Knowledge-intensive Organizations Research Articles

Workspace in supporting strategy implementation – a study of 25 knowledge-intensive organisations

PurposeOrganisational strategy becomes reality by connecting organisation’s resources and capabilities in daily operations, and physical workspace is one of the environments in which this takes place. This study aims to explore to what extent factors required for successful strategy implementation are considered when designing, using and managing workspaces of knowledge-intensive organisations.Design/methodology/approachFor the study, managers in 25 large and medium-sized knowledge-intensive organisations were interviewed. The semi-structured interviews focused on organisation’s strategy, strategy implementation practices and workspace design and management. To form a comprehensive framework of strategy implementation success factors for the study, the factors of 11 frameworks were analysed, grouped and renamed.FindingsCurrent workspace design, usage and management mainly support human-related strategy implementation factors. However, both organisation- and human-related factors are needed for the strategy implementation to be successful. Therefore, the organisations studied may have unused potential in their workspaces to ensure strategy-aligned operations and behaviour.Practical implicationsDue to the potential imbalance between organisation- and human-related strategy implementation factors, a more holistic, organisational-level approach to workspace design, usage and management is recommended to ensure the success of strategy implementation.Originality/valueWorkspaces have extensively been studied from individual strategy implementation factors’ as well as employees’ perspectives. Prior to this work, there are only few studies exploring workspace in the holistic, strategy implementation context.

Organizational Culture and Emotionality in Knowledge-Intensive Organizations in Health: A Systematic Literature Review

This study aims to characterize the knowledge about how emotionality is approached in the context of knowledge-intensive organizations (KIO) organizational culture using the PRISMA – ScR methodology). A search for studies published between 2017 and 2021 was carried out in the ScienceDirect, Google Scholar, and Scielo databases after evaluations of 6 articles were identified. The results revealed a tendency towards horizontalizing structures and how organizational culture guides the sense of reality. It was concluded that the relationship between KIO organizational culture and emotionality is still little explored. However, we observed in the articles the importance of leadership in conducting KIOs and how the leader can influence the construction of organizational culture.

Organizational democracy at work. Shaping participation through strategic planning in university

This article discusses whether and how strategic planning can promote the development and dissemination of organizational democracy in knowledge-intensive organizations. This research is inspired by the theoretical approach known as strategy-as-practice, in which strategic planning is considered a process of co-construction of meanings and actions involving multiple actors engaged in negotiation dynamics, through situational interactions in daily practice. Adopting a strategic ethnography approach from a methodological point of view, we examine the participatory strategic planning process conducted from January 2022 to April 2023 at the University of Bergamo. By analyzing ethnographic reports, formal documents, and working drafts, four strategic practices (Collective decision making, Platform and process alignment, Emotional coordination, and Organizational diplomacy) are identified as connected to two key enabling factors (synergic approach and consensus on organizational change) that can support and facilitate the spread of work environments more sensitive to the principles of organizational democracy. Implications for both theory and practice are discussed.

Unveiling the nexus between intellectual capital and audit quality in accounting firms

With the frequent occurrence of corporate financial fraud cases in China, the audit quality (AQ) of accounting firms has attracted great attention. As a knowledge-intensive organization, the intellectual capital (IC) which represents the intangible assets seems closely related to AQ. The present study aims to investigate the relationship between IC with AQ among China’s top 100 accounting firms (CTAFs) and if the extent of association varies between IC components and AQ. Data were collected through a questionnaire survey with a total of 81 firms through their responsible official. The findings demonstrate that IC significantly affects AQ of CTAFs. Surprisingly, structural capital emerged as the strongest component of IC influencing AQ, followed by relational capital, spiritual capital, and human capital. These results suggest that improving any element of IC can lead to an improvement in AQ while distinguishing the varying degrees of association. This study acts as a trailblazer, by using primary data offering empirical evidence regarding the connection between IC and AQ within the landscape of CTAFs. The particular note is the illumination of varying impact levels across elements of IC, providing unique and applicable insights for future research and practitioners.

Knowledge-Oriented Leadership, Psychological Safety, Employee Voice, and Innovation

Aim/Purpose: The truism is that leadership fosters or restricts innovation behaviours in organisations, but the extent to which it does depends on the leadership style in practice. This study focuses on one of the contemporary leadership styles, knowledge-oriented leadership [KOL], which has received scant attention in research. In doing so, the contextual factors of psychological safety [PS] and employee voice [EV] were applied to determine how KOL influences are channeled to innovation at the individual level. Methodology: Data were collected from 347 academic staff in public universities in Southern Nigeria and subjected to a partial least square [PLS] analytical procedure for data treatment and hypotheses testing using the SmartPLS 3 software for variance-based structural equation modelling. Contribution: The study formed an integrated research framework that links knowledge-oriented leadership and innovation by accounting for the contextual mechanisms of psychological safety and employee voice. Findings: The PLS results demonstrated that the knowledge-oriented leadership and innovation relationship was positive and significant, and this relationship was partially mediated by two variables, namely, PS and EV. Furthermore, the two mediating variables channeled KOL’s influence on innovation in a sequence. Recommendation for Researchers: Organisations need to consider the practical application of KOL to improve innovation outcomes considerably. By this, leadership training programs should include modules, courses, or topics on KOL to engender the formation of requisite managerial skills. More so, they should consider the criterion of demonstrable KOL abilities for leadership selection and recruitment. As a personal development initiative, managers can attend leadership development programmes as well as obtain certification in knowledge management to improve their KOL abilities. This initiative should be encouraged and supported by organisations. In all, the human resource management framework should be responsive to the dynamics of the knowledge economy regarding leadership. Given that PS and EV function as mediators, organisations should actively cultivate an environment enabling interpersonal risky behaviours founded on trust, respect, and cooperation and encourage/support employees who demonstrate such behaviour accordingly. In this line, they should create and sustain a supportive environment that positively reinforces voice decisions and behaviours. Future Research: The study only determined the links between KOL, PS, EV, and innovation in public universities in Southern Nigeria. Other studies may examine the linkages in other knowledge-intensive organisations as well as expand the geographic scope to make for better generality of findings. Future studies should look at other underlying mechanisms that can affect the KOL-innovation relationship, such as psychological capital, work engagement, work commitment, etc. The role of moderators can be identified and introduced to this integrative framework to demonstrate the conditions affecting the linkages.

Factors affecting the use of online research collaboration platforms for knowledge sharing: evidence from knowledge-intensive organisations

Factors affecting the use of online research collaboration platforms for knowledge sharing: evidence from knowledge-intensive organisations

Knowledge management practices learned from the COVID-19 pandemic: a case of knowledge-intensive organisation

Knowledge management practices learned from the COVID-19 pandemic: a case of knowledge-intensive organisation

Knowledge management practices learned from the COVID-19 pandemic: a case of knowledge-intensive organisation

Knowledge management practices learned from the COVID-19 pandemic: a case of knowledge-intensive organisation

TRANSACTIVE MEMORY SYSTEMS: A BIBLIOMETRIC ANALYSIS

This paper explores the relationship between transactive memory systems (TMS) and organizational performance through a bibliometric analysis. The analysis examines publications in the Web of Science database from 1975 to 2023, focusing on those that connect TMS with knowledge and performance in an organizational context. The results reveal a growing interest in TMS research, particularly since 2010. The analysis identifies key concepts such as team performance, knowledge management, and intellectual capital. It highlights the increasing importance of managing intangible resources like knowledge in the digital age. The findings suggest a strong link between well-developed TMS and improved organizational performance. TMS facilitates knowledge sharing, expertise utilization, and team coordination, ultimately leading to better outcomes like innovation, efficiency, and creativity. The paper concludes that TMS represents a strategic management resource, especially for knowledge-intensive organizations. It emphasizes the need for further research to fully understand the potential of TMS in supporting such organizations.

Status, cognitive overload, and incomplete information in advice-seeking networks: An agent-based model

Advice-seeking typically occurs across organizational boundaries through informal connections. By using Stochastic Actor-Oriented Models (SAOM), previous research has tried to identify the micro-level mechanisms behind these informal connections. Unfortunately, these models assume perfect network information, require agents to perform too cognitively demanding decisions, and do not account for threshold-based critical events, such as simultaneous tie changes. In the context of knowledge-intensive organizations, the shortage of high-skilled professionals could determine complex network effects given that many less-skilled professionals would seek advice from a few easily overloaded, selective high-skilled, who are also sensitive to status demotion. To capture these context-specific organizational features, we have elaborated on SAOM with an agent-based model that assumes local information, status-based tie selection, and simultaneous re-direction of multiple ties. By fitting our simulated networks to Lazega’s advice network used in previous research, we reproduced the same set of macro-level network metrics with a parsimonious model based on more empirically plausible assumptions than previous research. Our findings show the advantage of exploring multiple generative paths of network formation with different models.

Systematic Literature Review on Agility in Knowledge-intensive Organizations

Organizational agility may be an antidote against threats from volatile, uncertain, complex, or ambiguous corporate environments. While agility has been extensively examined in manufacturing enterprises, comparably less is known about agility in knowledge-intensive organizations. As results may not be transferable, there is still some confusion about how agility in knowledge-intensive organizations can be characterized, what factors facilitate its development, what its organizational effects are, and what environmental conditions favor these effects. This study closes these gaps by presenting a systematic literature review on agility in knowledge-intensive organizations. A systematic literature search led to a sample of 37 relevant papers for our review. Integrating the knowledge-based view and a dynamic capabilities perspective, we (1) present different relevant conceptualizations of organizational agility, (2) discuss relevant knowledge management-related as well as information technology-related capabilities that support the development of organizational agility, and (3) shed light on the moderating role of environmental conditions in enhancing organizational agility and its effect on organizational performance. This academic paper adds value to theory by synthesizing existing research on agility in knowledge-intensive organizations. It furthermore may serve as a map for closing research gaps by proposing an extensive agenda for future research. Our study expands existing literature reviews on agility with its specific focus on a knowledge-intensive context and its integration of the research streams of knowledge management capabilities as well as information technology capabilities. It integrates relevant organizational knowledge management practices and the use of knowledge management systems to ensure superior performance effects. Our study can serve as a base for future examinations of organizational agility by illustrating fruitful topics for further examination as well as open questions. It may also provide value to practitioners by showing what factors favor the development of agility in knowledge-intensive organizations and what organizational effects can be achieved under which conditions.

How Knowledge-intensive Organizations Thrive Under Dynamic Conditions: An Organizational Capability Perspective

Knowledge-intensive organizations primarily rely on knowledge and expertise as key strategic resources. In light of economic, social, and health-related crises in recent years, such organizations increasingly need to operate in dynamic environments. However, examinations on dynamic capabilities specifically in knowledge-intensive organizations remain scarce. This is remarkable given the role that knowledge holds as an economic resource in developed countries. To provide an explanation of how knowledge-intensive organizations can prevail among competitors under dynamic conditions, the authors integrate two literature streams in a knowledge-intensive context: the knowledge-based view and the dynamic capabilities approach. The knowledge-based view focuses on the nature of organizational knowledge as a critical resource and illustrates specific properties of knowledge in contrast to traditional means of labor such as capital. The dynamic capabilities approach on the other hand is about a firm's ability to integrate, build, and reconfigure internal and external resources and can be drawn on to explain organizational success through adaptation to dynamic contexts. In this conceptual study, the authors propose a research model linking knowledge processes to organizational performance through two different paths: (1) Operational capabilities permit organizations to make their living in the present and refer to efficiency. (2) Dynamic capabilities allow organizations to change their resource base and, therefore, enable their long-term survival in dynamic environments by focusing on effectiveness. Additionally, the authors hypothesize a moderating effect of environmental dynamics on the relationship between dynamic capabilities and performance. The study offers a comprehensive overview on the interplay between dynamic capabilities and the knowledge-based view, offering valuable insights for both researchers and practitioners in the field.

Knowledge Absorptive capacity in Fintechs: Evidence from Latin America

Fintechs use technologies to offer financial services in a different way than traditional ones. The Fintech sector has seen rapid growth in the global economy and has expanded access to financial services to a wide variety of users; consequently, it has drawn the attention of academics around the world. Being knowledge-intensive organisations, Fintechs can absorb knowledge as a key competence. Absorptive capacity – which includes practices to acquire, assimilate, transform, and apply knowledge - has been analysed in previous studies as a factor that can influence organisational performance. However, most studies have used data from developed countries. The objective of this ongoing study is to analyse the knowledge management (KM) practices used by a Latin American Fintech to absorb knowledge. For this, a case study with a qualitative approach will be presented, using data from an international company of Peruvian origin, specializing in leasing. Data was collected through interviews. The information collected was transcribed and categorized for analysis. The analysis will include content analysis and narrative analysis techniques, supported by Atlas.ti software. The results contribute to the KM literature in two ways: First, by describing how knowledge absorption occurs in Fintechs. Second, by systematizing evidence on how KM practices act in organisations in emerging contexts, to support absorption capacity, and consequently, contribute to organisational results. On the empirical side, this study provides specific insights to managers of companies in the financial and technological sectors in emerging contexts, on how and which practices implementing to improve KM in their organisations.

Understanding Organizational Knowledge Loss (OKL): A Bibliometric Analysis

Purpose – Organizational knowledge loss (OKL) is an urgent problem in the field of knowledge management because it can have a negative impact on intellectual capital and leads to significant competitive disadvantages for the companies concerned. In academic research, this phenomenon is considered a consequence of knowledge risks, especially when experts possess valuable knowledge and leave a knowledge-intensive organization. However, a basic understanding of the conceptual structure of OKL remains elusive. Methodology – To address the existing knowledge gap, we conducted a bibliometric analysis based on a network and factor-oriented approach to identify the key themes, contexts, and patterns of OKL. For this purpose, we obtained bibliometric data from the Web of Science and the Scopus databases. Using the advanced bibliometrics package Biblioshiny in R, we conducted performance analysis and science mapping. Findings – Based on our four research questions, we present the following key findings: First, we find that annual science production in the field of OKL research over the period 2004 to 2023 peaks in 2022. Second, we found that absorptive capacity (AC) is increasingly becoming a central theme in OKL research. Third, the average citation rate per year for OKL research has declined noticeably since 2020. Fourth, the most influential publications in OKL research deal with AC in the context of strategic alliances. Research limitations – This study focuses solely on researching the conceptual structure and thus does not consider the intellectual and social structure of OKL. Practical implications – In view of the results obtained, we recommend that future research work should further investigate the relationship between OKL as a focus of organizational forgetting and AC as a learning ability in an innovation environment. Originality/value – This paper is insightful, as it reveals the conceptual structure and thematic evolution of OKL and directs research interest to the field of learning organizations.

Inclusive Leadership and Psychological Contract Fulfilment: A Source of Proactivity and Well-Being for Knowledge Workers

Proactivity is a particularly important attribute of knowledge-intensive companies, where work that requires enhancing the potential of knowledge-intensive employees in a sustainable working environment is crucial. Another important challenge for these firms is to account for the increasing importance of the functioning of the cognitive mechanisms leading to the increased well-being of knowledge workers following the implementation of a psychological contract. The aim of this article is to identify the relationship between inclusive leadership, the fulfilment of a psychological contract, two dimensions of well-being (workplace and life-related well-being), and knowledge workers’ proactivity. Based on survey data collected using the CAWI method from 1000 knowledge workers employed in Polish companies in the business services sector, the research hypotheses proposed in this study were tested using a stepwise equation-modelling (SEM) technique, which resulted in a model containing all the main constructs. The results obtained indicate that inclusive leadership positively relates to the fulfilment of the psychological contract. Furthermore, the fulfilment of the psychological contract positively associates proactive working behavior with the wellbeing of knowledge workers. Along with proactive work behavior, two dimensions of well-being were examined as outcome variables. Our analysis also shows that knowledge-intensive organizations, intending to develop the proactivity of their employees and nurture a high level of well-being in their lives and in the workplace, should ensure that they fulfil the expectations and obligations of the psychological contract. One way to achieve this is for managers to employ an inclusive management style, which supports an atmosphere of a safe working environment in a diverse setting and allows employees to feel comfortable sharing their opinions and ideas. The study of inclusive leadership in the context of knowledge-intensive organizations provides human resource professionals and employee managers with important insights into how inclusive leadership can effectively contribute to the psychological contract, which, consequently, will lead to proactive work behavior and improve employees’ workplace and life-related well-being.

An internal fit perspective on the relationship between strategic human resource (HR) practices and knowledge-oriented HR practices

Purpose This study aims to examine the direct link between strategic human resource practices (SHRPs) and knowledge-oriented human resource practices (KHRPs) to determine their complementarity for promoting knowledge management (KM) activities. Design/methodology/approach The authors collected data from 387 employees working in top 20 IT and consulting firms in India through a questionnaire survey. Data is analysed using exploratory factor analysis and regression technique. Findings SHRPs have a significant and positive relationship with KHRPs, suggesting SHRPs have a positive predictive capacity for influencing KHRPs. It suggests there needs to be internal alignment between the core human resource (HR) practices and knowledge-based HR activities to promote KM. It shows that core HR practices of hiring, training, job design, performance and compensation management facilitate knowledge sharing and creation through HR practices. Research limitations/implications The cross-sectional design limits its ability to reflect cause–effect relationship, and further studies can adopt a longitudinal design. Further research can explore other different HR configurations on KHRP. Originality/value The study explored the suitability of core HR practices with knowledge-based HR practices theoretically contributing to the HR configurational internal fit perspective, and KM literature. Practically, it suggests firms to consider core HR practices while designing organizations’ KM strategies. In the context of knowledge-intensive organizations, the study applies the HR configurational fit perspective that purports synergistic relationship among the various HR sub-systems for achieving organizational goals.

Social strategies for information technology adoption: Social regulation process of mandated enterprise social network systems

In knowledge-intensive organizations, such as IT companies or consultancy firms, knowledge and knowledge sharing constitute key resources for competing in a dynamic business environment. To enable knowledge sharing, large, diversified organizations increasingly introduce Enterprise Social Network Systems (ESNSs) to connect employees and teams working in geographically distributed units. Although previously the literature on the introduction of IT tools primarily focused on functional objectives, many questions remain regarding the influence of power dynamics on the ESNSs adoption process. Through the lenses of institutional and social regulation theories, this paper aims to better understand the interactions between the organization that mandates the use of ESNSs and the actors expected to adopt it. Our results point to three types of strategies the different actors implement to align their own practices with the logics the new social networking tool introduces, namely: 1) the parallel use strategy, 2) the overuse strategy, 3) and the tolerant strategy.

Motivations for the initiation of knowledge management activities in times of routine and emergency

PurposeThis research seeks to understand, for the first time, what motivates knowledge-intensive organizations (KIOs) to initiate knowledge management (KM) activities in times of routine and emergency. The COVID-19 pandemic was placed at the center as a case study of an extreme crisis.Design/methodology/approachBased on the adoption of the qualitative-constructivist paradigm, the study was conducted among 52 KM professionals through in-depth interviews and focus groups. The data were analyzed using a thematic analysis method, according to the principles of the grounded theory approach.FindingsThe findings reveal that opportunities and risks are two types of catalysts which accelerate KM efforts in times of routine and emergency respectively. Due to KM’s support of the transition to flexible employment during COVID-19, the authors show that this field experienced real growth and prosperity in the “new normal.” KM initiatives were promoted during the COVID-19 crisis in light of gaps in retention, sharing, accessibility and development of knowledge.Originality/valueGiven that knowledge risks are a field with fragmented understanding, the results contribute to understanding the importance of risk management related to knowledge in times of crises and turmoil. The authors call for incorporating this niche into the overall risk management of the organization, while adopting a holistic and long-term perspective of KM. Furthermore, the authors uncover KM’s position in KIOs during the global pandemic. The paper proposes food for thought regarding informal knowledge sharing in virtual environments typical of the “Corona routine”.

How Employees’ Roles and Communication Responsibility Play a Role in an Ideation Process on Internal Social Media

ABSTRACT This article contributes to the emerging research on employees’ communication roles and responsibility. The article explores how and why employees act as responsible communicators while shifting between different roles in an ideation process on internal social media. The empirical material consists of online observations of employee ideation on internal social media and 14 interviews with employees in a Danish knowledge-intensive organization. Drawing on identity work and discourse analysis, this article analyzes the different roles that employees enact, shift and position themselves in when generating ideas on internal social media. The analysis identified eight different communication roles: Diplomat, Expert, Forecaster, Veteran, Facilitator, Investigator, Skeptic, and Apprentice. The role framework provides new knowledge on the diversity and characteristics of employees’ roles on a micro-level and how they complement each other in driving the ideation process forward. This framework may provide managers with an analytical lens to identify potential challenges related to role enactment at different stages of the process. Awareness of the different roles and their significance for the process may also encourage employees to overcome barriers such as insecurity and fear of critical reactions from their colleagues when they generate ideas online in a context of volatility, uncertainty, complexity and ambiguity.

Creating civic and public engagement by a proper balance between emotional, rational, and spiritual knowledge

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to investigate the generation of civic and public (C&P) engagement as an integrative outcome of a proper balance between emotional, rational and spiritual knowledge, via the mediation of interpersonal competencies.Design/methodology/approachThe empirical analysis relies on a questionnaire-based survey conducted with 294 respondents from two knowledge-intensive organizations. Structural equation modeling, using Smart PLS 4, is used to analyze the data.FindingsIndividual knowledge can be considered as the refined outcome of the underlying transformations of various knowledge sources and resources, which is apposite for the next level of knowledge workers’ acumen. Individual knowledge – which relies on a good balance of rational, emotional and spiritual knowledge – exerts a positive effect on interpersonal competencies, wherein the latter positively influences the C&P engagement of knowledge workers.Research limitations/implicationsPolicymakers should capitalize on the development of strong interpersonal competencies; they should be able to understand the social mechanisms of motivating people, of stimulating, harnessing and channeling individual knowledge toward higher C&P as a prerequisite of value creation.Originality/valueTo the best of the authors’ knowledge, this is the first argumentative undertaking intended to explore the conversion of the three knowledge types into individual knowledge as a premise of interpersonal competencies development and as a relevant antecedent of C&P engagement. The results of this paper support that achieving balance in one's life is essential for increasing interpersonal competencies and C&P engagement. This study not only represents the first contribution to this debate but also helps managers and organizations to recognize that a good balance requires emotional, rational and spiritual knowledge.