Magister Commercii - MCom / The aim of this study is to understand how knowledge is created, shared and used within the fast moving consumer goods distribution centre in the Western Cape (WC). It also aims to understand knowledge sharing between individuals in the organisation. A literature review was conducted, in order to answer the research questions- this covered the background of knowledge management (KM) and KS and its current status with particular reference to SA’s private sector. The study found that technological KM infrastructure, cultural KM infrastructure and organisational KM infrastructure are important enablers of KS. A conceptual model was developed around these concepts. In order to answer the research questions, the study identified a FMCG DC in the WC, where KS is practiced

Since September 11, 2001, the United States Government (USG) has possessed unparalleled capability in terms of dedicated intelligence and information collection assets supporting the analysts of the Intelligence Community (IC). The USG IC has sponsored, developed, and borne witness to extraordinary advances in technology, techniques, and procedures focused on knowledge harvesting, knowledge sharing, and collaboration. Knowledge, within successful (effective & productive) organizations, exists as a commodity; a commodity that can be created, captured, imparted, shared, and leveraged. The research problem that this study addressed is the challenge of maintaining strong organizational effectiveness and productivity through the use of an information technology-based knowledge management system (KMS). The main goal of this study was to empirically assess a model testing the impact of the factors of rewards, power, centrality, trust, collaborative environment, resistance to share, ease-of-using KMS, organizational structure, and top management support to inducement, willingness to share, as well as opportunity to contribute knowledge to a KMS on knowledge-sharing in a highly classified and sensitive environment of the USG IC. This study capitalized on prior literature to measure each of the 15 model constructs. This study was conducted with a select group of USG Departments and Agencies whose primary interest is Intelligence Operations. This study solicited responses from more than 1,000 current, as well as former, Intelligence Analysts of the USG IC, using an unclassified anonymous survey instrument. A total of 525 (52.5%) valid responses were analyzed using a partial least squares (PLS) structural equation modeling (SEM) statistical technique to perform model testing. Pre-analysis data screening was conducted to ensure the accuracy of the data collected, as well as to correct irregularities or errors within the gathered data. The 14 propositions outlined in this research study were tested using the PLS-SEM analysis along with reliability and validity checks. The results of this study provide insights into the key factors that shed light onto the willingness of US intelligence community analysts to contribute knowledge to a KMS in a highly classified and sensitive environment. Specifically, the significance of a knowledge worker’s willingness to contribute his/her knowledge to a KMS along with the opportunity to contribute knowledge, while inducement was not a significant factor when it comes to knowledge sharing using KMS in highly classified environments.

A great deal has been written in the management literature concerning the field of knowledge management. Some of that literature has focused on the use of stories and storytelling, including for the sharing of knowledge. However, the field of knowledge management is relatively immature in South Africa. In particular within that field, there is not a clear understanding of the use of stories and storytelling for knowledge sharing within the country. The purpose of the study was to improve that understanding through research into a case study within the South African mining industry, with a focus on world-class performance. To assist in the performance evaluation of the case study organisation, a framework for world-class performance was developed and used as an analytical tool in conjunction with a research instrument that was based on the findings of the non-empirical research into the fields of knowledge management and stories and storytelling. The empirical research then focused on the activities of a particular community of practice within the case study organisation and sought to understand the way in which stories and storytelling were used to support the sharing of knowledge in the organisation, as a contributor to world-class performance. Whilst conducting the empirical research, assessment and analysis, it was identified that the case study organisation made use of a number of practices and tools to support the use of stories and storytelling, in particular graphical representations (storyboards) of the stories to complement their oral delivery. The analysis of the case study data indicated that a significant opportunity existed to improve the extent of world-class performance for the use of stories and storytelling and a number of recommendations were made in that regard. / Thesis (DPhil)--University of Pretoria, 2007. / Information Science / unrestricted

Boundaries in the growth of women entrepreneurship, in general, are for example family responsibility, gender discrimination, missing networks and the lack of interaction with other successful entrepreneurs. This is especially critical in developing countries where the women have to face additionally barriers. The existence of supportive organizations is crucial in creating opportunities for female entrepreneurship. One example of a female entrepreneurial network that supports women doing business is GSWIM (Grooming a Successful Woman with an Intellectual Mind), operating in Kampala, Uganda. This thesis will study the knowledge sharing behaviour within the organization. The main data collection has been retrieved through interviews held with five business women, members of GSWIM. A developed version of the MOA framework (Motivation, Opportunity, Ability) have been used to analyse the collected data. It is shown that there are a lot of things in GSWIM that facilitate the knowledge sharing behaviour. GSWIM motivate, inspire and are proficient in communicating the value of sharing knowledge. However, there are some crucial aspects for improvements related to increased ability, belongingness of members and decentralization. The long-term orientation is along with team cohesiveness, probably two of the network’s major assets. By providing a network for women, and a platform for knowledge sharing, GSWIM has reduced some barriers to entrepreneurship in Uganda.

The effects of goal interdependence on employees’ performance outcomes have been well documented in the literature. Yet, the relationship between goal interdependence and employees’ proactive behaviors remains largely unexplored. Integrating the theory of cooperation and competition with the employee proactivity literature, this study investigates how cooperative goal interdependence and competitive goal interdependence respectively influence employee knowledge sharing and knowledge hiding, and in turn shape their propensity to seek help from coworkers. It further examines reciprocity beliefs as an individual factor in affecting the indirect effect of goal interdependence on help seeking. Specifically, positive reciprocity belief is hypothesized to moderate the mediating role of knowledge sharing, whereas negative reciprocity belief is expected to moderate the mediating effect of knowledge hiding. In Study 1, a total of 127 interviews were conducted with full-time employees working in professional service firms across four cities including Hong Kong, Macau, China and Taiwan. Results of structural equation modeling supported the mediating role of knowledge sharing in the relationship between cooperative goal interdependence and employee help seeking. In Study 2, an experimental study was conducted with 150 full-time students at a university in Macau to replicate the findings in Study 1 and to test the moderation hypotheses. It yielded findings consistent with Study 1 and supportive of the moderating role of negative reciprocity belief in the mediated effect of goal interdependence on help seeking. Specifically, knowledge hiding mediates the relationship between competitive goal interdependence and help seeking, when an individual is high in negative reciprocity belief. Findings of the two studies provide both theoretical contributions to the literature and practical insights to organizations. Cooperative goal interdependence is a valuable method for managers to promote knowledge sharing, inhibit knowledge hiding, and encourage active help seeking among employees.

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<p>Generally, the trade supervisors are seen swapping stories about how they have done things differently in their previous projects that had resulted in saving man-hours and resources. Since most of them are doing repetitive tasks for years, they rely mainly on their judgments and intuition while making decisions and have developed a plethora of knowledge throughout their experience. They often find it difficult to articulate the knowledge they have acquired most of which is tacit. There is a need to identify this tacit dimension of knowledge to harness it effectively as tacit knowledge is one of the factors determining the competitiveness of a construction firm. The skills shortage in the industry is further aggravated by the growing workforce. Employee retirements and knowledge loss are compelling the specialty contracting firms to capture this tacit knowledge to prepare the future workforce. This study posits an instrument to gauge the reliance of the field supervisors on tacit knowledge and identifies barriers to knowledge sharing through case studies involving electrical contracting firms. The findings of this research clearly show that the experience level of an individual is related to the reliance on tacit knowledge. Most of the experienced field supervisors rely on the tacit dimension of knowledge to perform the major day-to-day routine tasks at the construction site. The education level of an individual seems to have no significant relation with the acquisition and usage of tacit knowledge. Findings also suggest that the viewpoint of the management and the field team are disparate regarding the barriers to knowledge sharing. Management feels that lack of formal processes prevents the trade professionals from sharing their knowledge among themselves whereas according to the field team lack of socialization is identified as the key barrier. Similarly, managers' resistance to change is identified by management as the key barrier that prevents supervisors or managers from sharing their knowledge with the subordinates whereas, for the field team it is the lack of encouragement from the management. Moreover, according to management, lack of formal processes is the key barrier at the organizational level but for the field team, it’s the silo mentality of the managers. The organizations must incorporate the feedback from the field team into the decision making related to knowledge management (KM). The developed framework will benefit the trade contractors to identify on what type of knowledge the field supervisors are relying to perform a particular task and eventually categorizing knowledge into explicit and tacit.</p>

Eine wachsende Anzahl von Unternehmen führt Enterprise Social Networks (ESN) ein, um den Wissensaustausch zwischen den Mitarbeitern zu verbessern und neue Möglichkeiten zur Zusammenarbeit zu schaffen. Die Anbieter von ESN-Lösungen versprechen ihren Kunden außerdem eine Erhöhung der Produktivität und Innovationskraft der Mitarbeiter. Häufig können Unternehmen diese Vorteile jedoch nicht realisieren. Gartner prognostizierte 2013, dass 80 Prozent der Unternehmen die mit ihren Social-Business-Initiativen gesteckten Ziele bis 2015 nicht erreichen werden. Zu den häufigsten Gründen für das Scheitern von ESN-Initiativen zählen fehlende Unterstützung durch die Führungskräfte, eine „inkompatible“ Unternehmenskultur, fehlende Business-Ziele sowie eine Unsicherheit in der Belegschaft, wie und wofür das neue Werkzeug genutzt werden kann. Im Vergleich zu externen sozialen Netzwerken entwickeln sich ESN häufig nicht als Selbstläufer und scheitern kurz- oder mittelfristig aufgrund mangelnder Partizipation seitens der Mitarbeiter.

Title: Factors Influencing Innovation Capacity of Regional Innovation Hubs Authors: Sanvida Vishani Sawunda Hannadige &amp; Dona Kithmini Chiranthini Weerasinghe Supervisor: Ehsanul Huda Chowdhury Examiner: Maria Fregidou-Malama Date: 28- Jan- 2021   Aim: This study aims to identify the factors influencing innovation capacity of innovation hubs and explore how innovation hubs influence regional innovation process.    Methodology: This is a qualitative study which follows the inductive approach and the strategy of multiple case study. Primary data were collected through semi-structured interviews with ten respondents in the network of an innovation hub.   Findings: The findings of this study suggest five main factors which positively influence the innovation capacity of an innovation hub. Those are infrastructure, knowledge sharing, culture, marketing strategies and supporting network of the hub. Further through the findings we identified that innovation hub creates a well-balanced socio-economic impact on the region it operates.   Contribution: This study provides a comprehensive knowledge to the existing theories by discovering five theoretical areas which influence innovation capacity. Also it assists the stakeholders of innovation hubs to overcome their deficiencies in order to build a strong innovation capacity. Further, this study encourages innovators, entrepreneurs and investors to work in collaboration with innovation hubs.   Suggestions for Future Research: Qualitative or quantitative methods can be used to explore the outcomes in different perspectives. The newly identified features under marketing strategies can be further studied for their importance in other domains such as ecosystem and stakeholders. The revised framework can be tested in future researches.

Aim: This study aims to investigate the factors that affect the practices of effective knowledge sharing in the Middle East region. Method: The research paper is based on a single case study about the internal audit department in a commercial Lebanese bank. Qualitative research methods have been applied which included semi-structured interviews. Results &amp; Conclusion: The research results suggest that organizational, individual and IT are the factors affecting knowledge sharing practices at the bank. However, one of the main issues is related to the national cultural and more specifically to how power distance, individualism, and masculinity are spread throughout the IA department and proving a moderating effect towards organizational, individual and IT factors. This research paper shows that power distance is one of the main contributing factors concerning knowledge sharing. Barriers such as trust, lack of reward system, and centralized organizational structure and lack of information technology infrastructure are regarded as problems in knowledge sharing. However, the empirical results show that the principal issue lies in the power distance. Suggestions for future researches: Suggestions for further researches would be to get the perspectives from an internal audit department at another organization in the Middle East that is following a decentralized organizational structure, having advanced IT infrastructures, along with reward system, in order to compare it with the results given in this study. Furthermore, it would be interesting to make observations at the organization in order to deeply understand how knowledge is being shared at the field. Contribution of the study: This study shows that organizations that are identified with centralized organizational structure, lack of trust, lack of IT support and special rewards system entail different issues with individuals’ knowledge sharing practices. Besides, this research paper provides the organization with insights into what thoughts its employees have when it comes to knowledge sharing. Furthermore, this provides the literature about knowledge sharing in the Middle East with a new model showing the impact of national culture over the factors that affect knowledge sharing practices in the Middle East.