Knowledge Management Case Study Research Articles

Future-proofing students in higher education with unmanned aerial vehicles technology: A knowledge management case study

In this paper we report experiences in implementing a new course ‘Understanding Drone & Robotics Technology – History, Usage, Ethics & Legal Issues’ at the Singapore Management University framed as a strategic knowledge management (KM) initiative in an institution of higher learning aimed at capturing, sharing and creating new knowledge about disruptive technologies such as unmanned aerial vehicles. We posit the new course as a knowledge innovation initiative (similar to a KM-enabled business case in a corporate setting) in support of the university’s mission and vision so as to deliver new value to students and to stay ahead of the latest technological developments. In line with a ‘normal’ KM initiative, we examine how the new learning and teaching initiative was conceived, pushed forward and eventually launched, creating a new multi-disciplinary learning experience for students, instructors and other stakeholders. We explain the knowledge strategy of the course and use I. Nonaka’s SECI framework to shed light on selected aspects of the pedagogical approach towards achieving the desired learning outcomes. Overall, the paper intends to make a case for more collaborative knowledge leadership as a strategic enabler of multi-disciplinary knowledge innovation in a rapidly changing higher education landscape.

Impelling research productivity and impact through collaboration: a scientometric case study of knowledge management

A case study for impelling university research productivity and impact through collaboration is presented. Scientometric results support the hypothesis that a knowledge management model increased research collaboration and thereby boosted a university’s number of publications and citations. Results come from fifteen years of data at a Mexican university with 2400 researchers who produced 24,000 works in fifteen research disciplines. These data are treated with social network visualizations and algorithms to identify patterns of collaboration and clustering, as well as with normalizations to make disciplines comparable and to verify increasing citation impact. The knowledge management model implemented in the study may be a cost-effective way for universities to intensify collaboration and improve research performance.

Identification and Prioritization of Critical Success Factors in Implementation of Knowledge Management Case study: Power Distribution Company of Kurdistan Province

In information community, knowledge is one of the most important resources of organization. To achieve competitive advantage, the organizations should manage their knowledge assets and capital accurately. Knowledge management systems can manage the organizational knowledge. However, implementation of these systems is encountered with some challenges leading to the failure of implementation of knowledge management system. By recognition of Critical success factors in implementation of knowledge management, the risk of implementation of knowledge management system is reduced. The present study is aimed to identify and classify the effective factors on implementation of knowledge management in power distribution company of Kurdistan province. After the evaluation of review of literature, these factors are identified and initial model is extracted. The applied research approach and its method is descriptive-survey. The study population is employees of power Distribution Company of Kurdistan province as 252. To evaluate the study variables, questionnaire is applied. The reliability of study measures is evaluated using Cronbach’s alpha and validity is evaluated using the opinion of experts. The results showed that effective factors on implementation of knowledge management in power Distribution Company of Kurdistan province were not effective equally and the main factor in implementation of knowledge management is “IT infrastructure”. DOI: 10.5901/mjss.2016.v7n51p135

Analyzing the Difference Between the Current and Desired Situation of Knowledge Management Case Study: the Faculty Members of Birjand University of Medical Sciences

Background: The present study aimed to analyze the situation of knowledge management among the faculty members in the four components, including creation, linking, organization and storage, and application. Methods: This is a survey research and the results are presented descriptively and analytically. The study tool was a questionnaire of knowledge management with 84 questions (creation of knowledge, linking and sharing of knowledge, organization and storage of knowledge and application of knowledge) in Likert scale. The reliability and validity were 0.80 and CVI=0.93, respectively. The data were analyzed by SPSS 16.Results: The results of the study showed that the average scores of the four components of the faculty members were as follows: creation of knowledge (33±7.09), linking of knowledge (67±15.17), organization and storage of knowledge (47±9.33), and application of knowledge (28±6). Analyzing the relationship between knowledge management and its components with academic degree and the background of the results, it was shown that there is statistically significant difference in the component of the application of knowledge (p>0.05).Conclusions: The status of the faculty members of Birjand University of Medical Sciences was not desirable in the components of linking knowledge, and organization and storage of knowledge. Consequently, it seems essential to take special measures in order to empower team-working and motivate the teachers to share knowledge, such as development of group evaluation processes, group incentive programs and teaching of organization and storage of knowledge.

The adoption process in management innovation: A Knowledge Management case study

This paper draws on findings from a longitudinal study of the adoption of a management innovation within an organisational setting. It is based on the findings of a case study that explores and discusses in depth a Knowledge Management programme that was introduced within a large distributed public sector agency in Europe. The aim of this research was to provide insight into the adoption process associated with management innovation. A qualitative case study strategy generates an account of the process of adoption through three phases (initiation; implementation; and outcomes), the episodes within each phase, and decision-making across the entire process. The findings contribute to the development of an extended and refined model of the process of adoption of management innovation through the consideration of the labelling, sequence and transition of phases and episodes, and decision-making. In this extended and refined model there are three phases with nine episodes, two of which are recursive; the phases occur in a linear sequence but may overlap, while the episodes occur in a non-linear sequence; and decision-making occurs within episodes, between phases and between episodes. The study makes three primary contributions to knowledge. First, it considers the process of adoption (as opposed to the more commonly examined process of generation) of management innovation. Second, it identifies decision-making related to the changes required for adoption of a management innovation. Finally, it develops a model of the process of adoption of management innovation that includes decision-making. In addition, the output of the study can be used as a tool for project management by identifying the questions to be addressed, and the decisions to be made, at particular points of the management innovation process, taking into account local contexts.

Wikis for Collaborative Learning: A Case Study of Knowledge Management and Satisfaction among Teacher Trainees in Malaysia

Wikis have been shown to be beneficial for collaborative learning. The knowledge management processes required during collaborative writing develops higher level cognitive skills. These processes are important for sustaining collaboration and innovation in the online learning environment. However, there does not seem to be many studies in the use of online collaborative workspaces or wikis among teacher trainees in Malaysia, and even less on the analysis of knowledge management processes. In this study, the knowledge management processes of teacher trainees is analysed and determined from a survey and interviews after completion of several collaborative tasks over a period of four weeks. A content analysis of the written documentation of the tasks on the wiki was done to verify the findings. In addition, a survey of the trainees’ satisfaction of the wiki tool and the use of the materials is determined. The results indicate that the knowledge management processes were used during the collaborative writing process, and that they were satisfied with the use of the wiki for learning. This study is significant as it is important for teacher trainees to develop knowledge management skills and to encourage the use of these skills while teaching in school.

On the need for combat librarians: A case study of knowledge management at the end of the iraq war

Despite operating in complex, dynamic, and frequently changing environments, organizations have a vested interest in making sure that knowledge created today is available for use tomorrow. This paper describes a case study of knowledge management (KM) at the end of the Iraq war, where the breadth and depth of KM was extreme. KM activities are analyzed using Anderson's KM and Kling's social informatics frameworks. The results reveal that many of the challenges mirror the socio-technical interdependencies identified in other organizational settings and suggests that lessons learned from this extreme case can be used to inform KM practices of information professionals in non-combat environments.

The Influence of the Personalization and Codification Strategies on Successful Knowledge Management Case Study: National Iranian Oil Company

Successful implementation of Knowledge Management (KM) involves on identification the most effective associated factors. Hence well-thought-out of organization strategy often is absent in implementing KM. Moreover resource restrictions lead us to prioritize them. Consequently, organizations are looking to prioritize the projects for deploying KM in order to invest on the infrastructural projects based on that. The purpose of this study is on identifying, classifying and ranking the enablers related to four key factors of people, process, leadership and information technology based on two given KM strategies. The quantitative approach was utilized in collecting data through questionnaire. In order to approve and classify the identified enablers in each key factor, a quantitative approach was utilized in collecting data through a few justifiable reliable questionnaires. We designed them using Delphi method and distributed among organization experts. Significant factors extracted from applying an exploratory factor analysis using the SPSS package. In order to prioritize the extracted enabler’s a fuzzy multi- criteria decision making technique is then applied. The results shows that among thirty identified enablers in personalization strategy, twenty seven ones and among the nineteen identified enablers in codification strategy, sixteen of are significant. Accordingly by ranking the factors and enablers in nine management organizations of the National Iranian Oil Company (NIOC), the leadership factor in personalization strategy and also information technology in codification strategy have higher ranks by weighing 0.259 and 0.267respectively.

A case study of knowledge management in the “back office” of two English football clubs

Purpose – This study aims to explore knowledge management (KM) practice in the “back office” of two English football clubs.Design/methodology/approach – The paper takes the form of a comparative case study of two medium‐sized businesses using multi‐method data including unstructured interviews, structured questionnaires and document analysis. Data were analysed using thematic analysis and basic descriptive statistics.Findings – A review of the theoretical contexts highlights key challenges for the industry including the pressure of high wage salaries on the business model, minimising organizational memory loss given the high turnover of football managers, and the development of relationship marketing given the emergence of a variety of fans with different levels of loyalty. The empirical inquiry reveals evidence of KM in both football clubs although this is mostly informal, ad hoc and implicit. One club adopts a personalisation and the other a codification KM strategy. For both clubs, the football success...

Knowledge Management Case Study: ‘Knowledge Ownership’ in the Private and Public Sectors in Thailand

The case study has been designed to investigate the concept of “knowledge ownership” within public and private organisations in Thailand. This study is a continuation of a previous study available at http://ssrn.com/abstract=1429540. The purpose of the case study is to examine the relationship between employee ownership perceptions and their willingness to share their knowledge assets, both tangible and intangible. To this end, the case study differentiates between perceptions of the organization’s rights to knowledge created by the employee (organisational ownership) and perceptions of the individual’s rights to knowledge he/she creates (individual ownership).Furthermore, the case study investigates the influence of the work environment (e.g., reward, performance evaluation, organisational procedures, knowledge sharing norms, co-worker relationship, supervisor relationship, etc) on employee ownership perceptions according to the knowledge type (codified or tacit).The data collected as part of this case study are available under the terms and conditions of the Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial 3.0 License (see paper for a description of the data and how to obtain a copy).

Knowledge Management Case Study: Investigating the Concept of 'Knowledge Ownership'

The case study has been designed to investigate the concept of within the context of knowledge sharing in organisations. A significant proportion of the firm’s collective wisdom comes from her employees and a growing number of researchers have alluded to the importance of ownership perceptions in influencing employee attitudes and behaviour for knowledge sharing in the workplace. The purpose of the case study is to examine the relationship between employee ownership perceptions and their willingness to share their knowledge assets, both tangible and intangible. To this end, the case study differentiates between perceptions of the organization’s rights to knowledge created by the employee (organisational ownership) and perceptions of the individual’s rights to knowledge he/she creates (individual ownership). Furthermore, the case study investigates the influence of the work environment (e.g., reward, performance evaluation, organisational procedures, knowledge sharing norms, co-worker relationship, supervisor relationship, etc) on employee ownership perceptions according to the knowledge type (codified or tacit). The data collected as part of this case study are available under the terms and conditions of the Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial 3.0 License (see paper for a description of the data and how to obtain a copy).

Review: Cross-Cultural Perspectives on Knowledge Management edited by David J. Pauleen

Cross-Cultural Perspectives on Knowledge Management edited by David J. Pauleen. Westport, CT and London: Libraries Unlimited, 2007. 259 pp. ISBN 1-59158-331-4. Knowledge management (KM), an emerging field of research garnering significant attention both within and outside of Information Studies (IS), is a disciplinary borderland. KM draws upon understandings of information structures and information seeking culled from IS research in the name of business management. The field focuses on solutions for understanding, controlling, and preserving that elusive business asset: knowledge. Because knowledge is a theoretical good with complicated practical implications, understanding knowledge management requires mixing concepts of cultural and social theory with practice-oriented approaches. David Pauleen has compiled a book of essays which successfully navigates this mixed territory, integrating theory and practice while drawing attention to overlooked issues of cultural diversity in knowledge management. Cross-Cultural Perspectives on Knowledge Management is an engaging blend of theories of culture and its relationship to knowledge, analyses of cultural barriers to successful knowledge management in business and research environments, and case studies in knowledge management across cultural borders. The volume’s convincing argument is that knowledge production, dissemination, transfer, and organization are all reliant upon socially-constructed cultures: local, organizational, and national. Therefore, managers who wish to foster successful knowledge management projects—whether cross-disciplinary research or improved business practices in a multi-national corporation—cannot afford to ignore the multitude of cultures within their organizations. The anthology begins with two contrasting articles that develop complex and sensitive (although quite different) definitions of “culture,” one of the most difficult parts of writing a book on such a topic. David Pauleen et al.’s “Exploring the Relationship between National and Organizational Culture, and Knowledge Management” provides the most nuanced definition of culture, setting the tone for the rest of the volume. The authors focus on national cultures without ignoring or obscuring the importance of regional and ethnic cultures to KM. They argue that all cultures produce tacit epistemologies or theories of knowledge, which then affect cultural cognitive processes. Because of these cultural ways of knowing, KM systems must take into account the knowledge communities that will be involved. Peter Murphy’s contrasting “The Art of Systems: The Cognitive-Aesthetic Culture of Portal Cities and the Development of Meta-Cultural Advanced Knowledge Economies” views culture as reliant upon the design and aesthetics among which people live, particularly the “pattern thinking” which emerges from the aesthetic forms of the city (p. 35). The author argues that the culture of city

Degenerative structures that inhibit the emergence of communities of practice: a case study of knowledge management in the British Council

Abstract. This paper presents the British Council’s knowledge management strategy. It outlines how, as part of this strategy, the organization attempted to engender communities of practice among a strategically significant group spread across the 110 countries in which the organization operates. Using a case study of this group, the paper explores ‘degenerative structures’ that impact on the ability to engender communities of practice and, through consideration of issues of individualization and risk, highlights a series of paradoxes that inhibited this organization’s attempt to move from a ‘hub‐and‐spoke’ structure to become a networked organization in which communities of practice flourish.

Supporting newly‐appointed judges: a legal knowledge management case study

PurposeIn this paper we describe the process of developing and implementing a knowledge management system for the Spanish judicial domain. Spanish judges, especially newly‐recruited ones, hold a solid background of theoretical legal knowledge, but are much less familiar with the judicial knowledge of the more senior judges acquired from everyday practice and case resolution. The aim of this development is to capture and model these two aspects of judicial knowledge – theoretical and practical – for knowledge browsing and retrieving.Design/methodology/approachSemantic web technologies are applied to feed a question‐answering system based on ontologies of professional legal knowledge (OPLK).FindingsThere is a kind of specific legal knowledge, which belongs properly to the expert domain, not being captured by current legal core ontologies, i.e. Judges require clues, hints or well‐grounded practical guidelines that refer to the problem they have before them when they put a question or start the query. A scalable and useful frequently‐asked questions system should have a simple, natural language interface, work in a real time environment, and the questions included in the system should be of high quality and reflect the current situation.Originality/valueThe final system will enable the users to ask queries in natural language and obtain answers, which are supported by legal documents stored in specialized legal databases. Special care is taken regarding usability issues, in order to ensure the highest user satisfaction.

REVIEW: Case Studies in Knowledge Management

Case Studies in Knowledge Management provide rich, case-based lessons learned from several examples of actual applications of knowledge management in a variety of organizational and global settings. A variety of KM issues are explored, including issues associated with building a KMS, organizational culture and its effect on knowledge capture, sharing, re-use, strategy, and implementation of KM initiatives and a KMS. The benefit of focusing on case and action research is that this research provides an extensive and in-depth background and analysis on the subjects, providing readers with greater insight into the issues dis

Business case studies in knowledge management

Business case studies in knowledge management

A Case Study of Knowledge Management in Multiagency Consumer-Informed `Communities of Practice': Implications for Evidence-Based Policy Development in Health and Social Services

We report a study that facilitated and evaluated two multiagency Communities of Practice (CoPs) working on improving specific aspects of health and social services for older people, and analysed how they processed and applied knowledge in formulating their views. Data collection included observing and tape-recording the CoPs, interviewing participants and reviewing documents they generated and used. All these sources were analysed to identify knowledge-related behaviours. Four themes emerged from these data: (1) the way that certain kinds of knowledge became privileged and accepted; (2) the ways in which the CoP members transformed and internalized new knowledge; (3) how the haphazard processing of the available knowledge was contingent upon the organizational features of the groups; and (4) the ways in which the changing agendas, roles and power-relations had differential effects on collective sense making. We conclude by recommending ways in which the process of evidence-based policy development in such groups may be enhanced.

Book of the Quarter

Book reviewed:Rollo, Christine and Clarke, Thomas, International Best Practice – Case Studies in Knowledge Management

Knowledge management: A U.S. Social Security Administration case study

Knowledge management can be a powerful tool for addressing the “graying of government” and other factors contributing to the loss of expertise in government organizations. This paper presents a case study of knowledge management at the U.S. Social Security Administration and provides recommendations for how knowledge management might better protect valuable knowledge resources. A two-phase study was conducted of the Benefit Rate Increase/Premium Amount Collectible (BRI/PAC), a core process at the U. S. Social Security Administration, where critical knowledge is at risk of being lost. The study suggests that knowledge sharing, training, and the overall development of a working environment conducive to knowledge management promise to enhance performance of the BRI/PAC operation, at SSA.

Implementing an industrial continuous improvement system: a knowledge management case study

Describes the practical application, in an industrial setting, of an information system designed to support continuous improvements. This system, based on a quality monitoring system, differs from conventional application in that it seeks to support both quality conformance and continuous improvements to design and research activities. Such activities traditionally fall outside the quality management function, but are encompassed within knowledge management goals and techniques, which are used in this research to construct a system framework. The integration of information into functional areas previously unlinked to manufacturing issues is illustrated as the major obstacle which had to be overcome. The implications for management practices are subsequently described. Concludes that knowledge management principles can support a wider application of continuous improvement to obtain benefits for the organisation, by providing higher quality information, and increasing the levels of organisational expertise which can be applied to it.