Title: Factors Influencing Innovation Capacity of Regional Innovation Hubs Authors: Sanvida Vishani Sawunda Hannadige & 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 & 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.

The focus of this thesis is the KMS at a Sandvik design department. Purposed to deal with information overload using user-generated content, it is also intended to enable the employees to share knowledge. Previous research has studied what motivates employees to use technology for knowledge sharing. This study seeks beyond what is motivating and instead asks what it is that creates meaning for the employees in using and contributing to the KMS. Based on what is found to be meaning-making the thesis discusses and highlights design considerations for the KMS. Qualitative methods as well as theories on learning, motivation and meaning-making is used. Six employees were interviewed and the analysis suggests using thematization that what is meaning-making for the employee is linked with the approach towards work tasks. Meaning-making aspects is seen as either instrumental or social. The use of communicative and social features should be considered. / I uppsatsens fokus står en kunskapsdelningsplattform på en av Sandvikskonstruktionsavdelningar. Plattformen ska med användargenererat innehåll underlätta informationssökning samt tillåta användarna att dela kunskap. Tidigare forskning har studerat vad som motiverar anställda att använda datorsystem till att dela kunskap. Denna uppsats söker bortom vad som motiverar och frågar istället vad det är som skapar mening för de anställda i att använda sig av och bidra till denna plattform. Utifrån detta diskuterar och föreslår uppsatsen designförslag till plattformen. Kvalitativa metoder samt teorier om lärande, motivation och meningsskapande används. Sex anställda intervjuades och i den efterföljande analysen som bestod av tematisering framkom det att vad som skapar mening för den anställde går hand i hand med hur denne ser sina arbetsuppgifter. De meningsskapande aspekterna betraktas som antingen instrumentella eller sociala. Användning av kommunikativa och sociala funktioner föreslås till utformningen av plattformen.

Bakgrund: Den rådande Covid-19-pandemin har lett till ett ökat distansarbete där projektledare ställts inför nya utmaningar för att försäkra att kunskapsdelning kan ske effektivt inom projektgrupper. Tidigare forskning har visat att kunskapsdelning sker effektivt via social interaktion, och att det sociala utbytet är en viktig faktor för att motivera projektmedlemmar till att dela kunskap. Därav blir det intressant att undersöka vilka effekter det ökade distansarbetet har haft på kunskapsdelningen inom projektgrupper när den sociala kontexten förändras. Syfte: Syftet med studien är att undersöka de förändringar som projektledare har gjort för att försäkra att kunskap kommuniceras och delas inom projektgrupper under den rådande Covid-19 pandemin. Forskningsfrågor:  1) Hur arbetar projektledare med att försäkra att kunskapsdelning sker effektivt i projekt under Covid-19 pandemin? 2) Hur arbetar projektledare med att motivera projektmedlemmar till att dela kunskap under Covid-19 pandemin? Resultat: Det sociala utbytet har visat sig vara en avgörande faktor för att motivera projektmedlemmar till att dela kunskap. Studien visar att digitala hjälpmedel har varit viktiga för att försäkra att kunskapsdelning kan ske effektivt, men att de inte är en helhetslösning. Kunskapsbidrag: Studien utvecklar och nyanserar tidigare publicerad litteratur genom att identifiera viktiga faktorer för effektiv kunskapsdelning under distansarbetet, såsom snabba kommunikationsvägar, uppföljningar, tydlighet, tillgänglighet, bekräftelse och motivation. / Background: The current Covid-19 pandemic has led to increased distance work where project managers are faced with new challenges to ensure that knowledge sharing within project groups can be done effectively. Previous research has shown that social interaction is the most effective way to share knowledge, and that social exchange is an important factor in motivating project members to knowledge sharing. Therefore, it is interesting to investigate what effects the increased distance work has had on the sharing of knowledge within project groups when the social context changes.Purpose: The purpose of the thesis is to examine the changes that project managers have made in order to ensure that knowledge is being communicated and shared within project groups during the current Covid-19 pandemic.  Research questions:  1) How do project managers ensure that knowledge sharing is being done effectively during the Covid-19 pandemic? 2) How do project managers motivate the project members to share knowledge during the Covid-19 pandemic? Results: Social exchange has proven to be a crucial factor in motivating project members to share knowledge. The study shows that digital tools have been important to ensure that knowledge sharing can take place efficiently. However, digital tools are not a complete solution to becoming more effective.  Knowledge contribution: The thesis develops previously published literature by identifying important factors for effective knowledge sharing during distance work, such as fast communication paths, follow-ups, clarity, availability, acknowledgement, and motivation.

Studiens syfte är att undersöka hur avsaknaden av spontana möten påverkar innovationsförmågan i samverkansprojekt och besvaras genom följande forskningsfrågor. Hur påverkar en övergång från fysiskt till digitalt samarbete den informella kunskapsdelningen i projektdeltagarnas nätverk och vilken effekt får det för produktiviteten? Hur upplever projektdeltagarna att yrkesmässiga relationer påverkas av distribuerat arbete? Semistrukturerade intervjuer har genomförts med projektledare från tio av landets 61 Science parks vars verksamhet är att främja innovation och utveckling genom att bilda ett nätverk mellan akademi, offentlig verksamhet och näringslivet. En induktiv ansats har använts då Coronapandemins restriktioner medfört att projektdeltagare som tidigare arbetat tillsammans i fysiska rum under 2020 på grund av restriktioner tvingats arbeta distribuerat i digitala rum. En förändring som kraftigt minskat möjligheterna till spontana möten och kunskapsdelning med andra individer i projektledarnas nätverk. En tematisk analys har genomförts och gett följande teman. Med förändring i fokus; verksamhet som vanligt?, möten, möten, möten; spontanitet går inte att planera samt relationer och organisationskultur. Slutsatserna inkluderar att avsaknaden av fysiska arenor ger minskade möjligheter till relationsbyggande och överhörning vilket på sikt kan hämma möjligheterna att upptäcka potentiella synergier och samarbeten vilket i sin tur kan leda till minskad innovativ förmåga. Det ligger även en utmaning i att genomföra innovationsmöten och planering i det digitala mötet jämfört med i det fysiska mötet. Orsaken är att det upplevs svårare att få överblick och göra sig förstådd samt svårare att föra informella samtal vilket begränsar utbytet mellan parterna. Projektledarna kommer med all sannolikhet att fortsätta arbeta delvis på distans efter restriktionerna då det möjliggör en bättre balans mellan arbetsliv och privatliv. Ur ett organisationsperspektiv medför förändringen nya möjligheter då vissa geografiska och logistiska begränsningar försvunnit, men även nya utmaningar i att upprätthålla organisationskultur och produktivitet över tid. / In the wake of the Covid-19 pandemic project teams have been forced to workonline, in what could be described as "digital rooms". This has drastically decreased the possibilites for informal meetings. This study aims to answer how a transition from physical meetings to digital ones affects the informal knowledge sharing and what effect that might have on productivity. Further the study also aims to explore the effect on proffessional relationsship, as experienced by members of project teams. Following an inductive approach, ten semi structured interviews with project leaders, active in Sweden, was conducted. Thematic analysis was performed and four themes observed: /Change in focus/, /business as usual/, /meetings, meetings, meetings/, /spontanity can not be planned/, and /relations and culture/. Study found that the lack of physical meetings results in lesser opportunities for relationship building and informal sharing of information. Something that on a longer timescale could hamper the ability to find synergic effects and cooperations, which in turn could result in lessened creative abilities. Results also show that meetings aimed towards creativity and innovation is more challenging if held digitally instead of physically.  Meeting overview, missunderstandings and informal communication all becomes more challenging, which limits the interchange in between the project teams. Respondents will likely continue to work, partly, on distance also after the restrictions have been lifted, due to positive effects on the work-leisure balance. For organisations these changes carries new possibilities but also new challenges: geographical and logistic hinders have been removed, but to uphold company culture and productivity over time have become more onerous.

The paradigm shift to a knowledge economy, predicted by Drucker, is currently reflected in a knowing-to-doing gap in healthcare, potentially threatening the lives of long-term care (LTC) residents and sustainability of LTC organizations. The purpose of this grounded theory study was to seek a substantive conceptual theory to explain how LTC uses knowledge management (KM) to improve performance by probing the a priori views and lived experiences of 11 LTC knowledge creators, managers, and users. Data were collected via semi structured interviews that were transcribed and coded. The research questions guided by the conceptual concentrated on how KM is used in LTC, what KM processes enhance or inhibit performance in LTC, the nature of knowledge in LTC, and the potential impact of Deming's theory of profound knowledge on KM in LTC. Data analysis included coding, categorizing, constant comparison, conceptualizing, and theorizing to reveal a tentative unified theory of crafting a system of KM in LTC that theoretically extends Deming's organizational theory of profound knowledge to integrate the individual knower within Deming's organizational perspectives. Findings included participant use of sentinel data and bridging decisions in response to emergent knowledge needs, risk management versus quality management performance drivers, and participant perceptions of resource dependence in response to emergent knowledge needs. Findings also include social change implications for LTC facilities, residents, and staff driven by systematic KM to facilitate clinical best practices, lessons learned, and resourcing the use of knowledge to enhance LTC performance capabilities. Study conclusions include a call for future research related to study findings across the healthcare continuum.

Organizational learning has been a focus of scholars since 1970. Researchers have demonstrated that conducting postproject reviews to capture lessons learned significantly improves organizational learning. Guided by the concept of organizational learning, the purpose of this case study was to explore how 6 New York metropolitan organizational leaders used postproject reviews to prevent project managers from repeating the same mistakes, increasing cost and time overruns, and experiencing project failure. Semistructured face-to-face and phone interviews were conducted with a project sponsor and 5 project managers in the New York metropolitan area. Data were analyzed using the process of coding and condensing the codes, which produced 5 themes, including effective lessons learned, capturing lessons learned, benefits of lessons learned, barriers to postproject reviews, and leadership support. The findings of this study indicated that organizational leaders used standard templates and organizational policies to ensure project managers execute postproject reviews. Organizational leaders and project managers may benefit from the findings of this study by learning the advantages of conducting postproject reviews. This study may contribute to positive social change by organizations achieving cost avoidance when they reduce project failures and increase project success.

Knowledge management (KM) has been determined by many researchers as one of the most important domains within the information systems (IS) field, and knowledge sharing (KS) has been identified as the most vital component of KM. Lack of KS within organizations has been approached from many perspectives. One perspective that has been outlined in recent studies is the organizational culture (OC) perspective, which examines the interaction between OC and KS behaviors. Although research has been conducted on OC and KS, the findings of recent studies have been contradictory. These conflicts were due to the different operationalization of KS. The purpose of this research was to conduct a multi method study to investigate the interaction between KS and OC in detail. A case study within a Fortune 50 organization was undertaken to address the problem. By focusing on socialization adopted from the socialization, externalization, combination, internalization (SECI) model, the iceberg theory, and the Competing Values Framework (CVF), two questions were explored to address an unexamined area within the body of knowledge. Per the recent calls for research, the questions addressed KS itemized into knowledge seeking and knowledge contributing, and investigated the phenomenon at multiple levels of the organization. The first question examined the interaction between OC and KS via socialization amongst peers for: (a) overall organization, (b) non-managers, (c) first level managers, and (d) second-level managers. The second question examined the interaction between OC and KS via socialization amongst various levels for: (a) subordinates and managers in overall organization, (b) non-managers and first level managers, and (c) first level managers and second level managers. Data were collected through 82 surveys, 23 interviews, 23 observations, and company records for the calendar year of 2017 to provide multiple types of data for triangulation. The quantitative data were analyzed through descriptive statistics, correlation tables, multivariate analysis of covariance (MANCOVA), and visualization. The qualitative data were analyzed through open coding, axial coding, and selective coding. The combined results were triangulated to reach the conclusions. The MANCOVA displayed a significant interaction between OC and KS via socialization. Furthermore, the triangulated results showcased that perceived bureaucratic culture and perceived competitive- bureaucratic culture had a negative relationship with KS via socialization amongst peers, knowledge seeking for manager to subordinate, and subordinate to manager, but not for between level knowledge contributing. While perceived clan culture had a positive relationship with KS via socialization amongst peers, and for knowledge seeking from managers, but not for between level knowledge contributing. Perceived competitive culture was only discovered to have a negative relationship with knowledge seeking for level two managers, while having a positive relationship with knowledge contributing to employees, and knowledge contributing amongst peers with knowledge seeking as moderating variable. The various organizational levels also showcased distinct results which requires further investigation. Future research suggestions were made to extend the body of knowledge through various directions, alongside an IS solution recommendation for organizations to improve KS.

The Ministry of Higher Education (MOHE) in Saudi Arabia aims to move toward a knowledge-based economy and many knowledge management (KM) and knowledge sharing (KS) initiatives have been taken to accelerate the achievement of this goal. Despite the substantial body of research into KS in the business environment, research that investigates factors that promote KS practices among academics in higher education institutions (HEIs) is generally limited, but particularly in Saudi Arabia. To bridge this gap, the goal was to explore what individual and organizational factors contribute to a person’s willingness to share knowledge and develop a profile of the current knowledge sharing culture of academics within HEIs in Saudi Arabia. An online survey was designed based on extant literature and used to collect both quantitative and qualitative data on organizational factors (i.e. leadership, organizational structure, information technology platform, and organizational culture) and individual factors (i.e., willingness to share knowledge, attitude toward KS, expected rewards and associations, expected contribution, and trust) that influence the success of KS in HEIs. A total of 140 completed surveys were analyzed. The quantitative data were analyzed through validity, reliability, descriptive, and multivariate regression analyses. A qualitative coding process was used to analyze the open-ended questions. Quantitative data analysis resulted in a significant main effect for factors of trust, leadership, and attitude toward KS on the person’s willingness to share knowledge. Results for the factors of expected rewards and associations, expected contribution, organizational structure, information technology platform, and organizational culture were not significant. Qualitative analysis revealed that Saudi academics generally have a positive attitude toward knowledge sharing and prefer sharing knowledge face-to-face. Knowledge sharing is mainly related to teaching strategies followed by research. Trust and time are key factors in their willingness to share, as well as, support from their institutions through effective information systems and facilitation of open communication and collaboration. While most academics are intrinsically motivated to share knowledge, some expect extrinsic rewards and recognition. Findings will assist Saudi HEIs to design systems necessary to become knowledge-based institutions, help HEI management plan and apply KS practices, and identify future research opportunities to advance KS in HEIs.

Global Software Development (GSD) team members engage in intellectual activities that involve sharing business domain knowledge and technical knowledge across geographical areas, which is crucial to the successful development of software. In global software development, media choice may influence how virtual teams create and share knowledge. As digital technology advances and organizations become more digitally transformed, current communication theories for media selection lack the explanation to the complicated phenomena with the use of advanced media technologies. There have been many studies focused on the effectiveness of media, but they did not include user’s understanding of system security and its influence on knowledge sharing behavior. However, affordance theory explains the utility with both social actors and technical features. The use of media may be shaped by features of technologies and user’s perception on system security. The goal of this study was to empirically assess the effects of media affordances and media security awareness on knowledge sharing behaviors among GSD team members with the lens of affordance theory. In this study, data was collected through survey from 214 GSD employees, after inviting 1000 employees to participate. The survey data was analyzed to test the effects of communication media affordance and user’s awareness of media security on behavior in knowledge sharing. The analysis results show that awareness of media security had significant moderating effects on the relationships from some actualized media affordances to implicit knowledge sharing. The results of this study revealed positive relationships between perceived media affordances and actualized media affordances. The results also showed that organization tenure had a significant effect on implicit knowledge sharing, and professional tenure had a significant effect on explicit and implicit knowledge behavior. This study contributed to the body of knowledge in organizational communication literature by providing new insights into how technology properties and users’ awareness on technology security shape team members’ knowledge sharing practice.