, knowledge and workload. TRIZ-related publications are assessed using the TASKS framework to identify the barriers and enablers in TRIZ-supported design.
Findings
TRIZ has limitations on its logic and tools. Nevertheless, it could create a beneficial impact on mental performance of designers.
Originality/value
This paper provides a theory-driven TRIZ usability analysis based on the materials in the literature following the TASKS framework. The impact of TRIZ, as an enabler or a barrier, has been analyzed in accomplishing a design task.
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The key purposes of the paper are: firstly, to identify what kind of new media tools are used by managers in communication with foreign business partners for professional purposes…
Abstract
Purpose
The key purposes of the paper are: firstly, to identify what kind of new media tools are used by managers in communication with foreign business partners for professional purposes and which, in their opinion, are the most effective, secondly, to identify the relationships between the usage of new media tools and factors that can impact such communication.
Design/methodology/approach
The method used in the research was IDI (Individual Depth Interview). Interviews were conducted in 334 companies that operate on the Polish market and which are active internationally (e.g. Asia, Europe, Africa, North and South America), the managers responsible for international relations were the main respondents.
Findings
The most popular and most used new media tools are Skype and instant messengers, which were evaluated as good devices for international personal communication. Additionally the results of the research emphasize the significance of cultural and economic factors when taking into account the usage of new media tools in personal communication between business partners from different companies and countries.
Practical implications
The results of the research can be useful for managers doing business internationally and communicating with business partners from different markets and cultures.
Originality/value
The research presented in the paper covers the gap in the literature because it relates to the environmental factors that impact upon the use of new media tools in personal business communication between partners in the international marketplace.
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Feminist perspectives from women of color did not emerge solely as a result from racism in the white feminist movements; such an assumption negates the agency of feminists of…
Abstract
Feminist perspectives from women of color did not emerge solely as a result from racism in the white feminist movements; such an assumption negates the agency of feminists of color (Roth, 2004). Instead, feminist perspectives by women of color emerged from historical and sociopolitical dynamics within their own communities of origin, as well as in relationship to each other, including in opposition to, and at times in concert with, the white feminist movements. This chapter explores the development, complexities, and unique contributions of Womanist, Black Feminist Thought, hip-hop, Chicana, Native American, global, Asian American, Arab American and ecofeminism. These feminist perspectives include overarching themes, such as the intersectionality of gender, race, ethnicity, class, sexual orientation, ability, age, religion, nationality, and other important identities and issues. Each contemporary feminist theory also explores the interstices of issues such as education, health, economics, reproduction, sociopolitical, historical, organizational, technological, and myriad interrelated dynamics.
Giammarco Marras, Matteo Opizzi and Michela Loi
The aim of this study is to systematise the entrepreneurial coaching (EC) literature by understanding how the phenomenon has been investigated along four dimensions inspired by…
Abstract
Purpose
The aim of this study is to systematise the entrepreneurial coaching (EC) literature by understanding how the phenomenon has been investigated along four dimensions inspired by Gartner’s (1985) conceptualisation of entrepreneurship: entrepreneurial process, context, target and outcomes. In so doing, this study will provide a frame of its multifunctional role and identify relevant gaps and suggestions for future research.
Design/methodology/approach
We conducted a systematic literature review to collect existing works on EC. We analysed 85 selected papers with a qualitative content analysis that allowed us to highlight relevant research themes for the entrepreneurial process, context, outcomes and target.
Findings
Our results demonstrate that EC has a multifunctional role in entrepreneurship that can be summarised in five different typologies, depending on the stage of the entrepreneurial process in which it is applied, the context, the target and the outcomes.
Originality/value
As one of the first attempts to systematise studies on EC, this work extends previous conceptualisation of EC by detailing different typologies of this intervention, thereby contributing to reduced fragmentation and conceptual ambiguity.