O propósito desta tese é investigar de que forma ocorre a interveniência de quatro fatores críticos no trabalho de equipes de projeto de inovação tecnológica, na medida em que estas criam conhecimento. São admitidos como fatores críticos a competência individual, a competência informacional, a cultura de inovação e a comunicação. Como principal contribuição, objetiva-se propor um modelo de quatro dimensões com as relações resultantes entre o conhecimento criado pelas equipes e os fatores críticos que influenciam a sua criação. Essas dimensões destinam-se a auxiliar o processo de formação de equipes, mais especificamente na escolha dos membros. As equipes de projetos selecionadas para compor o estudo fazem parte do programa Pesquisa em Parceria para Inovação Tecnológica (PITE) da Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo (FAPESP). A escolha do tema se justifica pela carência de pesquisas empíricas com tratamento particular a cada um dos processos de conversão de conhecimento, bem como pelo fato de que a chave para o entendimento de sucessos e falhas na criação de conhecimento por equipes inovadoras está na identificação e avaliação das condições prévias, aqui denominadas fatores críticos, necessárias para que o esforço prospere. Preservando-se o ineditismo característico de teses de doutorado, as equipes do programa PITE da FAPESP são estudadas pela primeira vez, de forma exploratória. Como técnica qualitativa de análise de dados, utiliza-se da análise de conteúdo categorial. Os principais resultados apontaram fortes relacionamentos entre o fator crítico 1 (competência individual) e a externalização do conhecimento; o fator crítico 2 (competência informacional) e a combinação do conhecimento; o fator crítico 3 (cultura de inovação) e a internalização do conhecimento; e o fator crítico 4 (comunicação) e a socialização do conhecimento. Advindos destas relações, foram encontrados doze padrões de comportamento nas equipes estudadas. / The purpose of this thesis is to investigate how the intervention of four critical factors in the work of project teams for technological innovation occurs, while they create knowledge. Critical factors admitted are individual competence, informational competence, innovation culture and communication. As the main contribution, the research aims to propose a model of four dimensions of the resulting relationships between the knowledge created by the teams and the critical factors that influence its creation. These dimensions are intended to assist the process of team formation, more specifically in the selection of members. Project teams selected to comprise the study are part of the Research Partnership for Technological Innovation (PITE), from the Foundation for Research Support of the State of São Paulo (FAPESP). The choice of this subject is justified by the lack of empirical research with particular treatment to each of the processes of knowledge conversion, as well as by the fact that the key to understanding the successes and failures in knowledge creation by innovative teams is the identification and evaluation of preconditions, here called the critical factors, necessary for the effort to flourish. As a way to preserve the originality, characteristic of doctoral thesis, the project teams of the program PITE-FAPESP are studied for the first time, in an exploratory approach. As a qualitative technique of data analysis, the categorical content analysis is used. The main results showed strong relationships between the critical factor 1 (individual competence) and externalization of knowledge; the critical factor 2 (information literacy) and the combination of knowledge; the critical factor 3 (innovation culture) and internalization of knowledge; and the critical factor 4 (communication) and socialization of knowledge. Moreover, deriving of these relations, twelve patterns of behavior were found in the studied teams.

Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior - CAPES / Knowledge management becomes paramount to the survival of contemporary organizations now committed to converge the collective knowledge for a common purpose to the group. Consecrated literature mentions that among the faces of knowledge management, there is the theory of creation of corporate knowledge, presented in spiral form in a process that culminates in four possible modes of knowledge conversion. Although it declared the relevance of knowledge creation today, one can see that little is understand how it occurs in the practice. Thus, this research aimed to investigate the role of externalization, which is a form of knowledge conversion, given its relevance in the process of organizational knowledge creation and it will investigate the agencies of advertising, classified as knowledge-intensive business services. The search strategy was a single case study with six little cases (advertising agencies), the unit of analysis was the very phenomenon resulting from the spiral path of corporate knowledge. The approach was descriptive and exploratory and research went into a sequence of two phases. The first phase was a qualitative in a descriptive approach. Data were collected through an online questionnaire answered by employees of Sergipe advertising agencies and in parallel through an e-focus group with the owners / managers of these organizations. The second phase, qualitative and exploratory, used the data collection of the first phase added to your specification, investigating new perspectives of the problem through the crossing of evidence to the theory of knowledge creation. Data were treated with simple descriptive statistics and content analysis whose classification was categorized in terms. Among the main results, it is emphasized that externalization, in addition to calls for the theory, not only has an important role, beyond, its role is decisive, so that it is believed that the absence of externalization implies the absence of management knowledge in organizational practice. This research intends that this research will contribute to the understanding of knowledge management, offering new horizons for the theory and practice in organizations. / A gestão do conhecimento torna-se primordial para a sobrevivência das organizações contemporâneas ora empenhadas em convergir os saberes da coletividade para um propósito comum ao grupo. A literatura consagrada menciona que dentre as faces da gestão do conhecimento, destaca-se a teoria de criação do conhecimento empresarial, apresentada em forma de espiral num processo que culmina em quatro modos possíveis de conversão de saberes. Embora seja declarada a relevância da criação do conhecimento na atualidade, percebe-se que pouco se atina em como ela ocorre na prática. Desse modo, esta pesquisa teve como objetivo geral investigar o papel da externalização, que é uma modalidade de conversão de conhecimento, face sua relevância no processo da criação do conhecimento organizacional e, para isso, investiga as agências de publicidades, organizações classificadas como de serviço intensivo em conhecimento. A estratégia de pesquisa foi um estudo de caso único, com seis minicasos (agências de publicidade), cuja unidade de análise foi o próprio fenômeno decorrente do trajeto da espiral do conhecimento corporativo. A abordagem foi descritivo-exploratória e a investigação transcorreu numa sequência de duas fases. A primeira fase teve natureza qualitativa com uma abordagem descritiva. Os dados foram coletados por meio de um questionário online, respondido pelos colaboradores das agências de publicidade de Sergipe e, paralelamente, por meio de um e-focus group com os proprietários/gestores dessas organizações. A segunda fase, qualitativa e exploratória, utilizou os dados da coleta da primeira fase adicionados ao seu relatório descritivo da primeira fase, investigando novas perspectivas do problema através do cruzamento das evidências com a teoria de criação do conhecimento. Os dados foram tratados com análise de conteúdo cuja classificação foi categorizada pelos temas. Dentre os principais resultados encontrados, destaca-se que a externalização, além do que se preconiza a teoria, não tem apenas um papel relevante; muito além, seu papel é decisivo, de modo que se acredita que a ausência de externalização implica na inexistência da gestão do conhecimento na prática organizacional. Esta pesquisa pretende contribuir com o entendimento acerca da gestão do conhecimento, oferecendo novos horizontes para a teoria e para sua prática nas organizações. / São Cristóvão, SE

Problem Area/ Purpose  The purpose of this research is to study how geographically scattered employees learn and create new knowledge with the help of wiki tool in distributed software development process. We aim to analyze how wiki supports four modes of knowledge conversion process model and how wiki helps in solving the complex problem in virtual organization learning.  Research Methodology  In this research qualitative interview study was used. We have conducted the interview with eight developers and experts in the company. Nonaka and Takeuchi (1995) knowledge conversion model was used while conducting the interview with developers. Similarly, in this research same knowledge conversion model was used for interpreting the answers that we got from the developers and experts.  Findings/Conclusion  Wiki as a knowledge management tool is possible for providing effective as well as efficient communication as per necessity of knowledge requirement in distributed software organization. The use of wiki in the organization for the virtual learning is really beneficial for knowledge creation, solving the complex problem and obtaining the useful effect on virtual team. Some drawbacks were also seen by the expert and developers in using wiki. Those drawbacks were all about genuineness, authenticity, accuracy, trustworthy and uniqueness of knowledge content.  Research Limitation & Delimitations  Due to geographically dispersed location of research sites, we faced difficulty to gather information related to company documents, reports and contextual information of organization. We conducted this research in the offices of Pakistan and office in USA.   Outcomes  The research that we have conducted showed that the developers in Software Company can share knowledge and also can learn through different modes of knowledge conversion model. This research also showed that developers are using the wiki tool for creating new knowledge as well as solving complex problem. This research helps in showing the benefit for other company and motivates the virtual organizations for implementing the use of wiki for different purposes.

Abstract The thesis is an investigation into the spatio-temporal knowledge creation of international research groups. Knowledge is spatial: it is created in geographical places, shared in communicative space and analyzed in the cognitive space of the mind. Knowledge is a process that evolves in the interactions and interpretations of people. It is created in the tempo of working days that is experienced as flowing or disrupted time. These dimensions of spaces and times come together as the contexts of knowledge creation. In current internationalizing universities, work groups increasingly consist of members from different countries and with varying professional backgrounds. In their endeavor to create globally renowned results, the international research groups are both challenged and enabled by their diversity. Multiple views can benefit the creation of novelty, but reaching a common understanding in a diverse group might not be easy. Current research calls for a more detailed understanding of the processes and contexts of knowledge creation in international groups. The empirical part of the thesis is comprised of two case study compilations. Case A focuses on the University of Oulu, with its foreign employees and three international research groups from the humanist, scientific and technical fields. Four international research groups from the fields of science and technology, led by top foreign professors and funded by the Finland Distinguished Professor Programme, form case B. Altogether, the main materials include 37 interviews, 123 weekly diaries, observation and a survey (67 replies). The main methods applied are mental mapping, discourse analysis and content analysis. According to the results, knowledge creation is a complex spatio-temporal process that often leads to unexpected results. Processes of interaction and interpretation enable the group to reach cognitive friction. This fertile ground of knowledge creation can be reached when a group possesses enough common understanding and enough diversity in their individual interpretations. Humanist, scientific and technical knowledges are created in multiple contexts through group-specific discourses. Knowledge itself is a spatio-temporal process of stages, flows and disruptions towards the not-yet-known. Knowledge is inseparable from individuals, groups, the processes and contexts of creation. / Tiivistelmä Väitöskirjassa tarkastellaan tiedon jalostamista tilassa ja ajassa kansainvälisissä tutkimusryhmissä. Tieto on tilallista: sitä jalostetaan maantieteellisissä paikoissa, jaetaan kommunikaation tilassa ja analysoidaan mielen kognitiivisessa tilassa. Tieto on prosessi, jota ihmiset jalostavat vuorovaikutuksen ja tulkinnan kautta. Tietoa jalostetaan aikarajojen ja työpäivien määrittelemässä ajassa, joka voi tuntua virtaavan tai pysähtelevän. Nämä tilan ja ajan ulottuvuudet yhdistyvät tiedon jalostamisen kontekstiksi. Kansainvälistyvissä yliopistoissa työryhmät koostuvat enenevissä määrin jäsenistä, jotka edustavat eri kansallisuuksia ja joiden ammatilliset taustat ovat erilaiset. Monimuotoisuus on sekä haaste että mahdollisuus ryhmien tavoitteelle luoda kansainvälisesti merkittäviä tuloksia. Monipuoliset näkökulmat voivat edesauttaa tiedon jalostamista, mutta yhteisymmärryksen muodostaminen ryhmässä voi olla haastavaa. Nykytutkimuksessa tarvitaan syvällisempää ymmärrystä tiedon jalostamisen prosesseista ja konteksteista kansainvälisissä ryhmissä. Väitöskirjan empiirinen osa sisältää kaksi tapaustutkimuskokonaisuutta. Tapaus A koskee Oulun yliopiston ulkomaalaisia työntekijöitä ja kolmea kansainvälistä tutkimusryhmää humanistiselta, luonnontieteelliseltä ja tekniseltä alalta. Tapauksen B muodostavat neljä kansainvälistä luonnontieteen ja tekniikan alan tutkimusryhmää, joiden johtajat ovat ulkomaalaisia huippuprofessoreita ja jotka ovat Finland Distinguished Professor -ohjelman rahoittamia. Yhteensä pääaineisto koostuu 37 haastattelusta, 123 viikkopäiväkirjasta, havainnoinnista ja kyselystä (67 vastausta). Aineiston käsittelyn päämenetelmät ovat mentaalikartta-, diskurssi- ja sisällönanalyysi. Tulosten mukaan tiedon jalostaminen on monimutkainen prosessi, joka usein johtaa odottamattomiin tuloksiin. Vuorovaikutuksen ja tulkitsemisen prosessit mahdollistavat kognitiivisen kitkan muodostumisen, joka on hedelmällinen maaperä tiedon jalostamiselle. Sen saavuttamiseksi ryhmässä tarvitaan riittävästi yhteisymmärrystä ja riittävästi monimuotoisuutta jäsenten yksilöllisissä tulkinnoissa. Humanistiset, luonnontieteelliset ja tekniset tiedot jalostetaan ryhmän sisäisissä diskursseissa monipuolisissa konteksteissa. Tieto on tilallinen ja ajallinen prosessi kohti toistaiseksi tietämätöntä. Tieto on erottamaton osa ihmisiä, ryhmiä ja jalostamisen prosesseja ja konteksteja.

Observations in the information technology (IT) support environment and generalizations from the literature regarding problem resolution behavior indicate that computer support staff seldom store reusable solution information effectively for IT problems. A comprehensive model of the processes encompassing problem arrival and assessment, expertise selection, problem resolution, and solution recording has not been available to facilitate research in this domain. This investigation employed the findings from a qualitative pilot study of IT support staff information behaviors to develop and explicate a detailed model of problem trajectory. Based on a model from clinical studies, this model encompassed a trajectory scheme that included the communication media, characteristics of the problem, decision points in the problem resolution process, and knowledge creation in the form of solution storage. The research design included the administration of an extensive scenario-based online survey to a purposive sample of IT support staff at a medium-sized state-supported university, with additional respondents from online communities of IT support managers and call-tracking software developers. The investigator analyzed 109 completed surveys and conducted email interviews of a stratified nonrandom sample of survey respondents to evaluate the suitability of the model. The investigation employed mixed methods including descriptive statistics, effects size analysis, and content analysis to interpret the results and verify the sufficiency of the problem trajectory model. The study found that expertise selection relied on the factors of credibility, responsibility, and responsiveness. Respondents referred severe new problems for resolution and recorded formal solutions more often than other types of problems, whereas they retained moderate recurring problems for resolution and seldom recorded those solutions. Work experience above and below the 5-year mark affected decisions to retain, refer, or defer problems, as well as solution storage and broadcasting behaviors. The veracity of the problem trajectory model was verified and it was found to be an appropriate tool and explanatory device for research in the IT domain.

The purpose of this qualitative research was to investigate the relatively new concept of knowledge management as it applies to schools as learning organisations. Literature on knowledge management abounds and is covered by authors in a wide variety of fields. However, literature relating to knowledge management in schools is limited, particularly literature by in-school practitioners. The study provides a teacher-librarian’s view gleaned largely from interactions with colleagues in the profession. The fieldwork for the study was undertaken in a small cross-section of Australian and New Zealand schools in 2001. Semi-structured interviews yielded answers to questions on how teachers shared their knowledge, on how ICTs enabled knowledge management, the implications of knowledge management for teacher-librarians and the concept of the knowledge-enabled school. The findings relate to the structuring of human resources and decision making processes, information literacy and knowledge construction, the critical learning community that optimises learning, the parallel development of social and ICT infrastructures, information management tools, the role of the teacher-librarian and the incorporation of knowledge management into systemic reforms. The study recommends that the ways in which teachers share knowledge requires further scrutiny, that research should establish the capacity for knowledge management in schools, that tools and systems are integrated as a KM Toolbox and that one particularly successful model of systemic reform based on knowledge management principles be piloted in South African schools. The study provides a singular record of knowledge management practice and potential in schools. / Dissertation (MEd)--University of Pretoria, 2006. / Curriculum Studies / MEd / Unrestricted

Despite the impact of Information Technology (IT) in today's service economy, its nature and role are elusive or ambiguous to say the least. This ambiguity has made it so difficult to measure the value of IT. To clarify the ambiguity, this study, with a focus on the strategic dimension of IT application in the web of organizational activities, proposes a conceptual model that relates IT application to Knowledge Management and then to Strategy. In this effort, incorporating the Co-alignment model as a theoretical binding agent, the role of IT is defined as a facilitator of organizational knowledge management that is regarded as the core of strategic management. The conceptual model proposed is further developed into a structural model for empirical testing. The goodness of fit of the model is assessed through the technique of the Structural Equation Modeling (SEM) along with first-order and second-order confirmatory factor analyses (CFA) using the survey responses of unit managers of multi-unit restaurant companies of the U.S. and Korea. Since the mail survey was conducted in two different nations, relevant multi cultural issues are also addressed to justify the use of combined samples for the study. The results of the statistical analyses indicate that IT application can be incorporated successfully into the domain of strategic management of restaurant companies as the facilitator of Knowledge Management activities. The hypotheses of the links between IT application and financial performance remained unsolved due to invalid data. However, this study made a certain degree of contribution in identifying the dynamics of IT application in the process of strategic management incorporating the principle of the Co-alignment model. / Ph. D.

No description available.

Coffee is a vital source of income for millions of farmers worldwide and an important commodity in global trade. The 17 sustainable development goals of the United Nations, aim to improve the world's production and consumption patterns, but coffee farming is still often associated with modern-day slavery, poor working conditions, and deforestation. To address these issues, certification programs have been introduced, linked to sustainability objectives and aimed at promoting sustainable practices, but their impact has been questioned. This study seeks to explore the inter-organisational learning (IOL) processes between German coffee importers and roasters and coffee producers. It poses three research questions to investigate: (1) The effect of IOL on the sustainable development of coffee farms, (2) the underlying processes of IOL in German coffee supply chains, and (3) the influence of barriers on the IOL process. Through qualitative semi-structured interviews, the study identifies that the primary goal of initiating IOL varies from one company to another and is the main indicator for their ability to enable sustainable development on the farms. While achieving a sustainable transformation was rarely the reason to engage in an IOL process, the focus on quality improvements, most common among the interviewed organisations, also led to some amount of environmental and social sustainable development. Trust is essential for successful IOL, though cultural differences and communication barriers might hinder the development of trust. The study highlights the importance of including farmers in all stages of the IOL process, leading to a significant sustainable development outcome on coffee farms. The study contributes to a better understanding of IOL dynamics in the coffee supply chain, shedding light on IOL's interconnectedness and the sustainable development of coffee farms.

New technology and digital transformations create disruptions for businesses, which new artificial intelligence (AI) technology is projected to do. Knowledge management (KM) and professional service firms (PSFs) play a critical role in the innovation-driven era of the knowledge economy. Both KM and PSFs rely on learning and knowledge, which are concepts that the AI-tool ChatGPT is also closely connected to. Since ChatGPT is newly launched, it is an uninvestigated phenomena. The research purpose is therefore to explore what role ChatGPT has in knowledge-creating processes within PSFs. An inductive, qualitative study is conducted through semi-structured interviews on a case study. Through thematic analysis weidentify who, how, when, and why ChatGPT is used in regards to knowledge-creating processes. The study concludes that ChatGPT is used by knowledge workers and primarily those who rely less on tacit knowledge. ChatGPT’s design results in it mainly being used for knowledge-creating processes involving explicit knowledge, and when such knowledge can be verified. Its main benefits are time efficiency and relevance. / Ny teknik och digitala transformationer gör att företag står inför förändring, vilket även ny artificiell intelligens (AI) förväntas orsaka. Knowledge management (KM) och professionella tjänsteföretag spelar en avgörande roll i den innovationsdrivna eran av kunskapsekonomin. Både KM och professionella tjänsteföretag förlitar sig på lärande och kunskap, vilket även AI-verktyget ChatGPT gör. Eftersom ChatGPT är nylanserat är det ett oundersökt fenomen. Forskningssyftet är således att utforska vilken roll ChatGPT har i kunskapsskapande processer inom professionella tjänsteföretag. En induktiv, kvalitativ studie genomförs genom semistrukturerade intervjuer på en fallstudie. Genom tematisk analys identifieras vem som använder ChatGPT, likaså hur, när och varför verktyget används i kunskapsskapande processer. Studien kommer fram till att ChatGPT används av kunskapsarbetare, främst de som förlitar sig mindre på tyst kunskap. ChatGPTs design resulterar i att den primärt används förkunskapsskapande processer som involverar explicit kunskap, samt när sådan kunskap kan verifieras. Dess främsta fördelar är tidseffektivitet och relevans.