Papers by Ana Vasconcelos
Journal of Knowledge Management, 2022
Purpose This study aims to illuminate the currently poorly understood inflow of knowledge origina... more Purpose This study aims to illuminate the currently poorly understood inflow of knowledge originating from project managers across the value chain of construction projects. The primary purpose is to identify the domains of knowledge that project managers’ need to share in their management activities, the skills they need to develop in their sharing practices and how these relate to each other across different phases of a construction project. Design/methodology/approach Knowledge domains, skills and the relationships between them were identified following an inductive methodology, a combination of grounded theory and case study, and through the analysis of semi-structured interviews with 21 project managers and participants within a single construction project. Findings The outcome is a novel framework that theorizes the dynamic interplay between knowledge domains and the skills that facilitate knowledge sharing (KS) for successful project work throughout the construction project. O...
This paper presents an exemplification and discussion of the contemporaneity of Erving Goffman's ... more This paper presents an exemplification and discussion of the contemporaneity of Erving Goffman's work and of its applicability to the analysis of identity and presentation of self in the blogging and Second Life [SL] contexts. An analysis of online identity and interaction practices in ten different cases of bloggers and SL inhabitants and of their online spaces is presented in terms of: expressions given; embellishment as minor form of persona adoption; dividing the self; conforming and 'fitting in'; and masking, anonymity and pseudonimity. The key finding of the research is that, contrary to engaging with the process of whole persona adoption, participants were keen to recreate their offline self online, but engaged in editing facets of self. This emphasizes the key premise in Goffman's work that when in 'front stage', people deliberately chose to project a given identity. It is concluded that Goffman's original framework is of great usefulness as an explanatory framework for understanding identity through interaction and the presentation of self in the online world. Equally, the online environment, with its enhanced potential for editing the self, can offer opportunities to contribute to the further development of the Goffman framework.
Knowledge and Process Management, Jul 1, 2022
This paper aims to understand how and why knowledge boundaries occur, change, and evolve througho... more This paper aims to understand how and why knowledge boundaries occur, change, and evolve throughout the life-cycle of interdisciplinary research projects, how they are experienced by different actors, and what strategies they deploy to overcome these boundaries. The study took a case study approach focusing on an interdisciplinary research project for the development of computerised tomography and digital X-ray scanners in a governmental research organisation in Thailand. A multi-method qualitative approach, involving semi-structured interviews, participative observation, and artefact and document analysis, was adopted. Data was analysed through thematic analysis. The findings suggest that knowledge management is more complex
Zenodo (CERN European Organization for Nuclear Research), Jun 13, 2022
Aim of contribution This paper explores the view of Bletchley Park (BP) as an untold story in Inf... more Aim of contribution This paper explores the view of Bletchley Park (BP) as an untold story in Information Science. While a substantial amount of literature relating to the site and its operations has been published, these primarily focus on military and intelligence history, or technical and mathematical subjects, with limited coverage in information science. We argue that there is an untold story of BP as a complex information arena.
Journal of Information Science, 2018
The aim of this study is to understand and explain different dimensions of absorptive capacity an... more The aim of this study is to understand and explain different dimensions of absorptive capacity and the strategies used in practice to realise it. The theoretical and conceptual contribution of the study lies in the adoption of a dual process and structure approach, aiming at identifying, respectively, how learning takes place and what learning takes place. The study is based upon a case study research design to explore the manifestation of absorptive capacity processes and its relationship to knowledge structures in four company case studies. The findings of the research indicate that knowledge acquisition, transformation and integration involve successive iterations of codification, abstraction and diffusion of knowledge in relation to product concepts, process requirements and problem-solving approaches. This relates to the capability to adopt, simultaneously, different trajectories in terms of knowledge exploration and knowledge exploitation strategies. The combined adoption of t...
The study aims to explore the interactions involving key 'Quadruple helix' actors in the ... more The study aims to explore the interactions involving key 'Quadruple helix' actors in the financial services sector in Bahrain. As the study has an exploratory purpose, a qualitative methodological approach was employed using the key principles of 'Grounded Theory'. The initial findings show that the inter-organizational knowledge transfer between the diverse stakeholders is often considered problematic. The interactions were mostly perceived as a double and a triple helix, while limited focus was given to quadruple helix interactions. Moreover, the networking dynamics revealed many examples of unidirectional interactions and less of bidirectional interactions where all collaborating partners learn from each other. These interactions can offer valuable insights into power relations, as power differences emerge in exchange networks that are enormously in one direction. This study sheds light on the tensions and gaps associated with quadruple helix interactions. The stu...
Library and Information Research, 2012
This paper explores elaborations of Grounded Theory in relation to Arenas/Social Worlds Theory. T... more This paper explores elaborations of Grounded Theory in relation to Arenas/Social Worlds Theory. The notions of arenas and social worlds were present in early applications of Grounded Theory but have not been as much used or recognised as the general Grounded Theory approach, particularly in the information studies field. The studies discussed here are therefore very unusual in information research. The empirical contexts of these studies are those of (1) the role of discourse in the organisational adaptation in information systems, (2) discourses on Organizational Interoperability in eGovernment and (3) situational analysis and discourses on coping with long term illness. Despite having a common focus on discourse and combining Grounded Theory with the Arenas/Social Worlds Theory, these three studies represent different elaborations of Grounded Theory. The structure of the analytical processes adopted range from a looser application of the constant comparative method to a much more ...
Information Research an International Electronic Journal, 2015
Introduction. This paper aims at understanding virtual communities of learning in terms of dynami... more Introduction. This paper aims at understanding virtual communities of learning in terms of dynamics, types of knowledge shared by participants, and network characteristics such as size, relationships, density, and centrality of participants. It looks at the relationships between these aspects and the evolution of communities of learning. It focuses specifically on a virtual community of learning concerned with Economics education (CoL01). Method. The methods employed include descriptive statistics, content and network analysis. Analysis. We examined in detail the case of a virtual community of Economics educators using the digital archive of exchanged messages during 15 years, and focusing on: community of learning characteristics and dynamics, its density, the centrality of participants and type of knowledge shared. We compared it with three other virtual communities in the same disciplinary domain. Results. The community of learning under analysis revealed a cyclical behaviour in its development. However, the behaviour of participants (i.e. ratio of answers per topic of discussion) remains stable. Leadership is not the responsibility of a single individual. Instead it is shared by a nucleus of persons inside the community of learning. Knowledge sharing is student and teachingoriented. Conclusions. Contrary to the literature that emphasises the importance of the role of a moderator for community interaction, leadership in debate in the studied community is not centralised in a single person or a very small group. Instead, there is a strong nucleus of members in the community of learning which is more active during the whole period under analysis and may play a brokering role that is key to maintaining the dynamics of participation. Large digital public archives proved to be useful for a deep analysis of the characteristics and dynamics of communities of learning.
The aim of this chapter is to investigate the potential role of social software inside business s... more The aim of this chapter is to investigate the potential role of social software inside business settings in integrating knowledge exploitation and knowledge exploration strategies. These strategies are approached through the lens of dynamic capabilities, organisational learning and knowledge lifecycle models. The authors argue that while current enterprise Information Technology (IT) systems focus more on knowledge lifecycle processes concerning the distribution and application of knowledge, enterprise social software can support knowledge exploration strategies and leverage knowledge creation and validation procedures. We present secondary data from the utilisation of enterprise social computing tools inside
Library Management, 2015
Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to evaluate the intellectual assets within the Scholarship... more Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to evaluate the intellectual assets within the Scholarship and Collections directorate at the British Library. Design/methodology/approach – A phenomenographic approach is used gathering data via 25 in depth interviews with directorate staff and stakeholders complemented by document analysis. Findings – The findings identified issues specific to British Library such as the need for more clearly definitions of key business areas, and untapped resources within the directorate. Research limitations/implications – This study was limited to a single directorate within the British Library. From the findings a balanced scorecard was developed for the directorate adaptable for all departments within the directorate. The model could be adapted for other organisations. Practical implications – The study illustrates the value of adaptable scorecards allowing individual key performance indicators (KPIs) to be tailored to suit each department’s needs and en...
The purpose of this paper is to explore the role of Enterprise 2.0 inside a complex business proc... more The purpose of this paper is to explore the role of Enterprise 2.0 inside a complex business process, seen through the relationship between dynamic capabilities and key knowledge activities. In particular, we investigate the effect of a Wiki in a product management process in a small UK-based software development company. The study draws upon existing theoretical foundations, such as the linkage between key knowledge management activities and dynamic capabilities, as well as characteristics of enterprise social software. The research was performed using a case study qualitative approach. Overall, the Wiki was observed to play an active role in key knowledge activities, with a clear emphasis on those led by the software development team. The boundaries of the Wiki's use were restricted to the roles of technical-oriented individuals, failing to affect activities perform by sales and product management units.
Managing Intellectual Capital
The increasing pressure of today's highly globalised markets has lead organisations to continuous... more The increasing pressure of today's highly globalised markets has lead organisations to continuously compete for knowledge and innovation. Despite the fact that there is extensive analysis of the concepts of knowledge and innovation management as autonomous areas of research, there is limited investigation for identifying and managing knowledge innovation as an integrated concept. The aim of this chapter is to conceptualise an amalgamation between innovation and knowledge process management models. This study is based on a single case, selected to provide description and generate theory around the introduced knowledge innovation lifecycle model. Skandia was conceived as an appropriate example, since it has significant reputation both on knowledge and innovation management strategy. The proposed conceptual model of highly interlinked and recursive knowledge and innovation processes flow is believed to offer enhanced utilisation of knowledge and innovation management in organisational settings.
International Journal of Information Management, 2015
An investigation into the impact of information behaviour on information failure: The Fukushima D... more An investigation into the impact of information behaviour on information failure: The Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Disaster A study submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of M.Sc Information Management at THE UNIVERSITY OF SHEFFIELD
Procedia Technology, 2014
Using data available in two microdatabases-the e-Business Watch survey 2006 and the European Hosp... more Using data available in two microdatabases-the e-Business Watch survey 2006 and the European Hospital Survey (2012-2013)the study reported in this paper explores the determinants that lead to the adoption of three of the most commonly used Health Information Systems (HIS) in European Hospitals: Patient Administration Systems (PAS), Electronic Documents Management Systems (EDMS), and Picture Archiving and Communication Systems (PACS). For statistical analysis and modeling purposes, the original variables in the two surveys were transformed into binary variables. In order to explore the determinants of system adoption, Probit models were built taking into consideration the following explanatory variables or predictors: public ownership; hospital size; and human resources allocated to Research and Development. It has been found that being a public hospital, particularly in recent years, has a negative impact on HIS adoption. Hospital size is one of the main positive predictors of HIS adoption. The impact of human resources allocated to R&D is also a determinant of HIS adoption, but less so in recent years.
Library Management, 2008
This paper discusses some of the debates that have surrounded Knowledge Management as a field sin... more This paper discusses some of the debates that have surrounded Knowledge Management as a field since its inception in 1990s from the perspective of the dilemmas that they have raised regarding: i) the notion of Knowledge Management as a field in relationship to other cognate fields such as Information Management; ii) the implications introduced by different approaches and perspectives on managing knowledge. Methodology/Approach: Problems and dilemmas brought about by the contribution of the following perspectives and strands of literature on Knowledge Management are discussed:-Organisational behaviour perspectives;-Strategic management perspectives;-Economic and accountancy based perspectives. Findings: The explicit aim attributed to Knowledge Management by many authors of managing the transfer of tacit knowledge into explicit knowledge raises dilemmas that are reenacted and reconstructed in the above key approaches to Knowledge Management. Originality/value of paper: Beyond focusing on the classical debate on the nature of knowledge and whether it can be managed, these dilemmas offer avenues for reconsidering both the conceptual apparatus and the practical organisational intervention methods inherent to this field; this implies adopting different views and professional practices over what we understand by management, strategy, measurement and evaluation.
Journal of Information Science, 2013
This paper presents an exemplification and discussion of the contemporaneity of Erving Goffman’s ... more This paper presents an exemplification and discussion of the contemporaneity of Erving Goffman’s work and of its applicability to the analysis of identity and presentation of self in the blogging and Second Life (SL) contexts. An analysis of online identity and interaction practices in 10 different cases of bloggers and SL inhabitants and of their online spaces is presented in terms of: expressions given; embellishment as a minor form of persona adoption; dividing the self; conforming and ‘fitting in’; and masking, anonymity and pseudonimity. The key finding of the research is that, contrary to engaging with the process of whole persona adoption, participants were keen to re-create their offline self online, but engaged in editing facets of self. This emphasizes the key premise in Goffman’s work that, when in ‘front stage’, people deliberately chose to project a given identity. It is concluded that Goffman’s original framework is of great usefulness as an explanatory framework for u...
Information Management & Computer Security, 2008
PurposeThis paper aims to present a study of Information Systems project risk management aimed at... more PurposeThis paper aims to present a study of Information Systems project risk management aimed at identifying a risk ontology and checklist that will enable decision making and mitigation strategy planning in information system (IS) development in the public sector. This sector is an ideal research field in risk management practices, due to the visibility that failure of IS/IT projects has acquired as a consequence of the duty of accountability that characterises it.Design/methodology/approachThe study is based on a qualitative approach anchored on a critical literature review, leading to the development of an analytical framework, followed by a thorough case‐study survey.FindingsA project risk ontology was derived from the analysis of ten case‐studies in the UK, USA and New Zealand and was divided into five main categories: pre‐project, customer, project management, technological issues, and development methodology. The analysis found that a considerable number of risk factors are ...
Assessment & Evaluation in Higher Education, 2010
Creation of multimedia could be a valuable diversification of assessment methods within non-techn... more Creation of multimedia could be a valuable diversification of assessment methods within non-technical modules. The apparent popularity of sites based on user generated video content such as YouTube and also of podcasting suggest that relevant skills and interest are becoming more mainstream. Translating book learnt knowledge into visual forms involves a specific type of intellectual challenge. It seems possible that generating short multimedia presentations will increasingly come to be part of organisational communication, making it an increasingly authentic form of assessment. It could simply be a fun and creative variant of the group presentation. However, there is an entrenched cultural suspicion of the visual as superficial. The "technical skills" involved may give unfair advantage to some students. Any change process is likely to meet resistance and raise novel and unexpected obstacles to its perception as a fair form of assessment. The paper explores these issues and outlines the investigation of them in the MAIK action research project. It discusses in detail justifications for the design of the assessment task in this context, evaluates the success of this structure and reflects on what was learnt from the project about the issues.
Aslib Proceedings, 2011
PurposeNew PhD researchers sometimes face challenges when attempting to follow Grounded Theory pr... more PurposeNew PhD researchers sometimes face challenges when attempting to follow Grounded Theory principles to conduct their studies. These challenges may lead them to change its features or even prevent them from using the approach at all. This paper seeks to argue that, although challenging to implement, Grounded Theory is congruent with the nature of PhD research. It aims to provide an example of the application of Grounded Theory in a typically time‐limited PhD research project without the need to change any of its key features and principles.Design/methodology/approachThe paper presents and discusses the research design adopted in ongoing PhD research which integrates the main guiding principles of Grounded Theory in a simplified four‐stage model of theory development.FindingsThe proposed model four‐stage research design includes: an uncertainty stage, where the primary focus is formed; an emergence stage, where the core categories, which are the foundations of the theory, emerge...
Journal of Knowledge Management, 2015
Purpose– This paper aims to present a holistic framework, termed ShaRInK (Sharer, Relations, Inst... more Purpose– This paper aims to present a holistic framework, termed ShaRInK (Sharer, Relations, Institution, Knowledge), that depicts key categories of influences that shape individual perceptions of knowledge sharing within an organisational setting.Design/methodology/approach– An exploratory and qualitative case study strategy in which empirical data were gathered from 24 interviewees that were based in four different branches (i.e. China, The Netherlands, the UK and the USA) of a single information technology services organisation.Findings– The findings led to a holistic framework that depicts four key categories of influences that shape knowledge sharing from an individual perspective: attitudes and characteristics of the sharers, relations between the sharers, institutions which act as a united entity on sharer perceptions and knowledge itself. Furthermore, the four key influences not only shape knowledge sharing independently but are intertwined and have a synergistic effect. The...
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Papers by Ana Vasconcelos