A growing body of research investigates the role that organizational learning plays in generating superior firm performance. Researchers, however, have given limited attention to this learning effect in the context of long-term interorganizational relationships. This paper focuses on a specific aspect of learning, that is, explorative and exploitative knowledge sharing, and examines its impacts on sustained performance. We examine interorganizational design mechanisms and digitally-enabled knowledge representation as antecedents of knowledge sharing. The empirical context is dyadic relationship between a supply chain solutions vendor and its customers for two major classes of supply chain services. Our theoretical predictions are tested by using data collected from both sides of this customer-vendor dyad. The findings suggest that dual emphasis on exploration and exploitation is important for sustained relationship performance for customers. The customer evaluates balancing exploration and exploitation important whereas the vendor emphasizes only on exploitation.

This thesis focuses on pre-conditions for organisations to implement knowledge management systems (KMS). Prior research suggests knowledge management (KM) is a capability and, as such, organisations need to know if they are ready to embark on KM initiatives that develop this capability. The findings of my research contend that measuring readiness is a prerequisite for implementing KMS holistically. I argue that effective KMS integrates the creation, mobilisation and diffusion stages of the knowledge life-cycle. Therefore, a system for gauging organisational readiness for KMS necessitates understanding the organisation’s inclination to create, mobilise and diffuse knowledge. Drawing from Socio-Technical Systems (STS) Theory, this study uses three dimensions, Infrastructure, Knowledge Structure and Knowledge Culture, to gauge each stage of the knowledge life-cycle. This study develops an instrument – the Knowledge Implementation Assessment Tool (KIAT) – to assess an organisation’s readiness for KMS. An organisation’s readiness can be said to increase as the measure on each dimension increases. In addition, this study found that structurally diverse Communities For Performance are needed to leverage Communities Of Practice in delivering direct business results, and that the implementation of KMS must be governed within and by cross-functional business processes. The knowledge-based theory of the firm and the knowledge life-cycle theory provide a conceptual understanding that managing the creation, mobilisation and diffusion of knowledge can yield competitive advantage. Based on these theories, an in-depth case study was conducted in Schlumberger’s technical service delivery process. The study analysed the implementation and the use of InTouch, Schlumberger’s KMS. The case study was conducted using an Abductive research strategy. The Means-End Chain approach and its laddering technique were used to collect and analyse data to establish 35 attributes vital for the implementation of an effective KMS – one that brings beneficial results. These attributes form the basis for creating the readiness assessment instrument – KIAT. A KMS implementation affects the social and technical aspects of an organisation. This study categorised the attributes along the three STS dimensions. The basis of the categorisation was the fit between each attribute and an STS dimension. The result is an assessment instrument to measure organisational readiness. The instrument, KIAT, consists of 50 factors to measure organisational readiness along the three STS dimensions for the creation, mobilisation and diffusion of knowledge. KIAT is operationalised in three organisational cases in different industries and processes. This allowed the instrument to be refined and led to the development of procedures to apply KIAT. The cases suggest that KIAT provides useful insights to discover or confirm KMS readiness where a cross-functional business process is the unit of analysis. The research contributes to research methodology in the KM field, as it is the first to use the Means-End Chain approach into knowledge management research by representing a hierarchy of organisational goals in a knowledge management initiative. For practitioners, my research makes two contributions. One, the KIAT readiness assessment instrument to diagnose their organisational readiness and take informed decisions. Two, the understanding of Communities For Performance. This study points the way for further research. This includes directions to explore the relationship between the levels of readiness and the effectiveness of KMS implementation, the relationship between organisations’ experience and their readiness, and the relationship between the dynamics of the KIAT Factors and organisational learning.

In this thesis, an ontology for the mineral exploration domain is designed and developed applying the Protégé ontology editor. The MinExOnt ontology includes a formal and explicit representation of the terms describing real objects, activities, and processes in mineral exploration. The stages used for these activities have various vocabularies, which are semantically modeled in this ontology with Web Ontology Language (OWL). The aim of the thesis is to show how ontologies can be designed and developed to help manage and represent geological knowledge. In addition to providing a general workflow for building the ontology, this thesis presents a simple user guide for the used software, including Protégé, used for ontology development, and Knoodl-OntVis, used for OWL visualization.

No description available.

Den lärande organisationen kännetecknas av parallella processer, samarbete över gruppgränserna och kollektivt lärarande. Lärandet har visat sig vara en stor konkurrensfördel. Den kunskapsbaserade organisationens kärna är de människor som arbetar i den och deras samlade kompetens. Syftet med denna studie är att belysa hur medarbetares idéer och kompetens tas tillvara i kunskapsprocesser. Studien utgörs av en fallstudie på en skola. Genom intervjuer, en mindre enkätstudie och dokumentstudie av skolans kompetensutvecklingsplan, undersöker jag hur detta planeras och utförs. Jag tittar även på vilka förutsättningar som krävs för att tillvarata kompetens i organisationens alla delar samt bakomliggande faktorer till företeelser som hindrar att detta sker. Studien pekar på att lärare behöver mycket avsatt tid i schemat för samtal och reflektion. Den visar också att en upplevelse av medarbetares delaktighet i diskussioner och beslut är av stor vikt för hur de upplever att deras idéer och kompetens tas tillvara. I min slutdiskussion tar jag även upp huruvida dagens skola verkligen har de förutsättningar som krävs för att skapa en lärande organisation. / The learning organization is characterized by multiple process, cooperation through groups and collective learning. Learning has been found to give a large competitive advantage. The heart of the knowledge based organization is its people and their common competences. This research study aims to illustrate how collaborators ideas and competences are utilized in knowledge processes. The study made is a case study of a school. Through interviews, a smaller questionnaire study and a document study of the school’s plan for professional development, I examine how this is planned and performed. I also look into what basic prerequisites are required to utilize competence in all parts of the organization and underlying causes to occurrences that might prevent this. The study indicates that teachers need a large amount of dedicated time in their schedules for conversation and reflection. It also shows that collaborators perceived participation in discussions and decisions is of great value for the perception of how their ideas and competence are utilized. In the conclusion I also address whether the school of today has the prerequisites required to form a learning organization.

Denna studie syftar till att inom fältet knowledge management, samt ur ett situerat lärandeperspektiv, skapa en ökad förståelse för hur medarbetares tysta yrkeskunnande synliggörs, delas, integreras och reproduceras i organisationen. För att möjliggöra undersökandet av detta syfte har tre frågeställningar definierats; I vilka situationer synliggörs tyst yrkeskunnande? Hur delas tyst yrkeskunnande? Vilken roll spelar organisationskulturen för delande av tyst yrkeskunnande? Det empiriska materialet har samlats in genom nio semistrukturerade intervjuer på det undersökta fallföretaget. Resultatet från intervjuerna har analyserats med utgångspunkt i Säljös (2005) situerade lärandeperspektiv, Alvesson & Kärremans (2001) modell Four Knowledge Management Approaches samt Nonaka & Takeuchis (1995) SECI-modell. Studiens resultat visar att det förekommer tyst yrkeskunnande i verksamheten och att detta kunnande i stor utsträckning handlar om organisationskännedom, relationsmässiga kunnanden samt identifiering med förebilder. Vidare visar resultatet att det tysta yrkeskunnandet främst synliggörs, delas och reproduceras genom social interaktion där medarbetare får möjligheten att interagera med kollegor från olika delar av verksamheten. Resultatet visar också att tyst yrkeskunnande utvecklas i takt med att erfarenheten växer och att kunnandet är en form av erfarenhetsbaserad kunskap. Studien visar också att organisationskulturen har stor inverkan på delandet av det tysta yrkeskunnandet, som främjas genom en tillåtande kultur där delandet av kunskap uppmuntras och integreras i verksamheten i form av en levande coachingkultur. / The purpose of this study is to, within the field of knowledge management as well as from a situated learning perspective, create a better understanding of how employees tacit knowing is being made visible, shared, integrated and reproduced within the organization. To further specify the purpose of this study the three following questions have been created; In what situations are tacit knowing being made visible? How is tacit knowing shared? What role does the organizational culture have when tacit knowing is shared? The empirical data has been collected through nine semi-structured interviews at the examined company. The results of the interviews have been analysed on the basis of Säljö’s (2005) situated learning-perspective, Alvesson & Kärreman’s (2001) model Four Knowledge Management Approaches and Nonaka & Takeuchi’s (1995) SECI-model. The results of this study show that tacit knowing exists within the company and that this knowing is focused around organizational knowledge, interpersonal skills and the identification with role models. Furthermore, the results show that tacit knowing is mostly made visible, shared and reproduced through social interaction where employees have the opportunity to interact with colleagues from different parts of the organization. The study also shows that tacit knowing grows with experience and that it is a form of experience-based knowing. The study also shows that organizational culture has a major impact on the sharing of tacit knowing, promoted by an allowing and supportive culture in which the sharing of knowledge is encouraged and integrated into the organization in the form of a live coaching culture.

Supplier development (SD) has been intensively and increasingly used in practice and studied in academia. Many studies find that SD can generate operational, capability-based, attitudinal, and financial performance measures for both the supplying firm (supplier) and the buying firm (buyer), but very few studies systematically explain why SD yields supplier’s performance improvements and, in turn, buyer’s performance improvements. Using a meta-analysis approach, this dissertation finds that SD does lead to positive outcomes, but SD is found to have very weak or even negative relationship with performance improvements in some cases. Such findings further support the importance of examining the main research question: why SD works. In order to answer the main research question, this dissertation adopts a multiphase triangulation approach: theoretical construction, conceptual examination, and empirical examination. Doing so, this dissertation constructs and validates a knowledge management (KM) view of SD. The purpose of theoretical construction (Chapter 3) is to develop a KM view of supplier development via a systematic view of previous studies. Presented in Chapter 4, conceptual examination reveals that all SD activities can be subsumed into KM activities, and further conceptually supports the feasibility of the KM view in SD. Empirical examination, including a survey of 39 SD scholars and a survey of 295 SD practitioners (156 complete responses), is presented in Chapters 5 and 6. Most hypotheses are strongly supported, demonstrating the importance of the knowledge-management view of SD. Overall, this dissertation has both theoretical contributions for KM and SD sides, and practical contributions for researchers, practitioners, and educators/students. First, it contributes by supporting the addition of KM variables to other theories when explaining why SD works, confirming the role of KM in SD, providing a complete KM view of SD, and revealing why SD works. Second, it contributes by implementing mixed research methods, integrating multiple disciplines, and exemplifying collecting data on LinkedIn. Third, it contributes by offering a catalog of SD activities and guidance for designing, implementation, and evaluation of SD initiatives. Fourth, it contributes by advancing a mental model to understand SD literature. Conclusions, limitations, and future research directions are also discussed.

<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>

Quand le E-learning a émergé il ya 20 ans, cela consistait simplement en un texte affiché sur un écran d'ordinateur, comme un livre. Avec les changements et les progrès dans la technologie, le E-learning a parcouru un long chemin, maintenant offrant un matériel éducatif personnalisé, interactif et riche en contenu. Aujourd'hui, le E-learning se transforme de nouveau. En effet, avec la prolifération des systèmes d'apprentissage électronique et des outils d'édition de contenu éducatif, ainsi que les normes établies, c’est devenu plus facile de partager et de réutiliser le contenu d'apprentissage. En outre, avec le passage à des méthodes d'enseignement centrées sur l'apprenant, en plus de l'effet des techniques et technologies Web2.0, les apprenants ne sont plus seulement les récipiendaires du contenu d'apprentissage, mais peuvent jouer un rôle plus actif dans l'enrichissement de ce contenu. Par ailleurs, avec la quantité d'informations que les systèmes E-learning peuvent accumuler sur les apprenants, et l'impact que cela peut avoir sur leur vie privée, des préoccupations sont soulevées afin de protéger la vie privée des apprenants. Au meilleur de nos connaissances, il n'existe pas de solutions existantes qui prennent en charge les différents problèmes soulevés par ces changements. Dans ce travail, nous abordons ces questions en présentant Cadmus, SHAREK, et le E-learning préservant la vie privée. Plus précisément, Cadmus est une plateforme web, conforme au standard IMS QTI, offrant un cadre et des outils adéquats pour permettre à des tuteurs de créer et partager des questions de tests et des examens. Plus précisément, Cadmus fournit des modules telles que EQRS (Exam Question Recommender System) pour aider les tuteurs à localiser des questions appropriées pour leur examens, ICE (Identification of Conflits in Exams) pour aider à résoudre les conflits entre les questions contenu dans un même examen, et le Topic Tree, conçu pour aider les tuteurs à mieux organiser leurs questions d'examen et à assurer facilement la couverture des différent sujets contenus dans les examens. D'autre part, SHAREK (Sharing REsources and Knowledge) fournit un cadre pour pouvoir profiter du meilleur des deux mondes : la solidité des systèmes E-learning et la flexibilité de PLE (Personal Learning Environment) tout en permettant aux apprenants d'enrichir le contenu d'apprentissage, et les aider à localiser nouvelles ressources d'apprentissage. Plus précisément, SHAREK combine un système recommandation multicritères, ainsi que des techniques et des technologies Web2.0, tels que le RSS et le web social, pour promouvoir de nouvelles ressources d'apprentissage et aider les apprenants à localiser du contenu adapté. Finalement, afin de répondre aux divers besoins de la vie privée dans le E-learning, nous proposons un cadre avec quatre niveaux de vie privée, ainsi que quatre niveaux de traçabilité. De plus, nous présentons ACES (Anonymous Credentials for E-learning Systems), un ensemble de protocoles, basés sur des techniques cryptographiques bien établies, afin d'aider les apprenants à atteindre leur niveau de vie privée désiré. / E-learning emerged over 20 years ago, and was merely book like text displayed on a computer screen. With the changes and advances in technology, E-learning has come a long way, providing personal and interactive rich content. Today, E-learning is again going through major changes. Indeed, with the proliferation of E-learning systems and content authoring tools, as well as established standards, it has become easier to share and reuse learning content. Moreover, with the shift to learner centered education and the effect of Web2.0 techniques and technologies, learners are no longer just recipients of the learning content, but can play an active role into enriching such content. Additionally, with the amount of information E-learning systems can gather about learners, and the impact this has on their privacy, concerns are being raised in order to protect learners’ privacy. Nonetheless, to the best of our knowledge, there is no existing work that supports the various challenges raised by these changes. In this work, we address these issues by presenting Cadmus, SHAREK, and privacy preserving E-learning. Specifically, Cadmus is an IMS QTI compliant web based assessment authoring tool, offering the proper framework and tools to enable tutors author and share questions and exams. In detail, Cadmus provides functionalities such as the EQRS (Exam Questions Recommender System) to help tutors locate suitable questions, ICE (Identification of Conflicts in Exams) to help resolve conflicts between questions within the same exam, and the topic tree, designed to help tutors better organize their exam questions and easily ensure the content coverage of their exams. On the other hand, SHAREK (Sharing REsources and Knowledge) provides the framework to take advantage of both the rigidity of E-learning systems and the flexibility of PLEs (Personal Learning Environment) while enabling learners to enrich the learning content, and helping them locate new learning resources. Specifically, SHAREK utilizes a multi-criteria content based recommender system, and combines Web2.0 technologies and techniques such as RSS and social web to promote new learning resources and help learners locate suitable content. Lastly, in order to address the various needs for privacy in E-learning, we propose a framework with four levels of privacy, and four levels of tracking, and we detail ACES (Anonymous Credentials for E-learning Systems), a set of protocols, based on well established cryptographic techniques, to help learners achieve their desired level of privacy.

The aim of this study is to provide a theoretical background on the knowledge management principles required in determining the current state of knowledge management within the Pyrometallurgical industry. Emphasis is placed on identifying initiatives that is required for embedding tacit knowledge within an organisation. Knowledge is what people know and there is no knowledge without someone knowing it. Knowledge can be present in ideas, judgement, relationships and concepts. Unlike data and information, knowledge is never static but is continually shaped inside peoples' heads through experience, reasoning and the inflow of new stimuli. Tacit knowledge is the information about work processes and products that individuals hold above and beyond what organisations has documented. It is the "tricks of the trade" that promote smooth organisational functioning, overall know-how, and competitive advantage. In order to ensure that an organisation maintains its competitive advantage, special focus must be placed on tacit knowledge management. The state of knowledge management within the Pyrometallurgical industry in South Africa was assessed in the use of survey questionnaires. The Pyrometallurgical industry has still got a long way to go in order to ensure that the tacit knowledge is embedded within their organisations. Key areas of concerns are the lack of experienced mentors as well as enough resources in order to foster tacit knowledge transfer. A practical tacit knowledge management framework is proposed in order to assist management in looking after this critical asset of their organisation. / Thesis (M.B.A.)--North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2009.