In this thesis I propose that the literature on ambidexterity does not fully explore the detailed practices by which organisations and managers may achieve both exploitation and exploration. A systematic review identifies that studies have focused principally at the organisation-level, and there is a lack of both empirical and theoretical work at the micro-level of analysis highlighting how ambidexterity may be achieved in practical, complex, working structures. The research addresses these micro-mechanisms in the context of the management of projects, a suitable area in that it can be considered as using defined processes together with the flexibility to overcome particular issues that arise. The contribution of the thesis is that it presents an insight into the management of ambidexterity in such an environment, and identifies how multiple knowledge resources are utilised, together with the underlying managerial practices. The level of analysis is the project (specifically, IT-services projects in a major multinational organisation), using the manager as the unit of analysis. The research question is ‘How is ambidexterity achieved at the level of the project?’ This is an opportunity to explore a practical as well as a theoretical gap, in an increasingly important area of business operations. The first stage of the research examines the managerial role in terms of intellectual capital, using a variety of projects. This shows that the sub-components of IC (human, social and organisational/project capital) can each be understood as having co-existing, orthogonal, exploitative and exploratory elements, an important extension of existing theory. The forms of intellectual capital are interwoven not only with each other, but also with the processes of exploitation and exploration, and to conceive of them as separate is an insufficient theorisation. The findings from the qualitative approach are used to investigate the duality of these concepts and bring greater clarity to our understanding of their operationalisation. .This is followed by eight case studies, each using between three and five managerial respondents, together with project data, used to develop a more fine-grained understanding of ambidexterity in a wide range of industrial settings. This shows different managerial configurations (including ‘distributed’ and ‘point’ ambidexterity – an addition to current theory), together with five key managerial practices to enable project-level ambidexterity, identified in the context of project complexity, critical events and constraints.

Over the past years, research on the basis of intangible resources and capability has been suggested for the development of corporate competitive advantage. Through the process of learning, the organization can create knowledge and shortage intangible intellectual capital. This study is empirical research carried out on the industrial circles using questionnaires to clean out scholars¡¦ definition on intellectual capital and organizational learning capability. From this study, I try to find out the relationship among organizational learning capability, shortage intellectual capital, and organizational performance, also the interactive effect between organizational learning capability and strategy management of intellectual capital towards company¡¦ performance. The results of the research indicate: I. The factors of organizational learning capability 1. The executives¡¦ direction ability of learning and amelioration 2. Team-leadership competitiveness II. The factors of intellectual capital 1. The factors of human capital are: the knowledge innovation directed by executives, employees¡¦ professional capability. 2. The factors of structural capital are: cross department¡¦ management and storage knowledge, inner process responds to market demand, and cross department¡¦ knowledge group. 3. The factors of relational capital are: flexible business strategy of customer ecosystem¡¦ orientation, the management of service and brand value, and the management of customer orientation. III. Organizational learning capability and intellectual capital¡¦ storage have effects on organizational performance. 1. Through the intellectual capital intermediary effect, the executive¡¦ direction ability of learning and amelioration and the competitiveness from the team¡¦ directed have significant influence on business operational performance. IV. The interaction between organizational learning capability and strategy management of intellectual capital. 1. The interaction between strategy management of knowledge-centered and the executives¡¦ direction ability of learning and amelioration have significant influence on both organizational business operational performance and behavioral performance. 2. The interaction between knowledge-centered strategic management and team-leadership competitiveness has significant influence on organizational behavioral performance. 3. The interaction between strategy management of information-centered and the executives¡¦ direction ability of learning and amelioration have significant influence on both organizational business operational performance and behavioral performance.

Thesis (MPhil)--Stellenbosch University, 2004. / ENGLISH ABSTRACT: Although there is a general consensus that the knowledge society and the knowledge economy has arrived, and that knowledge is a key business asset, organisations are still in the early stages of understanding the implications of knowledge management and intellectual capital. The rise of the new economy that is principally driven by information and knowledge can be attributed to the increased prominence of intellectual capital in organisations. Intellectual capital features prominently in recent economic, managerial, technological and sociological developments in a manner previously unknown and unforeseen. The challenge of this research assignment is typified by the problem statement and its objectives, namely: Although much has been written about knowledge management, the learning organisation and intellectual capital, little, if any, has been written about the relationship and correlation between knowledge management and intellectual capital management. The challenge seems to provide integrated guidelines and a practical implementation system as to how organisations can use both knowledge management and intellectual capital for the formulation of a comprehensive intellectual management approach. In an attempt to develop guidelines and a practical implementation system for a comprehensive intellectual capital management approach, the following was undertaken with this research assignment: Firstly, the impact of the knowledge economy on organisations is discussed. Secondly, practical guidelines are provided on how to manage knowledge in organisations. The various types of capitals are, furthermore, analysed and specific guidelines provided on how to harness these different capitals in the organisations. The new phenomena of the intellectual capital entrepreneur is also highlighted. Lastly, particular emphasis is provided to the formulation of a comprehensive intellectual capital management approach. Practical guidelines are also formulated for the implementation of a comprehensive intellectual capital management system for organisations. Based on this study, some of the most important conclusions drawn are that: • Successful management of knowledge is the basis for generating intellectual capital in organisations on any long-term basis. • The linking of knowledge management and intellectual capital activities is a prerequisite for the successful implementation of an intellectual capital management system in organisations. • A comprehensive intellectual capital management system can only be successfully implemented if organisations have structures in place to generate intellectual capital on an ongoing basis. Recommendations for further research include: • The impact of the knowledge economy on South African organisations should be determined. • Research should be done as to how organisations can integrate knowledge management and intellectual capital activities. • The current role and impact of the intellectual entrepreneur in South African organisations should be identified. • Guidelines that will enable organisations to measure intellectual capital should be developed. The problem statement, namely, to provide South African organisations with a practical and comprehensive intellectual capital management approach, is addressed in this research. Recommendations to enhance intellectual capital in organisations are provided and explained. / AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: Alhoewel daar algemene konsensus is dat die kennisgemeenskap en die kennisekonomie ‘n realiteit is, en dat kennis ‘n belangrike bate is, is organisasies nog in die vroeë stadiums om te begryp wat die implikasies van kennisbestuur en intellektuele kapitaal is. Die opkoms van die nuwe ekonomie, wat hoofsaaklik deur inligting en kennis gedryf was, kan toegeskryf word aan die toenemende prominensie van intellektuele kapitaal in organisasies. Intellektuele kapitaal figureer prominent in resente ekonomiese, bestuurs, tegnologiese en sosiologiese ontwikkelings op ‘n wyse wat voorheen onbekend en onvoorsien was. Die uitdaging van hierdie navorsingstaak word gekenmerk deur die probleemstelling en sy doelwitte, naamlik: Alhoewel heelwat geskryf is oor kennisbestuur, die lerende organisasie en intellektuele kapitaal, is baie min, indien enige, geskryf oor die verwantskap en korrelasie tussen kennisbestuur en intellektuele kapitaalbestuur. Dit blyk dat die uitdaging geïntegreerde riglyne verskaf en ook ‘n praktiese implementeringsisteem daarstel oor hoe organisasies beide kennisbestuur en intellektuele kapitaal kan benut vir die formulering van ‘n alomvattende intellektuele bestuursbenadering. In ‘n poging om riglyne en ‘n praktiese implementeringsisteem vir ‘n alomvattende intellektuele kapitaal bestuursbenadering te ontwikkel, is die volgende onderneem met hierdie navorsingstaak: Eerstens is die impak van kennisekonomie op organisasies bespreek, en tweedens is praktiese riglyne verskaf oor hoe kennis in organisasies bestuur moet word. Verder is verskeie tipes intellektuele kapitale geanaliseer en is spesifieke riglyne verskaf oor hoe hierdie verskillende kapitale in die organisasies toegepas kan word. Die nuwe verskynsel van die intellektuele kapitaal entrepreneur is uitgelig en besondere klem is gelê op die formulering van ‘n bestuursbenadering vir intellektuele kapitaal. Laastens is praktiese riglyne ook geformuleer vir die implementering van ‘n alomvattende bestuursbenadering tot ‘n intellektuele kapitaalsisteem binne organisasies. Met hierdie studie as basis is die volgende van die mees belangrike gevolgtrekkings: - Suksesvolle bestuur van kennis is die grondslag van enige langtermyn ontwikkeling van intellektuele kapitaal in organisasies. - Die ineenskakeling van kennisbestuur en intellektuele kapitaal aktiwiteite is ‘n voorvereiste vir die suksesvolle implementering van ‘n intellektuele kapitaal bestuursisteem in organisasies. - ‘n Alomvattende intellektuele kapitaal bestuursisteem kan alleenlik suksesvol geïmplementeer word as organisasies strukture in plek het om intellektuele kapitaal op ‘n deurlopende basis te genereer. Aanbevelings vir verdere navorsing sluit die volgende in: - Die impak van die kennisekonomie op Suid-Afrikaanse organisasies behoort bepaal te word. - Navorsing behoort gedoen te word met betrekking tot hoe organisasies kennisbestuur en intellektuele kapitaal aktiwiteite kan integreer. - Die bestaande rol en impak van die intellektuele entrepreneur in Suid- Afrikaanse organisasies behoort geïdentifiseer te word. - Riglyne behoort ontwikkel te word wat organisasies in staat sal stel om intellektuele kapitaal te meet. Die probleemstelling, naamlik om Suid-Afrikaanse organisasies te voorsien van ‘n praktiese en alomvattende intellektuele kapitaal bestuursbenadering, is in hierdie navorsing aangespreek. Aanbevelings om intellektuele kapitaal in organisasies te versterk is verskaf en verduidelik.

Knowledge Management (KM) helps extend the knowledge of individuals or groups across organisations in ways that directly affect performance. Further, it is a formalised and integrated approach to identify and manage an organisation's knowledge assets. The study is an exploratory investigation of the implementation of IT-based Knowledge Management Systems. It is also a comparative study of the Kuwait and UK public sectors with the specific aim of building a best practice model for KM implementation in conjunction with IT. This includes examination of the relevant literature, a comprehensive analysis of case studies of KM implementation in 91 organisations presented in the literature, in order to arrive at the most critical factors of KM implementation and their degree of criticality, and an exploratory survey of 68 organisations both in the UK and Kuwait relating to their experiences in implementing initiatives such as KM and the role of IT in that process. In view of the intensive and extensive data for interdependence relationships between variables, statistical techniques were used, and in-depth studies of 16 leading organisations, to understand how the KM implementation processes and the critical factors identified were addressed and implemented. This study identifies critical factors of success in KM domain that applicable to Kuwaiti organisations. These factors were categorised under four different headings: (1) Technology, (2) KM processes, (3) Change management, (4) Top management commitment. A generic holistic model for effective KM implementation is proposed.