Today employees are changing jobs more frequently than in the past, which can result in the loss of valuable knowledge and information during employee exits. This makes sharing of information and knowledge within the organisations more important than ever before, particularly during the product development process. The problem of losing knowledge during employee exits is a critical risk facing organisations.  It is worth noting that the study was inspired by the ethnographic research approach, with the purpose of understanding the nature of the phenomenon of information sharing in the product development process of small-scale complex system products and the aim to understand its implications during employee exits. The data for this study was collected through observation and interviews.  According to the results of this study, it was found that employees within the company used a range of techniques for storing and sharing information. The most common method used for finding and sharing information was informal meetings, however it was noted that there is room for improvement in this approach due to the potential impact of limited documentation. With regards to employee exits, the study revealed mixed opinions from employees regarding the existence of a formal off-boarding process. While some stated that such a process was lacking, others reported that it is indeed present. The process of transferring information and tasks to the next person seems to depend on the individuals involved, with some developing their own methods for handing over their work.  This study highlights the importance of context, reasoning, and decision-making when it comes to storing and sharing of information during the product development process, and the impact this has on the passage of knowledge during an employee exit. The knowledge transferred during an employee exit will determine the next person’s ability to work efficiently and effectively. There are numerous challenges in taking responsibility for a part or system without a comprehensive understanding of its history and background, especially when the previous employee in that role has left. Ultimately, this study emphasises the crucial importance of retaining experienced personnel and encouraging long-term employee commitment to the organisation.

Despite the volume, growth, and accessibility of documented knowledge – the insights and experiences stored on paper and in electronic form - management research has yet to demonstrate the same usefulness for documented knowledge as that found in knowledge residing in human sources. This dissertation explores two areas of potential for documented knowledge, suggesting the efficacy of a piece of documented knowledge is contingent not only on content, but upon the style and structure associated with that content. Style, how cognitively 'concrete' and affectively 'memorable' documented knowledge is perceived to be, is hypothesized to affect how much attention it draws and, in turn, to impact its transfer to users. Structure, reflecting the level of parsimony and modularity in documented knowledge, is hypothesized to impact attention to and manipulation of knowledge such that it affects knowledge transfer and creation. Hypotheses were tested in two laboratory studies using scientific research as an exemplar of documented knowledge. Results indicated that style was associated with documented knowledge, but was not related to its transfer. Likewise, structuring documented knowledge for greater parsimony and modularity did not improve knowledge transfer or knowledge creation. Shortcomings of the empirical tests are evaluated and possibilities for future improvements are discussed.

Inter-organisational knowledge sharing between airport security organisations has become increasingly vital to maintain the highest standards of security and public safety. Social networks are considered a significant space for knowledge sharing within and across organisations. The purpose of this research is to investigate inter-organisational knowledge sharing in social media between key organisations in policing and airport security. A cross-sectional case study strategy combining qualitative and quantitative methods was employed to investigate the use of social media in inter-organisational knowledge sharing in the context of airport security in the UAE. Findings showed that the structural characteristics within knowledge sharing were highly centralised and polarised with low intensity in knowledge sharing. Social capital was constrained at a relational level due to cultural factors of trust, risk aversion and power distance that influenced a closed culture and reduced the scope for tacit knowledge sharing practices as well as low level cognitive capital. Analysis of dimensions of the SECI model for knowledge creation revealed that knowledge and the process of knowing was impacted by cultural distinctions that constrained socialisation, externalisation, combination and internalisation processes. The key barriers to knowledge sharing were identified and associated with trust, risk aversion, organisational culture, resource constraints and interoperability factors. This study makes a contribution to theory and practice in terms of the relationship between social capital dimensions and knowledge creation processes and the characteristics of knowledge-sharing within social media. The study further adds to knowledge on the antecedents of inter-organisational knowledge sharing, particularly in the Arabic context. / UAE Government and Ministry of Interior

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This study examines small entrepreneurial firms and factors that influence their level of knowledge management and knowledge creation. The dissertation investigates the effect of top management team as a resource in small entrepreneurial firms. Stepping outside of the internal resources of a firm, this paper also delves into the effect of outside sources of capital and knowledge of firm knowledge creation. The paper enriches research on the factors that increase knowledge creation and knowledge management of small entrepreneurial firms. First, in response to evidence that Top Management Team (TMT) characteristics affect performance of high technology firms, this examined TMT average age, education and founder presence effect on the research and development (R&D) intensity, in a cross-sectional sample of software and pharmaceutical firms, with IPOs between the years 2002 and 2004. Average education is positively associated with R&D intensity. The interaction of TMT education and TMT average age negatively affects R&D intensity. TMT education in founders is positively associated with R&D intensity. The first set of results enriches extant research on TMT characteristics’ effect on R&D intensity, which ultimately affects firm performance. Continuing, extant research posits that the research and development (R&D) intensity of firms is highly correlated with knowledge creation as measured by patent citation. This paper argues that there are unexplained variables that moderate the effectiveness of research and development knowledge creation. Using the resource-based view, the top management team (TMT), is examined as an intangible asset. Hypotheses are developed on how high-technology firms’ creation of knowledge, operationalized as their patent citations output, is affected by the TMT characteristics of average age, education level, education background, founder presence, and TMT industry experience. The findings show that TMT education background and TMT industry experience are significant influences on firm patent citation. When controlling for the TMT variables, R&D intensity was not significantly related to patent citation. Finally, research on research and development intensity demonstrates a strong association with patents. At the same time, there is an unexplained gap in the move from research and development to patents in explaining innovation. Prior research assumes that internal resources are preeminent, ignoring the role of external factors. This paper reviews outside resources to assess their effect on patent citation and patent rates. It was found that partnerships with universities and firm geographic location improve innovative activity, whilst grants from the government and partnerships with large firms are not significantly associated with innovative activity. The Board of directors (BOD) has no significant impact on innovative activity. In terms of interaction effect, BOD has a negative interaction effect with geographic clusters. This paper enriches research on the outside resources that increase innovative activity. / Business Administration

While innovation has been a critical tool for the success of hospitality businesses, there has been little research concerning how hospitality service innovation is created. Focusing on knowledge development for service innovation, this dissertation examines hospitality open innovation processes by highlighting the critical role of customers as important external stakeholders for knowledge creation. More specifically, this research examines how hospitality brand community members engage in brand activities that co-create non-transactional knowledge value for open innovation. To achieve the research purpose, the dissertation consists of four independent studies. The design of the four studies followed a theory development process focusing on bibliometric analysis (Study 1), exploratory analysis (Study 2), empirical analysis (Study 3), and experimental analysis (Study 4). Study 1 conducted bibliometric co-citation analysis to examine the foundation and evolution of the service innovation research in both hospitality and tourism and service management literature. Study 2 examined how hospitality (hotel) customers engage in an online brand community and what types of value are co-created from their engagement behaviors. Study 3 empirically developed a multi-dimensional measure of customer engagement behaviors for co-creating non-transactional value. Lastly, Study 4 examined how hospitality online brand community members participate in open innovation behaviors as a result of customer empowerment and social recognition. Study 1 identified critical research opportunities for future hospitality and tourism research in terms of innovation creation, diffusion, and evaluation. Most importantly, open innovation via customer engagement was identified as a critical topic to understand hospitality innovation creation. In Study 2, customer engagement behaviors, motivations, and value co-creation were qualitatively analyzed in the context of an online hotel brand community. Using mixed-methods, including netnography analysis and qualitative written interviews, a conceptual framework of value co-creation via customer engagement was developed. Based on this framework, Study 3 developed a scale consisting of 15 items measuring customer engagement behaviors in terms of influential-experience value, C-to-B innovation value, relational value, and citizenship value. Lastly, Study 4 found a causal process that customer empowerment makes a positive impact on the intention of open innovation engagement and the creativity of ideas by mediating intrinsic motivation. / Doctor of Philosophy / While innovation has been a critical tool for the success of hospitality businesses, there has been little research concerning how hospitality service innovation is created. Focusing on knowledge development for service innovation, this dissertation examines hospitality open innovation processes by highlighting the critical role of customers as important external stakeholders for knowledge creation. More specifically, this research examines how hospitality brand community members engage in brand activities that co-create non-transactional knowledge value for open innovation. To achieve the research purpose, the dissertation consists of four independent studies. The design of the four studies followed a theory development process focusing on bibliometric critical literature review analysis (Study 1), exploratory analysis (Study 2), empirical analysis (Study 3), and experimental analysis (Study 4). Specifically, Study 1 critically analyzed service innovation academic studies published in the last decade in both hospitality and tourism and service management journals to get insights into future research directions. Study 2 analyzed how hospitality (hotel) customers engage in online brand community activities in terms of the benefits of the behaviors and the motivations for the engagement behaviors. Study 3 developed a practical tool to measure customer engagement behaviors. Lastly, Study 4 investigated how hospitality online brand community members participate in idea sharing behaviors in terms of customer empowerment and social recognition. Study 1 identified critical research opportunities for future hospitality and tourism research in terms of innovation creation, diffusion, and evaluation. Most importantly, open innovation via customer engagement was identified as a critical topic to understand hospitality innovation creation. Focusing on the open innovation, Study 2 analyzed hospitality customers' various engagement activities and contents created from the activities in an online hotel brand community. A conceptual framework of value co-creation via customer engagement behaviors was developed. Based on this framework, Study 3 developed a scale consisting of 15 items measuring customer engagement behaviors in terms of influential-experience value, C-to-B innovation value, relational value, and citizenship value. Lastly, Study 4 found that customers are likely to share their service ideas with hospitality practitioners when they enjoy doing so with the belief that their ideas can affect brand management decisions.

This study explores empirically the link between open innovation and dynamic capabilities. The aim is to understand the relevant capabilities required by firms to effectively engage in open innovation practices and how these practices affect innovation performance. The analysis is based on five selected service sub-sectors with a sample size of 3910 firms drawn from a dataset containing information on innovation activities in the UK. The findings show that knowledge creation capability is positively related to inbound and coupled open innovation practices. Contrary to expectation, partial support is found for the positive relationship between knowledge acquisition capability and inbound open innovation, and no support for coupled open innovation. The findings also show that operational reconfiguration strengthens the positive effects of coupled open innovation practices and incremental innovation performance. On the other hand, strategic reconfiguration strengthens the positive effects of coupled open innovation practices and radical innovation performance. This study contributes to theory by revealing the link between open innovation and dynamic capabilities. The study provides empirical evidence on the capabilities through which effective open innovation can be achieved in a dynamic environment. It also contributes to knowledge to show the effect of open innovation practices on innovation performance in the service context and the differential moderating effects of reconfiguration capabilities. Firms can use insights from this study to identify the relevant capabilities to develop in order to enhance their level of involvement in open innovation practices. The study also offer insights on the open innovation practices that service firms can pursue in order to achieve the desired innovation outcomes.

Made available in DSpace on 2016-03-15T19:26:42Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 Jorge Tenorio Fernando.pdf: 544179 bytes, checksum: a07e6ce74f644e85cced599765c1c65c (MD5) Previous issue date: 2009-02-03 / This paper bears upon the quest and interest to deepen the comprehension of the myriad of concepts emerging from the field of knowledge creation and management by cutting them in such a way as to allow for verification of its practical results when applied to an organization s day-to-day activities. First, a brief description of the organizational knowledge is done, aiming to identify some of its meanings and perspectives in the literature for the management of an existing knowledge, as well as for the creation of a new knowledge, be it individual or organizational. Next, to illustrate the theoretical findings, providing it with concrete legitimacy, a field research is presented, in format of a case study of a consumer goods industry, seeking to analyze the organization knowledge creation standpoint in terms of its enabling conditions and the SECI process as developed by Nonaka (1994) and Nonaka and Takeuchi (1995), in order to highlight its main elements, circumstances and effects on the operational level, namely, the product development team. Thus, at the end, hoped is to have detached some of the multiple facets of the knowledge management, its difficulties and possibilities as an strategic resource, and, above all, pointed out real creation and use dimensions for that knowledge by examining its application to the product development process in a consumer goods company in Brazil. / Este trabalho se pauta pela inquietude em aprofundar a compreensão dos inúmeros conceitos que emergiram no campo da criação e gestão do conhecimento, dando-lhes um recorte que permita verificar seus resultados práticos quando aplicados no dia-a-dia de uma organização. Neste estudo será realizada, em primeiro lugar, uma breve descrição da taxonomia do conhecimento nas organizações, visando identificar algumas de suas perspectivas e acepções descritas pela literatura não só para a gestão do conhecimento existente, mas também para a criação de um novo conhecimento, quer individual, quer organizacional. Para ilustrar o estudo teórico, conferindo-lhe concretude, é apresentada pesquisa de campo, em forma de estudo de caso, de uma indústria de bens de consumo, objetivando analisar a etapa da criação do conhecimento na organização do ponto de vista de suas condições capacitadoras e do processo SECI desenvolvidos por Nonaka (1994) e Nonaka e Takeuchi (1995), para então observar seus principais elementos, circunstâncias e efeitos no nível operacional, isto é, nos grupos de desenvolvimento de produto. Ao final, espera-se haver depreendido algumas das múltiplas facetas do conhecimento organizacional, suas dificuldades e possibilidades de uso enquanto recurso estratégico, e, sobretudo, assinalado dimensões de criação e emprego real desse conhecimento, mediante o exame de sua aplicação ao processo de desenvolvimento de produtos em uma indústria de bens de consumo no Brasil.

<p>As a result of organizational restructuring, the role of the middle managers has changed over time. Studies of change processes have increasingly placed focus on middle managers. According to researchers, middle managers play a key role in implementing the change. When putting the change into practice, there are factors affecting the middle managers. However, further research is needed regarding what constrains and enables the middle manager in these change processes.</p><p>Therefore, the purpose of this thesis is to explore the sensemaking and sensegiving process during organizational change, with focus on middle managers. To answer to the purpose, a theoretical model combining Balogun and Johnson’s (2005), Nonaka and Takeuchi’s (1995) models and theories of middle management is developed. By using the model we analyze the centralization of the accounting departments at the Swedish energy company Vattenfall. This change process constitutes the case of this thesis.</p><p>The empirical findings are based on ten interviews and two group discussions with top management, middle managers, co-workers as well as other key actors in the project providing trustworthiness to our study. A qualitative method using an abductive approach is used in the thesis to explore the actors’ interpretation of the change and capture the complexity of the case.</p><p>The conclusion includes enablers and constraints during the sensemaking and sensegiving process for the middle managers during the centralization of Vattenfall’s accounting departments. The identified enablers are the communication channels, a middle manager’s awareness of employees’ approach of making sense, the provided tools used to adjust working processes, some Business Units’ initial negative attitude towards the change, as well as the rejuvenated spirit. Finally, the middle managers themselves enabled the change as a result of their unique role in the organization.</p><p>On the other hand, the recognized constraints in the sensemaking and sensegiving process of the middle managers are; concerns regarding middle managers’ future employment, their ‘stuck in the middle’ position, limited resources, new working processes not adopted by some co-workers, and positive attitudes that resulted to flaws in the planning at some Business Units.</p>

Each organization has its specifics that affect the way knowledge is created and transferred. The existing literature in the field of knowledge creation, studies contemporary organizations and currently does not consider special cases such as high reliability organizations. Therefore, the aim of this thesis is to complement the existing knowledge creation model by describing the knowledge creation process for high reliability organizations using the case study of the Lambohov Fire Station. A qualitative case study was conducted and carried out with the help of Lambohov Fire Station through non-participant observations and semi- structured interviews with one of the fire brigades. Our research has revealed that the learning processes in HROs differs from the existing theoretical framework. According to the literature, knowledge is created through conversion of tacit and explicit knowledge, while at the fire station the conversion involves tacit and implicit types of knowledge.