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Full-Text Articles in Social and Behavioral Sciences
A Taxonomy Of Modes Of Knowledge Sharing Between Disparate Groups, Helen M. Hasan
A Taxonomy Of Modes Of Knowledge Sharing Between Disparate Groups, Helen M. Hasan
Faculty of Commerce - Papers (Archive)
While there is an abundance of literature on knowledge sharing within teams, there is a scarcity of literature on the transfer of knowledge between disparate groups where communication and coordination are difficult due to the diversity of attributes such as culture, language and priorities. The inspiration for this work comes from a project on the use of the web to enhance communication between clinicians and the families of patients in intensive care units. The paper also draws from relevant research on topics such as cross-functional teams, shared situational awareness, jointness, interagency cooperation and inter-organisational boundary- spanning. This investigation is grounded …
From Traditional Knowledge Management In Hierarchical Organizations To A Network Centric Paradigm For A Changing World, Kate Crawford, Helen M. Hasan, Leoni Warne, Henry Linger
From Traditional Knowledge Management In Hierarchical Organizations To A Network Centric Paradigm For A Changing World, Kate Crawford, Helen M. Hasan, Leoni Warne, Henry Linger
Faculty of Commerce - Papers (Archive)
At the beginning of the 21st century, all organizations need to address the continually changing social and economic landscape in which they operate. In this landscape organizations need to be responsive, flexible and agile and acquire the capability to leverage information and use collective knowledge to make appropriate decisions quickly and effectively. The practice of knowledge management allows knowledge workers to participate in dynamic processes that generate and use collective knowledge. However the complexity that arises from a continually changing global environment highlights the need for knowledge management to move in new directions both in practice and theory. This paper …
A Knowledge Mapping Approach To Facilitate Strategic Human Resource And Knowledge Management, Debbie Richards, Peter R. Massingham, Peter Busch
A Knowledge Mapping Approach To Facilitate Strategic Human Resource And Knowledge Management, Debbie Richards, Peter R. Massingham, Peter Busch
Faculty of Commerce - Papers (Archive)
A key challenge facing organisations is how to effectively connect employees who seek knowledge with those who have the necessary knowledge. From case studies conducted in three separate knowledge intensive organisations, briefly introduced in this paper, we found that locating and measuring expertise were major challenges with no current satisfactory solutions. We offer a method to map intellectual capital within organisations distinct from previous expertise location methods in several significant ways. First, it includes the measurement of knowledge value within the context of the organisation's strategy and activities. Second, it addresses concerns with existing methods such as subjectivity associated with …
The Critical Role Of Knowledge Management In Achieving And Sustaining Organisational Competitive Advantage, Thi Nguyet Q. Nguyen, Philip E. Neck, Thanh Hai Nguyen
The Critical Role Of Knowledge Management In Achieving And Sustaining Organisational Competitive Advantage, Thi Nguyet Q. Nguyen, Philip E. Neck, Thanh Hai Nguyen
Faculty of Commerce - Papers (Archive)
The critical role of knowledge management in achieving and sustaining competitive advantage has been strongly emphasised in the extant literature. However, most previous studies were conceptually grounded and empirically examined in advanced, developed and newly industrialised countries. In addition, research to date has predominantly explored findings from a large company view while little attempt has been made to address the relative importance of different factors constituting the organisational KM capability in the context of Asian emerging, less developed countries such as Vietnam where a socialist market economy, a Confucian culture and a majority of small and medium sized enterprises currently …
The Power Of Play In Knowledge Management, Yan Qi, Joseph A. Meloche
The Power Of Play In Knowledge Management, Yan Qi, Joseph A. Meloche
Faculty of Commerce - Papers (Archive)
The aim and motivation of this research is to investigate ways to support and encourage knowledge sharing. Specifically we examined ways in which ‘play’ can be used to enhance collaborative work practices. In this process we elicited subjective views and opinions on playing games and the extent to which the participant’s felt these could enhance their collaboration in work. The ancient Chinese strategy game of Go was employed in an online team version as a means to evaluate and advance the knowledge sharing culture in a network centric environment. The results of this research identified that play has the power …
Co-Creating Corporate Knowledge With A Wiki, Joseph A. Meloche, Helen M. Hasan, David Willis, Charmaine Pfaff, Yan Qi
Co-Creating Corporate Knowledge With A Wiki, Joseph A. Meloche, Helen M. Hasan, David Willis, Charmaine Pfaff, Yan Qi
Faculty of Commerce - Papers (Archive)
Wikis have a growing reputation on the open Internet for producing evolving stores of shared knowledge. However, such democratic systems are often treated with suspicion within corporations for management, legal, social, and other reasons. This article describes a field study of a corporate Wiki that has been developed to capture, and make available, organisational knowledge in a large manufacturing company as an initiative of their Knowledge Management (KM) program. As this approach to KM is a controversial and rapidly changing phenomenon, a Q Methodology research approach was selected to uncover employees- subjective attitudes to the Wiki. Activity Theory was used …
The Impact Of Knowledge Management Infrastructure On Organisational Competitiveness In A Confucian-Socialist Market Economy, Thi Nguyet Q. Nguyen, Philip A. Neck, Thanh Hai Nguyen
The Impact Of Knowledge Management Infrastructure On Organisational Competitiveness In A Confucian-Socialist Market Economy, Thi Nguyet Q. Nguyen, Philip A. Neck, Thanh Hai Nguyen
Faculty of Commerce - Papers (Archive)
The critical role of knowledge management (KM) in achieving and sustaining a competitive advantage (CA) has been strongly emphasised in the extant literature. However, most previous studies were conceptually grounded and empirically examined in advanced, developed and newly industrialised countries and from a large company perspective. Meanwhile, little attempt has been made to address the relative importance of different factors constituting the organisational KM infrastructure capability in the context of Asian emerging, less developed countries such as Vietnam where a socialist market economy, a Confucian culture and a majority of small and medium sized enterprises currently exist. By adopting a …
Democratising Organisational Knowledge: The Potential Of The Corporate Wiki, Helen Hasan, Charmaine Pfaff
Democratising Organisational Knowledge: The Potential Of The Corporate Wiki, Helen Hasan, Charmaine Pfaff
Faculty of Commerce - Papers (Archive)
Attempts to impose knowledge management often ignore the vast organisational resource of workrelated tacit knowledge possessed by knowledge workers. Our research reveals that activities supported by social technologies such as Wikis, may provide a more appropriate capability for tacit knowledge management where a network centric focus is adopted. A corporate Wiki has the potential to engage the collective responsibilities of knowledge workers to transfer their collective experience and skills into a dynamic shared knowledge repository. However, the traditional organisational culture can be reluctant to allow this power shift which surrenders the monopolistic control of the few over the creation and …
Beyond Ubiquity: Co-Creating Corporate Knowledge With A Wiki, Helen M. Hasan, Joseph A. Meloche, Charmaine Pfaff, David Willis
Beyond Ubiquity: Co-Creating Corporate Knowledge With A Wiki, Helen M. Hasan, Joseph A. Meloche, Charmaine Pfaff, David Willis
Faculty of Commerce - Papers (Archive)
Despite their reputation as an evolving shared knowledge repository, Wikis are often treated with suspicion in organizations for management, social and legal reasons. Following studies of unsuccessful Wiki projects, a field study was undertaken of a corporate Wiki that has been developed to capture, and make available, organizational knowledge for a large manufacturing company as an initiative of their Knowledge Management program. A Q Methodology research approach was selected to uncover employees subjective attitudes to the Wiki so that the firm could more fully exploit the potential of the Wiki as a ubiquitous tool for tacit knowledge management.
Collaborative Knowledge At The Grass-Roots Level: The Risks And Rewards Of Corporate Wikis, Charmaine Pfaff, Helen M. Hasan
Collaborative Knowledge At The Grass-Roots Level: The Risks And Rewards Of Corporate Wikis, Charmaine Pfaff, Helen M. Hasan
Faculty of Commerce - Papers (Archive)
The open source movement is founded on the concept of democratising knowledge to freely collaborate and exchange information at the grass-roots level. As Wikis are philosophically grounded in this movement, the use of corporate Wikis in the collaborative creation and operation of knowledge management systems holds considerable potential. However, the impact of using corporate Wikis in the business environment has uncovered some challenging issues such as licensing, accountability and liability regarding copyright, which may require a change in the way we think about intellectual property and licensing in this connected world.
Overcoming Organisational Resistance To Using Wiki Technology For Knowledge Management, Charmaine C. Pfaff, Helen M. Hasan
Overcoming Organisational Resistance To Using Wiki Technology For Knowledge Management, Charmaine C. Pfaff, Helen M. Hasan
Faculty of Commerce - Papers (Archive)
Although Wikis emerged in the public domain more than a decade ago, a number of business organisations are now discovering the advantages of using Wiki technology to manage knowledge. However, there are many who are not convinced about the merits of this relatively new Wiki technology and are not yet prepared to risk its adoption because it exhibits many ideas that have yet to be tested and many issues that have yet to be resolved. This paper studies the merits of using a Wiki for knowledge management. While some cases of corporate adoption of Wiki technology have been reported, cases …
Q-Methodology For The Active Process Of Knowledge Management, Joseph A. Meloche, Helen M. Hasan, Michelle Mok
Q-Methodology For The Active Process Of Knowledge Management, Joseph A. Meloche, Helen M. Hasan, Michelle Mok
Faculty of Commerce - Papers (Archive)
Knowledge Managament for the provision of Health Information Services is a developing field and one that is usefully informed by applied research. The current study is conducted with Intensive Care Unit (ICU) professionals to capture and distil their views in regard to a developing a Web-Based Information Service. This service is provided by a central coordination and monitoring unit for intensive care units across NSW, Australia. The study is part of a larger research initiative that is being done to advance the provision of health information in ICU's across the state. Given the complex and dynamic context of ICUs, there …
The Wiki: An Environment To Revolutionise Employees' Interaction With Corporate Knowledge, Helen M. Hasan, Charmaine C. Pfaff
The Wiki: An Environment To Revolutionise Employees' Interaction With Corporate Knowledge, Helen M. Hasan, Charmaine C. Pfaff
Faculty of Commerce - Papers (Archive)
Some corporations have adopted a Wiki on their Intranets for employees to collectively store, edit and access workrelated material such as reports, best-practice features, and documents. As such collaborative software moves from the social to the corporate arena, it is bound to challenge management authority, engaging the knowledge worker in a more participatory knowledge capability and environment. This paper explores the implication that this revolution has for the interaction of corporate users with technology that will lead to a profound change in organisational culture.
The Wiki: A Tool To Support The Activities Of The Knowledge Worker, Helen M. Hasan, Charmaine C. Pfaff
The Wiki: A Tool To Support The Activities Of The Knowledge Worker, Helen M. Hasan, Charmaine C. Pfaff
Faculty of Commerce - Papers (Archive)
Since its increase in popularity in the 1990’s, mainstream knowledge management research has grappled with problems of capturing, storing and disseminating knowledge in order to support growth and learning in organisations. Attempts by management to impose knowledge management initiatives often ignore the fact that, as knowledge workers, many employees possess a huge array of work-related tacit knowledge, which cannot readily be made explicit through formal enterprise knowledge management systems and processes. Informal collaborative software, known as Wikis, may provide a more appropriate knowledge management capability and environment to capture tacit knowledge. However Wikis are only now moving from the social …
Knowledge Creation And Sharing In Project Contexts: The Situated Impact Of Our Learning Relationships, Andrew J. Sense
Knowledge Creation And Sharing In Project Contexts: The Situated Impact Of Our Learning Relationships, Andrew J. Sense
Faculty of Commerce - Papers (Archive)
This paper contributes to better understanding the dynamics of practically supporting the knowledge creation processes within a project management context. The case study findings presented in this paper describe and theorize about how the ‘learning relationships’ between project team participants present significant impacts on the immediate situated learning activity of a project team and ultimately also, for individual and team performance and development. As is argued in this paper, through project team participants publicly exploring and communally reflecting on this sociological element (amongst others), they aid their situated knowledge creation processes and help develop their skills in ‘learning how to …
The Development Of A User Self-Help Knowledge Management System For Help Desk: Deployment Of Knowledge Management Approach And Software Agent Technology, Kar Yin Leung, Sim K. Lau
The Development Of A User Self-Help Knowledge Management System For Help Desk: Deployment Of Knowledge Management Approach And Software Agent Technology, Kar Yin Leung, Sim K. Lau
Faculty of Commerce - Papers (Archive)
Most help desks have admitted their call volume has increased in the past decade while “help unavailable when needed” is the major reason for service delivery failure and user dissatisfaction. The habit of calling help desk for simple problems has prompted the investigation of transferring part of first-level troubleshooting duty from help desk to user. This research proposes the development of user self-help knowledge management system that allows user to solve simple and routine technical enquiries. The proposed approach incorporates software agent to allow autonomous handling of enquiries so that the most appropriate solution and user communication can be facilitated.
Knowledge Management In Information Technology Help Desk: Past, Present And Future, Kar Yin Leung, Sim K. Lau
Knowledge Management In Information Technology Help Desk: Past, Present And Future, Kar Yin Leung, Sim K. Lau
Faculty of Commerce - Papers (Archive)
Information technology has changed the way organizations function. This resulted in the reliance of help desks to deal with information technology related areas such as hardware, software, and telecommunication. Besides, the adoption of business process reengineering and downsizing have led to the shrinkage of the size of help desk. The shorter information technology product life cycle has worsened the situation by increasing the already sizeable help desk’s user base. Consequently, the help desk has to cover more information technology products and resolute more technical enquiries with less staff. Thus, the outcome is clear that users have to wait comparably longer …
Articulating Knowledge Work: The Contributions Of Activity Theory And Task-Based Knowledge Management, Henry Linger, Frada Burstein, Helen M. Hasan
Articulating Knowledge Work: The Contributions Of Activity Theory And Task-Based Knowledge Management, Henry Linger, Frada Burstein, Helen M. Hasan
Faculty of Commerce - Papers (Archive)
This chapter addresses issues of knowledge work in organisations with a concern that mainstream knowledge management (KM) has fallen short of expectations. The real nature of knowledge work remains hidden, and thus inaccessible, to those who are trying to improve organisational outcomes through KM practices. The authors have conducted independent research within a new discourse on knowledge work in the context of modem complex organisations, the results of which are converging to a common understanding of this critical phenomenon. Their two theoretical frameworks, one task-based and one activity-based, are described here as eminently suited to this research. Two sets of …
Measuring The Impact Of Knowledge Loss, Peter R. Massingham
Measuring The Impact Of Knowledge Loss, Peter R. Massingham
Faculty of Commerce - Papers (Archive)
The impact of knowledge loss on the firm is a largely unexplored area of strategic management. This paper reports the findings of an in-depth case study of an organisation within the Australian Department of Defence. The study examines the nature and impact of knowledge loss within the construct of social capital. Of particular interest were the relationships between individuals’ activities, their levels of knowledge, and their motivation and ability to share this knowledge. The paper proposes a method to parameterise the knowledge resource variable. Findings suggest that the impact of knowledge loss may be traced directly to reduced capability in …
The Impact Of National Culture On The Standardization Versus Adaptation Of Knowledge Management, Zhi Ang, Peter R. Massingham
The Impact Of National Culture On The Standardization Versus Adaptation Of Knowledge Management, Zhi Ang, Peter R. Massingham
Faculty of Commerce - Papers (Archive)
This paper examines the affect of national culture on knowledge management for multinational companies (MNCs). MNCs often have to decide whether to standardise or adapt their operations. Previous research has found that national culture has an effect in a range of MNC operations, e.g. human resources, marketing. However, there has been limited research on the influence of culture on knowledge management. We combine these perspectives to develop a conceptual framework that explores the decision to standardise or adapt knowledge management practices based on differences in national culture. The study extends current theoretical perspectives on knowledge management by exploring the cultural …
Towards Executive Information Systems Adoptions By Knowledge Workers: An Extension Of The Technology Acceptance Model To Account For Social-Cultural Factors, Emmanuel Ikart
Faculty of Commerce - Papers (Archive)
In recent years a number of organisations have implemented executive information systems (EIS) in order to improve the performance gains on their executives’ job. Although the use of EIS is important to executives, majority of executives are unwilling to use EIS because of their design failures. By using social factors, habits and facilitation conditions variables from Triandis’ framework, this paper extends the Technology Acceptance Model (TAM) to derive useful variables to address the problem of the low usage of EIS by executives. This paper reports on the research in progress in Australia on the adoption and usage of EIS by …
The Customization Of Knowledge Management Techniques In Information Technology Help Desk, Kar Yin Leung, Sim K. Lau, Geng Liang
The Customization Of Knowledge Management Techniques In Information Technology Help Desk, Kar Yin Leung, Sim K. Lau, Geng Liang
Faculty of Commerce - Papers (Archive)
Information Technology (IT) has converted a majority of organizational activities to automatic and electronicbased. This conversion greatly increases Help Desk (HD)'s coverage on IT related areas. Alternatively, the adoption of business process reengineering and downsizing has led to the shrinkage of the size of HD. This not only leads to the loss of priceless knowledge, but also coerces HD to provide more service with less staff - the outcome is clear that users have to wait comparably longer before HD staff is available. This paper describes how generic Knowledge Management process can be customized to improve support process in HD.
Learning And Doing In Communities: Understanding Knowledge Management Through The Lens Of Activity Theory, Helen M. Hasan
Learning And Doing In Communities: Understanding Knowledge Management Through The Lens Of Activity Theory, Helen M. Hasan
Faculty of Commerce - Papers (Archive)
No abstract provided.
A Documentary Of Innovation Support Among New World Wine Industries, D. K. Aylward
A Documentary Of Innovation Support Among New World Wine Industries, D. K. Aylward
Faculty of Commerce - Papers (Archive)
During the past two decades, the international wine industry has undergone a ‘seismic shift’. Old World producers no longer dominate production, export and marketing of wine to the extent that they once did. Instead, New World producers such as California, South Africa, Australia and New Zealand have successfully married production, management, marketing and innovation to emerge as a new force on the global wine landscape. It is the innovation supports within these selected New World industries that this paper seeks to document, in order to highlight different approaches and outcomes and how they may or may not contribute to an …
Activity As A Unit Of Analysis For Knowledge Management Frameworks, Leoni Warne, Irena Ali, Helen Hasan
Activity As A Unit Of Analysis For Knowledge Management Frameworks, Leoni Warne, Irena Ali, Helen Hasan
Faculty of Commerce - Papers (Archive)
The authors of this paper take the view that knowledge management is a set of practices for systematically adding value to the knowlege of individuals, which is generated and shaped through interaction with others. It is therefore appropriate that knowledge management research be conducted in the context of particular organisations, focusing on local activities. To that end two of the authors have conducted a four-year research program investigating the factors in organizations that enhance and enable the assimilation, generation, sharing and building of knowledge that transfonns an organization into a learning organization. Human activities in organisational contexts have been analysed …
A Framework For Case-Based Reasoning Integration On Knowledge Management Systems, Seung Hwan Kang, Sim K. Lau
A Framework For Case-Based Reasoning Integration On Knowledge Management Systems, Seung Hwan Kang, Sim K. Lau
Faculty of Commerce - Papers (Archive)
To support the sharing and reusing of well-defined knowledge among knowledge management systems, it is useful to use standardised formalisation. It is also common effort to difficulty of knowledge acquisition known as knowledge acquisition bottleneck. In this paper investigates the feasibility of using techniques in case-based reasoning of artificial intelligence for the knowledge acquisition phase in knowledge management systems. The need of an ontological approach of the semantic web for well-defined set of domain knowledge is proposed in order to avoid knowledge acquisition bottleneck. Our viewpoint of this approach is that the ontology-driven mechanism allows us to provide standardised structured …
Evaluating The Knowledge Assets Of Innovative Companies, Helen M. Hasan, Maen Al-Hawari
Evaluating The Knowledge Assets Of Innovative Companies, Helen M. Hasan, Maen Al-Hawari
Faculty of Commerce - Papers (Archive)
In the current post-industrial society, knowledge is recognised as a primary source of a company's wealth. However knowledge assets are much more difficult to identify and measure than are the physical assets with which we are much more familiar. (Boisot 1998) As a company's innovative capacity may be dependent upon its ability to take advantage of its knowledge assets, it is important to be able to identify and measure those assets. While large companies can afford extensive knowledge management projects, there is a acute need for a method by which managers in smaller organisations can easily and reliably locate and …
Strengthening The Knowledge Economy, Samuel Garrett-Jones
Strengthening The Knowledge Economy, Samuel Garrett-Jones
Faculty of Commerce - Papers (Archive)
What is knowledge ecomony? The knowledge economy could be defined as one where "comparative advantage [is] much less a function of natural resource endowments and capital-labour ratios and much more a function of technology and skills". 13 Its development is the product of two forces: a rise in the knowledge intensity of economic activities and an increasing globalization of economic affairs. It is driven by the revolution in information and communications technology, the increasing pace of technological change and by national and international deregulation. 14
The Organisation Of Knowledge: Optimising The Role Of Universities In A Western Australian 'Knowledge Hub', Tim Turpin, Jane Marceau, Samuel Garrett-Jones, Reg Appleyard, Dora Marinova
The Organisation Of Knowledge: Optimising The Role Of Universities In A Western Australian 'Knowledge Hub', Tim Turpin, Jane Marceau, Samuel Garrett-Jones, Reg Appleyard, Dora Marinova
Faculty of Commerce - Papers (Archive)
A feature of globally competitive knowledge-based economies is that governments, universities and industry work together in these economies to create regional ‘knowledge hubs’. A knowledge hub is essentially a “region” with an ensemble of knowledgeintensive organisations located in both public and private sectors. Knowledge hubs have three major functions: to generate knowledge; to transfer and apply knowledge; and to transmit knowledge to others in the community through education and training. The present study was commissioned by TIAC with a view to developing options to optimise the role of WA’s universities in supporting a WA Knowledge Hub. Universities have an important …