Knowledge-based Firms Research Articles

Processes and Channels of Technology Upgrading of Knowledge-based Firms in Nigeria

Processes and Channels of Technology Upgrading of Knowledge-based Firms in Nigeria

Servant leadership and knowledge employee performance: the mediating role of employee innovative behavior in knowledge-based firms

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to examine the relationship between servant leadership, employee innovative behavior and knowledge employee performance in knowledge-based firms.Design/methodology/approachA quantitative approach was used to conduct the present study. The respondents were sampled from knowledge-based firms in Iran. Overall, 726 knowledge employees in 121 firms were selected using convenience sampling. A confirmatory factor analysis was conducted to ascertain the validity and reliability of the observed items, and a structural equation model was employed for testing the hypotheses.FindingsIn the studied firms, servant leadership has a significant effect on employee innovative behavior. Moreover, the findings of this study show that firms that enhance their employees’ innovative behavior have higher knowledge employee performance.Research limitations/implicationsThe study was conducted in knowledge-based firms in Iran. Therefore, our conclusions may not be applicable to other countries. Future studies should be carried out with samples from other contexts.Practical implicationsWe found that servant leadership is conducive to employee innovative behaviors, and this effect leads to high knowledge employee performance. Accordingly, knowledge-based firms’ leaders should encourage employees’ innovative behavior through stimulating employee thriving at work, supporting employees’ development and empowering them with decision-making discretion.Originality/valueThis study contributes to advance research on servant leadership literature by linking servant leadership to knowledge employee performance in knowledge-based firms through employee innovative behavior as a mediator.

Knowledge-enhancing HR practices and sustainable competitive advantage: the mediating role of intellectual capital in knowledge-based firms

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to examine the relationship between knowledge-enhancing HR practices, intellectual capital and sustainable competitive advantage in knowledge-based firms.Design/methodology/approachA quantitative approach was used to conduct the present study. The respondents were sampled from knowledge-based firms in Iran. Overall, 320 managers in 157 firms were selected using convenience sampling. A structural equation model was employed for testing the hypotheses.FindingsThe study confirmed that knowledge-enhancing human resource (HR) practices established a very strong connection with intellectual capital. The results further disclosed a positive relationship between intellectual capital and firms' competitive advantage. A mediated relationship between knowledge-enhancing HR practices and firms' competitive advantage through intellectual capital was also affirmed.Research limitations/implicationsThe study was conducted in knowledge-based firms in Iran, which limits the generalizability of the research findings. Therefore, future studies should be carried out with samples from other contexts. Moreover, as the study was cross-sectional, the causal relationships could not be inferred directly.Practical implicationsThe paper underscored the importance of intellectual capital in improving knowledge-enhancing HR practices and firms' competitive advantage. It suggests to human resource managers to make the organizational arrangements to design knowledge-enhancing HR practices, thereby developing the intellectual capital that brings competitive advantage to knowledge-based firms.Originality/valueThe results of this study contribute to advance research on the intellectual capital literature by trying to explain how intellectual capital as a mediator variable can influence the relationship between knowledge-enhancing HR practices and sustainable competitive advantage.

“Am I supposed to call them?” Relearning interactions in the digital workplace

PurposeThis study aims to develop the understanding of learning processes related to the new ways of interacting in the enforced digital workplace over time.Design/methodology/approachA multiple, longitudinal case study of knowledge-based workers in three firms located in Sweden has been conducted from March 2020 to March 2023. In total, 89 interviews with 32 employees in three knowledge-based firms have been collected.FindingsThe study shows how the intricate interaction between rules and norms for interaction and work must be renegotiated as well as un- and relearned when the physical work environment no longer frames the work context. Furthermore, technology can be viewed as both an enable and a barrier, that is, technology has enhanced collaboration between organizational members yet also created social difficulties, for example, related to communication and interaction. The study emphasizes that individuals learned through trial and error. That is, they tried behaviors such as translating social interactions" to a digital arena, appraised the outcomes and modified the practices if the outcomes were poor.Research limitations/implicationsThe present study does have several limitations. First, it is based on interviews with respondents within three organizations in Sweden. To broaden and deepen the understanding of both organizational and learning, future studies can contribute by studying other contexts as well as using a mixed method approach in other countries.Practical implicationsResults from the study can provide a practical understanding of how the rapid change from working at the office to working from home using digital technologies can be understood and managed.Originality/valueContributions include combining interaction order and un- and relearning among organizational employees. This insight is important given that the rapid digital transformation of our society has changed how work is performed and how the future workplace will be both structured and organized.

Human capital in knowledge-based firms: Re-creating value post-pandemic

BACKGROUND/OBJECTIVE: In today’s volatile business environment, the competitive advantages of firms are temporary. The top management does not, and cannot, have all the answers to increasingly complex and rapidly changing problem situations facing their firms. Since the COVID-19 crisis, organizations have been under pressure to improve their knowledge management practices to continue creating value. Knowledge management capabilities are essential for business performance and competitive advantage. In order to ensure continuous value creation, we conducted research to identify various drivers and dimensions that were revitalized in the ongoing KM practices post-pandemic. METHODOLOGY: In this study, 81 research papers published between January 2010 and March 2022, have been examined from a knowledge management, human capital, and value creation perspective, aiming to understand how a firm can continue to create value before, during, and after the pandemic. RESULTS/CONCLUSION: Our review identifies critical factors in knowledge management and value creation and how companies generate value by leveraging KM during the COVID-19 pandemic. As a result of the research, the authors describe their findings in the form of a conceptual framework which deals with the various drivers and the factors within the KM architecture.

The impact of organizational capabilities on the international performance of knowledge-based firms

This study aims to investigate the capabilities of knowledge-based firms in Iranian chemical industries and to analyze the link between these capabilities and the firms’ international performance in terms of exports. By combining 18 different output-based indicators and also using the analytic hierarchy process (AHP), six measures for technological, manufacturing, R&D, marketing, organizing, and financial capabilities were constructed. Accordingly, the impact of mentioned capabilities on the international performance of knowledge-based firms in the period of 2015–2018 was examined using regression analysis. The results show more or less the same results when we investigate total export in dollar amount and the number of export destinations: R&D, manufacturing, marketing, and financial capabilities are the factors that boost export in the firms. However, when we control the export performance with the number of employees, the results show that marketing capability is the only factor significantly affecting total export per employee. In other words, marketing capability is the only one always identified as the important factor of firms’ exports. This finding implies no “one-size-fits-all” solution for empowering firms to boost exports. Depending on the goals (total export, export per employee, and the number of export destinations), the government should target different sets of organizational capabilities as the support package for firms. The present study can be a basis for the decision-making approach of managers and policymakers to upgrade the capabilities and improve the competitiveness of these firms in the international environment.

A Blended Approach to Organizational Learning in Indian Software Industry

Organizational learning (OL) has been one of the pioneering fields in debating the survival, sustainability and competitive edge of an organization in a dynamic environment. Primarily, it integrates generative learning, the sharing of knowledge, reliance on standard processes on the one hand and experimentation on the other, thereby enabling a culture that fosters co-creation and team learning. Although OL does not restrict itself to knowledge-based firms, software companies have been purposefully chosen in the present study on account of their rich access to a variety of knowledge specific to the different industries they serve, the dynamic environment under which they operate and the periodic upgrading of their technological capabilities. Given these features, it is safe to assume that IT companies are in the best position to explore OL in comparison to firms belonging to other industries. The study attempts to describe OL in software firms in India. The current study adopts a mixed-method approach, where OL is discussed through both quantitative and qualitative lenses, and the findings are triangulated for discussing OL in software firms in India. The research paves a way to focus on building a learning infrastructure and making the learning link tangible as the key requirements to discuss OL in software firms.

Quality Management and Environmental Management: Role of Knowledge Transfer and Organizational Innovation in Knowledge-Based Firms

Quality Management and Environmental Management: Role of Knowledge Transfer and Organizational Innovation in Knowledge-Based Firms

Where do knowledge-intensive firms locate in Germany?—An explanatory framework using exponential random graph modeling

This paper analyzes how positional and relational data in 186 regions of Germany influence the location choices of knowledge-based firms. Where firms locate depends on specific local and interconnected resources, which are unevenly distributed in space. This paper presents an innovative way to study such firm location decisions through network analysis that relates exponential random graph modeling (ERGM) to the interlocking network model (INM). By combining attribute and relational data into a comprehensive dataset, we capture both the spatial point characteristics and the relationships between locations. Our approach departs from the general description of individual location decisions in cities and puts extensive networks of knowledge-intensive firms at the center of inquiry. This method can therefore be used to investigate the individual importance of accessibility and supra-local connectivity in firm networks. We use attributional data for transport (rail, air), universities, and population, each on a functional regional level; we use relational data for travel time (rail, road, air) and frequency of relations (rail, air) between two regions. The 186 functional regions are assigned to a three-level grade of urbanization, while knowledge-intensive economic activities are grouped into four knowledge bases. This research is vital to understand further the network structure under which firms choose locations. The results indicate that spatial features, such as the population of or universities in a region, seem to be favorable but also reveal distinct differences, i.e., the proximity to transport infrastructure and different valuations for accessibility for each knowledge base.

The difference between exporter and non-exporter knowledge-based firms: the case of Iranian firms in the chemical industry

PurposeThis study aims to compare the level of organizational capabilities of the exporter and non-exporter Iranian knowledge-based firms in the sector of chemical technology.Design/methodology/approachBy combining 18 different indicators, a framework is designed to demonstrate organizational capabilities. The technological, manufacturing, R&D, marketing, organizing and financial capabilities of 732 Iranian knowledge-based firms in the sector of chemical technology (90 exporters and 642 non-exporter firms) are identified between 2015 and 2020. The analysis is based on the Chi-square test and logistic and probit regression.FindingsThe results indicate that technological capability, unlike the other five capabilities, is higher in non-exporter firms, and the level of marketing capability is greater in exporter firms, with the highest difference between the two groups.Originality/valueThe research suggests that knowledge-based firms should be evaluated based on export history; there should be some specialized export facilitating packages for both exporter and non-exporter firms; and some baskets from products with related and specialized fields of application should be formed to facilitate international marketing. The results can be a basis for managers and policymakers to improve the firm’s capabilities and competitiveness at the international level.

HR practices and turnover intention; the mediating role of organizational commitment in Tehran: a cross-sectional study.

Background: Employees are increasingly being recognised as a valuable source of information, especially in knowledge-based businesses. Businesses, however, suffer financial and organisational memory losses related to re-hiring and training new staff, and lost productivity and intellectual property because of employee turnover. Hence, employee turnover should be considered an essential part of human resource management. Furthermore, employees' trust in management and human resource (HR) practices substantially impact organisational commitment (OC). Thus, anticipating employee commitment and turnover intentions is crucial, as people are the sole source for knowledge-based firms to maintain their competitive advantage. In the context of selected Tehran Renewable Energy (RE) firms, this study investigated the mediating impact of OC on the relationship between HR practices (recruitment and selection; training and development opportunities; performance appraisal and evaluation; teamwork; compensation and pay; and job security) and employee turnover intention. Methods: This is a cross-sectional study in Tehran that involved 90 experts and knowledgeable employees from four of Tehran's top RE businesses. A questionnaire was distributed to collect data which was later analysed with correlation, regression and bootstrapping analyses. Results: All six dimensions of HR practices were discovered to have an indirect impact on turnover intention and a direct impact on OC. OC among employees has an indirect effect on turnover intention. It was also revealed that the training and development opportunity has the most considerable effect on OC and turnover intention. OC was not found as a mediator between HR practices and turnover intention. Conclusions: The outcomes of this study showed that both training and development opportunities; and pay and compensation structure were found to be two significant components of HR practices in the relationship with OC. RE managers should employ appropriate HR strategies, particularly in these two dimensions, to improve an individual's degree of OC and reduce turnover intention.

HR practices and turnover intention; the mediating role of organizational commitment in Tehran: a cross-sectional study

Background: Employees are increasingly being recognised as a valuable source of information, especially in knowledge-based businesses. Businesses, however, suffer financial and organisational memory losses related to re-hiring and training new staff, and lost productivity and intellectual property because of employee turnover. Hence, employee turnover should be considered an essential part of human resource management. Furthermore, employees’ trust in management and human resource (HR) practices substantially impact organisational commitment (OC). Thus, anticipating employee commitment and turnover intentions is crucial, as people are the sole source for knowledge-based firms to maintain their competitive advantage. In the context of selected Tehran Renewable Energy (RE) firms, this study investigated the mediating impact of OC on the relationship between HR practices (recruitment and selection; training and development opportunities; performance appraisal and evaluation; teamwork; compensation and pay; and job security) and employee turnover intention. Methods: This is a cross-sectional study in Tehran that involved 90 experts and knowledgeable employees from four of Tehran's top RE businesses. A questionnaire was distributed to collect data which was later analysed with correlation, regression and bootstrapping analyses. Results: All six dimensions of HR practices were discovered to have an indirect impact on turnover intention and a direct impact on OC. OC among employees has an indirect effect on turnover intention. It was also revealed that the training and development opportunity has the most considerable effect on OC and turnover intention. OC was not found as a mediator between HR practices and turnover intention. Conclusions: The outcomes of this study showed that both training and development opportunities; and pay and compensation structure were found to be two significant components of HR practices in the relationship with OC. RE managers should employ appropriate HR strategies, particularly in these two dimensions, to improve an individual's degree of OC and reduce turnover intention.

The effect of science and technology parks on tenant firms: a literature review

Science and technology parks (STPs) are non-spontaneous agglomerations aimed at encouraging the formation and growth of on-site technology and knowledge-based firms. STPs have diffused worldwide, attracting significant, and often public, investment. However, there are contrasting evidence and insights on the effectiveness of these local development, technology and innovation policy tools. This paper provides a comprehensive and systematic review of the STP literature (221 papers, 1987–2021), focusing especially on quantitative papers aimed at assessing the park effect on tenant’s performance. We perform an in-depth quantitative analyses, which allows us to go beyond the inconclusiveness reported in previous review papers, showing that the likelihood of finding positive STP effects increases considerably with sample size. We discuss the limitations of this literature and offer some suggestions for future research.

Strategic human resource practices and new product development performance: the mediating role of intellectual capital

PurposeThe paper investigates the effects of strategic human resource practices on intellectual capital and new product development performance in knowledge-based firms.Design/methodology/approachA quantitative approach was adopted to conduct the present study. The respondents were sampled from knowledge-based firms in Iran. Overall, 120 managers in 60 knowledge-based firms were selected using convenience sampling. A confirmatory factor analysis was conducted to ascertain the validity and reliability of the observed items, and a structural equation model was employed for testing the proposed hypotheses.FindingsIn the studied firms, strategic human resource practices have a positive and significant effect on intellectual capital. Moreover, the findings of this study indicate that those firms that use their intellectual capital have a higher new product development performance.Research limitations/implicationsThe study focuses on knowledge-based firms in Iran, which limits the generalizability of the research results. Therefore, future studies should be carried out with samples from other settings and countries. Moreover, as the study was cross-sectional, the causal relationships could not be inferred directly.Practical implicationsWith regard to key areas of improvement identified in this study, knowledge-based firms should focus on increasing new product development performance by improving employees' training, involving them in their job-related decision-making process, empowering employees to innovate, developing intellectual capital and monitoring the customer's satisfaction level of new products.Originality/valueThe study extends the intellectual capital literature by linking strategic human resource practices to new product development performance in knowledge-based firms via intellectual capital as a mediator.

The Impact of Innovation, Organizational, Technological Capital on Innovation Performance of SMEs: The Mediating Effect of Innovative Intelligence

Innovation is crucial for SMEs to survive and impacts the national economy. The present study is conducted in the context of knowledge-based SMEs in Malaysia concerning structural capital (technology capital, innovation capital, and organizational capital), innovative intelligence, and innovation performance. A survey was carried out through a face-face interview and online. A total of 136 usable questionnaires were then analyzed using Partial Least Squares Structural Equation Modeling (PLS-SEM). This study has shed light on the role of the structural capital of knowledge-based SMEs on innovation performance. While structural capital is significant for organizations to achieve their competitive advantage and should be given necessary attention compared to human capital, innovation and technological capital were not fully capitalized. The presence of innovative intelligence in SMEs helps to be innovative. This result will be encouraging to SMEs in other developing countries. The results obtained are useful for SMEs, especially knowledge-based firms where technology and innovation are critical to achieving a competitive advantage. The results are also significant for agencies that handle SMEs in high-tech and policymakers to increase performance and promote economic stability.

University spillovers, absorptive capacities, and firm performance

This study investigates the impact of both university spillovers and firms’ absorptive capacities on firms’ financial performance, using a multilevel approach. Considering internal firm characteristics as well as external regional characteristics, our results clearly show that university spillovers do not have a per se stimulating effect. It is the interaction between firms’ absorptive capacities and local university spillovers, which proves to have a positive and significant effect on firms’ economic performance. We further find that there is an optimal level of absorptive capacities, implying that ‘a more the better’ logic does not apply. Our findings give impetus to a call for more comprehensive public policy strategies. Policy makers have to balance the support provided to knowledge producing regional actors such as universities as well as knowledge exploiting actors such as knowledge-based firms to leverage local resources and ultimately create economic value within regional innovation systems by enabling efficient technology transfer processes.

Impact of Transit Quality on Anchor-Mediated Knowledge Economies Across Large U.S. Cities

Universities, medical centers, and headquarters are the driving forces behind cities’ innovation productivity and anchor-based urban revitalization efforts, such as innovation districts. As a result, there is increasing competition for corporate anchors, as well as emerging partnerships and conflicts. In each case, transit has a major role to play. Yet we know little about precisely how transit fits into the dynamics of anchor-based revitalization. To address this empirical gap, this study employed structural equation modeling to grasp both the direct and indirect impacts of transit on the knowledge-intensive firm location in 500 large U.S. cities. We conceptualized the indirect impact of transit as mediated by anchors with a composite value that we developed to quantitatively represent the presence and size of major innovation anchors in each city. According to our findings, the positive impact of transit on a city’s overall knowledge economy occurred through its role in supporting anchor institutions, a role that, in turn, significantly increased the likelihood of knowledge-based firms locating in the city. In short, transit quality was positively associated with larger and more established anchors, as well as the availability of more employees, which expands the city’s talent pool, a critical driver of knowledge-intensive employers’ location decisions. These findings call for greater attention to be paid to transit in cities’ anchor-based urban revitalization plans and to partnerships between cities, metropolitan organizations, and anchors in planning future transit systems.

How Software Quality Mediates the Impact of Intellectual Capital on Commercial Open-Source Software Company Success

The recent surge in the number of commercial open-source software (COSS) companies shows the growing importance of COSS companies in the software industry. As knowledge-based firms, COSS companies’ success depends heavily on the interplay among intangible resources such as human capital, relational capital, structural capital, and software quality. To observe these relationships, we conducted a hypothesis-testing questionnaire-type survey involving 200 software development experts and users working at 60 multinational COSS companies. Accordingly, the study unearthed two different but conjoint ways (i.e., direct and indirect) in which intellectual capital impacts COSS company’s success. On the one hand, relational capital one of the intellectual capital components directly affects COSS company success. One the other hand, relational and structural capital indirectly affect COSS company success through human capital, which, in turn, is itself mediated by software quality in a sequential mediation model. Therefore, COSS companies may need to prioritize software quality as it is the most critical variable impacting the success of COSS companies.

A Bayesian Belief Network and Genetic Algorithm to Valuing Startups and Knowledge-Based Firms for Scale-Up Fundraising Rounds

A Bayesian Belief Network and Genetic Algorithm to Valuing Startups and Knowledge-Based Firms for Scale-Up Fundraising Rounds

HR practices and turnover intention; the mediating role of organizational commitment in Tehran: a cross-sectional study.

Background: Employees are increasingly being recognised as a valuable source of information, especially in knowledge-based businesses. Businesses, however, suffer financial and organisational memory losses related to re-hiring and training new staff, and lost productivity and intellectual property because of employee turnover. Hence, employee turnover should be considered an essential part of human resource management. Furthermore, employees' trust in management and human resource (HR) practices substantially impact organisational commitment (OC). Thus, anticipating employee commitment and turnover intentions is crucial, as people are the sole source for knowledge-based firms to maintain their competitive advantage. In the context of selected Tehran Renewable Energy (RE) firms, this study investigated the mediating impact of OC on the relationship between HR practices (recruitment and selection; training and development opportunities; performance appraisal and evaluation; teamwork; compensation and pay; and job security) and employee turnover intention. Methods: This is a cross-sectional study in Tehran that involved 90 experts and knowledgeable employees from four of Tehran's top RE businesses. A questionnaire was distributed to collect data which was later analysed with correlation, regression and bootstrapping analyses. Results: All six dimensions of HR practices were discovered to have an indirect impact on turnover intention and a direct impact on OC. OC among employees has an indirect effect on turnover intention. It was also revealed that the training and development opportunity has the most considerable effect on OC and turnover intention. OC was not found as a mediator between HR practices and turnover intention. Conclusions: The outcomes of this study showed that both training and development opportunities; and pay and compensation structure were found to be two significant components of HR practices in the relationship with OC. RE managers should employ appropriate HR strategies, particularly in these two dimensions, to improve an individual's degree of OC and reduce turnover intention.