How clinicians detect and differentiate near misses from adverse events in health care is poorly understood. This study adopted a constructivist grounded theory approach and utilized document analysis and semi-structured interviews with 24 managers (middle and senior) and clinicians to examine the processes and factors associated with recognizing and recovering and learning from near misses in daily clinical practice. While safety science suggests that near misses are sources of learning to guide improvement efforts, the study identified how clinicians and managers cognitively downgrade and accept near misses as a routine part of daily practice. Such downgrading reduces the visibility of near misses and creates a paradoxical effect of promoting collective vigilance and increased safety while also encouraging violations in clinical practice. Three approaches to correcting and/or learning from near misses emerged: “doing a quick fix,” “going into the black hole,” and “closing off the swiss-cheese holes”; however, minimal organizational learning occurs. From these findings, two key paradoxes that undermine organization-level learning require further attention: (a) near misses are pervasive in everyday practice but many remain undetected and are missed learning opportunities, and (b) collective vigilance serves as both safety net and safety threat. Study findings suggest that organizational efforts are required to determine which near misses need to be reported. Organizations need to shift the culture from one of “doing a quick fix” to one that learns from near misses in daily practice; they should reinforce the benefits and reduce the risks of collective vigilance, and further encourage learning at the clinical microsystem level. Future research is required to provide insight into how individual, social, and organizational factors influence the recognition, recovery, and instructional value of near misses and safety threats in health care organizations’ daily practice.

This research set out to explore cognitive processes involved in learning among help desk consultants, both apprentices and experts.

Modern perspectives on strategy often attempt to address one question “whether the strategy will achieve wealth transfer or create new wealth?” While wealth transfer strategies may deliver one time gains to shareholders, they don't fundamentally change a company's long-term earning potential. These strategies don't create new wealth because they don't create new products, new markets, or new customers. The increasing difficulty of finding new wealth creation is a result of a fundamental shift in the business operating environment in which opportunities are sought after. Competing in such an environment is increasingly difficult and as a result, the value of strategic resources has shifted to more intangible resources. This study is concerned with exploring relationships that are considered to be instrumental to creating new wealth. It identifies entrepreneurial strategic posture as a widely supported approach to creating new wealth. The thesis also discusses organisational learning and structure as two intangible strategic resources that are increasingly valuable to successful strategy formulation and implementation. Furthermore the thesis considers organisational perceptions about the operating environment and seeks to relate resource configuration and strategic decision-making to these perceptions.

The economic crisis that affected Thailand in 1997 had a significant impact. It devastated many sectors of the business world, among them the real estate and property development industry of the country. There were only a few survivors who, paradoxically, seemed to emerge stronger and wiser from the “wicked” organisational problems caused or exposed by the crisis. / Thesis (DBA(DoctorateofBusinessAdministration))--University of South Australia, 2005.

Development of a learning organisation is the most powerful approach for increasing organisational capability and further pursuing competitive advantage. Empirical researchers such as Ellinger et al. (2002) and Lien, Yang and Li (2002) showed a positive association between the presence of a learning organisation and a firm's financial performance. Another area of increasing focus is performance management. The profusion of literature on the balanced scorecard combining financial and non-financial measures demonstrates the interest in both professional and academic circles with improving effective feedback for performance in this area. In particular, the balanced scorecard is viewed as the performance measurement system most likely to encourage the development of a learning culture and managing organisational learning. Taking organisational learning and the balanced scorecard together, a primary research is to investigate whether a link exists between learning organisations and the use of the BSC measures. Survey research has been conducted in Australia and Taiwan. / A positive relationship between learning organisations and the BSC measures is significantly supported by the management practices of Australia and Taiwan. The financial and non-financial BSC measures are highly associated with the learning dimensions in the Taiwanese firms, whereas the Australian firms only use the non-financial BSC measures to assess and manage some learning dimensions. Although the balanced scorecard usually includes learning as part of the learning and growth perspective, it appears that organisations struggle with this dimension. The findings from this study imply that learning & growth perspective is the key driver for improvement of learning dimensions in the organisations. The findings imply that national cultures, like Western and Chinese, are as the main factors affecting the learning dimensions and they apply the BSC measures differently. A whole system considered which learning dimensions may increase the use of the BSC measures, continuous learning and system connection which are shown in the Australian firms, whereas team learning and embedded system are demonstrated in the Taiwanese firms. Considering learning at three levels of organisations, both countries have agreement that learning at individual and organisational levels are significantly associated with the BSC measures. In particular, team learning in the Australian firms disappears when associated with the BSC measures, but the Taiwanese firms show the link to a moderate degree. The findings imply that national culture is a crucial factor affecting the development of a learning organisation, and performance measurements differ from one country to another. / Thesis (PhDBusinessandManagement)--University of South Australia, 2006.

Organisations are constantly under pressure to be more efficient and effective. Lessons learned activities are recognised as a method to seek improved performance in the project environment and considered to be best practice, however they are often not implemented (Eppler et al, 2000). How should lessons learned be conducted in a project environment? This research investigated industry practices to identify the factors affecting lessons learned and important aspects to take into consideration when developing a lessons learned process. Additionally several associate management theories were investigated to determine if they could be used to develop effective procedures or processes. / This dissertation proposes a model incorporating three pillars that need to be equal in strength to support the process. The first pillar of the lessons learned process: identifying and capturing the lessons learned. The second pillar of the lessons learned process: Documenting and disseminating, allows the knowledge to be shared through out the organisation and to future project teams. Finally the third pillar: applying the lessons learned, is the application of the knowledge to existing and future projects, providing new opportunities for knowledge creation. / Finally this dissertation provides area in which further research in the field could be undertaken. / Thesis (MProjectManagement)--University of South Australia, 2005.

Thesis (DBA(DoctorateofBusinessAdministration))--University of South Australia, 2004.

Becoming a Learning Organization (LO) is widely recognized as a process through which organizations can develop characteristics that enable them to be competitive in an increasingly competitive business environment. While there is an assumption that LOs have the ability to manage change, few empirical studies are available to prove whether an organization with strong LO characteristics also has a high level of change readiness. In developing itself into an LO, an organization seems to gain possession of relevant characteristics through knowledge acquisition, knowledge sharing and knowledge utilization. There is, however, a lack of clarity on what LO characteristics are developed at each of the three stages. The relationship among these stages is also confusing. The purpose of this research is to confirm whether organizations with a high level of LO characteristics also have a high level of readiness-to-change. It also attempts to verify the relationship among the LO development stages of knowledge acquisition, knowledge sharing and knowledge utilization. A questionnaire has been designed following an extensive review. It incorporates "an Inventory of LO Characteristics" to measure the level of LO characteristics formed in an organization. There are also questionnaire to gauge the level readiness-to-change. The questionnaire has been distributed to employees in two leading mobile phone service companies in Thailand. The industry is selected because of its changing business environment. Thailand has been chosen for as the location for the research because few studies in LO have been conducted outside the more developed economies. The findings demonstrate two major insights. Firstly, the correlation coefficient between the six categories of LO characteristics - cultural values, leadership commitment and empowerment, communication, knowledge transfer, employee characteristics and performance upgrading - and readiness-to-change confirms that if an organization has a high level of LO characteristics, it will also have a high level of readiness-to-change. Secondly, the correlation coefficient between the three LO development stages - of knowledge acquisition, knowledge sharing and knowledge utilization - and readiness-to-change, support the hypothesis that they follow a sequential order. Results of the research are analysed and discussed, providing valuable contributions to both research and practice in the area. / Thesis (Ph.D.)--Adelaide Graduate School of Business, 2004.

University of Technology, Sydney. Faculty of Business. / The discourse on knowledge management (KM) has emerged relatively recently in the field of management. Organisational and strategic theories have been developed which seek to explain the existence, boundaries, structure, management and competitive advantage of organisations based on knowledge. These theories are consistent with one thread from the overall discourse which argues that the management of knowledge within an organisation is an important activity required for maintaining competitive advantage in a hypercompetitive external environment. Despite the extensive interest in this area, there is sti11limited agreement even about some of its fundamental principles. This plurality of perspectives is due to the diversity of disciplines, theories and objectives with which the area is enriched by both academics and practitioners alike. Many independent KM initiatives have also been proposed for managerial use under the KM umbrella. Such activities include meetings, mentoring schemes, training, job rotation, site visits, conferences and exhibitions, and internal and external collaborations. Many of these initiatives are relatively autonomous and independent concepts. Generally these concepts have been first identified in the practitioner literature and it is unclear where they fit within academic frameworks. In particular, the relationship between KM initiatives and important related academic concepts such as knowledge transfer, organisationalleaming, knowledge creation and innovation is not clear. This lack of agreement, clarity and cohesion in the KM discourse naturally suggests the following research problem: What is the relationship between KM initiatives, organisationalleaming, knowledge transfer, knowledge creation innovation? Taking an organisation and strategic management theory perspective, an exploratory framework for understanding and explaining KM is developed within this thesis. Theoretically, this framework draws together perspectives from the resource-based view of the firm, organisational learning and innovation literatures to propose that the two fundamental KM processes are knowledge transfer and creation. Knowledge transfer supports learning and the utilisation of available internal and external knowledge resources within an organisation. Through knowledge transfer and learning, new knowledge can be created and organisational innovation takes place. These two processes are then integrated into Whittington, Pettigrew et al.'s (1999) framework for organisational change. Various disparate KM initiatives are also positioned within the developed framework based on whether they facilitate knowledge transfer by altering organisational boundaries, processes or structures. The essence of the developed framework is represented pictorially by a research model. This research model depicts the framework's key concepts and the relationships between them. It also begins to represent some of the complex dimensionality inherent in the framework. The research model is explored empirically using data from the Business Longitudinal Survey conducted by the Australian Bureau of Statistics. Responses from 3014 Australian businesses surveyed yearly from 1994 to 1998 are analysed using chi-squared and logistical regression statistical techniques. This sample consists of 1344 small and 1670 medium businesses across eleven industries. In empirically exploring the research model, some of the dimensionality of the framework is explored. However, the process also provides a confirmatory function by providing empirical support for many of the aspects of the framework. Statistical support was found for all elements of the research model. Odds ratios for the various KM initiatives examined ranged from 1.292 to 3.554. These results confirm the value of these initiatives for facilitating the transfer of knowledge. They also suggest that the dimensionality of these constructs represented in the model should be explored further. Of all the KM initiatives, research and development emerged as the most effective initiative for facilitating knowledge transfer and creation. This finding suggests that research and development should be the very first initiative considered by managers looking to implement a KM program. It also suggests that future research on knowledge transfer and creation should pay particular attention to this particular initiative. The logistical regression analysis demonstrated that changing organisational boundaries, processes and structures all contribute to facilitating knowledge transfer which lead to knowledge creation. These results provided support for the most important contribution of the thesis. This contribution was the development of an integrated and exploratory conceptual framework which can serve as a foundation stone for the field of KM.

University of Technology, Sydney. Faculty of Business. / The discourse on knowledge management (KM) has emerged relatively recently in the field of management. Organisational and strategic theories have been developed which seek to explain the existence, boundaries, structure, management and competitive advantage of organisations based on knowledge. These theories are consistent with one thread from the overall discourse which argues that the management of knowledge within an organisation is an important activity required for maintaining competitive advantage in a hypercompetitive external environment. Despite the extensive interest in this area, there is sti11limited agreement even about some of its fundamental principles. This plurality of perspectives is due to the diversity of disciplines, theories and objectives with which the area is enriched by both academics and practitioners alike. Many independent KM initiatives have also been proposed for managerial use under the KM umbrella. Such activities include meetings, mentoring schemes, training, job rotation, site visits, conferences and exhibitions, and internal and external collaborations. Many of these initiatives are relatively autonomous and independent concepts. Generally these concepts have been first identified in the practitioner literature and it is unclear where they fit within academic frameworks. In particular, the relationship between KM initiatives and important related academic concepts such as knowledge transfer, organisationalleaming, knowledge creation and innovation is not clear. This lack of agreement, clarity and cohesion in the KM discourse naturally suggests the following research problem: What is the relationship between KM initiatives, organisationalleaming, knowledge transfer, knowledge creation innovation? Taking an organisation and strategic management theory perspective, an exploratory framework for understanding and explaining KM is developed within this thesis. Theoretically, this framework draws together perspectives from the resource-based view of the firm, organisational learning and innovation literatures to propose that the two fundamental KM processes are knowledge transfer and creation. Knowledge transfer supports learning and the utilisation of available internal and external knowledge resources within an organisation. Through knowledge transfer and learning, new knowledge can be created and organisational innovation takes place. These two processes are then integrated into Whittington, Pettigrew et al.'s (1999) framework for organisational change. Various disparate KM initiatives are also positioned within the developed framework based on whether they facilitate knowledge transfer by altering organisational boundaries, processes or structures. The essence of the developed framework is represented pictorially by a research model. This research model depicts the framework's key concepts and the relationships between them. It also begins to represent some of the complex dimensionality inherent in the framework. The research model is explored empirically using data from the Business Longitudinal Survey conducted by the Australian Bureau of Statistics. Responses from 3014 Australian businesses surveyed yearly from 1994 to 1998 are analysed using chi-squared and logistical regression statistical techniques. This sample consists of 1344 small and 1670 medium businesses across eleven industries. In empirically exploring the research model, some of the dimensionality of the framework is explored. However, the process also provides a confirmatory function by providing empirical support for many of the aspects of the framework. Statistical support was found for all elements of the research model. Odds ratios for the various KM initiatives examined ranged from 1.292 to 3.554. These results confirm the value of these initiatives for facilitating the transfer of knowledge. They also suggest that the dimensionality of these constructs represented in the model should be explored further. Of all the KM initiatives, research and development emerged as the most effective initiative for facilitating knowledge transfer and creation. This finding suggests that research and development should be the very first initiative considered by managers looking to implement a KM program. It also suggests that future research on knowledge transfer and creation should pay particular attention to this particular initiative. The logistical regression analysis demonstrated that changing organisational boundaries, processes and structures all contribute to facilitating knowledge transfer which lead to knowledge creation. These results provided support for the most important contribution of the thesis. This contribution was the development of an integrated and exploratory conceptual framework which can serve as a foundation stone for the field of KM.