Thesis (PhD) -- Stellenbosch University, 2014. / ENGLISH ABSTRACT: This thesis has as its focus the engineering of integrated knowledge networks (IKNs) through the use of a reference architecture. The purpose of the study is to gain a deeper understanding of the constructional principles underlying this class of collaborative networks. Although IKNs and enterprise engineering are both seen as promising approaches to the challenges of the Information Age, significant challenges still exist in the engineering of IKNs. Our globalised and commercialised society may currently be characterised by both extreme complexity and extreme rates of change. Enterprise engineering is seen as a promising approach to equip enterprises with the characteristics that are desirable in the modern economy, including flexibility and agility. Enterprise architecture contributes to this endeavour by providing a high-level design of the enterprise that allows for integrated engineering of the enterprise. From a commercial point of view, it has been widely recognised that the ability to innovate and generate new knowledge through the development of new products, services and processes is a key factor in the survival of enterprises. The latest trends in innovation management, however, show that the innovation process is no longer one that is executed inside a single enterprise, giving rise to the development of inter-organisational innovation networks. Furthermore, the importance of knowledge as a dynamic enabler of this networked innovation approach is highlighted. This has lead to the emergence of IKNs in which knowledge is created and shared between network stakeholders in order to foster sustainable innovation. The increasing rate of change means that enterprises, including IKNs, have progressively less time to react to market changes and opportunities. The emphasis is therefore on the potential of the EE and EA disciplines as tools to adapt to the dynamic landscape of the Information Age. At present, the ability to apply comprehensive enterprise engineering to IKNs is hampered by the lack of resources that describes sound constructional principles for these networks. The focus of this study is therefore on the application of the enterprise engineering discipline to IKNs through the development of a reference architecture. The reference architecture for IKNs is developed through design science research within a pragmatic and qualitative research strategy. The research problem is first identified and motivated. Various solution objectives are subsequently defined. This is followed by the design and development of the reference architecture through four iterative design cycles. A qualitative systematic review is conducted and serves as the foundation for the development of various reference models. The reference architecture for IKNs is demonstrated and evaluated through a series of illustrative scenarios, after which the utility, novelty and design rigour of the artefact is communicated. It was found that the reference architecture provides constructional principles in the engineering of IKNs, thus enabling the design, operation and research of this class of collaborative networks. The study therefore takes a first step toward extending the concept of EE to IKNs, and collaborative networks in general. This enables the greater adaptability of these networks to the dynamic environment of the Information Age. / AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: Hierdie tesis ondersoek die ontwikkeling van geïntegreerde kennisnetwerke (GK’s) aan die hand van ‘n verwysingsargitektuur. Die doel van die studie is om ’n beter begrip van die onderliggende ontwerpbeginsels van hierdie klas kollaborasie netwerke te kry. Alhoewel beide GK’s en ondernemingsingenieurswese beskou word as belowende benaderings tot die uitdagings van die Inligtingsera, bestaan beduidende uitdagings steeds in die ontwikkeling van GK’s. Ons geglobaliseerde, gekommersialiseerde samelewing word tans gekenmerk deur beide buitengewone kompleksiteit en buitengewone tempo-verandering. Ondernemingsingenieurswese word beskou as ’n belowende benadering om ondernemings toe te rus met die eienskappe wat in aanvraag is in die moderne ekonomie, insluitend aanpasbaarheid en vlugheid. Ondernemingsargitektuur dra by tot hierdie poging deur ’n hoëvlak ontwerp van die onderneming te voorsien wat geïntegreerde ontwikkeling van die onderneming toelaat. Vanuit ’n kommersiële oogpunt word dit ruim aanvaar dat die vermoë om te innoveer en nuwe kennis te ontwikkel deur die ontwikkeling van nuwe produkte, dienste en prosesse ’n kernfaktor in die oorlewing van ondernemings is. Die jongste benadering in innovasiebestuur toon aan dat die innovasieproses nie meer slegs in een onderneming uitgevoer word nie. Dit lei dan tot interorganisasie-innovasienetwerke. Die belangrikheid van kennis as ’n dinamiese instaatsteller van hierdie netwerk-innovasiebenadering word verder beklemtoon. Dit het gelei tot die ontstaan van GK’s waarin kennis tot stand gebring en gedeel word tussen netwerk belanghebbendes om sodoende volhoubare innovasie te bevorder. Die toenemende tempo in verandering beteken dat ondernemings, insluitende GK’s, toenemend minder tyd het om op markveranderings en -geleenthede te reageer. Die klem val daarom op die ondernemingsingenieursweseen ondernemingsargitektuur-dissiplines as hulpmiddels om by die dinamiese landskap van die Inligtingsera aan te pas. Tans word die vermoë om omvattende ondernemingsingenieurswese in GK’s te beoefen, gekniehalter deur die tekort aan hulpbronne wat grondige konstruksie-beginsels vir hierdie netwerke beskryf. Die fokus van hierdie studie is daarom die toepassing van die ondernemingsingenieurswese-dissipline op GK’s deur die ontwikkeling van ’n verwysingsargitektuur. Die verwysingsargitektuur vir GK’s word ontwikkel deur ontwerpwetenskapnavorsing binne ’n pragmatiese en kwalitatiewe navorsingstrategie. Die navorsingsprobleem word eers geïdentifiseer en gemotiveer. Verskeie oplossingsdoelwitte word vervolgens bepaal. Hierna geskied die ontwerp en ontwikkeling van die verwysingsargitektuur deur middel van die vier herhalende ontwerpsiklusse. Die verwysingsargitektuur vir GK’s word gedemonstreer en geëvalueer deur ’n reeks beeldende scenario’s, waarna die bruikbaarheid, nuutheid en ontwerpstrengheid van die artefak gekommunikeer word. Dit is bevind dat die verwysingsargitektuur konstruksiebeginsels in die ontwikkeling van GK’s voorsien en sodoende die ontwerp, werk en navorsing in hierdie klas kollaborasie netwerke moontlik maak. Dié studie neem ‘n eerste tree in die rigting om die konsep van ondernemingsingenieurswese tot GK’s uit te brei. Dit maak die groter aanpasbaarheid van hierdie netwerke by die dinamiese omgewing van die Inligtingsera moontlik.

Thesis (PhD (Industrial Engineering))--University of Stellenbosch, 2010. / ENGLISH ABSTRACT: Innovation is important for competitiveness. It thrives on the availability of novel public and private domain knowledge. Thus the ability to access, analyze, synthesize, share, and re-use knowledge is paramount to enabling innovation within the different partners of the supply chain. These activities grow the available pool of knowledge. It also facilitates learning from mistakes, as well as capturing and enhancing opportunities for future innovation. Proactively networking resources within a formal and informal structure improve the ability of any participating enterprise to use/re-use knowledge, in a concurrently growing knowledge base. Such a "Knowledge Network” (KN) enhances knowledge sharing between and among individuals, groups and organizations in informal and formal ways. This network is also scalable in the sense that more individuals and enterprise may join the network as success cases are reported on. It is clear that knowing how to design, deploy and operate a Knowledge Network could be highly beneficial. How to successfully design and deploy a KN is a challenge and has been widely researched to a limited extent within in the past decade. The design, deploy and operate functions require understanding of social processes and how people learn and share knowledge. KN management requires a proactive, systematic approach to the planning and deployment of a formalized network for knowledge creation and transfer. It addresses promoting and improving conditions to cultivate informal and formal networking within a larger collaborative network of enterprises. This dissertation presents a refined methodology for initiating, deploying, managing and operating an Innovation Project based on the available research reported in this domain. It incorporates concepts of generic, partial and specific roadmaps, best practices, templates and examples and allows individual teams to capture knowledge about specific projects and expertise in context for later re-use. / AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: Om mededingend te kan wees, is innovasie belangrik. Laasgenoemde floreer op die beskikbaarheid van nuwe publieke, sowel as private domein kennis. Dus is die kundigheid om kennis te assesseer, te analiseer, saam te vat, uit te ruil met ander en dan weer te gebruik van die uiterste belang om innovasie moontlik te maak vir die onderskeie vennote in die voorsieningsketting. Hierdie genoemde aktiwiteite vergroot die beskikbare poel van kennis. Daarbenewens fasiliteer dit ook leer uit foute, sowel as die vasvang en versterking van geleenthede vir toekomstige innovasie. Deur pro-aktief en vindingryk van netwerk bronne gebruik te maak, binne ʼn formele sowel as informele struktuur, word die moontlikheid van enige deelnemende onderneming om kennis te gebruik of te hergebruik, vergroot in ʼn gelyktydig groeiende kennisbasis. So ʼn “Kennis Netwerk” (KN) versterk die uitruil van kennis tussen individue, groepe en organisasies op informele sowel as formele maniere. Hierdie netwerk is ook meetbaar in die sin dat hoe meer suksesse aangekondig word, deur individue en organisasies wat aansluit, hoe meer ondernemings wil aansluit. Dit is duidelik dat kennis ten opsigte van die ontwerp, ontplooiing en bestuur van ʼn Kennis Netwerk uiters voordelig kan wees. Dit is ʼn uitdaging om ʼn Kennis Netwerk suksesvol te ontwerp en te ontplooi en daar is die afgelope dekade op ʼn wye front beperkte navorsing op hierdie terrein gedoen. Die ontwerp, ontplooiing en bestuursfunksies vereis ʼn goeie begrip van sosiale prosesse met beklemtoning van hoe mense leer en kennis uitruil. Die bestuur van ʼn Kennis Netwerk moet pro-aktief en sistematies benader word, ten opsigte van die beplanning en ontplooiing van ʼn geformaliseerde netwerk vir die skep en oordrag van kennis. Die bevordering en verbetering van omstandighede kan formele sowel as informele netwerkbeoefening binne ʼn groter samewerkende netwerk van ondernemings vestig. Hierdie proefskrif bied ʼn verfynde metodologie vir die inisiëring, ontplooiing en bestuur van ʼn Innovasie Projek wat gebaseer is op die beskikbare navorsing wat in hierdie domein gerapporteer is. Dit behels konsepte van generiese, gedeeltelike en spesifieke padkaarte, asook die beste praktyke, patrone en voorbeelde en gee geleentheid vir individuele spanne om kennis ten opsigte van spesifieke projekte en kundigheid in konteks te bekom vir latere hergebruik.