This qualitative field study investigated cross-site knowledge sharing in a small sample of multinational corporations in three different MNC business contexts (global, multidomestic, transnational). The results disclose heterogeneous "worlds" of MNC knowledge sharing, ultimately raising the question as to whether the whole concept of MNC knowledge sharing covers a sufficiently unitary phenomenon to be meaningful. We derive a non-exhaustive typology of MNC knowledge-sharing practices: self-organizing knowledge sharing, technocratic knowledge sharing, and best practice knowledge sharing. Despite its limitations, this typology helps to elucidate a number of issues, including the latent conflict between two disparate theories of MNC knowledge sharing, namely "sender-receiver" and "social learning" theories (Noorderhaven & Harzing, 2009). More generally, we develop the term "knowledge contextualization" to highlight the way that firm-specific organizational features pre-define which knowledge is considered to be of special relevance for intra-organizational sharing. (authors' abstract)

<p>The aim of this study was to determine whether or not knowledge was shared and created in the library of the University of the Western Cape (UWC). The study adopted the SECI model of Nonaka and Takeuchi (1995) as its theoretical framework. The service delivery points at the UWC library are as follows:&nbsp / Circulation section, which deals with walk-in&nbsp / users. These are users who, on a daily basis borrow books from and return books to the library. This section normally deals with queries such as users whose library cards are&nbsp / blocked due to outstanding library fines. It comprises front - desk staff, shelf attendants and inter-library loan staff members.&nbsp / Staff members working in the information section (IS)&nbsp / are referred to as faculty librarians (FAC/L&rsquo / s), who are regarded as section heads and liaise with faculties on campus on a regular basis. The information section deals with walk-in&nbsp / users on a daily basis.&nbsp / The other sections, namely cataloguing, acquisition and periodicals, provide mostly &lsquo / behind the scenes&rsquo / services, but their work is of such a nature that&nbsp / users have no access to their sections due to the strict policy with regard to areas of the library in which staff are working with new books and journals. Books and journals that are&nbsp / not on the cataloguing system are kept in the acquisitions and cataloguing section. This also has a significant impact on service delivery in the library. These sections have to&nbsp / ensure that books and journals are processed, in order for users to get access to these resources. This study attempted to answer the following research questions&nbsp / Is there&nbsp / evidence of knowledge sharing and creation in the UWC library? If so, what practices currently exist?&nbsp / How do staff share and create knowledge for service delivery not with general&nbsp / library users, but within and between the acquisitions, cataloguing and information sections?</p>

The Canadian canola breeding sector met a transition from publicly funded breeding research to large private investments in research and development (R&D). The increasing use of biotechnology tools in the mid 1990s made the assignment of plant ownership technically possible while the legislative safeguards that were put in place during the same period enabled owners to take juristic actions against potential infringers. Today, canola breeding sector is dominated by large multinational firms. The generation of proprietary knowledge in the canola breeding sector has caused a freedom to operate issue. Private and public firms conducting canola R&D are seriously concerned about their ability to gain and preserve access to key technologies in an IPR world. <p>This thesis uses the tragedy of the anticommons framework to analyze the consequences of increased intellectual property protection in the canola breeding sector. Theory suggests that when a common resource is owned by multiple owners, each of the owners has the incentive to overcharge potential users, leading to the underuse of the resource. In R&D, different owners of complementary technologies may overcharge potential R&D firms that want to assemble different technological pieces to produce a new one. The result is forgoing research and development of new products.<p>The results of personal interviews with thirteen canola researchers and IP officers are presented and analyzed. The results suggest that the increase in the intellectual property protection in the last two decades in the canola breeding sector has led to difficulties with canola R&D. These difficulties take the form of reduced access to current, proprietary and public material. With hampered access to research input material, research output is not maximized and potential research may be forgone. Interviewees described how the increase in the intellectual property protection affects their personal and organizations ability to conduct research as well as some the implications of the new IP regime on the canola breeding sector. There is indication that canola breeding sector is moving towards a super-protectionism. Under these conditions, canola R&D firms, private and public, are in search for ways that will open access to enabling technologies and research areas. The creation of platform technologies and collaborations are the most prominent ones and are observed to increase in occurrence world wide.

The Canadian canola breeding sector met a transition from publicly funded breeding research to large private investments in research and development (R&D). The increasing use of biotechnology tools in the mid 1990s made the assignment of plant ownership technically possible while the legislative safeguards that were put in place during the same period enabled owners to take juristic actions against potential infringers. Today, canola breeding sector is dominated by large multinational firms. The generation of proprietary knowledge in the canola breeding sector has caused a freedom to operate issue. Private and public firms conducting canola R&D are seriously concerned about their ability to gain and preserve access to key technologies in an IPR world. <p>This thesis uses the tragedy of the anticommons framework to analyze the consequences of increased intellectual property protection in the canola breeding sector. Theory suggests that when a common resource is owned by multiple owners, each of the owners has the incentive to overcharge potential users, leading to the underuse of the resource. In R&D, different owners of complementary technologies may overcharge potential R&D firms that want to assemble different technological pieces to produce a new one. The result is forgoing research and development of new products.<p>The results of personal interviews with thirteen canola researchers and IP officers are presented and analyzed. The results suggest that the increase in the intellectual property protection in the last two decades in the canola breeding sector has led to difficulties with canola R&D. These difficulties take the form of reduced access to current, proprietary and public material. With hampered access to research input material, research output is not maximized and potential research may be forgone. Interviewees described how the increase in the intellectual property protection affects their personal and organizations ability to conduct research as well as some the implications of the new IP regime on the canola breeding sector. There is indication that canola breeding sector is moving towards a super-protectionism. Under these conditions, canola R&D firms, private and public, are in search for ways that will open access to enabling technologies and research areas. The creation of platform technologies and collaborations are the most prominent ones and are observed to increase in occurrence world wide.

<p>The aim of this study was to determine whether or not knowledge was shared and created in the library of the University of the Western Cape (UWC). The study adopted the SECI model of Nonaka and Takeuchi (1995) as its theoretical framework. The service delivery points at the UWC library are as follows:&nbsp / Circulation section, which deals with walk-in&nbsp / users. These are users who, on a daily basis borrow books from and return books to the library. This section normally deals with queries such as users whose library cards are&nbsp / blocked due to outstanding library fines. It comprises front - desk staff, shelf attendants and inter-library loan staff members.&nbsp / Staff members working in the information section (IS)&nbsp / are referred to as faculty librarians (FAC/L&rsquo / s), who are regarded as section heads and liaise with faculties on campus on a regular basis. The information section deals with walk-in&nbsp / users on a daily basis.&nbsp / The other sections, namely cataloguing, acquisition and periodicals, provide mostly &lsquo / behind the scenes&rsquo / services, but their work is of such a nature that&nbsp / users have no access to their sections due to the strict policy with regard to areas of the library in which staff are working with new books and journals. Books and journals that are&nbsp / not on the cataloguing system are kept in the acquisitions and cataloguing section. This also has a significant impact on service delivery in the library. These sections have to&nbsp / ensure that books and journals are processed, in order for users to get access to these resources. This study attempted to answer the following research questions&nbsp / Is there&nbsp / evidence of knowledge sharing and creation in the UWC library? If so, what practices currently exist?&nbsp / How do staff share and create knowledge for service delivery not with general&nbsp / library users, but within and between the acquisitions, cataloguing and information sections?</p>

The present work search to analyze the structure and the positioning of the actors of the social informal networks in the section of electronics of the Empresa Eliseu Kopp & Co. Ltd., to end to understand how it happens the sharing of the organizational knowledge. For this evaluation, it made use of a research descriptive, qualitative, accomplished through a case study. It is pointed out that qualitative methodologies were used for data collection and analysis of results, but the assessment of social networks requires the involvement in the measurement of quantitative aspects of relationships. To map the informal networks of the sector analyzed were questioned the 27 employees of the sector and; two managers were interviewed in order to identify incentive actions to the sharing of the knowledge existent in the Company. Friendship (KUIPERS apud MACAMBIRA, 2009) and advice (KRACKHARDT and HANSON, 1993) networks were mapped, using a questionnaire adapted from Silva (2003) and Macambira (2009). It was evaluated the structure of networks as Scott (2000) and identified the critical players and the roles assumed according to the classification of Cross and Prusak (2002 apud SANTOS and BASTOS, 2007). To identify incentive actions to the sharing of the knowledge existent in the Company, it made based on Terra (2000) and Nonaka and Takeuchi (1995). Information related to informal social networks were treated in parallel to UCINET program and NETDRAW program, which allowed a view of the characteristics of the networks analyzed. The main results state that the networks studied have a size of 124 relationships (friendship) and 110 relations (advice), low density (5 to 6%), indicating a high potential for relationships to be developed. It is possible to affirm that the main critical actors of the two nets are Turquesa (in the roles of central connector and broker transactional content) and Rubi e Tarsito (as expander borders). On incentive actions to the sharing of the knowledge existent in the Company, it was verified that actions exist in all of the appraised dimensions, however most of them happens in a no-planned way. It emphasize the mapping and analysis of the informal networks allow the location and visualization in a clearer view of who are the critical players and the paths the organizational knowledge, facilitating the sharing of knowledge. / O presente trabalho busca analisar a estrutura e o posicionamento dos atores das redes sociais intraorganizacionais informais do setor de eletrônica da Empresa Eliseu Kopp & Cia Ltda., a fim compreender como ocorre o compartilhamento do conhecimento organizacional. Para tanto, realizou-se uma pesquisa descritiva, qualitativa, realizada por meio de um estudo de caso. Salienta-se que metodologias qualitativas foram utilizadas para o levantamento dos dados e análise dos resultados, porém a avaliação das redes sociais exige o envolvimento de aspectos quantitativos na mensuração das relações. No intuito de mapear as redes informais do setor analisado foram questionados os 27 colaboradores do setor e; para caracterizar as ações de incentivo ao compartilhamento do conhecimento existentes na Empresa, foram entrevistados dois gestores. Mapeou-se as redes de amizade (KUIPERS apud MACAMBIRA, 2009) e de aconselhamento (KRACKHARDT e HANSON, 1993), por meio de um questionário adaptado de Silva (2003) e Macambira (2009). Avaliou-se a estrutura das duas redes conforme Scott (2000) e identificaram-se os atores críticos e os papéis assumidos de acordo com a classificação de Cross e Prusak (2002 apud SANTOS e BASTOS, 2007). Caracterizou-se as ações referentes ao compartilhamento do conhecimento praticadas pela Empresa com base nos modelos de Terra (2000) e de Nonaka e Takeuchi (1995). As informações referentes às redes sociais informais foram tratadas no programa UCINET em paralelo ao programa NETDRAW, que permitiram a visualização das características das redes analisadas. Os principais resultados encontrados expõem que as redes analisadas possuem um tamanho de 124 relações (amizade) e 110 relações (aconselhamento), baixa densidade (entre 5 e 6%), denotando um alto potencial de relacionamento a ser desenvolvido. É possível afirmar que os principais atores críticos das duas redes são Turquesa (nos papéis de conector central e corretor de conteúdo transacional); Rubi e Tarsito (como expansores de fronteiras). Quanto às ações de incentivo ao compartilhamento do conhecimento, verificou-se que existem ações em todas as dimensões avaliadas, porém a maioria delas ocorre de forma não-planejada. Ressaltase que o mapeamento e análise das redes sociais informais permitem a localização e visualização de forma mais clara de quem são atores críticos e dos caminhos percorridos pelo conhecimento organizacional, facilitando o compartilhamento do conhecimento.

Made available in DSpace on 2016-03-15T19:30:53Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 Elisabeth Aparecida Correa Menezes.pdf: 2605940 bytes, checksum: 94ca8431b22586c8b70b431200fdfed9 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2012-06-14 / The motivation for this thesis arose from a review of the literature on the subject knowledge. This topic is of interest not only of academic institutions as organizations. It is observed that knowledge has been responsible for the evolution of society. The literature review showed that factors such as knowledge as a source of power and grace influence knowledge sharing. Power and benevolence are considered as values (SCHWARTZ, 1992). Values influence behavior through attitudes (ROKEACH, 1981). Models of behavior were designed to predict human behavior. The Model of Goal-Directed Behavior (MGB) is considered a strong predictor of human behavior because it contains variables such as "desire" (TAYLOR; BAGOZZI; GAITHER, 2005). According to this model, "desire", which means the will to act, directly influences the behavior intention and therefore the behavior (PERUGINI; BAGOZZI, 2001). Thus, this study aimed to identify whether the relationship between values (self-enhancement and self-transcendence), knowledge as a source of power and attitudes better explains the desire to share knowledge than attitudes, values, and values associated with attitudes. Given the importance of knowledge sharing in academia, this thesis is devoted to the study in the academic environment, specifically with faculty researchers. This research is characterized as descriptive with quantitative approach. To achieve the objective of this research, it had been used four scales, three developed by the author: "attitudes towards knowledge sharing", "desire to share knowledge" and "knowledge as a source of power," and the scale of Schwartz (1994) Profile of Personal Values in its reduced version, known as PVQ 21. The questionnaires were made available through a website specializing in research, the access link was forwarded by e-mail, reaching 409 valid questionnaires. The scales were tested using exploratory and confirmatory factor analysis, and analysis of the proposed structural model was performed using structural equation modeling. The results showed that the best model to explain the desire to share knowledge was the relationship between self-transcendence values, knowledge as a source of power and attitudes. The results also showed the existence of differences of perception in terms of functional and demographic variables of respondents. / A motivação para esta tese surgiu a partir de uma revisão na literatura sobre o tema conhecimento. Tema esse, de interesse não só da academia como das organizações. Observa-se que o conhecimento tem sido responsável pela evolução da sociedade. A revisão da literatura mostrou que fatores como conhecimento como fonte de poder e benevolência influenciam no compartilhamento do conhecimento. Poder e benevolência são considerados como valores (SCHWARTZ, 1992). Valores influenciam comportamento mediante atitudes (ROKEACH, 1981). Modelos de atitudes foram criados para predizerem o comportamento humano. O modelo de comportamento orientado por meta (MGB) é considerado como um forte preditor do comportamento humano por conter variáveis tais como desejo (TAYLOR; BAGOZZI; GAITHER, 2005). De acordo com esse modelo, desejo , que significa a vontade para agir, influencia diretamente a intenção de comportamento e conseqüentemente o comportamento (PERUGINI; BAGOZZI, 2001). Diante disso, este estudo teve como objetivo principal identificar se a relação entre valores (autopromoção e autotranscendência), conhecimento como fonte de poder e atitudes explica melhor o desejo de compartilhar conhecimento do que atitudes, valores, e valores associados a atitudes. Dada a importância do compartilhamento do conhecimento na academia, esta tese dedicou-se ao estudo no ambiente acadêmico, especificamente com professores pesquisadores. A presente pesquisa caracteriza-se como descritiva, com abordagem quantitativa. Para o alcance do objetivo da pesquisa, foram utilizadas quatro escalas, sendo três desenvolvidas pela autora: atitudes em relação ao compartilhamento do conhecimento , desejo em compartilhar o conhecimento e conhecimento como fonte de poder , e a escala de Schwartz (1994) Perfil de Valores Pessoais em sua versão reduzida, conhecida como PVQ 21. Os questionários foram disponibilizados por meio de um site especializado em pesquisa, o link de acesso foi encaminhado por e-mail, tendo alcançado 409 questionários válidos. As escalas foram testadas por meio de analise fatorial exploratória e confirmatória, e a análise do modelo estrutural proposto foi realizada mediante equações estruturais. Os resultados mostraram que o melhor modelo para explicar o desejo de compartilhar o conhecimento foi a relação entre valores de autotranscendência, conhecimento como fonte de poder e atitudes. Os resultados também mostraram a existência de diferenças de percepção em função das variáveis funcionais e demográficas dos respondentes.

An efficient, functioning IT environment is vital to many companies, even to those not calling themselves IT companies. How to assimilate the IT skills needed and get the IT department to share their knowledge with the rest of the organization can, however, be difficult. The aim of this thesis is to find differences between how a company’s IT department employees and other employees experience and use IT training and IT help functions. The aim is also to identify and make suggestions on what artifacts and help functions can be further developed in order to enhance learning and sharing of IT knowledge. A case study was conducted at the Swedish bank Handelsbanken. The employees’ experiences and use of IT related training, artifacts and help functions were studied through a survey that was complemented by interviews and observations. A Mann-Whitney U test was conducted on the survey answers. The result shows differences between the IT department employees and other employees in three areas: IT introduction, wish for more IT training and frequency in calling the IT help desk. Further, the result indicates that the new employee orientation, the internal handbook, e-support and IT help desk all have room for improvements. / En effektiv, fungerade it-miljö är nödvändig för i stort sett alla företag, även för dem som inte benämner sig själva som it-företag. Hur företagen kan ta till sig de it-kunskaper som behövs och få it-avdelningen att dela med sig av sin kunskap till resten av organisationen, kan dock vara svårt. Syftet med detta examensarbete är att hitta skillnader mellan hur ett företags medarbetare på it-avdelninen och andra medarbetare i organisationen upplever och använder it-utbildning och it-hjälpfunktioner. Syftet är också att identifiera och ge förslag på vilka tjänster och hjälpfunktioner som kan vidareutvecklas för att främja lärande och delning av it-kunskap. En fallstudie genomfördes på Svenska Handelsbanken. Medarbetarnas upplevelser och användning av it-relaterad utbildning, tjänster och hjälpfunktioner studerades genom en enkätundersökning, som kompletterades med intervjuer och observationer. Ett så kallat Mann-Whitney U-test genomfördes på enkätsvaren. Resultatet visar på skillnader mellan it-avdelningens medarbetare och andra medarbetare i organisationen inom tre områden:  it-introduktion, önskan att få mer it-utbildning samt frekvensen i hur ofta de ringer till it-supporten. Resultatet visar också att introduktionen för nyanställda, den interna handboken, e-supporten och it-supporten alla har förbättringsområden.

As a form of expert labour and organizational resource, knowledge workers are important in organizational life as producers and consumers of knowledge. The role of knowledge workers and the ways in which they transfer their knowledge become important as they possess the symbolic and analytic skills to undertake work which is contingent upon the application of ambiguous knowledge in uncertain, networked business environments. Yet, in much of the existing literature knowledge workers and knowledge transfer seem to have been partially interpreted and through a perspective maintaining an emphasis on organizational performance. Current understanding of the role of knowledge workers sees knowledge workers as either willing or reluctant to share knowledge, i.e. as either contributing to organizational efficiency or its opposite, while knowledge sharing is unequivocally understood as beneficial for organizational performance. The aim of the study is to produce an interpretation of knowledge transfer and the role of knowledge workers that extends beyond simplified and limited categories. The perspective of the knowledge worker is centrally adopted and, using this approach, the identity of knowledge workers and their interpretation of knowledge sharing are explored. The study focuses on 58 knowledge workers in the subsidiaries of five high-tech multinational companies in Athens, Greece, where complex, ambiguous knowledge work and operational interdependencies are supported by elaborate architectures of Knowledge Management initiatives. The method of data collection is interviews and data have been analysed by using QSR N-VIVO and developing thematic conceptual matrices. The findings suggest that, across organizational contexts, knowledge workers construct and maintain identities of competence and upward mobility and exhibit a combination of behaviour. Here, knowledge is better seen as being traded, rather than shared. Knowledge exchanges are subject to a set of knowledge trading principles which reflect self-interested and instrumental conceptualizations of competence and lead to the discrimination and selection of knowledge categories, uses and groups of colleagues. It is indicated that different conceptualizations of the self and various behaviours co-exist and manifest interchangeably thus both supporting and undermining corporate priorities throughout the course of practice. Knowledge worker self and behaviour play an ambivalent role in relation to corporate priorities disturbing but also harmonizing the organizational context. Monochrome notions of ‘sharing’, or interpretations assuming either the willingness to share knowledge or not reflect only part of who the knowledge worker is and why he/she transfers knowledge.