Theory Of Organizational Knowledge Creation Research Articles

How can technology leverage university teaching & learning innovation? A longitudinal case study of diffusion of technology innovation from the knowledge creation perspective

This paper expands the innovation diffusion framework by adding a conceptual and empirical exploration of knowledge creation into understanding university technology-enhanced teaching and learning innovation. Institutional innovation research has largely focused on people and products while neglecting the underlying knowledge creation process for innovation that substantiates and sustains the diffusion of innovation across stages. Guided by a combined framework of organisational knowledge creation theory with the diffusion of technology-enhanced teaching & learning (T&L) innovation, this 4-year longitudinal qualitative study focused on a Chinese case of Tsinghua University, which has pioneered the adoption of digital teaching and learning, and generating exemplary sustainable whole-institutional teaching and learning innovation. We explored how technology leverages the interactions between technologies, adopters, and leadership within a university to build capacities for digital T&L innovation by tracing the technology innovation trajectory of Tsinghua University. The case study identified four stages of knowledge creation related to technology adoption and innovation. Of these stages, knowledge externalisation processes were found to be critical for leveraging the co-creation of knowledge for institutional innovation in the university context. Additionally, the study showed that the middle-up-down leadership strategy and middle managements’ knowledge management ability facilitated the sustainable transition from individual and group exploration to organisational innovation. The implications for strategic technology adoption and sustainable teaching and learning innovation in the university contexts are also discussed.

Understanding the FLE-based organizational knowledge creation process in hospitality firms

This study explores how front-line employees' (FLE) knowledge is stepwise transformed into a hotel's organizational knowledge. It combines insights from organizational knowledge creation theory with empirical evidence from three Chinese five-star hotels. Qualitative data were collected through semi-structured interviews and reading archives, and analyzed using thematic analysis. We develop a novel framework comprising three types of FLEs' knowledge activities–knowledge demonstration (KD), knowledge justification (KJ), and knowledge re-contextualization (KRC)–which can routinely trigger the hotel's bottom-up organizational knowledge creation process. We also explain how FLEs' KD/KJ/KRC activities facilitate the hotel's organizational knowledge creation practices by examining changes in the new knowledge's scope of application and the participant structure of knowledge-related interactions induced by these activities. This study contributes to knowledge management research in hospitality by proposing a new perspective that encompasses FLEs' knowledge activities and the concomitant knowledge transformation that occurs in hotels.

Validating knowledge creation factors for community resilience to disaster using structural equation modelling

Knowledge has an important role in reducing disaster risk. However, at the level of policy and practice, this issue is rarely dealt with in a systematic and in-depth manner. Therefore, using an approach based on the Dynamic Theory of Organisational Knowledge Creation of Nonaka (1994), this research intends to develop and analyse the structure of a new Knowledge Creation model to increase community resilience. This study used a cross-sectional design survey of 537 respondents who live in coastal cities in Indonesia. Data analysis was conducted using the Structural Equation Modelling (SEM) method. The results of the model feasibility test show that the hypothesised pathway among the variables under study has a strong statistical significance. The variables are: i) knowledge assets; ii) ba; iii) Socialisation, Externalisation, Combination, and Internalisation (SECI); iv) enablers; v) disaster preparedness; and vi) community resilience. Therefore, this study concludes that the proposed Knowledge Creation for Community Resilience (KCCR) model provides a fairly good fit for empirical data. It is hoped that the KCCR model that has been developed in this study will be of use to education authorities and disaster management agencies, at both local and national levels, and particularly in influencing the planning and implementation of community preparedness in facing disasters. This research is expected to enrich studies in the field of knowledge management, especially in the public knowledge domain, in dealing with disasters and providing recommendations, for policymakers and practitioners to incorporate aspects of knowledge management into efforts to increase community resilience.

Commitment based human resources practices and knowledge creation in ambidextrous organizations: A moderated mediation study on expatriates working in India

AbstractThrough the lens of organizational learning theory, we develop and test a moderated mediation model of commitment‐based HR practices (CBHRP), absorptive capacity, organization structure and routines, and knowledge creation in ambidextrous organizations. We test two new individual‐level dimensions of absorptive capacity (AC) in ambidextrous organizations: ambidexterity and flow experience. This empirical investigation is based on 377 expatriates who responded to our survey over two time periods working in various multinational organizations' R&D centers in India. Our findings suggest that CBHRP is critical in predicting knowledge creation and AC in an ambidextrous organizational context. Furthermore, we find that AC mediates the linkage between CBHRP and knowledge creation, and organization structure and routines (OSR) act as a moderator. Focusing on expatriates in ambidextrous organizations, our study extends contextual understanding of ambidextrous organizations and integrates organizational learning and knowledge creation theory into strategic human resources management (SHRM) research.

When does servitization promote product innovation? The moderating roles of product modularization and organization formalization

Although servitization has attracted substantial research attention, its impact on product innovation remains controversial. Addressing this gap, we examine the effects of servitization on exploitative and exploratory innovations by integrating organizational knowledge creation theory and organizational inertia theory. We further explore how these effects vary with product modularization and organization formalization. We find that servitization has a positive relationship with exploitative innovation and a U-shaped relationship with exploratory innovation. We also find that product modularization strengthens the U-shaped relationship between servitization and exploratory innovation. Meanwhile, organization formalization is shown to strengthen the positive relationship between servitization and exploitative innovation but weaken the U-shaped relationship between servitization and exploratory innovation. This study contributes to the literature by disentangling the effects of servitization on product innovation.

The Directional Knowledge Sharing Paradigm: A Mixed-Methods Case Study of the Interaction between Organisational Culture and Intra-Organisational Knowledge Sharing

A partially mixed-methods case study in a Fortune 50 technology company was conducted to delineate the interaction between organisational culture (OC) types (competitive, bureaucratic and clan) and intra-organisational knowledge sharing (KS). This study provided empirical evidence that show differences in KS horizontally (peer-to-peer) and vertically (between direct-report and manager) within an organisation. By focussing on “socialization” adopted from the organisational knowledge creation theory, the iceberg theory and the competing values framework, we addressed an unexamined area within the body of knowledge. Survey data of 82 employees and interview data of 23 employees were analysed. Multivariate analysis of covariance (MANCOVA) was used to analyse the quantitative survey data. The qualitative interview data were analysed through content analysis. A triangulation design was then followed to merge the data through an equivalent status ([Formula: see text]) interpretation to derive meta-inferences. MANCOVA displayed a statistically significant interaction between OC and KS via socialisation. The triangulated results showed that OC types distinctly impacted KS via socialisation with differences between seeking, contributing and the direction of knowledge flow (vertical and horizontal). The empirical evidence shows that organisations must consider the direction of knowledge flow (vertical or horizontal) when enforcing cultural values to drive KS via socialisation. Similarly, researchers should not ignore the directional knowledge sharing paradigm, nor the organisational knowledge creation theory, when examining intra-organisational KS.

Designing crowdsolving Ba: A closer look at the features of crowdsolving platforms to manage organizational knowledge

This conceptual article contains a proposed four-part categorization of crowdsolving platform features: contest, idea, participant, and community. A related conceptual framework depicts the relationships of these features with the outcomes of creating, transferring, and assimilating knowledge for the platform and its client firms, according to the socialization, externalization, combination, and internalization (SECI) model. Arguments based in Social Capital Theory, Social Cognitive Theory, and Organizational Knowledge Creation Theory inform the predictions about the spiral of interactions between explicit and tacit knowledge that occurs during a contest on a crowdsolving platform. The findings suggest ways to design a crowdsolving ba (shared space for creativity) and platform-level absorptive capacity. For platform managers, this study also offers new insights into the important decisions they must make to develop their platforms’ features.

How does successive inpatriation contribute to subsidiary capability building and subsidiary evolution? An organizational knowledge creation perspective

Intra-company knowledge transfer is a key source of competitive advantage for multinational companies (MNCs) and this knowledge is usually embedded in individuals. Drawing on organizational knowledge creation theory, we explore how inpatriation contributes to knowledge transfer and, in turn, subsidiary performance. Inpatriation involves the international assignment of employees from an MNC’s foreign subsidiary to its headquarters. Despite increasing attention to the role of inpatriation, we lack a clear understanding of whether and how inpatriates provide value to their subsidiaries after returning from headquarters. Through a qualitative case study of Japanese MNCs, we demonstrate the process through which inpatriates’ knowledge transfer contributes to subsidiary capability building and subsidiary evolution over time, and explain why successive inpatriation is thus critical to enhance subsidiary performance. Our theoretical model highlights the value of inpatriates as knowledge agents, reveals the process through which inpatriates transfer knowledge between HQ and subsidiaries, and provides a more nuanced understanding of the micro-foundations of intra-MNC knowledge transfer processes. Based on these findings, we argue that inpatriation is not merely a staffing method that is complementary to expatriation, but a key practice in its own right to support subsidiaries’ growth and performance.

The Social Processes and Factors Affecting Organizational Knowledge Creation and Sharing in New Zealand Firms

This research delves into social processes and antecedent factors that influence organizational knowledge creation and sharing in NZ firms. The ideal processes or barriers have not been fully explored, especially in New Zealand context where the paucity of research in knowledge management still exist. To extend the Knowledge Management research stream, the study incorporates these two theoretical views into a single conceptual model and extend the organizational knowledge creation theory by considering set theory in terms of social and motivational factors. We attempt to link social processes, trust, rewards and IT support constructs within a nomological network that could predict factors that might influence organizational knowledge creation and sharing in New Zealand firms. Data were gathered using an online survey and analyzed using Partial Least Squares technique. Results show that trust, hard rewards and certain social processes have positive impact on organizational knowledge creation and sharing. In addition, trust and soft rewards are found to be positively associated with peer mentoring. Use of IT is positively associated with knowledge combination. Implications of the study are discussed.

Impact of organisational culture on project performance with mediating role of knowledge creation process

The present study aims to investigate the impact of organisational culture through consistency and effectiveness culture on project performance directly and indirectly with mediation of socialisation and externalisation in knowledge creation process. In order to investigate the model of study, the data was collected from software development houses (IT sector) in Pakistan. 136 responses were collected and analysed with PLS-SEM to test the hypotheses studied. The results support the positive impact of consistency and effectiveness culture on project-based performance of software development houses and externalisation in knowledge creation process significantly mediates the relationship between organisational culture aspects consistency and effectiveness with project-based performance. This study contributes to organisational knowledge creation theory, assisting process of performance as it is affected by adopting cultural aspects which is underpinned by the knowledge creation process by providing appropriate evidence to the model.

Knowledge creation and external consultants during ERP implementation: an interpretive study

PurposePrevious research has investigated knowledge transfer and the external consultant's role in it, during enterprise resource planning (ERP) implementation. In this study, the authors explore the processes through which knowledge creation happens during ERP implementation and how external consultants help operationalize the same.Design/methodology/approachThe authors engaged the SECI model of the theory of organizational knowledge creation and conducted an interpretive study that interviewed 14 ERP implementation experts in India. The interviews were transcribed and then analyzed using the ATLAS.ti package.FindingsThe findings reveal fine insights into how knowledge creation takes place during ERP implementation through the four modes of knowledge conversion – socialization (S), externalization (E), combination (C) and internalization (I). The external consultants aid in operationalizing this knowledge creation process through five types of knowledge-related activities: (I) importing external knowledge, (D) discovering internal knowledge, (E) extricating confined knowledge, (A) activating flows of knowledge and (S) solving problems using knowledge. These activities can be represented by the acronym, I-D-E-A-S.Originality/valueThe study makes two overarching contributions: (1) offering an interpretation and description of ERP implementation as a knowledge creation process and (2) extending the understanding of the external consultants' role during ERP implementation to include new knowledge creation.

Appraising strategic adaptive management as a process of organizational learning

Adaptive management is a systematic approach for linking learning with implementation to facilitate ongoing improvement in natural resource management. The idea of learning from experience and adapting subsequent policies, strategies and actions, is intuitively appealing. However, application of adaptive management has been hindered by several obstacles, including a paucity of documented lessons from existing adaptive management practices and inadequate attention to the complex social aspects of learning. Here we address these two impediments through (i) a case study of an established version of adaptive management and its application in the context of protected area management plans, and (ii) its critical comparison and conceptual integration with the seminal theory of organizational knowledge creation (TOKC), which emphasizes the social aspects of learning. As case study, we focus on Strategic Adaptive Management (SAM), which has been iteratively developed and implemented by South African National Parks for more than 20 years. We used TOKC as a conceptual sounding board to reflect on and appraise the learning that takes place through SAM. A comparison of the main steps of the SAM cycle with corresponding stages outlined by TOKC revealed remarkable complementarity between these two approaches, but also important differences. The conceptual comparison deepened our understanding of SAM's learning performance as well as potential, revealing strengths, weaknesses and opportunities for improvement. Key insights include that valuable and different forms of learning takes place during each step of the SAM cycle. This learning can be enhanced through careful attention to approaches for creating, sharing and making explicit the tacit knowledge of individuals. Furthermore, dialogue and co-learning with stakeholders should be maintained beyond the visioning and objectives setting step of SAM. Based on insights gained, we developed a new and complementary conceptualization of SAM, as a spiraling process of organizational learning enabled by the interplay between tacit and explicit forms of knowledge, which in turn is mediated by different types of social interactions, media and engagement with practice. We believe that this conceptualization can help to better acknowledge and enable learning as one of the most fundamental purposes and outcomes of SAM, and adaptive management more generally.

When does servitization promote product innovation?

Although servitization has attracted heavy research attention, its impact on product innovation remains controversial. Addressing this gap, we examine the effects of servitization on exploitative innovation and exploratory innovation by integrating organizational knowledge creation theory and organizational inertia theory. We further explore how the effects vary with product modularization and organization formalization. We find that servitization has a positive relationship with exploitative innovation while a U-shaped relationship with exploratory innovation. Moreover, product modularization strengthens the U-shaped relationship between servitization and exploratory innovation; Organization formalization strengthens the positive relationship between servitization and exploitative innovation while weakens the U-shaped relationship between servitization and exploratory innovation. This study contributes to the literature by disentangling the impact of servitization on product innovation.

The double-edged sword of servitization in radical product innovation: The role of latent needs identification

Using survey data from 208 Chinese manufacturing firms, this paper empirically explores whether servitization facilitates or hinders radical product innovation performance. On the basis of organizational knowledge creation theory, we argue that servitization enables manufacturers to identify latent customer needs that are valuable in searching for radical product innovation opportunities. However, according to social structural embeddedness theory, a firm with a high level of servitization becomes overembedded in customer relationships, which prevents it from seizing such opportunities. We integrate these two theories and find an inverted U-shaped relationship between servitization and radical product innovation performance. Our research enriches the servitization literature by identifying and integrating the two roles of servitization for radical product innovation performance.

How to improve organizational performance during Coronavirus: A serial mediation analysis of organizational learning culture with knowledge creation

The novel Coronavirus (Covid‐19) crisis has dealt a severe blow to the global manufacturing industry. Simultaneously, it has paved the way for organizational learning and revision of its plans. It is, therefore, important to investigate organizational learning based on individual learning, as organizations only learn through individual learners. Based on the theories of action and dynamic theory of organizational knowledge creation (KC), this study proposes a serial mediation model where KC underlying mechanisms through organizational learning culture (OLC) such as acquisition of information (AOI), interpretation of information (IOI), behavioral and cognitive changes (BCC) have facilitated organizational performance (OP) during Covid‐19. Data have been collected from 610 randomly selected employees in the manufacturing firms of Pakistan. To test the study hypotheses, we used SPSS macro PROCESS (Model‐6 with three mediators). The study results suggest the serial mediation effect of IOI, BCC, and KC on the AOI–OP relationships under single‐, double‐, and triple‐loop learning viewpoints.

Opening learning spaces to create actionable knowledge for conservation

AbstractThe limited application of science to environmental management has been termed the “science‐management knowledge gap.” This gap is widely assumed to be a consequence of inefficient knowledge transfer from science to application. However, this metaphor misrepresents knowledge as a “thing” that can be readily exchanged in complex systems, rather than a “process of relating” that involves negotiation and dialogue among stakeholders. We advocate for development of a more explicit alternative model of knowledge creation founded on Nonaka's Theory of Organizational Knowledge Creation, which emphasizes how knowledge is converted into more usable forms through socialization, externalization, combination, and internalization within “learning spaces.” Effective learning spaces require sufficient trust to enable open, honest, and receptive interactions among stakeholders. We advocate that greater emphasis on knowledge conversions within effectively designed learning spaces will accelerate development of actionable knowledge beyond that of existing models.

The Effect of Interactivity between KIBS Firms and Customers on Innovations in KIBS Firms

In today’s dynamic and hypercompetitive business environment, knowledge and innovation have emerged as bases for sustained competitive advantage. This paper addresses two specific research questions. First, we ask, “What is the effect that firm interactivity has on various types of innovation?” As we address this question, we explain that interactivity helps firms create knowledge, which then promotes and enables innovation. Second, we ask, “How do the various types of innovation impact firm performance?” We develop a research model and a set of hypotheses from the basis of organizational knowledge creation theory and the knowledge-based view of the firm. We test this model using survey data, and find that interactivity is positively associated with innovation. We also find that several types of innovation, including service innovation, process innovation, and organizational innovation have a positive impact on firm performance.

A cross‐level analysis of organizational knowledge creation: How do transformational leaders interact with their subordinates' expertise and interpersonal relationships?

AbstractDrawing on organizational knowledge creation theory, this study examined the associations of organizational knowledge creation with employee expertise and quality of interpersonal relationships. It also examined the moderating roles of transformational leadership in explaining these relationships. Hierarchical linear modeling was performed to analyze multilevel data collected from 218 employees across 44 teams in diverse U.S. organizations. The study results indicated that employee expertise, quality of interpersonal relationships, and transformational leadership are positively associated with organizational knowledge creation. Unexpectedly, a negative moderating role of transformational leadership was found when explaining the relationship between organizational knowledge creation and quality of interpersonal relationships. It showed no moderating effect of transformational leadership in explaining the organizational knowledge creation and employee expertise relationship. The findings improve our understanding of organizational knowledge creation and enabling conditions and provide meaningful insights into the role of transformational leadership interacting with relationships in teams. The implications of these findings for research and practice are also discussed.

The Double-Edged Sword of Servitization in Radical Product Innovation

Although servitization literature has identified the difficulties in combining products with services to improve firm performance, it has offered limited insight into the effects of servitization on radical product innovation performance. To address this gap, in this study we investigate how servitization affects radical product innovation performance through latent needs identification. Based on organizational knowledge creation theory and social structural embeddedness theory, we proposed four hypotheses and tested them with data from 208 Chinese manufacturing firms. The results show that servitization enables a firm to identify latent customer needs, and thus helps the firm to exploit more radical product innovation opportunities. However, a high degree of servitization can lead to an overembedded customer relationship, which reduces the firm’s willingness to capture such opportunities. Furthermore, we find that the overall effect of servitization on radical product innovation performance is inverted U-shaped. Our findings enrich the servitization literature by identifying two roles of servitization in radical product innovation performance.

Innovation Practices Using AI technology: Exploring Human-Machine Knowledge Conversion

The use of AI in innovation practices creates a conundrum for knowledge creation theory. Current AI technology possesses the ability to engage with data in ways that differ from the original design due to their response to contextual input data. AI may be said to embody tacit knowledge as it evolves and learns about the human collaborator and the organisational and technological context. We explore knowledge conversion involving human and AI to understand the process of digital innovation starting from the mutually constituted innovation agency. We articulate a process model of knowledge creation extending Nonaka’s seminal SECI model starting with a sociomaterial lens on knowledge conversion and a recursive relationship between the outcome of knowledge creation and the material interactions of human and AI. Our analysis links characteristics of digital innovation with the potential of AI to perform skilful work or, in other words, appear to act on tacit knowledge. This insight contributes to the literature on digital innovation a missing link for seeing material agency as intermingled with human agency and to organizational knowledge creation theory the possibility of the machine becoming part of a team. We discuss theoretical and practical implications of our study for the economics of digital innovation and suggest avenues for future research.