Home About us Contact
|
Home About us Contact | ||
|
|
||
Knowledge Work (knowledge + work)
Selected AbstractsSpecial Issue of Production and Operations Management: Integrating Information and Knowledge Work in Outsourced, Offshored, and other Distributed Business NetworksPRODUCTION AND OPERATIONS MANAGEMENT, Issue 1 2010Edward G. Anderson Jr. No abstract is available for this article. [source] Knowledge work in distributed environments: issues and illusionsNEW TECHNOLOGY, WORK AND EMPLOYMENT, Issue 3 2003Pasi Pyöriä Although Finland is one of the most advanced and competitive economies in the world, with a sophisticated technological infrastructure, only four per cent of Finnish wage earners regard themselves as doing telework, and a further four per cent had tried telework. Empirical evidence of telework is presented in this paper. [source] The learning organization information system (LOIS): looking for the next generationINFORMATION SYSTEMS JOURNAL, Issue 1 2001Adrian Williamson Abstract. This paper explores the notion that the next generation of information systems will focus on supporting organizational learning. The paper suggests that the increasingly successful automation of procedural work will lead to pressure on organizations to improve performance through enhanced support for knowledge work. A set of outline requirements for the learning organization information system (LOIS) is then proposed using recent research findings from computer supported co-operative working and organizational learning. The computerized on-line journal from this research is described. This journal provides transparent capture of episodes of work and it is argued that the general principles established could support LOIS by helping to provide a richly defined organizational memory. The journal supports collaborative working through the use of groupware, which manages the sharing of, and learning from, journal contents. This can facilitate the retention of not only data and information, but also the inquiry process that produced them. The paper concludes that LOIS will be a self-organizing system, focussing on knowledge work, learning and using advanced technologies drawn from ubiquitous computing. A view of a system that moves towards this aim is presented. Future topics for research are identified, and a natural language approach to knowledge asset management is discussed briefly. In closing, it is argued that LOIS is an important future vision for organizations operating in the information age. [source] ICTs, knowledge work and employment: The challenges to EuropeINTERNATIONAL LABOUR REVIEW, Issue 2 2001Luc SOETE First page of article [source] ORGANIZATIONAL AND OCCUPATIONAL COMMITMENT: KNOWLEDGE WORKERS IN LARGE CORPORATIONS*JOURNAL OF MANAGEMENT STUDIES, Issue 6 2002TAM YEUK-MUI MAY Previous discussion of knowledge work and workers tends to overlook the importance of contextual knowledge in shaping the organizational form of knowledge workers who are employees in large corporations. This paper proposes a model to understand the way knowledge base and organizational form are related to the work commitment, effort and job satisfaction of knowledge workers. The model is derived from (1) a critical examination of the market model of knowledge work organization, and (2) the results of empirical research conducted in two large corporations. We argue that contextual knowledge is important in the relationships between the corporation and knowledge workers. A dualistic model and an enclave organizational form are suggested to examine the relationships between the commitment, work effort and job satisfaction of knowledge workers. We noted from our empirical cases that enclave-like work teams enhanced the expertise and job autonomy of knowledge workers vis-à-vis management. These work teams together with the performance-based pay system, however, led to unmet job expectations including limited employee influence over decision-making and careers, and communication gaps with senior management. Under these circumstances, and in contrast to the impact of occupational commitment, organizational commitment did not contribute to work effort. The study highlights the importance of management's strategy in shaping the organizational form of knowledge work. The paper concludes by noting general implications of our study for the management of expertise and for further research. [source] An empirical analysis of engineers' information behaviorsJOURNAL OF THE AMERICAN SOCIETY FOR INFORMATION SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY, Issue 4 2010Mark A. Robinson The importance of the acquisition and provision of information within knowledge work such as engineering is widely acknowledged. This article reports an extensive empirical study of such information behaviors in engineers, using a novel and effective work sampling method. Seventy-eight design engineers each carried a portable handheld computer (PDA) for 20 working days. Once every hour, they were prompted to enter data concerning the task they were currently performing, including the information behaviors in which they were engaging. The resultant data represent a comprehensive picture of engineers' information behaviors and the percentage of their working time for which each of these behaviors accounts (55.75% in total). Specific hypotheses concerning the time spent engaged in these behaviors were also tested. Accordingly, it was found that participants spent substantially more time receiving information they had not requested than information they had, and this pattern was also reflected when they provided others with information. Furthermore, although there was no difference found between the time participants spent searching for information from other people compared with nonhuman sources, in the former case they spent relatively less time locating the information source and information within that source, and relatively more time engaged in problem solving and decision making. The results are discussed in terms of their implications for theory and organizational practice. [source] Managed socialization: how smart companies leverage global knowledgeKNOWLEDGE AND PROCESS MANAGEMENT: THE JOURNAL OF CORPORATE TRANSFORMATION, Issue 3 2007Deependra Moitra Driven by economic and market forces, the last 2 decades have witnessed a phenomenal acceleration in the pace of globalization. Today, globalization, and particularly globalization of knowledge work, has emerged as a business necessity. In their quest for competitiveness, more and more companies are leveraging global resources by distributing knowledge work across borders and essentially establishing around-the-clock innovation engines. Yet, managing knowledge,the most valuable resource of the new economy enterprises,remains to be a formidable business challenge to deal with. This challenge assumes even greater complexity in the context of globalization, characterized by distance, language barriers, cultural diversity, and a host of other socio-political factors. Whilst there have been considerable developments in the discipline of knowledge management, much of that does not quite alleviate the struggle companies face in effectively harnessing global knowledge. Specifically, while much progress has been made in managing explicit knowledge, firms find it hard to capture and leverage the tacit knowledge, which holds the key to knowledge-based competition. This paper argues that this inability to capitalize on the tacit knowledge stems from a missing ,social' dimension in the design of knowledge management strategies, which when addressed leads to unleashing the valuable tacit knowledge. Drawing on real-world research spanning 12 leading companies, in this paper we discuss Managed Socialization,the most vital management process for harnessing global knowledge. We argue that only by instituting managed socialization firms can truly succeed in leveraging global knowledge. Toward that, we describe the various elements that constitute managed socialization and based on case studies distil actionable insights that firms can capitalize on to fuel their quest for global dominance. Copyright © 2007 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source] From data to knowledge and back again: understanding the limitations of KMSKNOWLEDGE AND PROCESS MANAGEMENT: THE JOURNAL OF CORPORATE TRANSFORMATION, Issue 3 2003Tom ButlerArticle first published online: 21 JUL 200 Researchers in the field of information systems (IS) view IT-enabled knowledge management solutions as novel approaches to the stimulation of creativity and innovation in post-industrial organizations; hence, the focus by researchers on the role of information and communication technologies (ICT) in enabling and supporting knowledge work. However, despite some success stories, recent research indicates that the majority of knowledge management systems (KMS) have been unsuccessful. This situation has led some to voice deep-seated concerns about the knowledge management paradigm and its influence on the IS field,particularly the belief that IT can help capture, store and transfer knowledge. This paper's objective is to deepen the IS field's understanding of the limitations and capabilities of knowledge management systems. A case study of an Irish software vendor's experiences in developing KMS using case-based reasoning technologies is undertaken to help achieve this objective. The findings of this study illustrate that: (a) the KMS developed in the organization studied did not meet the claims of their creators, as the applications provided a poor approximation of the ,horizons of understanding' of domain experts whose knowledge these systems purported to capture, store and transfer; (b) the ontological and epistemological perspectives of developers were overtly functionalist in orientation and were insensitive to the socially constructed and institutional nature and context of knowledge. The findings lend weight to the claim that information technology deals with data only, and knowledge management requires social as opposed to technical support, in that appropriate institutional mechanisms, rather that technological solutions, constitute the corporate memory. Copyright © 2003 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source] Scientific infrastructure design: Information environments and knowledge provincesPROCEEDINGS OF THE AMERICAN SOCIETY FOR INFORMATION SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY (ELECTRONIC), Issue 1 2007Karen S. Baker Conceptual models and design processes shape the practice of information infrastructure building in the sciences. We consider two distinct perspectives: (i) a cyber view of disintermediation where information technology enables data flow from the ,field' and on to the digital doorstep of the general end-user, and (ii) an intermediated view with bidirectional communications where local participants act as mediators within an information environment. Drawing from the literatures of information systems and science studies, we argue that differences in conceptual models have critical implications for users and their working environments. While the cyber view is receiving a lot of attention in current scientific efforts, highlighting the multiplicity of knowledge provinces with their respective worldviews opens up understandings of sociotechnical design processes and of knowledge work. The concept of a range of knowledge provinces enables description of dynamic configurations with shifting boundaries and supports planning for a diversity of arrangements across the digital landscape. [source] Modeling the knowledge perspective of IT projectsPROJECT MANAGEMENT JOURNAL, Issue S1 2008Blaize Horner Reich Abstract Information technology (IT) projects are often viewed as arenas in which action is paramount, and tasks, budgets, people, and schedules need to be managed and controlled to achieve expected results. This perspective is useful because it encourages the project manager to scope work, manage time and budget, and monitor progress. Another perspective views a project as a place where learning and knowledge is paramount. In this view, projects are seen as a conduit for knowledge, which enters through people, methodologies, and prior learning. During the project, knowledge must be transferred, integrated, created, and exploited to create new organizational value. Knowledge is created, and knowledge can be lost. Within an IT project, this focus on knowledge yields new insights, because IT projects are primarily knowledge work. From this perspective, the project manager's primary task is to combine multiple sources of knowledge about technologies and business processes to create organizational value. These and other views of the IT project are complementary. However, this article focuses only on the knowledge perspective, leaving aside other views. This article is designed to bring together the empirical literature, which has investigated the impact of knowledge perspectives on IT project performance, and to suggest a temporal model of this perspective. In the first part of this article, we consider the knowledge-based view of an IT project and suggest definitions and a typology of knowledge. Then the knowledge risks model (Reich, 2007) is used as a framework within which to collect and examine the empirical data that support the knowledge-based view of an IT project. In the third part of this article, the problem of modeling knowledge and learning within IT projects is addressed. The study begins with the Temporal Model of IT Project Performance (Gemino, Reich, & Sauer, 2008) and discusses evidence that its knowledge-based constructs and subconstructs are influential with respect to project performance. The article ends by proposing a temporal model of the knowledge perspective of an IT project. There are five constructs in this model: knowledge resources, knowledge creation, knowledge loss, project performance, and learning. The content of these constructs and their expected interaction is discussed. Although this stream of work is at its early stages, hopefully it will convince researchers that further investigation into knowledge and learning within projects is warranted because it has the potential to impact both the theory and performance of IT projects. [source] | |||||||||||||