The image of employees as an internal source of knowledge has grown as a result of the increasingly competitive business climate. An increased interest in employee ideas has led to more small- and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs)engaging in idea management to promote innovation. Despite extensive research, many SMEs still struggle to structure and manage idea management in a successful way. Therefore, the purpose of the study is to identify which challenges cause this struggle and to propose recommendations on how these can be solved. With access to employees at all levels of a manufacturing SME, a total of 16 semi-structured interviews were conducted and analyzed to understand prevailing circumstances. The result shows the main challenges inidea management for manufacturing SMEs, which involve organizational factors, undeveloped processes, and the inability to communicate. The findings indicate and present three different recommendations to overcome the identified challenges to improve idea management and promote innovation. Itis recommended that manufacturing SMEs takes these challenges and recommendations in consideration to foster idea management. / Bilden av anställda som en intern kunskapskälla har växt till följd av det allt merkonkurrensfyllda affärsklimatet. Ett ökat intresse för anställdas idéer har medfört att fler små och medelstora företag (SMEs) engagerar sig i idéhantering för att främja innovation. Trots omfattande forskning har många SMEsfortfarande svårigheter med att strukturera upp och hantera idéhanteringen på ett framgångsrikt sätt. Därför är syftet med studien att identifiera vilka utmaningar som ligger bakom detta, och föreslå lösningar på hur dessa kan överkommas. Med tillgång till anställda på alla nivåer inom ett tillverkande SME,genomfördes och analyserades sammanlagt 16 semistrukturerade intervjuer för att förstå rådande omständigheter. Resultatet visar de främsta utmaningar med idéhantering för tillverkande SMEs, vilket involverar organisatoriska faktor, outvecklade processer och oförmågan att kommunicera. Slutsatsen indikerar och presenterar tre olika rekommendationer för att övervinna de identifierade utmaningarna för att förbättra idéhantering och främja innovation. Det rekommenderas att tillverkande SMEs överväger dessa utmaningar och rekommendationer för att främja idéhanteringen.

知識管理是近年國內外公、私部門甚為流行的管理方法，無論在學術與實務界，對於知識管理已有相當豐富之研究與實務經驗，包括知識管理的導入、實施策略、知識分享、知識創新、知識管理系統的設計等。惟在當前知識管理的文獻中，鮮少針對公部門知識利用現況與影響知識利用因素進行深入探究。本研究認為，知識管理的最終目的在於將知識付諸實現，始能產生知識的價值，而非僅是知識的累積。基此，本研究以公部門知識利用作為深入探討的焦點，藉由文獻分析法及檢視個案知識利用現況，歸納影響知識利用之因素，試圖建構公部門知識利用之模式。同時，經由對個案成員進行之深度訪談，深入瞭解個案成員對知識利用的認知及實際應用知識的行為。希冀藉由本研究發現公部門利用內、外部知識可能存在的問題，並提出具體建議供個案或其他公部門參考，俾使知識管理得以務實、有效且永續地發展。 本研究經文獻檢閱，將影響公部門知識利用之因素分從組織文化、組織成員、知識內涵及知識利用技術等四大面向探討，並輔以深度訪談與個案分析後，有以下發現： 一、影響公部門成員知識利用的因素：1.組織文化面向，包括開放性、同儕與主管影響、合作信任氛圍、管理者的授權；2.組織成員面向，包括知識接受者的態度、判斷能力、人際關係、任務性質、時間、習慣、知識提供者的可近性；3.知識面向，包括相對優勢、相容性、複雜性、可觀察性、可試驗性；4.技術面向，包括知識系統的易用性、相容性、輸出品質（儲存、更新及呈現的形式）、知識庫存量及整合性、知識社群的效能、工作者整理知識的技術。 二、知識利用的現況：整體而言，利用組織內部的知識是成員必備的認知、能力與習慣，且透過機關提供之知識利用管道大致能找到日常工作需要的知識。另外，對於與業務有關的外部知識亦趨重視，惟不同單位對外部知識之重視程度則有不同。 本研究最後按所歸納之四大面向，分述個案在知識利用上存在的問題，並提出具體改進建議。 / Recent years, knowledge management (KM) is a very popular way of management in the public or private organization domestically and internationally. Whether in the academic field or practical area, there are abundant research and experience, including introduction of KM, implementing strategy, sharing and innovation of knowledge, design of knowledge management system and so on. Currently, public sectors do not have enough research to find out what are the factors influencing the knowledge utilization. My study acknowledges the ultimate purpose of KM is to put knowledge into practice, and to create the true value of the knowledge, instead of merely accumulation of that. My study focuses on the utilization of KM by public sector through document analysis and case study, induces factors for knowledge utilization, and attempts to build a model of knowledge utilization in government organization. In the meantime, by thorough interview with individuals in the case, we can understand the members’ acknowledgement and practical behavior of knowledge utilization. I hope my study would find out problems while exploiting internal or external knowledge in public sector and provide concrete advice to individual in the case study and different government authorities for reference resources in order to develop a more practical, effective and continual knowledge management. Through reviewing document, this study discusses factors that influence the knowledge utilization from four areas: organization culture, organization members, knowledge contents and modern technology. Through the thorough interview and case study, my study discovers the following conclusions. 1.The factors influencing the knowledge utilization: (1) organization culture: including openness, the influence of coworkers and managers, atmosphere of cooperation and trust, and empowerment of managers; (2) organization members: including the members’ attitude of accepting knowledge, good judgment, interpersonal relationships, the nature of the mandate, time, habits, accessibility of knowledge providers; (3) knowledge contents: including relative advantage, compatibility, complexity, observability, and trial ability; (4) modern technology: including ease of use, compatibility, the output quality (storage, update and displaying forms), a rich stock of knowledge base and integration of the knowledge systems, the effectiveness of the knowledge community, workers’ techniques of organizing knowledge. 2. The current condition of using knowledge: generally speaking, every member of the organization requires having the ability and habit to utilize the internal knowledge. The members are capable to use the information provided by the organization and develop the necessary knowledge to find the appropriate approaches to accomplish their daily work. In addition, job related external knowledge will get more emphasis, except the different departments look at the importance of external knowledge differently. Finally, according to this study, problems can be identified in the knowledge utilization of the case from the above-mentioned four areas that I have summed up, and offer suggestions for improvement.

博士(技術経営) / Doctor of Philosophy in Technology and Innovative Management / 同志社大学 / Doshisha University

La présente thèse se base sur les principes de la théorisation ancrée (Strauss & Corbin, 1998) afin de répondre au manque de documentation concernant les stratégies adoptées par des « agents intermédiaires » pour promouvoir l’utilisation des connaissances issues de la recherche auprès des intervenants en éducation. Le terme « agent intermédiaire » réfère aux personnes qui sont positionnées à l’interface entre les producteurs et les utilisateurs des connaissances scientifiques et qui encouragent et soutiennent les intervenants scolaires dans l’application des connaissances scientifiques dans leur pratique. L’étude s’inscrit dans le cadre d’un projet du ministère de l’Éducation, du Loisir et du Sport du Québec visant à améliorer la réussite scolaire des élèves du secondaire provenant de milieux défavorisés. Des agents intermédiaires de différents niveaux du système éducatif ayant obtenu le mandat de transférer des connaissances issues de la recherche auprès des intervenants scolaires dans les écoles visées par le projet ont été sollicités pour participer à l’étude. Une stratégie d’échantillonnage de type « boule-de-neige » (Biernacki & Waldorf, 1981; Patton, 1990) a été employée afin d’identifier les personnes reconnues par leurs pairs pour la qualité du soutien offert aux intervenants scolaires quant à l’utilisation de la recherche dans leur pratique. Seize entrevues semi-structurées ont été réalisées. L’analyse des données permet de proposer un modèle d’intervention en transfert de connaissances composé de 32 stratégies d’influence, regroupées en 6 composantes d’intervention, soit : relationnelle, cognitive, politique, facilitatrice, évaluative, de même que de soutien et de suivi continu. Les résultats suggèrent que les stratégies d’ordre relationnelle, cognitive et politique sont interdépendantes et permettent d’établir un climat favorable dans lequel les agents peuvent exercer une plus grande influence sur l’appropriation du processus de l’utilisation des connaissances des intervenants scolaire. Ils montrent en outre que la composante de soutien et de suivi continu est importante pour maintenir les changements quant à l’utilisation de la recherche dans la pratique chez les intervenants scolaires. Les implications théoriques qui découlent du modèle, ainsi que les explications des mécanismes impliqués dans les différentes composantes, sont mises en perspective tant avec la documentation scientifique en transfert de connaissances dans les secteurs de la santé et de l’éducation, qu’avec les travaux provenant de disciplines connexes (notamment la psychologie). Enfin, des pistes d’action pour la pratique sont proposées. / The present thesis was based on Grounded Theory (Strauss & Corbin, 1998) principles in order to address the lack of documented strategies implemented by “intermediate agents” to promote school practitioners’ use of research-based evidence. The term “intermediate agent” refers to the individuals who are positioned at the interface between scientific knowledge producers and users, and who encourage and support users’ uptake of research-based evidence in their practice. The study is part of the Quebec Ministry of Education, Recreation and Sports’ project aimed at improving success rates of secondary school students in underprivileged areas. Those solicited to participate in the study were intermediate agents from different levels of the educational system who had obtained the mandate to transfer research-based evidence to practitioners in schools targeted by the project. Snowball sampling (Biernacki & Waldorf, 1981; Patton, 1990) was used to identify individuals who were recognized by their peers for the quality of the support they offered to school practitioners in applying research. Sixteen semi-structured interviews were conducted. Analysis of the data yielded an intervention model coined Knowledge Transfer Intervention Theory, composed of 32 strategies of influence that were categorized into 6 intervention components: Relational, Cognitive, Political, Facilitative, Evaluative, as well as Continuous Support and Follow-up. The findings suggest that strategies embedded in the Relational, Cognitive, and Political components are interdependent and aim to establish a favourable climate, allowing agents to exercise a greater influence towards potential users’ ownership of the knowledge utilization process. Moreover, the Continuous Support and Follow-up component is key to sustaining changes in school practitioners’ use of research. Theoretical implications linked to the model, along with underlying explanations of the mechanisms involved in the different components are compared with the literature in knowledge transfer in the sectors of both health and education. Reports from related disciplines (notably in psychology) are also exposed. Finally, recommendations for practice are proposed.

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