Studies in recent years have revealed that use of ICT can significantly impact knowledge sharing in organizations by enhancing the knowledge sharing process, reducing knowledge sharing barriers, and introducing technology barriers. While this has been identified in many studies and a significant research has been carried out to identify knowledge sharing barriers, there exists a considerable dearth of research when the question of ‘which knowledge sharing barriers can ICT reduce and how?’ is posed. This thesis aims to address this question by studying the case of an organization using ICT for knowledge sharing. The study was carried out using questionnaire and interview findings and results showed that if ICT is effectively used, a number of knowledge sharing barriers - in addition to time and space barriers - can be successfully reduced. Organizational and individual knowledge sharing barriers saw most reduction by ICT while technology barriers did not see any reduction by use of ICT alone. This is in coherence with different studies that use of ICT for knowledge sharing introduces its own technology barriers. However the results show that if employees are tech-savvy and management considerably supports employee involvement in the process of design and deployment of ICT enabled knowledge sharing, technology barriers can also be greatly reduced and even entirely eliminated.

Companies learn through their employees. In this paper I make research into how knowledge transfer and learning occur at Metso Paper Karlstad AB, which is a partly project based organization. The result is that there are many factors that affect the knowledge transfer in a company. Knowledge transfer occurs mainly between individuals within the company, but also between departments and other actors outside the company. In the gaps between these actors, there is a risk that knowledge is not transferred, which is an obstacle to learning. A great deal of the knowledge transfer and the learning is carried out through individual’s own drive and motivation. I have found that individuals have different motives for transferring or not transferring knowledge. There are types of individuals that understand and act in the interest of the company but also those who act in their own interest, such as power or career. The willingness to transfer knowledge is also affected by the feeling of being secure, both as an individual but also in the employment. These aspects are presented in a model in the paper. There are also individuals that have resigned and do not have a specific interest neither for the company nor their own career, which is a more passive attitude. A mapping of these different types of individuals can help the company to choose the correct actions to be made, in purpose to increase the knowledge transfer. Some general activities that affect knowledge transfer are the understanding of the management of the importance of transferring knowledge and to work in long-term. It is important that the employees understand their role in the total process of the company, and also their role as bearer of knowledge. Increased interactions between departments and internal training sessions based on real competence gaps will most likely stimulate the transferring between departments. / Företag lär genom sina medarbetare. Med denna uppsats vill jag undersöka hur kunskapsöverföring och lärande sker hos Metso Paper Karlstad AB, en organisation med delvis projektbaserat arbetssätt. Resultatet av undersökningen är att det finns många faktorer som påverkar kunskapsöverföringen inom företag. Kunskapsöverföring sker mellan individer, mellan avdelningar och mellan övriga aktörer. I ”glappen” mellan alla dessa aktörer föreligger risk att kunskap inte överförs vilket således är hinder för lärande. Mycket av kunskapsöverföringen och lärandet sker idag utifrån individers egen drivkraft och motivation. Jag funnit att individer har olika motiv för att överföra kunskap eller att inte överföra. Det finns individer som förstår och agerar för företagets bästa men även de som agerar utifrån sina egna syften, vilket kan vara makt och karriär. Viljan att överföra kunskap påverkas även av hur trygg eller otrygg man känner sig i sin yrkesroll och i sin anställning. Därutöver tillkommer de individer som resignerat och inte intresserar sig vare sig för företagets bästa eller för egen vinning, de har en mera passiv hållning. Dessa faktorer presenteras i en modell i uppsatsen. En kartläggning av omfattningen av dessa olika typer av individer kan hjälpa företaget att välja rätt insatser för att öka kunskapsöverföringen. Några generella aktiviteter som påverkar kunskapsöverföring inom företag är ledningens förståelse av betydelsen att överföra kunskap och långsiktighet i arbetet. Det är även viktigt att medarbetarna förstår sin roll i företagets process men även sin roll som bärare av kunskap. Ökad interaktion mellan avdelningar och behovsanpassade interna utbildningar stimulerar sannolikt kunskapsöverföring mellan avdelningar.

Abstract   This study addresses the research gap on knowledge transfer on a team level, by examining the potential and realized Absorptive Capacity (ACAP) on the receiver's side and potential and realized Disseminative Capacity (DCAP) on the sender's side. The research question and purpose relate to how ACAP and DCAP can aid innovation development teams in reaching their goals and what role social integration mechanisms play in this process. We develop a theoretical framework in which we synthesize existing literature and through which we analyzed the empirical data.   We follow a qualitative method and employ a single case strategy that fits our empirical data and allows to gain an understanding of social dynamics underlying knowledge transfer. The data was collected through interviews in the R&D department of Atlas Copco, a large Swedish multinational corporation that operates in the mining and tunneling industry. From our analysis we conclude that social integration mechanisms can be used in order to lower the gap between potential and realized capacities. This can in turn lead to a higher innovative output of teams.

Over the last decades the topic of microfinance as a method to alleviate poverty has been debated to a large extent in the academic literature. In India, the method of Self-Help Groups (SHGs) is today widespread among Non-Governmental Organizations (NGOs) and has been proven to empower women economically and socially. Alongside, NGOs have increasingly directed their efforts towards more long-term development strategies, in which knowledge has gained a larger attention as a component to sustainable development. Even though literature from different research streams has confirmed that there is a need for effective knowledge transfer between NGOs to reach and empower the female end beneficiaries in the NGO-sector, few theoretical attempts have been made to understand the organizational dynamics behind knowledge transfer in an NGO-context. That is why we wished to further understand knowledge transfer in an NGO-context. Our purpose is to explore what it is that makes knowledge become transferred throughout an NGO-chain in order to reach the end beneficiaries. To answer the research question of what variables affect knowledge transfer throughout the actors in an NGO-chain and what factors determine these variables, a case study was conducted on an NGO-chain working towards SHGs in Uttarakhand, Northern India. Interviews have been conducted with leaders and staff of one foreign and one local NGO and two focus groups have been held with participants of SHGs. The findings show that several of the variables that research within knowledge management previously have found, including trust, communication, organizational culture and absorptive capacity, do have an influence on the transfer of knowledge throughout the NGO-chain. Furthermore, the variables networks, relationships, and organizational strategy were also shown to impact the outcome of the knowledge transfer. Moreover there are several factors in the intra-organizational and inter-organizational dynamics of the NGO-chain that determine whether each variable has an inhibiting or enabling effect on knowledge transfer.

Depuis quelques années déjà, la responsabilité de l’éducation à la citoyenneté est principalement confiée à l’enseignement de l’histoire dans le réseau scolaire québécois. Toutefois, aucune étude expérimentale n’a démontré que l’histoire était la matière la plus apte à éduquer à la citoyenneté. Cette recherche vise donc à savoir si les étudiants de niveau collégial transfèrent leurs connaissances historiques dans la résolution d’un problème d'actualité présentant une connotation historique. Le groupe cible de cette recherche est formé de vingt-cinq étudiants de Sciences humaines (ayant des cours d’histoire) et le groupe contrôle est constitué de vingt-cinq étudiants de Science de la nature (n’ayant pas de cours d’histoire). Durant des entrevues semi-dirigées d’une trentaine de minutes, les étudiants avaient à se prononcer sur une entente signée entre les Innus et les gouvernements fédéral et provincial. Une mise en situation leur était présentée préalablement. Il est ressorti peu de différences entre le groupe cible et le groupe contrôle. Ces deux effectifs considérés ensemble, le quart des répondants n’utilisait aucune connaissance historique. Surtout, la variable influençant le plus le transfert des connaissances historiques s’avère être le sexe. Parmi les répondants n’utilisant aucune connaissance historique, il n’y avait qu’un répondant de sexe masculin; et les seuls répondants à avoir utilisé les connaissances conditionnelles étaient tous de sexe masculin. C’est donc dire que le système scolaire québécois ne favoriserait pas suffisamment le transfert des connaissances historiques dans l’analyse de situations actuelles. / For the last few years, citizenship education in Quebec schools has been part of the history curriculum. However, this decision is not based on any experimental studies that would have shown history to be the topic best suited to the teaching of citizenship education. The objective of this research is to find out if college level students transfer their historical knowledge to use it in solving present day problems presenting an historical perspective. The target group of this research consists of twenty-five Social Science students (taking a history course) and the zero-group is made up of twenty-five Science students (not having a history course). During the semistructured thirty-minute interviews, students were asked to give their opinion on a treaty signed between the Innu and the two levels of government. A situation scenario was obviously presented to them beforehand. The outcome showed little difference between the target group and the zero-group. Moreover, when both groups were considered together, a quarter of respondents did not use any historical knowledge. Furthermore, the most influential variable in the transfer of historical knowledge proved to be gender. Amongst respondents using no historical knowledge, there was only one male respondent ; the respondents having used conditional knowledge were all males. It is to say that the Quebec school system does not foster the transfer of historical knowledge sufficiently in regard to the analysis of present day situations.

L’étude des pratiques de prévention en santé publique laisse voir que les innovations basées sur des données probantes ne sont pas toujours les plus utilisées (Ringwalt et al. 2002, Wandersman et Florin 2003). Dans la volonté de mettre de l’avant non seulement une innovation basée sur des données probantes, mais aussi une innovation réellement utile à la communauté que le Centre de liaison sur l’intervention et la prévention psychosociale (CLIPP) a mis sur pied en 2006 le programme de formation par agents multiplicateurs «Agir en milieu de garde» ayant pour principal objectif la prévention des mauvais traitements chez les jeunes enfants. La présente étude vise à décrire l’implantation de ce programme dans les services de garde en milieu familial du Québec et à examiner les processus qui ont influencé cette implantation. Les résultats exposent le niveau d’implantation sur deux plans : le dosage et la fidélité. L’étude des processus d’implantation permet de documenter l’influence sur le niveau d’implantation de quatre types de facteurs : individuels, organisationnels, communautaires et propres à l’innovation ainsi que l’influence des interactions entre ces différents facteurs. / The study of Public Health prevention practices suggests that evidence-based innovations are not always the most widely used (Ringwalt et al. 2002, Wandersman and Florin 2003). In 2006, in a strong desire to put forward not only an innovation based on evidence, but also an innovation really useful to the community, the Centre de liaison sur l’intervention et la prévention psychosociale (CLIPP) created “Agir en milieu de garde”, a trained-the-trainers program based whose primary objective was prevention of infant abuse. The present study’s goal is to describe the program’s implementation in home day care centers in Quebec and examine the processes that have an influence on this implementation. The results establish the level of implementation on two specific aspects : dosage and adherence. By studying implementation processes, the present study was able to document how the level of implementation is influenced by four different types of factors :individual, organizational, community and specific to innovation. This study also looked at how the interactions between these four types of factors can influence the implementation.

La santé publique n’échappe pas au courant actuel qui valorise le développement d’une culture de décision et d’action axée sur l’utilisation des données probantes. Des études qui portent sur les services de santé et les politiques publiques en lien avec les services de santé proposent diverses stratégies interactives entre les producteurs et les utilisateurs de connaissances pour favoriser le passage de la théorie vers la pratique. Dans ce contexte, une place importante est accordée aux activités de partage et d’utilisation des connaissances (PUC) au sein des organisations de santé. Or, la mise en œuvre de ces stratégies est peu documentée dans le cadre particulier de la pratique de la santé publique. Pour dégager les processus qui œuvrent au cœur du phénomène dans la pratique de la santé publique sur le territoire montréalais, des cadres au niveau de la direction régionale ont été interrogés sur leurs expériences et leurs perceptions relatives aux activités de PUC. L’analyse du corpus par théorisation ancrée a permis l’émergence de certains concepts clés qui ont été intégrés de manière à formuler une théorie substantive du partage et de l’utilisation des connaissances. La synergie entre le savoir, le savoir-faire et le savoir être se traduit par un savoir agir complexe des acteurs et des organisations qui implique avant tout un climat propice à la collaboration. L’importance accordée à la dimension relationnelle au cœur des activités de PUC témoigne de la volonté de mettre en place des structures collaboratives et de s’éloigner graduellement d’une gestion hiérarchique des savoirs dans la pratique de la santé publique à Montréal. Cette analyse démontre que les défis relatifs à la mise en œuvre d’activités de PUC dépassent les préoccupations reliées aux étapes du processus de transfert des connaissances tel que présenté par la plupart des modèles conceptuels traditionnels. / In recent decades, the gap between research and practice has been underscored in the public health literature. Although there has been increased emphasis on evidence-based interventions and decision-making, little is known about the successful translation of knowledge into action. Currently, health services and public policy researchers rely on strategies that involve two-way exchange between research users and knowledge producers, but their effectiveness is rarely measured. Accordingly, health organisations hold a variety of knowledge transfer and exchange (KTE) activities to better bridge the gap between evidence and practice. The primary aim of the present study was to describe the KTE processes used within public health practices on the Island of Montreal. Managers at the regional level were interviewed on their experience and perceptions of KTE activities. A grounded theory analysis was performed on the transcribed semi-structured interviews. The formulation of a substantive theory of KTE was produced through the integration of emerging concepts. Results show that there can exist a synergy between “knowledge”, “knowing how to do” and “knowing how to be” which can be defined as a “complex knowing how to act” within the practice of public health. A prerequisite to linking these skills and initiating KTE activities is a collaborative climate involving a strong relational component. Within this framework, challenges must be conceptualised differently than they usually are in traditional conceptual models. Beyond the strategies chosen, a better understanding of human relations is definitely a key to making effective translation from research to practice.

Mémoire numérisé par la Division de la gestion de documents et des archives de l'Université de Montréal

Syfte:                           Syftet är att analysera intermediärens funktion i en svensk kontext för att öka kunskapen kring vilka roller en intermediär kan tillskrivas och varför de existerar. Syftet är vidare att analysera huruvida ett förtroende gentemot intermediären förelåg och vad detta förtroende baserades på. Detta för att skapa ett bidrag till befintlig forskning och öka kunskapen kring förtroendeskapande gentemot intermediärer.     Metod: Fallstudie av Stiftelsen Flemingsberg Science och dess projekt Kraftcentrum Flemingsberg. Semi-strukturerade intervjuer med respondenter vilka varit involverade i projekt drivna av Kraftcentrum Flemingsberg.   Teori Transaktionskostnadsteori, strukturella hål, kunskapsöverföring, medling och förtroende.                                  Slutsatser                  Intermediärerna fyllde en funktion utöver de traditionella ”brokering” och ”knowledge brokering” funktionerna genom att de även fungerade som operativa projektledare och stöd. Förtroende existerade i ett tidigt stadie och baserades på intermediärens kompetens och meriter.  Vidare baserades förtroendet även på organisationen vilken intermediären representerade och förmedlades genom, där organisationens finansiär och syfte även var betydelsefullt.

The Canadian population is aging, as is the Canadian workforce. Today, four generations find themselves cohabiting in the workforce together. This may have an impact on workplace collaboration and communication, as both of these processes are influenced by group perceptions. Academic research has focused upon workplace interactions mainly from a younger worker’s perspective; hence, the older worker’s voice has been overlooked. The objective of this study is thereby from an older worker’s perspective, to understand how generations perceive each other in the workplace, and further, understand how these perceptions influence intergenerational communication and collaboration. To do so, we have relied upon Communication Accommodation Theory and Social Identity Theory, and have conducted a survey to measure the influence of ageist stereotypes on communication and its accommodation, in addition to such influences on knowledge transfer. Theoretical and practical implications are discussed.