This case study has been conducted within the Swedish fitness chain World Class to explore the opportunities for knowledge development and transfers within franchise networks. We have interviewed the product manager at the World Class headquarter, the owner of a franchise club and a local product manager from the same facility. Our finding indicates that various forms of knowledge transfer occur within the World Class network, particularly in product development and sales. The transfer occurs within the framework set by World Class with regularly scheduled meetings. In addition informal networks provide other means of knowledge exchange between some units. For the owner we found a lesser degree of knowledge exchange despite that they share the same kind of formal framework. Our results points towards problems like the “not invented here”-syndrome, urge for independence and pride among the club owners. Besides that we found no resistance to share information from one unit to another. We found a lack of motivation for knowledge exchange, the benefits of knowledge transfer seemed unclear to the interviewed owner. Nevertheless, we found reasons to believe that entrepreneurship, innovation, creativity, the heterogeneity and the variety of market conditions within the franchise network gives high potential for knowledge exchange that may be unexploited.

Knowledge is a critical element for the provision of quality health care. Optimal clinical decision making incorporates multiple types of knowledge including patient knowledge, clinical experiential knowledge and research knowledge. Understanding how knowledge is shared and used in best practice is challenging as a number of factors can facilitate or impede the process. Several authors have highlighted the value of using a theoretical framework when examining knowledge in health care. A theoretical framework provides direction for the generation and testing of hypotheses which can contribute to building a comprehensive body of knowledge in a field of study. Although the majority of knowledge exchanged in practice settings occurs between clinicians, current knowledge exchange and utilization models in health care generally focus specifically on the exchange of research knowledge between the scientific community and the practice community. Acknowledging and understanding the knowledge seeking and sharing behaviours of clinicians is a key element in the larger knowledge translation puzzle. Emergency medicine is a clinical speciality where there is evidence of a knowledge to practice gap, however, there is limited understanding of the factors that contribute to the gap. Emergency practitioners must make decisions in a busy and often chaotic environment that is prone to multiple interruptions and distractions. The challenge for consistent and quality care is also more pronounced in rural and some suburban areas where emergency care needs are similar but resources are limited. The purpose of this program of research is to identify factors relevant to knowledge exchange and utilization in rural and urban emergency departments with the aim of developing a Model for Knowledge Exchange and Utilization in Emergency Practice. A series of studies were carried out using a mixed method research design to further develop and describe 3 key dimensions (individual, context of practice, knowledge) which were identified through a review of the literature. Data was collected using surveys, participant observations and interviews with nurses and physicians working in rural and urban emergency departments in Nova Scotia. Triangulation of results across the studies contributed to developing a comprehensive and rigorous description of the 3 dimensions of interest.

Knowledge is a critical element for the provision of quality health care. Optimal clinical decision making incorporates multiple types of knowledge including patient knowledge, clinical experiential knowledge and research knowledge. Understanding how knowledge is shared and used in best practice is challenging as a number of factors can facilitate or impede the process. Several authors have highlighted the value of using a theoretical framework when examining knowledge in health care. A theoretical framework provides direction for the generation and testing of hypotheses which can contribute to building a comprehensive body of knowledge in a field of study. Although the majority of knowledge exchanged in practice settings occurs between clinicians, current knowledge exchange and utilization models in health care generally focus specifically on the exchange of research knowledge between the scientific community and the practice community. Acknowledging and understanding the knowledge seeking and sharing behaviours of clinicians is a key element in the larger knowledge translation puzzle. Emergency medicine is a clinical speciality where there is evidence of a knowledge to practice gap, however, there is limited understanding of the factors that contribute to the gap. Emergency practitioners must make decisions in a busy and often chaotic environment that is prone to multiple interruptions and distractions. The challenge for consistent and quality care is also more pronounced in rural and some suburban areas where emergency care needs are similar but resources are limited. The purpose of this program of research is to identify factors relevant to knowledge exchange and utilization in rural and urban emergency departments with the aim of developing a Model for Knowledge Exchange and Utilization in Emergency Practice. A series of studies were carried out using a mixed method research design to further develop and describe 3 key dimensions (individual, context of practice, knowledge) which were identified through a review of the literature. Data was collected using surveys, participant observations and interviews with nurses and physicians working in rural and urban emergency departments in Nova Scotia. Triangulation of results across the studies contributed to developing a comprehensive and rigorous description of the 3 dimensions of interest.

This practicum examines how planners can exchange tacit knowledge about climate change adaptation, in order to create better communities and to further the profession. Two regions of British Columbia - the Lower Mainland and the Kootenay’s - provided case studies to determine if and how tacit knowledge was exchanged. These two regions are provincial leaders in climate change adaptation, yet their constituent communities are at different stages of adaptation. Through a literature review and case study analysis - featuring key informant interviews, the practicum demonstrates that tacit knowledge is indeed being exchanged within the regions, yet not as strongly between them. Recommendations are offered aiming to improve tacit knowledge exchange within the profession of planning – among planners and through their professional planning Institutes, and for such exchange to be better supported by planning education.

This practicum examines how planners can exchange tacit knowledge about climate change adaptation, in order to create better communities and to further the profession. Two regions of British Columbia - the Lower Mainland and the Kootenay’s - provided case studies to determine if and how tacit knowledge was exchanged. These two regions are provincial leaders in climate change adaptation, yet their constituent communities are at different stages of adaptation. Through a literature review and case study analysis - featuring key informant interviews, the practicum demonstrates that tacit knowledge is indeed being exchanged within the regions, yet not as strongly between them. Recommendations are offered aiming to improve tacit knowledge exchange within the profession of planning – among planners and through their professional planning Institutes, and for such exchange to be better supported by planning education.

Yes / Consultation is an important feature of research and, increasingly, researchers are required to work in partnership with stakeholders to increase the impact of their work. Our aim is to demonstrate what can be learned from the scholarship on, and practice of, member checking to facilitate productive knowledge exchange. Using dialogical analysis we explore three member check interactions from three different qualitative psychology projects focusing our analysis on difficult moments between researchers and participants conceptualised here as ‘sore spots’. We identify two major genres in these sequences: participant ambivalence and participant challenge. We then consider passages that allow us to explore a more theoretical understanding of these two genres in terms of the metaphor of portraits and mirrors. Overall, we outline how implicit epistemologies and theories of subjectivity (uncomplicated, blank, and complex) may be linked to the way in which stakeholders approach research. We also provide a map with regard to the theories within which member checks can be undertaken, associated research practices in terms of a range of researcher responses to stakeholder ambivalence and challenge, and implications of these moments for knowledge exchange for qualitative research but also for psychological science as a whole. We conclude that sore spots in knowledge exchange process can be productive opportunities of transformational validity.

Die wachsende Anzahl an Robotikanwendungen, in denen mehrere Roboter ein gemeinsames Ziel verfolgen, erfordert eine gesonderte Betrachtung der Interaktion zwischen diesen Robotern mit Bezug auf den damit entstehenden Datenaustausch. Dieser muss hierbei effizient betrieben werden und die Sicherheit des gesamt Systems gewährleisten. Diese Masterarbeit stellt eine Simulationsumgebung vor, welche anhand von Testszenarien und Austauschstrategien Roboterkonstellationen prüft und Messergebnisse ausliefert. Zu Beginn der Arbeit werden drei Datenaustauschverfahren betrachtet und anschließend Publikationen vorgestellt, in denen Datenaustausch betrieben wird und Simulatoren für die Nutzbarkeit der Simulationsumgebung untersucht. Die anschließenden Kapitel behandeln das Konzept und die Implementierung der Testumgebung erläutert, wobei Roboter aus einer Menge von Hardware Komponenten und Zielen beschrieben werden. Der Aufbau des Experiments umfasst die verschiedenen Umgebungen, Testszenarien und Roboterkonfiguration. Der Aufbau beschreibt die Grundlage für die Auswertung der Testergebnisse.

Knowledge is a crucial resource in modern business environments. The proper management of an organization’s internal knowledge assets can lead to a sustainable competitive advantage. Literature on knowledge management has identified a large number of factors that influence the transfer of knowledge within organizations. The purpose of this study is to investigate how internal knowledge assets are managed in the R&D department of a large company in the high-tech healthcare industry, what informal and formal organizational factors influence the transfer of knowledge, and to explore possible requirements and success factors for ICTs in knowledge transfer. A qualitative case study approach is adopted and semi-structured interviews with a total of ten members of the research and development departments are performed. A theoretical framework is used with elements from the knowledge-based view of the firm, dimensions of knowledge strategies, operational knowledge management practise, knowledge transformation models, and social exchange theory. The results of the empirical research show a knowledge-heavy company that engages in personalization, as well as codification strategies with the support of ICTs. Socialisation, combination, externalisation, and internalization are identified and related to the organization’s processes and practises. In addition, drivers, such as a friendly, cooperative atmosphere and the complexity of task, as well as deterrents of knowledge transfer, such as lack of time and weaknesses of ICTs, are identified. Interviewees identified several requirements for ICTs, above all low thresholds and the attainment of critical mass, as well as the demand for standardization and formalization. It was also found that employees are willing to document their knowledge in a technological knowledge management system if they can retrieve knowledge for themselves from the same system. This study provides a relevant example of knowledge management and transfer processes and practises, as well as influences on internal knowledge exchange.

This thesis presents a Constructivist Grounded Theory study that explores the impact that life science specific intermediaries have on knowledge exchange and commercialisation. Many of the life science intermediaries (LSIs) that operate to bridge the divide between industry and academia receive public funding, and many have come and gone. It is important for us to better understand the reasons behind this turnover and how we can develop LSIs that have staying power. The research explores what LSIs are and the different ways they can impact on knowledge exchange and commercialisation. The study engaged 22 different LSIs sites from the UK, Holland and France. These 22 different LSIs have been placed into five different Case intermediary models, moreover, 30 interviews were conducted, informal observations were collected and field notes also known as memos were taken throughout the research process. Through the use of Constructivist Grounded Theory five theoretical concepts emerged, these included the following: that a LSI needed to have commercialisation targets, those with KEC objectives embedded had more chance of gaining further funding, and they require sufficient time and that funding resources are adequate and they should employ staff from both academia and industry within the LSI. A theoretical framework model that can be used to help design and develop a high functioning LSI is presented. Discussions with policy decision makers and the expectations from a range of stakeholders feed into this framework model. The theory development adds to the knowledge on innovation intermediaries and in particular the sectoral systems of innovation (SSI) which allows for a more focused approach on innovation intermediaries from a single sector viewpoint. Furthermore, the study feeds into more recent research on the reason why intermediaries fail.

abstract: The purpose of this action research study was to examine how membership within a virtual community of practice impacted individual professional development, knowledge exchange practices, and self-efficacy. The G-3/5/7 virtual community of practice (VCoP) website was created to provide members with access to a wide range of career-related content, while also bestowing them with the level of volition needed to be completely in control of when and how they consume content. Feedback from early cycles of research suggested the pilot version of the VCoP wasn’t perceived as user-friendly and didn’t provide a broad range of professional development-related content. Thus, the layout of the VCoP was completely redesigned, and content offerings in the content repository and on website pages were broadened. This action research study is grounded in social cognitive theory, social cognitive career theory, and the community of practice framework. Reviewed literature includes studies pertaining to mutual engagement within social learning environments, facilitating professional development, sustaining communities of practice, and implementing virtual communities of practice. Participants in this study included a combination of Department of the Army civilian and military employees. Over the course of 14 weeks, these employees were invited to voluntarily join the G-3/5/7 VCoP and freely access and use the site for any reason they deemed necessary. At the end of the 14-week period, participants completed a questionnaire and participated in semi-structured interviews. The result of the study revealed members generally found the G-3/5/7 VCoP website to be user-friendly. They also believed the website could help them accomplish professional development goals, exchange knowledge with peers, and produce higher quality work more efficiently. The analysis of results includes discussion on the triangulation of quantitative and qualitative data and connects results to the literature that influenced this study. Also, lessons learned, study limitations, implications for practice, and recommendations for future action research are discussed. / Dissertation/Thesis / Doctoral Dissertation Leadership and Innovation 2019