Being innovative allows organizations to be part of the rapid competitive and environmental shifts and requires the development of knowledge as it builds the pathway of innovation. Since most companies find it troublesome to effectively utilize their existing knowledge towards innovations and literature lacks to offer solutions, this study aims to determine factors that contribute to an enhancement of the spiral of knowledge as well as to develop a concept that provides counselling for business and academia on how to overcome this issue. Therefore, this study contributes with new insights to the field of research in knowledge management and innovation management as well as to organizations with a concept on how to operationalize knowledge management towards innovation. Based on literature review on innovation management, knowledge management and organizational agility, a hypothesis was established that claimed that agile feedback loops at the spiral of knowledge would facilitate the utilization of knowledge management towards innovation. Expert interviews allowed the identification of factors that are relevant for tapping the potential of knowledge towards innovation. The analysis of their responses disclosed a common request to include feedback during the knowledge transformation but also revealed that design thinking and an innovative organizational culture are further relevant factors. Thus, the study postulates a concept that refines the spiral of knowledge to the ‘spiral of knowledge and innovation’, which extents the ‘spiral of knowledge’ with agile feedback loops, design thinking as well as an innovative organizational culture.

The purpose of this study was to explore the characteristics of school culture that influenced college-going rates for high school graduates in northeast Tennessee. The study involved one-toone interviews with selected high school teachers and principals. Six high schools in northeast Tennessee were used in the study. The significance of this study was to generate a grounded theory that could be used to explain the characteristics of school cultures that were effective in supporting students' college-going rates. This knowledge could be used to inform high school principals, school boards, state legislatures and other government bodies, and colleges and universities. Findings in this study indicated that effective schools needed to establish a school culture that exhibited 5 major characteristics. These major characteristics helped schools improve students' performance, they helped improve students attendance rate and reduced students' drop-out rate, and they improved student college-going rate. The 5 characteristics were: (a) communicating high expectations to all stakeholders, (b) building a strong learning community, (c) promoting positive partnership with parents in the education of their children, (d) establishing partnership with local industries, colleges, and universities, and (e) focusing on students' ownership of their learning, students' performance, and students' continuation to higher education. The conclusion made from this study was that communicating high expectations for stakeholders needed to be combined with support for stakeholders, especially for teachers and students, in order to maximize their potential to achieve high goals. Successful schools also needed to establish knowledge base for a community of learners. The learning community would encompass those areas that made the most impact on students' learning. These were: (1) knowledge supporting growth for the corporate faculty, (2) knowledge supporting growth and orientation of new teachers, and (3) knowledge supporting positive partnership with parents in the education of their children. Parental involvement in the education of their children played a major role in improving students' attendance rate; reducing the drop-out rate, and supporting students' college-going rates.

Syftet med denna studie är att bidra med kunskap om rektors föreställningar av det pedagogiska ledarskapet i relation till lärares lärande, att bidra med svar på hur rektor ser på sitt ansvar för lärares lärande. Sex rektorer har intervjuats med hjälp av metoden föreställningskarta och det empiriska materialet består av utsagor som kodats och kategoriserats till teman. Resultatbeskrivningen är empirinära och som läsare får du möta rektors föreställningar genom deras utsagor. En deskriptiv berättelse har vävts samman med hjälp av rektorernas utsagor för att på så sätt beskriva rektorers gemensamma föreställning om att leda lärares lärande. Det empiriska materialet visar att rektors föreställning om det pedagogiska ledarskapet i relation till lärares lärande handlar om att kartlägga för lärande, att organisera för lärande, att leda lärande samt om lärande. Dessa delar står i relation till varandra och bildar tillsammans en helhet, ett system för lärande. Utgångspunkt för lärandet är skolans nuläge och lärares erfarenheter och kunskaper ligger till grund för det gemensamma sökandet efter ett önskat läge. Systemteori och lärande organisationsperspektivet används därför för att förstå och tolka resultatet. Analysen visar att rektors pedagogiska ledarskap i relation till lärares lärande kan beskrivas som ett lärandeinriktat ledarskap / The purpose of this study is to contribute knowledge about principals´ conceptions of their pedagogical leadership in relation to teachers´ learning, to seek the answer to how principals look at their responsibility when it comes to teachers´ learning. Six principals have been interviewed using the cognitive maps as the interview method and the empirical material consist of statements that have been coded and categorized into themes. The description of the results is empirical and as a reader you meet the principals´ conceptions through their statements. A descriptive story has been put together by the statements to describe the principals´ collective conception of teachers´ learning. The empirical material shows that the principals´ conception of the pedagogical leadership in relation to teachers´ learning is about mapping for learning, organizing for learning, to lead learning and learning. These parts are in relation to each other and together they form a whole, a system for learning. The starting point for learning is the current state of the organization and the teachers´ experiences and knowledge is the foundation for the common search for next practice.  Systems theory and the learning organizational perspective have been used to understand and interpret the results. The analysis shows that the principals´ leadership in relation to the teachers´ learning can be described as a learning-based leadership.

Ostlänken är en del av den enskilt största investeringen för svensk infrastruktur i modern tid, en ny dubbelspårig höghastighetsjärnväg mellan Järna och Linköping. Den kommer tillföra ny kapacitet i järnvägssystemet och frigöra belastning på befintliga banor och på det sättet förstora regionen. Swecos uppgift är att leverera en tids- och ekonomiskt effektiv lösning som samtidigt är både säker, miljömässigt- och socialt hållbar. I det arbetet är Swecos organisation indelad i bland annat de tre blocken plan, miljö och teknik som vart och ett är ansvariga för att utveckla järnvägsplan, miljökonsekvensbeskrivning respektive systemhandlingar. Syftet med studien är att undersöka hur kommunikationen och kunskapsutbytet mellan kompetensområdena som ingår under blocken miljö och teknik upplevs och förs i praktiken. Ett vidare syfte är att sätta studiens resultat i relation till Swecos interna projektmål och styrdokument för kommunikation och erfarenhetsåterföring, för att vidare kunna synliggöra styrkor och förbättringsområden vad avser kommunikationen inom uppdraget Ostlänken. Insamlat material från enkätundersökning, intervjuer och fokussamtal har sammanställts med hjälp av en tematisk analys. Resultatet visade att användningen av kommunikationsmedel varierar inom uppdraget. Många upplever ett stort informationsflöde, bland annat i form av många möten. Det finns ett upplevt kunskapsglapp både mellan blocken, men också mellan de olika teknikområdena där det ibland är svårt att se varandras behov och förutsättningar. Med stöd av teorier inom det organisationspedagogiska området, visar studien vikten av att ta ansvar för det egna lärandet i form av aktivt lyssnande och reflektion över sina egna referensramar i förhållande till andras. Men också för andras lärande i form av hur man väljer att uttrycka sig och dela med sig av relevant information. Några av de områden som skulle kunna gynna organisationens utveckling är tydliga och detaljerade mötesagendor, mentorskap för att orientera nyanställda i uppdraget och främja kunskapsåterföring, återkommande tillfällen för reflektion kring arbetsgången samt arbete för att frångå invanda mönster gällande samtalsutrymme. Studien visar vidare att uppfyllelsen av den målbild som anläggningen har, kräver en strävan hos varje individ att bli expert på själva uppdraget samt att varje teknikområde får ta plats i beslutsprocesser. Genom att inte betrakta lärande som en naturlig del av arbetsgången, utan enbart sträva efter framfart i form av produktivitet, finns det på längre sikt risk för att detta sker på bekostnad av organisationens utveckling. / The project Ostlänken is part of the single largest investment for Swedish infrastructure in modern times, a new double track high-speed railway between Järna and Linköping. It will provide new capacity to the railway system and off load existing traffic and thus enlarge the region. Sweco's task is to deliver a time- and economically efficient solution that is both secure, environmentally- and socially sustainable. To achieve this, Sweco's organization is divided into the three areas plan, environment and technology. Each of which is responsible for developing railway plans, environmental impact assessment and system documents. The purpose of the study is to analyze how communication and knowledge exchange between the areas environment and technology are experienced and put into practice. A further aim is to put the results of the study in relation to Sweco's internal project- and control documents for communication and knowledge and experience transfer, in order to further visualize strengths and improvement areas in terms of communication within the assignment Ostlänken. Collected material from a questionnaire survey, interviews and focus discussions has been compiled using a thematic analysis. The results showed that the use of communication means varies within the assignment. Many people experience a large flow of information, partly as a result of the high meeting frequency. There is an experienced knowledge gap between the main areas, but also between the different technical areas of expertise where it is sometimes hard to see each other's needs and prerequisites. Based on theories from organizational pedagogy, the study shows the importance of taking responsibility for the individual learning in the forms of active listening and reflection on ones frame of reference and how it relates to others. But also the importance of taking responsibility for others' learning in terms of how to express one self and sharing relevant information. Some of the areas that could benefit the organization's development are clear and detailed meeting agendas, mentoring to orient new employees in the project, recurrent opportunities for reflection on the workflow and continuous work to make sure that the word is evenly distributed at meetings. The study further shows that to fulfill the overall project objectives, individual endeavor is required in order to become an expert in the project itself, and also that each area of expertise may take place in decision-making processes. By not considering learning as a natural part of the workflow, but merely striving for progress in terms of productivity, there is a risk that this will happen at the expense of the organization's development in the longer term.

<p>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.</p><p>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.</p> / <p>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.</p><p>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.</p>

成功的企業要有能力隨時依經營環境的變遷，來調整公司的經營方針和策略，才不會因時代進步而面臨被淘汰的危機。企業面臨的競爭壓力也是與日俱增，現在企業面臨的，是全世界的挑戰，仍一味採用過去的思考模式經營，可能會因為進步緩慢而難以因應快速變遷的市場。企業領導人應環境變遷導引組織內變革應用到企業內各個單位，每次的改變必須有一定的學理或實務作參考依據，才不會失去了前進的方向，因為錯誤的改變可能會引導企業走向結束營業的危機。 本研究針對6 Sigma理論基礎先行探討，了解其活動之特性；而對推動的領導者風格及相關管理工具運用，除深入研究運作的理論基礎外，也檢討以策略為基礎組織規劃推論，以為完整企業成功變革之理論基礎與最佳實務之參考。 針對在學術文獻回顧中發現的可議論點，本研究也由中外企業個案公司全球策略執行時提出延伸或不同的看法，從個案研究歸納出以六標準差成功變革企業成功經驗，以增進學術論文論點的完整性及實證性。 最後，以六標準差策略活動的推動對組織帶來最大化的效益，做為後續學術研究者，或任何企業追求最佳標竿實務的參考。 / Great emphasis is placed upon the complexity and turbulence of the business contexts within today’s managers need to manage changes and align their corporate strategy and policy deployment in a bid for sustainable future. The challenge of global competition, increasingly in its very velocity, paves the way in which any of the businesses must transcend the preconceived legacy system where the change occurs. Visionary leaders usually trigger each change management initiative throughout their hierarchical organization reforms by which applicable management foundations or practices are adapted to new situations. It prevents any business, only through systematically structured change management, from bogging down into the unrecoverable crisis situation, but rather realize their systematically determined patterns of business growth or faster adaptation. This research explores the framework wherein Six Sigma theories and practices are set on the foundation around which the relevant management philosophy and tools are discussed. It is deemed as the most critical factor in which top management leaderships are heavily related to the business performance result and the extent of business excellence achievement. Built upon the debatable issues of management theorems in the literature review, a number of business propositions are made from which we conclude both the foreign and domestic case companies in this research, in anticipation for constructing a best-fit organization change by virtue of Six Sigma way in a more comprehensive and empirical approach. Last but not the least, the benefits result from Six Sigma management execution are presented in the concluding chapter, by which it will set the examples of the best practices for followers and practitioners in pursuit for Six Sigma philosophy.

本研究旨在探究學習型組織理論在地方政府實施的各項問題，包括地方政府的特質對於發展學習型組織的影響、障礙與啟示，地方政府發展學習型組織的策略與評估、學習型組織相關理論對於地方政府發展學習型組織的啟示等。研究者透過親自參與協助個案發展學習型組織，並以本身職務之便採用文獻探討、問卷調查、訪談及觀察等四種研究方法，針對個案在縣長的親自參與與領導發展學習型組織的過程與階段性成果，做質性與量化並用的研究。 本研究發現領導者的重視與親自參與否是地方政府發展學習型組織的關鍵，而對於學習型組織的意義、策略與評量之了解與妥適靈活運用，更是發展學習型組織的重點。同時本研究亦發現地方政府必須具備必要之基本條件才能實施發展學習型組織；並輔以充分條件，始能讓發展學習型組織發揮得更加完美。而為一般組織成員所最感困擾的發展學習型組織之障礙「沒有時間」，其實是可以克服的，關鍵在於組織的團隊行動學習是否能夠落實施行。 至於地方政府發展學習型組織的另一個難處「成效評估」，本研究發現採用觀察與訪談結果交互比對的方式，其效果遠比問卷調查的結果來得真實可靠。 地方政府發展學習型組織的藝術在於與施政策略的融合，透過學習型組織理論與其他妥適之領導與管理理論的靈活應用，讓地方政府發展學習型組織形成一種自然的組織運作方式，則是成熟的學習型組織。 / The purpose of this study was to explore the problems were faced by the local government when it adopted and implemented learning organization theory. These problems included the influences, obstacles and inspirations of the characteristics of the local government when it developed learning organization; the strategies and assessments of developing learning organization by the local government; the inspirations of related leaning organization theories for local government to develop learning organization. There were four research methods were adopted in this study: document analysis, questionnaire, interview and observation. Both of quantitative and qualitative data were collected by this study. The researcher was through his participation and helping the governor to develop learning organization in Pingtung County government to collect the data. The focus of this study were the processes of participation and leadership of the governor in developing learning organization and results of the first stage of developing learning organization. The study found that both of emphasis and participation by the local government leader was the critical point of the success of developing learning organization. The understanding of the meaning, strategies, and assessments of learning organization and implemented them appropriately with good flexibility were the key point of developing learning organization. In the mean time, the study found that the local government must owned some fundamental conditions in order to develop learning organization. A perfect operation of learning organization was assisted by full conditions of the local government. “There was no time” was the main obstacle perceived by the members of the organization when developing learning organization. Actually, it could be overcome if the implementation of the team action learning of the organization was put into effect. Another difficulty for the local government to develop learning organization was ” the assessment of the effect.” This study found if we adopted the results from observation and interview and checked them mutually. It could be obtained a more reliable result than the questionnaire. The art of the local government to develop a successful learning organization was to integrate with the strategies of administration. A mature leaning organization was the learning organization operated naturally in a daily-based. The local government must combined the theories of leaning organization, leadership and management and implemented them appropriately with good flexibility to develop a successful learning organization.

The diploma thesis is focused on the project-based learning. Specifically, it deals with the possibility to utilize the project-based learning within eTwinning for teaching students of educational fields at high school. The goal of the work was a theoretical analysis of the problem as well as a prototype of a project which focuses on pre-school and extra curricular education. The methodology used in this work is based on the participatory-action research. First, a form-based survey was conducted to find out conditions and suggestions about the structure of a project within eTwining. The survey respondents were teachers of pedagogy and educational fields. Next, the researcher, author of the thesis, prototyped a project that was consequently reviewed by three teachers out of the survey respondents. Also, these teachers were interviewed for their opinions about the project prototype as well as about utilizing the project-based learning within eTwinning when teaching students of pedagody and its fields at high schools. The result of the research showed that high schools teaching fields of pedagody would have only minor issues with the project-based learning within eTwinning. Moreover, it was found out that teachers percieve the activity of eTwinning as benefitial for the education of future pedagogues. Powered...

TITLE: Learning Organization in House of Children and Youth Conditions in Prague (region Prague) AUTHOR: Bc. Ján Rybárik DEPARTMENT: English language department / Centrum of the School Management SUPERVISOR: PhDr. Václav Trojan, Ph.D. ABSTRACT: The thesis deals with the application of the theory of learning organization in terms of school facilities for leisure education - Houses of children and youth in Prague. Author builds on the thesis of 2009 which dealt with the similar theme of the Houses of children and youth and their current conditions in the Czech Republic. The thesis is based on the theoretical principles of learning organizations established especially by Peter M. Senge. The actual status of the learning organization was diagnosed by the questionnaire survey in the following areas: the organization structure (flexibility, information sharing, and teamwork); processes (management and skills knowledge, information technology); culture (leadership, learning support, and feedback - evaluation); stimulation (strategy, personal development, motivation). Author provides an analysis of the data obtained in the questionnaire research (including 117 respondents of Houses of children and youth in Prague). The survey results were consequently compared with the former results of a similar questionnaire...

Digitalization initiates and drives significant changes to the process level, organization level, and business level of software-intensive product development (SIPD) companies and their customers. Digitalization creates new opportunities through digital transformation strategies of the business environment. Digitalization also significantly reduces the turnaround-time on a transaction, driving new challenges for the alignment of business and technology changes. For a successful business model realization, a company must understand what capabilities the organization has (in staff and products), what is required, and more importantly, how to turn these capabilities into good-enough abilities without disturbing the effectiveness and efficiency of the daily operations. Integrating the product and service development and the value delivery with a learning organization is critical for efficient business model change (BMCh). This thesis seeks to develop conceptual models for how BMCh is linked to value, learning organization design, and the transformation of capabilities into abilities derived from business model activities and actor interactions. Such conceptual models facilitate to investigate and identify critical mechanisms and capabilities needed to effectively and efficiently manage BMCh at full scale for SIPD companies, allowing them to exploit the on-going digitalization, may it be through (disruptive) business model innovation, technology innovation, or by continuously adapting and evolving the business operations.   I use the SIPD company as the unit of analysis, with the dual-lens of value and knowledge, set in the context of a business model and how the value creation and capture are influenced by the interaction between two actors performing a business model activity. I build on the business model literature and infuse theories for knowledge creation, learning organizations, and contractual promises to create value. Conducting a cross-disciplinary literature review, followed by a synthesis of related literature, industry best-practices, and an associated design science study, my propositions were validated in a longitudinal case study exploring a service industrialization program in the telecommunication industry. I have produced five conceptual models and seven propositions as a start to be able to support the design of a governance mechanism, as the critical engine for both the learning organization and effective and efficient BMCh. The industry now explores the models found during the case study. My synthesis shows a need for further research into BMCh regarding early detection and measurements of gaps in value, gaps in knowledge, ambiguity, equivocality, and abilities. Flexible role-based governance views present the measurements, as part of the governance mechanisms for full-scale, effective, and efficient BMCh. Further, I also aim to implement such governance mechanisms in software, by using the associated research in intent-driven systems. In the meantime, I propose industry to build knowledge and experience related to the seven propositions.