Knowledge Management and Business Strategies: Theoretical Frameworks and Empirical Research (Premier Reference Source)

428 Pages·2007·2.34 MB·English

by  El-Sayed Abou-Zeid

Knowledge Management
and Business Strategies:
Theoretical Frameworks and
Empirical Research
El-Sayed Abou-Zeid
Concordia University, Canada
InformatIon scIence reference
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Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Knowledge management and business strategies : theoretical frameworks and empirical research / El-Sayed Abou-Zeid, editor.
p. cm.
Summary: "This book provides researchers and practitioners fundamental business and management knowledge by exploring relevant
theoretical frameworks and the latest empirical research findings in the area of knowledge and knowledge management strategies and their
formulation and alignment with organizations' competitive business strategies"--Provided by publisher.
Includes bibliographical references and index.
ISBN 978-1-59904-486-6 (hardcover) -- ISBN 978-1-59904-488-0 (ebook)
1. Knowledge management. 2. Strategic planning. I. Abou-Zeid, El-Sayed.
HD30.2.K636842 2008
658.4'012--dc22
2007024483
British Cataloguing in Publication Data
A Cataloguing in Publication record for this book is available from the British Library.
All work contributed to this book set is new, previously-unpublished material. The views expressed in this book are those of the authors, but
not necessarily of the publisher.
Table of Contents
Detailed Table of Contents .................................................................................................................vi
Preface .................................................................................................................................................xii
Acknowledgment ..............................................................................................................................xvii
Section I
Organizational Knowledge Management
Chapter I
Knowledge Management: From Management Fad to Systemic Change / Shamim Bodhanya ..............1
Chapter II
Does Knowledge Management Improve Firm Performance? The Effect of Knowledge
Distinctive Competences / César Camisón Zornoza, Daniel Palacios Marqués,
and Fernando José Garrigós Simón .....................................................................................................27
Chapter III
Knowledge Management Leaders’ Top Issues / Anne-Marie Croteau and Marc Dfouni .....................47
Section II
Knowledge Management (KM) Strategies
Chapter IV
External Knowledge Search Strategy as an Essential Element
of a Knowledge Management Strategy / Fergal McGrath and Rebecca Purcell .................................70
Chapter V
Knowledge Transfer Strategy: An Emerging Classification System / Robert Parent,
Denis St-Jacques, and Julie Béliveau ...................................................................................................90
Chapter VI
Modular Organizations and Strategic Flexibility: The Mediating Role of
Knowledge Management Strategy / Emmanuel D. Adamides and Nikolaos Pomonis .......................108
Chapter VII
Socializing a Knowledge Strategy / Peter H. Jones ...........................................................................133
Chapter VIII
A Technology-Focused Framework for Integrating Knowledge Management into Strategic
Innovation Management / Marc Henselewski, Stefan Smolnik, and Gerold Riempp .........................164
Section III
Business and KM Strategies Alignment
Chapter IX
Knowledge Strategic Alignment: Research Framework, Models, and Concepts /
Derek A. Asoh, Salvatore Belardo, and Peter Duchessi .....................................................................188
Chapter X
Integrating Knowledge Management Services: Strategy and Infrastructure / Ronald Maier and
Ulrich Remus ......................................................................................................................................209
Chapter XI
Aligning Knowledge and Business Strategies within an Artificial Ba Context /
Hannu Kivijärvi ..................................................................................................................................229
Chapter XII
The Activity Domain Theory: Informing the Alignment of Business
and Knowledge Management Strategies / Lars Taxén ........................................................................253
Section IV
Selected Readings
Selected Reading I
Developing and Analysing Core Competencies for Alignment with Strategy / Keith Sawyer
and John Gammack .............................................................................................................................282
Selected Reading II
Enhancing Performance Through Knowledge Management: Holistic Framework / Anne P. Massey,
V. Ramesh, and Mitzi M. Montoya-Weiss ............................................................................................296
Selected Reading III
Challenges in Developing a Knowledge Management Strategy for the
Air Force Materiel Command / Summer E. Bartczak and Ellen C. England .....................................314
Selected Reading IV
Measuring Organizational Readiness for Knowledge Management /
W. A. Taylor and M. A. Schellenberg ..................................................................................................341
Selected Reading V
Alignment of Business and Knowledge Management Strategies / El-Sayed Abou-Zeid ....................357
Compilation of References ..............................................................................................................364
About the Contributors ...................................................................................................................366
Index ...................................................................................................................................................371
Detailed Table of Contents
Preface .................................................................................................................................................xii
Acknowledgment ..............................................................................................................................xvii
Section I
Organizational Knowledge Management
Chapter I
Knowledge Management: From Management Fad to Systemic Change / Shamim Bodhanya ..............1
Drawing on systems thinking and complexity theory, this chapter conceptualizes organizations as
complex adaptive systems within which knowledge ecologies may flourish. The implications of such
reconceptualisation for organizational practice and changes in managerial orientations are shown to
be novel offering significant potential towards a second order knowledge management.
Chapter II
Does Knowledge Management Improve Firm Performance? The Effect of Knowledge
Distinctive Competences / César Camisón Zornoza, Daniel Palacios Marqués,
and Fernando José Garrigós Simón .....................................................................................................27
This chapter presents an empirical study of impact of introducing knowledge management programs
on firm performance. In the proposed model, knowledge distinctive competences are considered as the
mediating variable, which constitute the foundation of the firm innovation capacity. Data collected from
222 firms from the Spanish biotechnology and telecommunication sectors are used to test the model.
Chapter III
Knowledge Management Leaders’ Top Issues / Anne-Marie Croteau and Marc Dfouni .....................47
Using a Web-based Delphi method, this chapter presents the results obtained after reaching a consensus
among 100 knowledge leaders on their critical issues. These issues include the perceived knowledge
management benefits and obstacles, the knowledge leaders’ roles and skills, as well as the technologies
they use for implementing knowledge management initiatives.
Section II
Knowledge Management (KM) Strategies
Chapter IV
External Knowledge Search Strategy as an Essential Element
of a Knowledge Management Strategy / Fergal McGrath and Rebecca Purcell .................................70
This chapter introduces external knowledge search strategy as a central element of an organizations
overall knowledge management strategy. A conceptual framework for organizations involved in the
external knowledge management activity has been developed. The framework identifies 10 search paths
organizations may follow into the search space, four of which relate exclusively to external knowledge
search.
Chapter V
Knowledge Transfer Strategy: An Emerging Classification System / Robert Parent,
Denis St-Jacques, and Julie Béliveau ...................................................................................................90
The two paradigms that inform most of the knowledge transfer literature, the positivist and social
construction paradigms, and their implications on strategy formulation, are discussed. Based on this dual
paradigm logic this chapter proposes a classification system of the core knowledge transfer concepts,
models and contexts that helps address issues of a strategic nature.
Chapter VI
Modular Organizations and Strategic Flexibility: The Mediating Role of
Knowledge Management Strategy / Emmanuel D. Adamides and Nikolaos Pomonis .......................108
A system dynamics model is used to explore the dynamic relation between organizational learning,
modularity, and strategic flexibility. Based on this model three core constituent elements of a learning-
supporting knowledge management strategy, namely, boundary spanners and boundary objects,
collaboration-supporting systems and participative scenario planning.
Chapter VII
Socializing a Knowledge Strategy / Peter H. Jones ...........................................................................133
This chapter presents a socialization-based view to organization’s knowledge strategy. According to this
view, socialization diffuses an organization’s knowledge strategy through values leadership and practice-
led process redesign. Moreover, it has been argued that socialization results in durable, accessible
processes, uniquely configured to business strategy.
Chapter VIII
A Technology-Focused Framework for Integrating Knowledge Management into Strategic
Innovation Management / Marc Henselewski, Stefan Smolnik, and Gerold Riempp .........................164
This chapter investigates to what extent knowledge management technologies support and improve
strategic innovation management to face the aforementioned problems successfully. A characterization
scheme is developed to serve as a framework for the subsequent evaluation of knowledge management
technologies in relation to strategic innovation management.
Section III
Business and KM Strategies Alignment
Chapter IX
Knowledge Strategic Alignment: Research Framework, Models, and Concepts /
Derek A. Asoh, Salvatore Belardo, and Peter Duchessi .....................................................................188
This chapter discusses the concept of alignment in the context of knowledge management and presents
a three-dimensional generic alignment reference framework. The first dimension pertains to business-
related strategies while the second one pertains to information-related strategies. The third dimension
pertains to knowledge-related strategies. The framework encompasses key issue relating to alignment
in KM and presents a unified approach to knowledge strategic alignment.
Chapter X
Integrating Knowledge Management Services: Strategy and Infrastructure / Ronald Maier and
Ulrich Remus ......................................................................................................................................209
This chapter proposes a three-layered service infrastructure that composes services from heterogeneous
applications into specific knowledge management (KM) services. It argues that the alignment of KM
strategy with business strategy can be achieved by introducing a service infrastructure that uses the
concept of KM service in order to connect the customer-oriented materialization of strategic decisions
on a conceptual level with their technical counterpart on the ICT level.
Chapter XI
Aligning Knowledge and Business Strategies within an Artificial Ba Context /
Hannu Kivijärvi ..................................................................................................................................229
This chapter proposes a theoretical basis for a knowledge strategy called artificial Ba and discusses how
to develop a concrete, artificial Ba that supports the alignment of knowledge and business strategies. The
proposed system is a complete “artifact”, a supportive environment in which knowledge accumulates
and is shared, a system that is built to activate existing knowledge and to support the creation of valuable
new knowledge in an organization.
Chapter XII
The Activity Domain Theory: Informing the Alignment of Business
and Knowledge Management Strategies / Lars Taxén ........................................................................253
This chapter introduces an Activity Domain Theory-based view for guiding the alignment of business
and knowledge strategies. In this view alignment is focused around the activity domain, which can be
comprehended as a human work practice where socially organized actors process a work object into a
required outcome
Section IV
Selected Readings
Selected Reading I
Developing and Analysing Core Competencies for Alignment with Strategy / Keith Sawyer
and John Gammack .............................................................................................................................282
Although it is widely accepted that alignment of knowledge with corporate strategy is necessary, to
date there have been few clear statements on what a knowledge strategy looks like and how it may be
practically implemented. We argue that current methods and techniques to accomplish this alignment are
severely limited, showing no clear description on how the alignment can be achieved. Core competencies,
embodying an organization’s practical know-how, are also rarely linked explicitly to actionable knowledge
strategy. Viewing knowledge embedded in core competencies as a strategic asset, the paper uses a case
study to show how a company’s core competencies were articulated and verified for either inclusion or
exclusion in the strategy. The study is representative of similar studies carried out across a range of
organisations using a novel and practically proven method. This method, StratAchieve, was used here in
a client situation to show how the core competencies were identified and tested for incorporation or not in
the strategy. The paper concludes by considering the value of the approach for managing knowledge.
Selected Reading II
Enhancing Performance Through Knowledge Management: Holistic Framework / Anne P. Massey,
V. Ramesh, and Mitzi M. Montoya-Weiss ............................................................................................296
Knowledge Management (KM) has gained increasing attention since the mid-1990s. A KM strategy
involves consciously helping people share and put knowledge into action. However, before an organization
can realize the promise of KM, a fundamental question needs to be asked: What performance goal(s)
is the organization trying to achieve? In this paper, we develop and offer a framework that provides a
holistic view of the performance environment surrounding organizational knowledge work. We illustrate
the KM framework using two organizational case studies. Then, based on the KM framework and further
insights drawn from our case studies, we offer a series of steps that may guide and assist organizations
and practitioners as they undertake KM initiatives. We further demonstrate the applicability of these
steps by examining KM initiatives within a global software development company. We conclude with a
discussion of implications for organizational practice and directions for future research.