Abstracts of D.Sc. Dissertations
from
IKI Members
Last
updated: 11/06/2005
|
||
| Dissertations (D.Sc.) | ||
Critical Success
Factors of ICTs Interplay with Knowledge Management for Harnessing Sustainable
Development |
||
| Sustainable development activities entail massive migration
of data, information and knowledge across boundaries pertaining to the
responsibilities of individuals and organizations. However, there is
no identified framework for the critical factors that tie Information
and Communication Technologies (ICTs) to knowledge management (KM) for
sustainable development. The purpose of this study was to investigate
the four critical success factors of ICTs and KM and their role in leveraging
knowledge for harnessing sustainable development. The research method
used was a questionnaire distributed electronically and in a hardcopy
to subjects within international development communities that are familiar
with ICTs and/or KM and possess sustainable development background. The four critical success factors have been identified from the literature are: Integrated ICT Infrastructure (IICTI), Knowledge Management (KM), ICT capacity building and ICT policy. All four factors were found to be significant in their criticality to sustainable development, but with different levels of importance. IICTI was found to be the most important factor, followed by knowledge management, then capacity building and finally ICT policy. However, ICT is not beneficial at all sectors of sustainable development. This has been attributed to problems associated with the use of ICT such as capturing of indigenous knowledge i.e. language barrier, knowledge de-contextualization and information overload for the decision-making process. Results showed that there is a lack of emphasis on local content, indigenous knowledge, local language, organization conformity and the adherence to organization’s KM strategy. |
||
| Evaluation
of agile knowledge-based enterprise implications for intelligence
age decision support systems Linda J. Vandergriff Advisor: Howard Eisner Year: 2005 |
||
| Goldman, Nagel, and Preiss (1995) observe that organizations
are responding to Intelligence Age business paradigms in a piecemeal
fashion. Significant research exists in the literature on agile manufacturing,
decision-making tools, knowledge management, decision analysis, and decision
support applications. However, Vahidov and Kersten (2003) identify a
lack of needed decision support theory, framework, or architectures.
Other researchers propose a need for an integrated informed decision
cycle (Deming, 1994; 1986; Boyd, 1987; Simon, 1977). The purpose of this exploratory study is to identify and prioritize such a complementary set of Agile Knowledge-based Enterprise decision support capabilities. Toward this goal, the study performs a review of decision science and management science scholarly research. In addition, it investigates business models, the operating environment, and decision support in the broader literature. Using a triangulation approach of qualitative architecting and quantitative survey processes, the study identifies, captures, and evaluates enterprise-specific needs such as knowledge worker empowerment and managing the increasing business intelligence volume. Based on this evaluation, the study identifies over 30 decision support capabilities. This capability set provides a meaningful framework to guide organization infrastructure investment for future development and evaluation of decision support. The study finds that an informed decision cycle requires integration of decision-making, decision implementation, and knowledge management activities. The user evaluation reflects a different prioritization than current decision support research proposes. For Agile Knowledge-based Enterprise, the two of the most valuable capabilities relate to decision-making and implementation knowledge access and reliability. In addition, users consider risk management as a necessary part of the decision cycle. Although quantitative analysis is valued, the ability to communicate decisions and learn from their implementation are just as valued. These results reflect the expanding scope of decision support that challenges current technologies and methods. |
||
The
critical role of Trust in Knowledge Management - Le rôle primordial de la confiance dans les démarches
de gestion du savoir |
||
In the new economy every company looking to remain competitive must manage its intellectual capital. Knowledge Management (KM) initiatives are expanding across all types of organizations worldwide. However, not all of them are necessarily successful mainly due to an unfriendly organizational culture. Organizational trust is often mentioned as a critical factor facilitating knowledge sharing. For this research we took an empirical approach to validate this assumption. The purpose of this research is to explore the relationships between organizational trust, a knowledge management strategy (codification vs. personalization)and its level of success. This study was conducted among 101 US companies involved in knowledge management. A survey tool was developed and validated to assess the level of trust, the level of success and the dominant KM strategy deployed by an organization. Thirteen research hypotheses and a conceptual model were tested. The findings show the impact of trust on the choice of the KM strategy as well as on the level of success. The contribution of this study may help companies and their units seeking to launch a KM initiative to choose which KM initiative to employ in order to maximize their chance of success. Gérer son capital savoir/connaissances devient une préoccupation grandissante pour toute organisation voulant rester compétitive. Durant ces dix dernières années les démarches de gestion du savoir (knowledge management) se sont développées au sein des organisations dans le monde entier. Toutes n’ont pas été couronnées de succès. Une culture d’entreprise mal adaptée est à l’origine de la plupart des échecs. Le niveau de confiance organisationnelle est souvent cité comme élément critique de la culture d’entreprise permettant de faciliter le partage des savoirs. Dans cette étude nous avons utilisé une approche empirique pour vérifier cette hypothèse. L’objectif étant d’explorer les relations entre le niveau de confiance organisationnelle, la stratégie de gestion du savoir (personnalisation ou codification) et son niveau de succès. L’étude a été conduite auprès de 101 entreprises Américaines impliquées dans des démarches de gestion du savoir. Pour cela un outil a été développé et validé pour mesurer les niveaux de confiance et de succès au sein d’une organisation. Il permet également d’identifier la stratégie dominante de gestion du savoir adoptée par une organisation. Treize hypothèses de recherches et un modèle conceptuel ont été testés. Les résultats obtenus montrent l’importance de la confiance organisationnelle dans le choix de la stratégie et dans le niveau de succès de la démarche de gestion du savoir. Cette étude aidera les praticiens à planifier et à choisir le type de démarche de gestion du savoir à déployer pour maximiser les chances de succès de l’organisation et à identifier les risques d’échecs. |
||
| Assessing
Countermeasures Against Information Overload in Professional Knowledge
Workers Marvin Rosenberg Advisor: Michael Stankosky Year: 2005 |
||
| Organizations continue to gain understanding and appreciation
for the significance that information and knowledge have on their routine
and critical business decision making and problem solving. In support
of these business activities, knowledge workers have an extremely large
and growing source of easily accessible information available to them.
This situation can have a detrimental affect on their ability and efficiency
with which to utilize and make decisions within an allocated amount of
time. This expanding volume of information has been proliferated by the
increasing pervasiveness of Internet technologies such as the World Wide
Web, enhanced search engines and databases, specialized intranets, high-bandwidth
communications, and massive data storage devices.
Organizations need to improve their methods for being able to take advantage of this readily available and enormous, as well as greatly expanding, volume of information in order to overcome its often counter-productive effects. The methods and techniques for overcoming these hindrances to effective use of information can be categorized as “Countermeasures Against Information Overload.” (Eppler, Mengis 2004) Neither information overload nor the study of the subject is new. The essential contribution of information overload, on the negative impact to the knowledge workers' ability to locate and use information, is well known and heavily researched. (Eppler, Mengis 2004) conducted “…an extensive literature search, review, and analysis.” in order to develop a framework for conducting research on information overload. (Eppler, Mengis 2004) observed that the authors of the reviewed articles “…do not provide specific suggestions on how to combine organizational, technological, personal, and information-and task-based improvement actions.” They recommend that assessments based on knowledge workers’ experience be used to develop “. . . a systematic methodology. . . ” (Eppler, Mengis 2004) for researching “. . . the effects of information overload. . . .” (Eppler, Mengis 2004) This study used the categories and countermeasures of the (Eppler,
Mengis 2004) research framework to elicit personal assessments of the
helpfulness of those countermeasures to overcome feelings of information
overload from professional knowledge workers. The results provided
a helpfulness ranking of 54 countermeasures within a ranking of five
information overload cause categories. The cross-tabulations of these
rankings provide a series of patterns, preferences, and a measurement
benchmark from which plans of action can be developed. These plans
will enable businesses to make use of these countermeasures to set
priorities for activities, such as training programs, or organizational
adjustments, that may improve the information and knowledge processing
capabilities of knowledge workers. |
||
| A
Grounded Theory Study: How Workers Link with Each Other and How They
Form Networks to Solve Problems Patsy Murphree Advisor: Michael Stankosky Year: 2005 |
||
| The focus of this study is people and how their relationships
begin. The forming of relationships is important as people and their
knowledge are a vital part of Knowledge Management. People also make
up the informal organizational structure which is a complex network of
relationships. How these connections are made, how these relationships
are built is a major contributor to organizational productivity and competitiveness. Following the systematic procedures for applying Grounded Theory Methodology, data were collected and analyzed so that the words of corporate workers were turned into a theory describing how people find the right connection and how they form networks when they have a problem to solve. Through this analytic process the words of many could be transformed into conceptualizations for the whole. Findings from this study revealed that locating the right connection is an individual process that includes scanning one’s mental database of tacit knowledge. When seeking a resource, thinking is influenced by filters that can change the action taken and the consequences of the action. Each filter has a control gate. Each control gate has an implied set point for which comfort must be reached before the gate can be exited and before a connection can occur. Comfort, described as individual satisfaction and contentment, is the necessary ingredient that covers, embraces, and shields all activities of the seeker. It is the common thread that connects the data from beginning to end. Experience, time, and intervening factors serve to distinguish beginning and experienced workers in their resources, in their thought processes, and in their requirements for comfort. Networks are formed through individual connections. Each connection becomes a point to other individuals and other connections. A network grows and expands through common interests and comfort that is transferred from the known connections to the new network member. Networks constantly change. They remain current in terms of relevancy within the existing organization. There are many different kinds of networks that may be linked through individual connections called bridges. Whether or not these networks work together to achieve common goals depends upon the circumstances. The different networks, through bridges, provide a means for individual sharing among members. The theory that is grounded in data describes how one finds the right connection and forms networks as: • An individual mental process where tacit knowledge is scanned • Thinking that is filtered by point-in-time, self perception, seekee characteristics, organizational understanding, and mental models • A pre-established set point of comfort that must be reached for each filter before linking can occur • Thinking and comfort that are adjusted through the passage of time and the gaining of experience. This theory provides insight
into the individual thought process, the connection between people
and the importance of tacit knowledge. It opens the door for
organizational understanding and provides opportunities for managers to enhance
and effectively use the talents of their most important asset – people. |
||
| A
Comparison of the Expected Competitive Advantage From Knowledge Management
Technology (KMT) Between Military, Commercial, and Government Users
in a Military Enterprise: A Case Study of SPAWAR Mickey Ross Advisor: Michael Stankosky Year: 2004 |
||
| The
debate about the differences between government, commercial and military
knowledge
management (KM) initiatives continues. Many consultants and vendors posit
that the
different objectives of government, military and commercial organizations
require different
philosophies, methodologies and technologies to achieve success. Many
agree that
technology is not the most important element of knowledge integration.
However, they also
agree that knowledge management technologies can enable knowledge management
and
contribute to efficiencies, functionality and sustainable competitive
advantage in
organizations. However, there is still a lack of empirical research on the impact of knowledge management technologies on competitive advantage in government organizations. There are a few studies that compare government and commercial sector knowledge management expectations and practices, including an international study by the Organization of Economic Development (OECD). In addition, case studies and anecdotal data provided by vendors and consultants communicate the value of Knowledge Management Technologies (KMTs). Still there is a need to grow the body of knowledge on the impact of KMTs on efficiency, functionality and sustainable competitive advantage. There is a growing commitment to empirical and conceptual research by scholars in knowledge management. One important framework for KM, The George Washington University systems engineering view of knowledge management systems led by Dr. Michael Stankosky, provides a conceptual framework for this study. This study explores the perceived differences of the impact of knowledge management technologies between commercial, military and government users. It provides a case study of an enterprise in the military sector, the United States Department of the Navy?s (DON) Space and Naval Warfare Systems Command (SPAWAR) enterprise. The primary conclusion of this study is that there is a significant difference of expectations among contractors‘; government civilian and uniform military knowledge workers on expected competitive advantage from KMTs. Contractors and uniform military have similar expectations. Government civilians have significantly lower expectations. Contractors have the highest expectations from KMTs. Implications for SPAWAR; the DON and the Office of the Secretary of the Defense (OSD) are discussed. Finally, suggestions for future research are proposed |
||
| An
Empirical Study of Knowledge Management in the Government and Nonprofit
Sectors: Organizational Culture Composition and its Relationship
with Knowledge Management Success and the Approach for Knowledge
Flow Juan Roman-Valazquez Advisor: Michael Stankosky Year: 2004 |
||
| Knowledge Management (KM) provides the capability to engineer
the enterprise structure (formal and informal), its functions, and processes
to leverage its intellectual assets in order for the enterprise to survive
and prosper in the current dynamic environment. There is a critical need
in the government sector to effectively integrate KM systems with the
aim of transcending boundaries for the purpose of disseminating essential
knowledge throughout many departments, agencies, state and local governments,
including nonprofit institutions. However, for KM to truly be successful
requires more than just implementing a new technology that can be acquired
in a box; it requires understanding and integrating the human aspect
of it, as well as the culture in which they operate. This research focuses on the government and nonprofit sectors. It characterizes and evaluates the enterprise culture composition using four culture types (Clan, Adhocracy, Market, and Hierarchy), the success of KM systems, and the strategic approach for knowledge flow at different hierarchical levels of the enterprise (organization and work unit). A total of 341 responses from employees occupying different functional roles and supporting different U.S. government and nonprofit enterprises were collected using a carefully crafted research questionnaire that was distributed through multiple channels nationwide. Inferential statistical analysis was used to make estimates about the population with a 95% confidence level and a ? 5.3 confidence interval. A total of 24 research hypotheses were tested using rigorous statistical analyses such as “test of group difference” and “test of association”. A significant level of less than 5% was utilized to test the null hypothesis for rejection. We found statistical evidence indicating that organizations that implemented KMS in a Hierarchy culture have the lowest success factor scores compared to all other culture types. Additionally, results at the organization and work unit levels supported a positive correlation between the enterprise cultural strength and successful KMS efforts; consequently, a higher cultural strength yields higher likelihood of success. Findings also confirmed a positive and stronger relationship between a Personalization approach for knowledge flow in organizations that have Clan or Adhocracy cultures and a Codification approach in organizations that have Hierarchy or Market cultures. Another significant finding was that organizations and work units with knowledge management system (KMS) efforts having a high success level had statistically higher Codification and Personalization factor scores than KMS efforts with a low success level. Also, results indicate that successful KMS efforts in the government and nonprofit sectors use a hybrid approach for their knowledge flow, focusing strongly towards one approach (Codification) and using the other strategy (Personalization) as complementary instead of implementing a balanced approach. The findings obtained emphasize the differences that exist between the two operational levels, organization and work units, within an enterprise. Understanding these factors and the relationships among them has been demonstrated to be essential in order to increase the likelihood of success when implementing a KMS effort or a KM solution. |
||
Prioritization
of Value Drivers of Intangible Assets for Use in Enterprise Balance
Scorecard Valuation Models of Information Technology (IT) Firms |
||
| This study investigates the adequacy of existing balance score card (BSC) intangible asset models. A conceptual intangible asset model is constructed and used as a basis of comparison against existing BSC models. Incorporated in this study are: 1) an Intangible Asset Taxonomy (IAT) that defines the objectives of Knowledge Management (KM) and the categories of value drivers of intangible assets; and 2) the development of a Framework of Intangible Valuation Areas (FIVA) that represents the relationship between a firms Knowledge Management (KM) business strategy/objectives and the value drivers of its intangible assets. FIVA is constructed based on the Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP) to facilitate the ranking of KM objectives and value drivers of intangible assets in relative order of importance by CEOs and CFOs. Significant outcomes of this study are: 1) validation that there is a dynamic relationship between strategic objectives of KM and specific value drivers of intangible assets; 2) empirical evidence that a one-size-fits all approach to intangible asset valuation may not be the best approach to this business problem; and 3) validation of the Balance Scorecard (BSC) model originated by Robert S. Kaplan and David P. Norton. | ||
| Criteria
for Measuring Knowledge Management Efforts in Organizations Vittal Anantatmula Advisor: Michael Stankosky Year: 2004 |
||
| In the present global economy of increasing competition,
many organizations are attempting to use knowledge as one of the means
to gain sustainable competitive advantage and advances in technology
are aiding these efforts. it is essential that organizations not only
should learn but also learn faster to survive and remain successful. Implementing knowledge management in organizations is an investment decision. The effort requires resources and demands results. To measure success or lack of it, an organization has to develop metrics and benchmarks based on the knowledge management criteria. Research indicated that widely-accepted criteria and performance measures are not developed for knowledge management. The purpose of this non-experimental, exploratory research is to identify criteria for measuring knowledge management success. Since knowledge and knowledge management are defined similarly, knowledge management principles and focus may remain same when implemented in government, non-profit, and for-profit organizations. However, expected outcomes or results that define success of knowledge management for these different types of organizations may be different. This research effort included the Delphi and the survey questionnaire. The Delphi results were used to refine the survey questionnaire. Data analysis and findings made important contributions to the body of knowledge, which include the most preferred criteria for knowledge management, specific criteria for different types of organizations. The results of the research study will benefit government, non-profit, and for-profit organizations in making decisions about knowledge management and measuring the success or lack of it in its knowledge management efforts. |
||
| The Impact of Knowledge
Management Technology on Intellectual Capital Kevin O’Sullivan Advisor: Michael Stankosky Year: 2004 |
||
| As we have moved into the knowledge economy, many organizations
have invested in
knowledge management initiatives. A great deal of the focus of these
initiatives has been
on the technological aspects of knowledge management, with many organizations
implementing knowledge management systems utilizing various technologies.
As these
technologies have moved to common use in these organizations, there has
been the
opportunity to use them to manage more than pure knowledge. The purpose of this research is to determine the extent to which knowledge management technologies are being used to manage intellectual capital. It identifies eight main groupings of knowledge management technologies that are examined in the context of the core elements of intellectual capital – human capital, customer capital and relationship capital. Based on the type of technology used, the research examines whether it is more or less likely to succeed in managing the different elements of intellectual capital. In the case of all three areas of intellectual capital we show that knowledge management technologies are used successfully. Similarly, we indicate which technologies are more successful in managing intellectual capital and the affect of organizational size on the success of such technologies. The main contribution of this research is to help organizations in the selection of knowledge management technologies that are more likely to succeed in managing their intellectual capital. It adds to the growing body of knowledge by illustrating the value of knowledge management initiatives beyond the scope of the predominant perception of what knowledge management tools are used for. Similarly, the research provides a solid foundation for further research into other aspects of knowledge management and intellectual capital and has the potential to assist other researchers in refining and modifying such approaches to maximize knowledge and insight in this field. |
||
| An
Exploratory Study of the Effect of National Culture on Knowledge
Management Factors, Expectations and Practices: A Cross-cultural
Analysis of Taiwanese and U.S. Perceptions Po-Jeng Wang Advisor: Michael Stankosky Year: 2004 |
||
| Knowledge management
(KM) is an important part of international corporate strategy; however,
there is a lack of empirical research on
how KM is influenced by national culture. This study adds value to the
understanding of the relationships between national culture and KM with
a focus on Taiwan. The research question is: Are Taiwanese and U.S. knowledge
workers’ beliefs about the success factors, expectations and practices
of knowledge management significantly different? Three hypotheses are
formulated:
1. Taiwanese respondents’ beliefs about the critical key elements of KM are significantly different from beliefs of U.S. respondents. 2. Taiwanese respondents’ expectations about the benefits of KM are significantly different from expectations of U.S. respondents. 3. Taiwanese respondents’ practices are significantly different from practices of U.S. respondents. Statistical comparisons of perceptions on KM factors, expectations, and practices support all hypotheses in the study. In general, the KM beliefs, expectations, and practices of knowledge workers in Taiwan and the U.S. do differ significantly. Additional analysis has provided some understanding of how the specific cultural traits of collectivism and Confucian Dynamism impact specific KM factors, expectations, and practices. The implications are that organizations from either country engaged in business, government, or educational objectives in the other country should adjust their implementations of KM practices to accommodate the differing perceptions of the people served. Moreover, the Taiwanese knowledge workers agree more strongly with pro-KM statements than U.S. knowledge workers, suggesting that knowledge workers in Asian nations would respond even better to implementations of KM than U.S. knowledge workers. The difference in responsiveness is shown to be a result of their different national culture traits and values, particularly collectivism and Confucian Dynamism. Asian workers have become knowledge workers because of the global
transfer of technology and the increase in knowledge-based jobs. With
the sustainable advantage of knowledge integration, Taiwanese organizations
potentially can enhance their global competitiveness in the knowledge
economy. Additionally, the collectivist culture of Taiwanese knowledge
workers suggests that they would adopt new technology more readily
and faster than their U.S. counterparts. |
||
Relationship
Between Knowledge Management Technologies and Learning Actions of
Global Organizations |
||
| As organizations
grow they are continuously facing more complex and dynamic global markets.
Traditional approaches to gain competitive
advantage and sustain growth are narrow and limited. First, organizations
usually respond to the environment and attempt to gain productivity of
their employees by focusing only on technology investments. Second, they
formulate strategic plans based on linear models that do not address
complexity and dynamic workplaces. Third, they manage innovation by focusing
on measuring very precise metrics of performance instead of understanding
patterns generated by the flow of knowledge. The main purpose of this research is to understand the relationship between technologies for knowledge management and the learning actions of global organizations. First, it incorporates a validated model based on Parsons Theory of Action that approaches organizations as complex social systems. The main characteristic is that organizational effectiveness is seen not only as a “work / performance” action, but also a combination of performance and learning actions. Second, it develops a framework that identifies knowledge management (KM) technologies as a mixture of events that balance technologies, flow of knowledge and critical actions that support technology investments. Flow of knowledge is presented by dynamic interactions (context of knowledge) between internal and external communities of practice in formal and informal settings. Sixty-two subjects from twenty-one organizations participated in this
correlational research. The main focus was to answer four operational
questions that establish a correlation between technologies for KM,
context of knowledge, KM supporting activities and Significant correlations were established between: a) knowledge management technologies and learning actions conducted to adapt an organization to its external and internal environment, b) knowledge management technologies and learning actions conducted to attain specific goals, c) knowledge management technologies and learning actions conducted to integrate knowledge and information within an organization, and d) knowledge management technologies and learning actions conducted to maintain and reinforce organizational culture. In summary, this research proves that knowledge management technologies improve organizational learning. |
||
| Assessing
the Success of Knowledge Management Technology Implementation as
a Function of Organization Culture Heejun Park Advisor: Michael Stankosky Year: 2001 |
||
| Many organizations
are implementing Knowledge Management (KM) strategies that are giving
them real benefits in terms of knowledge
sharing and streamlining processes. They are adopting more technologies
to maximize the benefit of KM than ever but they don’t take full
advantage of them. An extensive review of recent articles and journals
about such implementations reveals that one of the main barriers to implementation
of KM technology is the absence of an organizational culture that promotes
knowledge sharing. The purpose of this research is to explore the possible
relationship between the successful implementation of knowledge management
technology and specific organizational cultural orientations and attributes.
Data used to test three hypotheses derived for this research were obtained from 227 responders from the Organizational Culture Profile (OCP) survey instruments and 67 responders from the Knowledge Management Technology Profile (KMTP) survey instruments representing 26 separate organizations. The OCP provides a profile of an organization’s cultural attributes while the KMTP provides a profile of the organization’s degree of the KM technology implementation success. The results of this research suggests that employees of organization which are more successful in implementing KM technology have identified organizational cultures that embody a healthy mixture of both production-oriented and people-oriented attributes indicative of the [9,9] culture orientation. This study could help researchers in the field of KM develop a better
understanding of the role of cultural climate in the successful implementation
of KM technology. Also, this study could provide practitioners initiating
KM programs with a quantitative methodology to identify their current
culture style and the degree of success in KM technology implementation
and suggest a direction of developing cultural infrastructure before
they put technologies for a successful implementation of KM. |
||
| Assessing
Knowledge Management Initiatives’ Success as a Function of
Organizational Culture Vincent Ribière Advisor: Michael Stankosky Year: 2001 Download full dissertation |
||
| Knowledge Management (KM) initiatives are
expanding across all types of organizations worldwide. The competitive
benefits of KM
efforts have been demonstrated and documented in industry, government
and in the academic world for the past six years. However, recent global
analyses of such initiatives highlight the fact that not all of them
are necessarily successful. One of the main success barriers relates
to organizational culture. After having primarily focused efforts on
information technology (IT), practitioners are now realizing the importance
of the “soft” aspect of KM initiatives. A knowledge-friendly
organizational culture must be present or nurtured in order to succeed
in KM. The purpose of this research is to explore relationships between the successful implementation of knowledge management initiatives and specific organizational cultural orientations and attributes. Organizational culture is assessed through organizational trust and organizational solidarity variables. Depending on a company’s degree of integration of these two cultural factors, we demonstrated that specific KM initiatives (codification or personalization) are more or less likely to succeed. The research findings were accomplished through a validated questionnaire that surveyed 58 organizations involved in KM. Organizations that participated were predominantly large organizations in the consulting and IT - telecommunication field as well as agencies in the Federal Government. Respondents were mainly service-oriented offering both standardized and customized products/services and were predominantly located in the Washington, DC area. The contribution of this study may help companies and their units seeking to launch a KM initiative to choose which KM initiative to employ in order to maximize their chance of success. Though limited in terms of sample size, this study has the potential to assist other researchers in refining and modifying such approaches to maximize knowledge and insight in this field that is still deficient in theory, tools, models and frameworks. |
||
| A
Suggested Framework of Key Elements Defining Effective Knowledge
Management Programs Francesco Calabrese Advisor: Michael Stankosky Year: 2000 |
||
| Despite increasing
endorsements from enterprises worldwide, many serious managers still
believe that Knowledge Management (KM) is
the latest management sciences fad. However, experienced practitioners
of KM believe this skepticism is fueled by numerous programs based on
hasty me-too practices, which lack an understanding of Key Elements (KEs)
required for effective enterprise-wide KM models. Numerous KM Models
exist, and continue to proliferate. The problem is that they focus on
detailed mechanisms for identifying types and sources of knowledge and
the means to capture and disseminate it, but don’t address KM across
the full spectrum of organizational needs. One enterprise-wide model, the learning organization, does treat new patterns of thinking, where people are continually learning together across all organizational boundaries. In 1999, Dr. Michael Stankosky proposed a model of four pillars (i.e. KEs) critical to KM programs: Technology, Organization, Leadership and Learning, where all four KEs form an integrated systems framework for creating enterprise-wide KM programs. The purpose of this research is to validate the existence of these Key Elements, and to statistically support their perceived values and relative importance. The research methodology used was a multi-part questionnaire, completed by 240 industry and government personnel, which captured the respondents’ inputs in the context of their Beliefs, Practices and Preferences for these KEs. The research findings/conclusions reflect a strong validation of the postulated four pillars KE model. A summary of the computational results are: 1. A factor analysis of the results of 48 forced choice questions on Beliefs registers each KE as a strong factor, with Alpha communalities > 0.99. 2. Significant differences in the relative rankings for Beliefs versus Practices resulted from high levels of doesn’t exist and don’t know responses for 32 Sub-Key Elements, which clearly do exist in well structured KM programs. 3. KE Preferences delivered a third and different set of rankings supporting the risks of applying me too practices without a structured KM model. The results of this research reflect the utility of the Technology – Organization - Leadership - Learning KE model for use in the assessment/implementation of effective enterprise-wide KM programs. |
||
| Creating
a Dynamic Knowledge Management Maturity Continuum for Increased Enterprise
Performance and Innovation Charles Bixler Advisor: Michael Stankosky Year: 2000 |
||
| Knowledge Management (KM) is the systematic, explicit,
and deliberate building, renewal, and application of knowledge to maximize
an enterprise's knowledge-related effectiveness and returns from its
knowledge assets. Knowledge Management applies systematic approaches
to find, understand, and use knowledge to create new capabilities, solve
problems, enable superior performance, and encourage innovation. The purpose of this research is to identify the value of Knowledge Management to an enterprise in terms of its ability to solve enterprise-wide problems, determine the resources and conditions necessary for initiating a Knowledge Management System (KMS), and determine the expected benefits of a KMS. This study is part of a foundational research initiative that is supporting a theory of Knowledge Management. The research findings were accomplished through a questionnaire that surveyed 118 enterprise managers. The following specific statistical research was accomplished: 1. A prioritized set of twenty-eight problem areas that a Knowledge Management System could resolve. As an example the top three “problem area” priorities were proposal writing, identification of “best practices”, and generating an environment that stimulates innovation. 2. A prioritized set of fourteen initial conditions and requirements necessary to initiate a Knowledge Management System. As an example, the top three “initial condition and requirement” priorities were organizational buy-in/support, leadership involvement, and an effective methodology of distributing knowledge to employees. 3. A prioritized set of fifteen expected benefits of a Knowledge Management System. As an example, the top three “expected benefit” priorities were establishing a formalized knowledge transfer system, providing an enhanced transfer of tacit knowledge from one employee to another, and an improved ability for an enterprise to sustain a competitive advantage. Additionally, an exploratory study of four group relationships (Enterprise Size, Enterprise Orientation, Management Level, and Management Area) was conducted to determine statistical differences in the group statistical data. The results showed that all groups were similar, with minor exceptions in the management area. The results of this research provide a “validated” foundation for developing a process model that will be used to design and implement an enterprise Knowledge Management System. |
||
More coming soon!
