This study investigates how knowledge is created in a small business organization. Knowledge creation refers to organizational learning which results in innovation. The research design was a qualitative, single site case study of three firms in the point of sale industry. Data collection took place during a six month field study and employed multiple methods including participant observations, interviews, document reviews, and field journal entries. The study was informed by a conceptual framework which focused on the importance of both tacit and explicit knowledge forms, multiple modes of knowledge conversion (socialization, externalization, combination, internalization), and a knowledge spiraling process. Six themes emerged from the data. The first theme, "the people are the business" indicated that individuals become a knowledge creating structure that transcends office boundaries. A second theme, "we just spend tons of time talking", emphasized the importance of dialogue and informal communication structures to the sharing of tacit knowledge. A third theme, "there hasn't been a new idea in a million years", illustrated the predominance of incremental rather than radical innovation, the strategy of mimicking concept successes, and the importance of learning with other organizations through strategic alliances. A fourth theme, "you learn from your mistakes", represented the experiential nature of learning within the firm. A fifth theme, "it's one of those crystal ball kind of things" depicted the intuitive nature of personal knowledge and its limitations. Finally, the sixth theme, "a day late and a dollar short" explored how time and money pressures both enhance and hinder knowledge creation within a small business context. By comparing the themes to the conceptual framework the study concluded that small business organizations create knowledge in accordance with the nature of interpersonal interactions as they occur in context. The theoretical knowledge spiral was reconceptualized as a web structure in order to accommodate more diversity of approaches to knowledge creation and the complex nature of innovations.

This study investigates how knowledge is created in a small business organization. Knowledge creation refers to organizational learning which results in innovation. The research design was a qualitative, single site case study of three firms in the point of sale industry. Data collection took place during a six month field study and employed multiple methods including participant observations, interviews, document reviews, and field journal entries. The study was informed by a conceptual framework which focused on the importance of both tacit and explicit knowledge forms, multiple modes of knowledge conversion (socialization, externalization, combination, internalization), and a knowledge spiraling process. Six themes emerged from the data. The first theme, "the people are the business" indicated that individuals become a knowledge creating structure that transcends office boundaries. A second theme, "we just spend tons of time talking", emphasized the importance of dialogue and informal communication structures to the sharing of tacit knowledge. A third theme, "there hasn't been a new idea in a million years", illustrated the predominance of incremental rather than radical innovation, the strategy of mimicking concept successes, and the importance of learning with other organizations through strategic alliances. A fourth theme, "you learn from your mistakes", represented the experiential nature of learning within the firm. A fifth theme, "it's one of those crystal ball kind of things" depicted the intuitive nature of personal knowledge and its limitations. Finally, the sixth theme, "a day late and a dollar short" explored how time and money pressures both enhance and hinder knowledge creation within a small business context. By comparing the themes to the conceptual framework the study concluded that small business organizations create knowledge in accordance with the nature of interpersonal interactions as they occur in context. The theoretical knowledge spiral was reconceptualized as a web structure in order to accommodate more diversity of approaches to knowledge creation and the complex nature of innovations. / Education, Faculty of / Educational Studies (EDST), Department of / Graduate

An individual-differences model of managerial creativity was developed. Based on a review of the creativity literature, four traits and abilities were identified as having relevance for creativity in managers: divergent thinking, evaluative thinking, work motivation, and openness to change, risk and ambiguity. The model was constructed by specifying behavioural descriptions of the creative management types that were predicted to arise from various combinations of high and low standing on these four traits and abilities. The initial model was presented to groups of managers in order to get their input and feedback. Moving forward with a model that met the approval of practicing managers, a concurrent validity study was designed. Tests and questionnaires designed to measure Divergent Thinking, Evaluative Thinking, Work Motivation, and Openness to Change, Risk and Ambiguity were administered to 223 incumbent managers, and criterion ratings of on-the-job creative behaviour were provided by the supervisors of these participating managers. Results of the research indicated that the traits and abilities included in the Creative Management Model were, indeed, important to managerial creativity. Managers who were consulted about the model fully endorsed the importance of these traits and abilities. Furthermore, two of the traits and abilities, Divergent Thinking and Openness to Change, Risk and Ambiguity, demonstrated solid validity in predicting prototypical aspects of creative management behaviour. In combination, these two variables provided a level of validity of sufficient magnitude (in the high .40's) to provide substantial utility to organizations seeking to increase the creativity of their management ranks by using this predictor combination for personnel-selection purposes. Despite the importance of the traits and abilities specified in the Creative Management Model, the empirical linkages between these individual-difference factors and the behavioural descriptions of the creative management types provided in the Creative Management Model were not strong. These weak linkages are largely attributed to inaccuracy in the behavioural descriptions. Psychometric weaknesses in some of the variables also contributed. Recommendations are made for revising the Creative Management Model and some of its concomitant measures. The implications of the research findings for management selection and creativity training are also discussed.

An individual-differences model of managerial creativity was developed. Based on a review of the creativity literature, four traits and abilities were identified as having relevance for creativity in managers: divergent thinking, evaluative thinking, work motivation, and openness to change, risk and ambiguity. The model was constructed by specifying behavioural descriptions of the creative management types that were predicted to arise from various combinations of high and low standing on these four traits and abilities. The initial model was presented to groups of managers in order to get their input and feedback. Moving forward with a model that met the approval of practicing managers, a concurrent validity study was designed. Tests and questionnaires designed to measure Divergent Thinking, Evaluative Thinking, Work Motivation, and Openness to Change, Risk and Ambiguity were administered to 223 incumbent managers, and criterion ratings of on-the-job creative behaviour were provided by the supervisors of these participating managers. Results of the research indicated that the traits and abilities included in the Creative Management Model were, indeed, important to managerial creativity. Managers who were consulted about the model fully endorsed the importance of these traits and abilities. Furthermore, two of the traits and abilities, Divergent Thinking and Openness to Change, Risk and Ambiguity, demonstrated solid validity in predicting prototypical aspects of creative management behaviour. In combination, these two variables provided a level of validity of sufficient magnitude (in the high .40's) to provide substantial utility to organizations seeking to increase the creativity of their management ranks by using this predictor combination for personnel-selection purposes. Despite the importance of the traits and abilities specified in the Creative Management Model, the empirical linkages between these individual-difference factors and the behavioural descriptions of the creative management types provided in the Creative Management Model were not strong. These weak linkages are largely attributed to inaccuracy in the behavioural descriptions. Psychometric weaknesses in some of the variables also contributed. Recommendations are made for revising the Creative Management Model and some of its concomitant measures. The implications of the research findings for management selection and creativity training are also discussed. / Arts, Faculty of / Psychology, Department of / Graduate