These approaches have little relevance for executives contending with the day-to-day reality of running a company. Knowledge management is complex and multifaceted; it encompasses everything the organization does to make knowledge available to the business, such as embedding key information in systems and processes, applying incentives to motivate employees and forging alliances to infuse the business with new knowledge. Effective knowledge management requires a combination of many organizational elements--technology, human resource practices, organizational structure and culture--in order to ensure that the right knowledge is brought to bear at the right time. Knowledge management is still a relatively young field, with new concepts emerging constantly. Often, it is portrayed simplistically; discussions typically revolve around blanket principles that are intended to work across the organization. The aim of my diploma paper is to introduce knowledge workers management in well known and successful international organization, The Boston Consulting Group (BCG), that has been present in Czech Republic since 1990's. Knowledge workers management in BCG is described in context OF global economy situation, in which knowledge and knowledge workers play significant role. Knowledge kept in employees' brains is an intangible asset of every company, especially consulting company. Very often, the knowledge holders are not aware of the fact that their knowledge is important to the company and crucial to its Access. From the company point of view, it is necessary to recognize the key knowledge holder, to manage them and to try ensuring the working environment that enable easy knowledge sparing. From the BCG example, we can see that knowledge management is well established HR process, which manages hiring, retaining and developing relationships with alumni. Key issue is to motivate knowledge workers to share their knowledge, to develop the right environment and grant the right tools.

Knowledge workers are no longer limited to only one employer for a lifetime, but they have “boundary-less” careers, they proactively, consciously and independently build their careers by accumulating the relevant knowledge and skills that will propel their employability in the market. This makes it easy for knowledge workers to move from one job to the next and become independent of a single employer. It is difficult for employers to retain knowledge workers given the high levels of mobility and increased competition for their skills, but the retention of their knowledge is critical. Given this, technical succession planning appears to be highly relevant in the new world of work. It is defined by Rothwell (2010), as a form of succession planning that focuses on retaining organisational and professional knowledge to be used by the organisation in the future. It also refers to the transfer of knowledge from more to less experienced workers. This research aimed to explore factors that impact knowledge sharing amongst knowledge workers and knowledge retention. The results showed that; consultants which are the knowledge workers that were considered for this study, engage in knowledge sharing out of autonomous motivation, the multigenerational make up of knowledge organisations does not negatively impact knowledge sharing, knowledge workers do not hoard their knowledge because they fear that they will lose the power that comes with holding that knowledge and the national and brand prestige of knowledge organisations fosters employee commitment, but it is short term commitment. The outcomes of this research highlight factors for consideration by knowledge organisations and experts when developing knowledge sharing and retention strategies. / Dissertation (MBA)--University of Pretoria, 2013. / zkgibs2014 / Gordon Institute of Business Science (GIBS) / MBA / Unrestricted

There have been several debates about the value of an MBA. Proponents of the MBA believe that the MBA contributes greatly to the development of general managers, while critics argue that the MBA course is disconnected from reality and does not equip graduates with the skills required to navigate managerial roles. Against this backdrop, the research aimed to establish which career capital components are accumulated through the MBA and what aspect of the MBA contribute to the accumulation of career capital.The research was conducted in two phases. The first phase of the research was qualitative and comprised ten semi-structured interviews with various stakeholders. The first phase aimed to establish the career capital components that are accumulated through the MBA and the aspects of the MBA that contribute to the accumulation of career capital. The constructs identified in phase one, together with those identified in the literature, were then used as inputs in the design of a self-administered questionnaire distributed in phase two. The questionnaire was sent to a total of 1 129 MBA graduates out of whom 205 completed the questionnaire.The career capital components that are developed through the MBA were identified, as well as the aspects of the MBA that contribute the most to accumulating career capital. The top career capital component identified was the ability to work under pressure. The aspect of the MBA that contributes the most to career capital accumulation was the case study method. Furthermore, the career capital components for which there were significant differences between males and females, as well as between those who completed their studies recently and those who completed them some time ago were also identified. The study found that there were no significant differences in perceived career capital between those who had different types of roles prior to embarking on the MBA. A model that encapsulates the key findings was also developed. / Dissertation (MBA)--University of Pretoria, 2012. / Gordon Institute of Business Science (GIBS) / unrestricted

Knowledge workers (KW), as important individual agents who embody, exchange, create and exploit knowledge, contribute to regional competitiveness and growth. To attract and retain them in a region, it is necessary to have a better understanding of their fundamental spatially-related behaviors including residence, workplace, and commute choices. In this study, we depart from a perspective of knowledge typology (analytical-synthetic-symbolic knowledge base) to investigate the heterogeneity of knowledge workers' residence, workplace, and commute choices. The case study was conducted in the metropolitan region of Munich. Various types of data are integrated: structural statistical and individually-based web-survey data; individuals' actual choices and their assessment of importance for each criterion; positional and relational data. We find that symbolic Advanced-Producer-Services (APS) workers tend to reside in central areas and use public transport or active modes to commute. In contrast, synthetic high-tech workers are found in relatively peripheral areas and depend more on cars to reach their workplaces. The spatially-related choices of analytical high-tech and synthetic-APS workers are positioned in between symbolic APS-workers and synthetic high-tech workers. We reach three conclusions: Firstly, the features of the knowledge base are evident in the spatial choices of knowledge workers. Secondly, there is a consistency of characteristics between interrelated spaces surrounding residence, workplace, as well as along the commute path of knowledge workers. Lastly, while the influence of the knowledge base has to be weighed against socio-demographic factors, different groups of knowledge workers clearly display distinct choices of residential location and commute mode. These conclusions may provide insights for urban planners and policy-makers regarding the attraction and retention of knowledge workers.

As the workplace becomes increasingly digital, tasks have shifted from being physically demanding to instead digitally processing knowledge and information. Employees are therefore regarded as knowledge workers and for them to succeed in the digital workplace, they place high demands on IT systems that encourage communication, collaboration and document management. To meet the knowledge workers needs, it has become increasingly common to implement collaboration platforms. However, organizations often implement collaboration platforms without further thought about how they should be used. At the same time, there is no knowledge of previous research that shows what factors make employees use collaboration platforms. The purpose of the thesis is therefore to investigate which factors lead to IT accustomed knowledge workers in the IT consulting industry using the collaboration platform in the digital workplace. By examining knowledge workers' perceptions of their use, we hope to be able to find answers to the factors that contribute to the use of collaboration platforms. The thesis applies a qualitative approach through semi-structured interviews on ten IT accustomed knowledge workers divided into two organizations in the IT consulting industry. To consider socio-technical aspects of use, empiricism has been analyzed with a conceptual model that integrates Theory of planned behavior and Technology acceptance model. Our results show that attitude, subjective norm, perceived behavioral control, perceived usefulness and perceived ease-of-use play an influential role in the use of collaboration platforms. At the same time, subjective norms and perceived usefulness are proposed to be the factors that have the strongest impact on use. / I takt med digitaliseringen av arbetsplatsen har arbetsuppgifter övergått till att istället digitalt bearbeta kunskap och information. Anställda betraktas därför som kunskapsarbetare och för att de ska lyckas i sitt arbete ställer de höga krav på IT-system som uppmuntrar kommunikation, samarbete och dokumenthantering. För att tillgodose detta behov har det blivit allt vanligare att implementera samarbetsplattformar. Organisationer implementerar ofta samarbetsplattformar utan vidare eftertanke kring hur de ska användas. Samtidigt finns det ingen kännedom om tidigare forskning som visar vilka faktorer som får anställda att använda samarbetsplattformar. Syftet med uppsatsen är därför att undersöka vilka faktorer som leder till att IT-vana kunskapsarbetare inom IT-konsultbranschen använder samarbetsplattformen inom den digitala arbetsplatsen. Genom att undersöka kunskapsarbetares uppfattning om deras användande hoppas vi kunna finna svar på vilka faktorer som bidrar till användande av samarbetsplattformar. Uppsatsen tillämpar kvalitativa semistrukturerade intervjuer på tio IT-vana kunskapsarbetare uppdelat på två organisationer inom IT-konsultbranschen. För att ta hänsyn till socio-tekniska aspekter vid användande har empirin analyserats med en konceptuell modell som integrerat Theory of planned behavior och Technology acceptance model. Våra resultat visar att attityd, subjektiva normen, upplevd beteendekontroll, upplevd användbarhet och upplevd användarvänlighet har en påverkande roll för användandet av samarbetsplattformar. Samtidigt föreslås subjektiva normer och upplevd användbarhet vara de faktorer som har starkast påverkan på användande.

The objectives of the study were to determine the relationship between the demographic variables, work-life balance (as measured by the Survey Work-Home Interaction - Nijmegen), job satisfaction (as measured by the Minnesota Satisfaction Questionnaire) and turnover intention (as measured by the Turnover Intention Scale); to determine whether the demographic variables and work-life balance significantly predict job satisfaction and turnover intention; and to determine the differences between biographical groups. A quantitative cross-sectional survey research design was applied to a stratified random sample of 79 employees in a South African IT company. Descriptive statistics, correlations, independent t-tests and regressions were used to analyse the data. Analysis revealed that job satisfaction has a significant negative relationship with turnover intention. Furthermore, the work-home interface sub-dimensions of work-life balance have both a positive and negative relationship with job satisfaction and turnover intention. There are significant differences between the various biographical groups. / Industrial and Organisational Psychology

The objectives of the study were to determine the relationship between the demographic variables, work-life balance (as measured by the Survey Work-Home Interaction - Nijmegen), job satisfaction (as measured by the Minnesota Satisfaction Questionnaire) and turnover intention (as measured by the Turnover Intention Scale); to determine whether the demographic variables and work-life balance significantly predict job satisfaction and turnover intention; and to determine the differences between biographical groups. A quantitative cross-sectional survey research design was applied to a stratified random sample of 79 employees in a South African IT company. Descriptive statistics, correlations, independent t-tests and regressions were used to analyse the data. Analysis revealed that job satisfaction has a significant negative relationship with turnover intention. Furthermore, the work-home interface sub-dimensions of work-life balance have both a positive and negative relationship with job satisfaction and turnover intention. There are significant differences between the various biographical groups. / Industrial and Organisational Psychology

<p>Background: Recruitment and development of employees is a large burden for companies in most industries. Because of this, there is a clear organizational imperative to attract and retain knowledge workers since these constitute an important resource, especially for knowledge intensive organizations. A decisive factor for success is thus to retain and develop this vital resource in order to upgrade and sustain competitive advantage. </p><p>Purpose: The purpose of this thesis is to investigate what internal determinants and structures might be needed for knowledge intensive organizations to ensure their long-term provision of key human resources. </p><p>Practical Approach: In total ten interviews, with interviewees at different levels in the organization, have been conducted. Furthermore, other forms of secondary empirical material of both qualitative and quantitative character have been used. </p><p>Results: It is important for an organization to attempt to create a consistent and durable identity in order to influence the image held by its different stakeholders. We have found that researchers seem to value working in interesting projects. This argument coincides with the conviction that researchers are actually more committed to interesting research than to the employing organization.</p>

Background: Recruitment and development of employees is a large burden for companies in most industries. Because of this, there is a clear organizational imperative to attract and retain knowledge workers since these constitute an important resource, especially for knowledge intensive organizations. A decisive factor for success is thus to retain and develop this vital resource in order to upgrade and sustain competitive advantage. Purpose: The purpose of this thesis is to investigate what internal determinants and structures might be needed for knowledge intensive organizations to ensure their long-term provision of key human resources. Practical Approach: In total ten interviews, with interviewees at different levels in the organization, have been conducted. Furthermore, other forms of secondary empirical material of both qualitative and quantitative character have been used. Results: It is important for an organization to attempt to create a consistent and durable identity in order to influence the image held by its different stakeholders. We have found that researchers seem to value working in interesting projects. This argument coincides with the conviction that researchers are actually more committed to interesting research than to the employing organization.

Bakgrund: Användningen av teknikkonsulter inom svensk industri har ökat kraftigt under 2000-talet. Trots detta finns det en brist i forskningen gällande vilka anledningar som ligger bakom och vilka konsekvenser som kan följa av användningen av teknikkonsulter. Vidare finns det teoretiska indikationer på att teknikkonsulter inte är tillräckligt integrerade för att skapa den helhetsförståelse och vilja att kommunicera över avdelningsgränser som krävs i produktutvecklingen inom stora svenska industriföretag. Denna problematik har legat till grund för studiens syfte. Syfte: Studiens syfte är att utreda vilka motiv och behov som ligger bakom ett svenskt industriföretags nyttjande av extern kunskap i form av teknikkonsulter samt vilka konsekvenser som användningen av teknikkonsulter kan medföra för företagets tvärfunktionella arbete. Definitioner: Teknikkonsulter är olika typer av ingenjörer som hyrs ut företag för att arbeta tillsammans med de fastanställda inom framförallt produktutveckling. Genomförande: En fallstudie har utförts på två sektioner inom Scania R&amp;D. Två representanter på chefsnivå inom varje sektion har intervjuats. Resultat: Studien har identifierat två motiv och fyra behov som är betydelsefulla för inhyrningen av teknikkonsulter i svenska industriföretag. De motiv som studien har funnit är rörlighet samt inflöde och utflöde av resurser. De fyra behov som har identifierats är; numerisk flexibilitet, snabb förstärkning samt kortsiktiga respektive långsiktiga resurser. Vidare visar studien att resultaten av tvärfunktionell produktutveckling inom stora svenska industriföretag påverkas negativt av en hög andel teknikkonsulter eftersom teknikkonsulter inte innehar en helhetsförståelse för företaget. / Background: The use of technical consultants in the Swedish industrial sector has increased heavily during the 21th century. In spite of this increase, there is a shortage of research regarding the reasons for, and which consequences that can follow from the use of technical consultants. Furthermore, there are theoretical indications that these consultants are not fully integrated to the degree that they can create an overall understanding and will to communicate across departments, which is necessary for the product development in big Swedish industrial enterprises. This problem is the basis for the aim of the study. Aim: The aim of the study is to investigate which motives and needs that lie behind the the use of external knowledge in the form of technical consultants in Swedish industrial enterprises and which consequences that the use of technical consultants can bring to the cross-functional work of companies. Completion: A case study has been conducted at two sections within Scania R&amp;D. Two representatives on a managerial level from each section have been interviewed. Results: The study has identified two motives and four needs as significant for the use of technical consultants in Swedish industrial enterprises. The identified motives are mobility as well as inflow and outflow of resources. The four identified needs are; a numerical flexibility, rapid reinforcement as well as a short and long term resources. Furthermore, the study shows that the results of cross-functional product development within large Swedish industrial enterprises are negatively affected by a large share of technical consultants since they do not possess an overall understanding of the company. Key words: Technical consultant, cross-functional, contingent knowledge workers, flexible staffing arrangements, absorptive capacity.