Organizational Knowledge

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Organizational knowledge creation is the process of making available and amplifying knowledge created by individuals as well as crystallizing and connecting it to an organization's knowledge system. In other words, what individuals come to know in their (work-)life benefits their colleagues and, eventually, the larger organization. The theory explaining this process — the organizational knowledge creation theory — has developed rapidly in academia and been broadly diffused in management practice over the last 15 years. This article reviews the theory's central elements and identifies the evolving paths taken by academic work that uses the theory as a point of departure. The article furthermore proposes areas in which future research can advance the theory of organizational knowledge creation.

literature on organizational learning tends to be theoretically fragmented, drawing on analogies to individual learning theory or simply using organizational learning as an umbrella concept for many different kinds of organizational change or adaptation. This paper introduces a framework for the analysis of organizations as knowledge systems composed of a collection of knowledge processes: constructing, organizing, storing, distributing, and applying. The knowledge system framework draws heavily on the sociology of knowledge and emphasizes the social nature of each of these constitutive processes. The paper uses the framework to analyze the case of a small engineering consulting company that implemented a new information system to automate one of its core business activities: energy audits of commercial buildings. Traditional approaches to organizational learning have emphasized the ways in which information systems can lower the costs and increase capacity for search, storage, and retrieval of information. The knowledge system framework suggests a deeper level of influence, whereby information systems can also affect the objects of knowledge and the criteria for knowledge construction.

This paper develops four categories of knowledge management strategies used by multinational corporations (MNCs). Codification strategies involve the transformation of tacit knowledge into explicit knowledge in order to facilitate flows of organizational knowledge. Tacitness strategies keep organizational knowledge tacit in order to prevent flows of knowledge to competitors. Focused knowledge management strategies regulate knowledge flows by controlling the degree to which knowledge is encoded in forms which match the information intensity and ambiguity of their knowledge. Unfocused knowledge management strategies attempt to regulate knowledge flows by controlling the overall level of codification of knowledge without special consideration of the capabilities of specific forms of codification. Empirical analyses of the effects of these strategies on subunit performance in a sample of U.S. and Danish subsidiaries suggest that the focused strategies are superior to the other strategies. Our results also indicate that different kinds of organizational knowledge require matching forms of codification in order to increase performance. The results give rise to a nested contingency model of knowledge management.

T his study investigates the effects of information technology (IT) on exploration and exploitation in organizational learning (OL). We use qualitative evidence from previously published case studies of a single organization to extend an earlier computational model of organizational learning (March 1991) by introducing IT-enabled learning mechanisms: communication technology (e-mail), knowledge repositories of best practices, and groupware. We find that each of these IT-enabled learning mechanisms enable capabilities that have a distinct effect on the exploration and exploitation learning dynamics in the organization. We also find that this effect is dependent on organizational and environmental conditions, as well as on the interaction effects between the various mechanisms when used in combination with one another. We explore the implications of our results for the use of IT to support organizational learning.

This paper explores the use of information technology to support knowledge sharing within and between communities of practice. In so doing, it presents a case of a multi-national organization's efforts to implement an organizational knowledge management (KM) system. The case traces both the technological solutions and the KM strategy of the organization as it met with various challenges along a several year period of establishing KM as organizational practice. The study highlights several lessons, including the possibility of a flexible KM strategy, the necessity for multiple channels of knowledge sharing, the desirability of expanding communities of practice, and the evolution of the role played by information technology as KM strategies evolve. q 2002 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.

Purpose -This article aims to examine international studies of knowledge management (KM) and organizational learning (OL). Design/methodology/approach -The approach takes the form of a literature review of KM and OL research that focuses on a business or businesses located outside traditional Western economies. Findings -There is a need to increase research that examines KM and OL existing in different and multiple countries. Additionally, cultural factors should be included in KM and OL research analysis.

Knowledge management is an emerging area which is gaining interest by both industry and government. As we move toward building knowledge organizations, knowledge management will play a fundamental role towards the success of transforming individual knowledge into organizational knowledge. One of the key building blocks for developing and advancing this ®eld of knowledge management is arti®cial intelligence, which many knowledge management practitioners and theorists are overlooking. This paper will discuss the emergence and future of knowledge management, and its link to arti®cial intelligence. q

Due to technological convergence, complexes of interrelated industries are emerging. This paper presents a conceptual framework of the role dierent organizational forms and combinative capabilities play in the management of organizational knowledge integration in this context. The focus is on ®rms previously operating in one of the relatively stable constituting industries. We argue that a ®rm's organizational form has to be matched with appropriate combinative capabilities in order to integrate component knowledge into architectural knowledge that consequently serves as a platform for generating new product±market combinations. The framework is empirically illustrated using the example of two Dutch publishing ®rms moving into the multimedia complex, which is currently emerging around information and communication technologies. The empirical analysis shows that the framework oers strong potential for improving the understanding of the complex process of organizational knowledge integration, as the prerequisite for developing new business in an emerging industrial complex.

In the knowledge economy, caracterized by complex and dynamic competitive environments, knowledge-based resources represent the true source of sustained competitive advantage for the firm. However, most of these intangible resources are not reported on the traditional annual report. As "what is measured is managed", firms increasingly need to measure and report these resources. Thus, the intellectual capital report offers a holistic view of the organization's roots of value. There are three main parts to this paper. First, the growing importance of organizational knowledge-based resources is addressed. Second, a concise review of the most significant on intellectual capital is summarized. Third, an image is shown of what Spanish firms are doing in terms of knowledge management and intellectual capital measuring and reporting. This situation is compared with intellectual capital reports of firms from Asia, the Middle East and other European countries.

Purpose-Whilst knowledge transfer is a major strategy for managing contemporary organizations the impact of the key factors influencing the rate of organization knowledge transfer is relatively unknown. As a contribution to this identified gap this paper aims to discuss the influence of particular organizational factors (IT systems, structured learning strategies, innovative organizational culture, and flexible structure and design) on knowledge transfer using a conceptual framework derived from the literature. The effect of both explicit and tacit knowledge transfer on innovative capabilities and organizational performance is to be examined. Design/methodology/approach-The survey study, conducted amongst 1,086 high-tech companies, targeted chief executive officers), CFOs (chief financial officers), COOs (chief operation officers) or top managers/administrators as they provided more reliable environmental and organizational information. Findings-The study findings, based on a sample response rate of 19.6 per cent, indicated that of the particular organizational factors considered IT systems had the most significant impact on organizational knowledge transfer followed by a structured learning strategy, and an innovative organizational culture. Personalized (tacit) knowledge transfer had a strong influence on innovative capabilities development and process innovation had a greater impact on organizational performance than product innovation. Originality/value-The findings can be used by managers to more efficiently direct knowledge transfer resource allocation decisions to further optimize organizational performance.

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to examine innovation from a knowledge-based view by exploring the effect of knowledge processes and knowledge intensity on innovation performance.
Design/methodology/approach – First, a theoretical model of the connections between knowledge processes, knowledge intensity and innovation performance is presented. The posited hypotheses are then tested statistically, using a survey dataset of 221 organizations.
Findings – The result shows that while all knowledge processes have a beneficial impact on innovation, knowledge creation impacts innovation the most and fully mediates the impact of knowledge documentation, intra-organizational knowledge sharing and external knowledge acquisition on innovation performance. Furthermore, knowledge intensity increases all knowledge processes. Knowledge intensity also moderates the relationship of documentation and knowledge sharing with knowledge creation. The interaction effect is negative, meaning that firms in less knowledge-intensive conditions will benefit more from documentation and knowledge sharing for their knowledge creation purposes, and ultimately innovation.
Research limitations – The data is limited to companies from Finland, Russia and China.
Practical implications – To promote innovation, managers should pay close attention to knowledge creation processes in organizations. Furthermore, knowledge creation can be facilitated by ensuring efficient documentation procedures, and internal and external knowledge sharing and acquisition practices. Documentation and knowledge sharing are especially effective means to promote knowledge creation for non-knowledge intensive firms.
Originality/value – This paper makes a contribution to the existing literature by building and testing a knowledge-based model of firm innovation and articulating the inter-relations of knowledge processes and knowledge intensity with innovation performance.
Keywords – Innovation, Knowledge-based view, Knowledge management, Knowledge processes, Knowledge intensity, Survey 
Paper type – Research Paper

Knowledge management (KM) approaches have been broadly considered to entail either a focus on organizing communities or a focus on the process of knowledge creation, sharing, and distribution. While these two approaches are not mutually exclusive and organizations may adopt aspects of both, the two approaches entail different challenges. Some organizational cultures might be more receptive to the community approach, whereas others may be more receptive to the process approach. Although culture has been cited widely as a challenge in knowledge management initiatives, and although many studies have considered the implications of organizational culture on knowledge sharing, few empirical studies address the influence of culture on the approach taken to knowledge management. Using a case study approach to compare and contrast the cultures and knowledge management approaches of two organizations, the study suggests ways in which organizational culture influences knowledge management initiatives as well as the evolution of knowledge management in organizations. Whereas in one organization, the KM effort became little more than an information repository, in the second organization, the KM effort evolved into a highly collaborative system fostering the formation of electronic communities.

Knowledge sharing, which is critical for the strategic utilization of knowledge resources for the benefit of the organization, can only take place when both knowledge contribution and knowledge seeking exist. However, most previous research has focused on only one side of this process-knowledge contribution motivations. This is despite the fact that various barriers to knowledge seeking and reuse exist, such as the effort required to seek relevant knowledge and the cost of future obligation. In overcoming such barriers, norms related to collaboration are considered to be important. However, little is known of how these norms operate in conjunction with other antecedents to influence individuals' knowledge seeking behavior. Addressing the knowledge gap, this study explores how collaborative norms in an organization impact knowledge seeking with regard to a common knowledge management system type-the electronic knowledge repository (EKR). For this purpose, we have developed a model and tested it through a survey of EKR users in knowledge intensive organizations. Our results indicate that collaborative norms positively impact individuals' knowledge seeking behavior through EKRs, both directly and through reducing the negative effect of future obligation on seeking. However, collaborative norms could also undermine the positive impact of perceived usefulness on knowledge seeking behavior. We identify other antecedents of knowledge seeking such as knowledge growth, resource facilitating conditions, and self-efficacy. Our findings explicate how norms can influence knowledge seeking behavior in conjunction with other antecedents. Implications for research and knowledge sharing practice are discussed.

This paper uses a comparative case study approach to investigate how two small Italian food producers manage their knowledge. The first company under consideration is mainly focused on marketing, while the second on the technology knowledge domain. This paper enriches the existing literature by documenting examples of how companies can successfully manage organizational knowledge on the basis of their relative knowledge domain. This research claims that not only knowledge domain but also innovation behavior seem to be the contingencies that mostly impact on knowledge management system features. In fact, the different combinations of the two variables have deeply different requirements in terms of knowledge management.

Purpose -To propose and evaluate a novel management structure that encourages knowledge sharing across an organization. Design/methodology/approach -The extant literature on the impact of organizational culture and its link to management structure is examined and used to develop a new knowledge sharing management structure. Roadblocks to implementing a new management structure and methods for overcoming these impediments are discussed. The efficacy of the proposed management structure is evaluated empirically by examining its effect on organizations that have implemented portions of the proposed structure. Findings -The foundational ideas behind the proposed knowledge management organizational structure and the structure itself have been implemented in parts at various organizations located both in the USA and internationally. While the full management structure model has not been evaluated, the portions implemented in various organizations have enabled these organizations to assume leading roles in their respective industries.

Recently, research interest in knowledge management has grown rapidly. Much research on knowledge management is conducted in academic and industrial communities. Utilizing knowledge accumulated in an organization can be a strategic weapon to acquire a competitive advantage. Capturing and representing knowledge is critical in knowledge management. This paper proposes a practical methodology to capture and represent organizational knowledge. The methodology uses a knowledge map as a tool to represent knowledge. We explore several techniques of knowledge representation and suggest a roadmap with concrete procedures to build the knowledge map. A case study in a manufacturing company is provided. Keywords Knowledge management, Knowledge mapping, Knowledge processes '' Capturing and representing knowledge buried in people and an organization are the fundamental building blocks of knowledge management implementation. ''

Purpose -External knowledge is generally believed to be of prime importance to small to medium-sized enterprises (SMEs). However, a review of the literature shows that no empirical research has looked at knowledge management issues at the inter-organizational level in SMEs. This paper seeks to report on an empirical investigation with UK SMEs in the service sector to identify their needs and practices regarding inter-organizational knowledge transfer, and thus provide empirical evidence to support the above belief.

There has long been an interest in the effects of mentors on protégé career outcomes, and with scholars now beginning to examine mentoring across national boundaries. Using survey information as well as company records for 299 expatriates (163 men, 136 women) in 10 countries, we examined the impact of home-and host-country mentors upon expatriate effectiveness. We found that having a host-country mentor had a significant positive effect on the expatriate's organizational knowledge, organizational knowledge-sharing, job performance, promotability, and perceptions of teamwork. Having a homecountry mentor had a significant positive effect only on organizational knowledge, job performance, and promotability. Surprisingly, our results revealed that having a home-country mentor had a significant but negative effect on the expatriate's organization identification and job satisfaction. Contrary to the literature, neither type of mentoring had a significant effect on job tension. Implications for practice as well as future research are detailed.

We study how classic organizational structure dimensions should be altered to be more adapted to organizational knowledge sharing. In particular, we look at the dimensions: coordination, centralization, formalization, and specialization, in their relationship to the concept of knowledge sharing. Empirical data was collected by means of a questionnaire in two companies. Our findings indicated that expected relationships, such as the negative effect of centralization or the positive effect of lower formalization, were not found. Interdependency and knowledge complexity, caused by specialization, had an important interacting effect on the relationship between coordination and knowledge sharing. A comparison between the two companies revealed that the organization-specific context in which the coordination is applied influences the potential of this coordination for knowledge sharing.

 This study provides a longitudinal empirical examination of the basic elements of Nonaka's (1994) dynamic theory of organizational knowledge creation. First, the data illustrate the notion that knowledge creation in organizations proceeds through an intertwined four-phase process: (1) socialization (tacit knowledge amplification); (2) externalization (tacit knowledge is transformed into explicit knowledge); (3) combination (explicit knowledge amplification); and (4) internalization (explicit knowledge is transformed into tacit knowledge). Second, the study extends Nonaka's theory by comparing the relative amount of intra-organizational knowledge transfer occurring during periods of product redesign with the amount of knowledge transfer occurring during steady-state periods. The questionnaire data suggest that the overall level of knowledge transfer is higher during periods of product redesign than it is during the steady state, whereas the interview data indicate that there were more mentions of knowledge transfer during the steady state. Third, the data suggest that there may be benefit in adding tacit error correction as a fifth phase in the learning cycle. This phase is characterized by a dual emphasis on externalization and internalization. Implications of these findings are discussed.

Our ignorance exceeds our knowledge where issues of motivation and commitment of knowledge workers are concerned in the context of knowledge management systems (KMS) implementation . This study is motivated by the pervasive confusion about the role of knowledge workers' motivation and commitment in KMS implementation and sparse, if any, theoretical or empirical research on these issues. This paper proposes a theoretical framework for understanding how knowledge workers' commitment and motivation affect the use of KMS and resulting organizational performance of the KMS. The theoretical and empirical validation of the framework require first and foremost the theoretical development of the knowledge workers' commitment and motivation constructs and empirical validation of these constructs in the context of a real world organizational study of KMS implementation. The authors attempt to fulfill these specific goals within the scope of this paper. Future empirical research on the integration of motivation and commitment within diverse implementation contexts of KMS and organizational knowledge management programs is expected to further advance the theoretical and empirical development of the proposed framework.

We assessed the model of knowledge strategy and IT support proposed by Hansen, Nohria and Tierney. Their main argument is that, in order to enable effective use of knowledge, organizations should select an 80/20 knowledge strategy mix of codification and personalization with one of these strategies dominant. We examined the knowledge strategy emphasis (codification or personalization) in each of four case organizations. These organizations represented different combinations of the codification and personalization knowledge strategy mix. Our cases indicate some support for Hansen et al.'s main argument, but also highlight the need for refinements to their model. Based on our assessment, we conclude that the advice of Hansen et al. is useful for deciding upon an initial strategic direction and setting suitable priorities. We propose the following refinements to the model. First, organizations may find it necessary to evolve their knowledge strategy mix over time, augmenting the alternate strategy as a result of the intertwined nature of knowledge processes. Second, we propose two strategic pathways that organizations could adopt on their journey towards effective use of organizational knowledge. Lastly, we identify additional considerations for deciding upon a particular knowledge strategy direction. q

To consider the role of technology in knowledge management in organizations, both actual and desired. Design/methodology/approach Facilitated, computer supported group workshops were conducted with 78 people from ten different organizations. The objective of each workshop was to review the current state of knowledge management in that organization and develop an action plan for the future. Findings Only three organizations had adopted a strongly technology-based "solution" to knowledge management problems, and these followed three substantially different routes. There was a clear emphasis on the use of general information technology tools to support knowledge management activities, rather than the use of tools specific to knowledge management. Research limitations/implications Further research is needed to help organizations make best use of generally available software such as Intranets and e-mail for knowledge management. Many issues, especially human ones, relate to the implementation of any technology. Participation was restricted to organizations that wished to produce an action plan for knowledge management. The findings may therefore represent only "average" organizations, not the very best practice. Practical implications Each organization must resolve four tensions: Originality/value Although it is the group rather than an individual that determines what counts as knowledge, hardly any previous studies of knowledge management have collected data in a group context.

Design/methodology/approach -By reviewing the literature from multidisciplinary fields, the concepts of knowledge, KM and innovation are investigated. The physical, human and technological perspectives of KM are distinguished with the identification of two core activities for innovation: knowledge creation and knowledge usage. Then an essential requirement for continuous innovation -an internalization phase is defined. The systems thinking and human-centred perspectives are adopted for providing a comprehensive understanding about the mechanisms of KM for innovation.

M any organizational actions need not have any immediate or direct payoff consequence but set the stage for subsequent actions that bring the organization toward some actual payoff. Learning in such settings poses the challenge of credit assignment , that is, how to assign credit for the overall outcome of a sequence of actions to each of the antecedent actions. To explore the process of learning in such contexts, we create a formal model in which the actors develop a mental model of the value of stage-setting actions as a complex problem-solving task is repeated. Partial knowledge, either of particular states in the problem space or inefficient and circuitous routines through the space, is shown to be quite valuable. Because of the interdependence of intelligent action when a sequence of actions must be identified, however, organizational knowledge is relatively fragile. As a consequence, while turnover may stimulate search and have largely benign implications in less interdependent task settings, it is very destructive of the organization's near-term performance when the learning problem requires a complementarity among the actors' knowledge.

Based on empirical work and literature review, this paper has advanced a theoretical framework that integrates knowledge management, change management and 'soft' issues. It argues that the ''soft'' dimension helps to better understand the process of organizational knowledge transfer. Guidelines for managerial action were formulated in order to make explicit, be aware and understand embedded 'soft' issues.

The application of metaphors as a means to advance our understanding of organizations has a long-standing tradition in management studies. Generally speaking, metaphors allow for a description of organizational characteristics and functions in the terminology of another domain of interest. Organizational learning and organizational memory are two prominent examples of anthropomorphic metaphors in management studies which draw on the human mind as the source domain. In the light of recent advancements in neuroscience, however, they lack the complementing metaphor of organizational sleep, though sleep plays a particularly important role for learning and memory of the human mind. Based on the view that communication constitutes organizations (CCO), this study recontextualizes the metaphors of organizational learning and memory in terms of organizational sleep-wake cycles. Finally, the ideal-typical distinction between a regularly resting organization and an insomniac organization leads to a reconsideration of existing theories of organizational learning and memory.

Purpose-The purpose of this paper is to explore the impact of national culture on the structured knowledge transfer from a US-based (onshore) technical support center to an offshore support center in China. Design/methodology/approach-The research was conducted as an interpretive case study. Three techniques (i.e. document review, participant observation, and semi-structured interviews) were employed for data collection in the field. Findings-The findings identify that knowledge tacitness, knowledge gaps, cultural and communication difficulties and weak relationships were the critical barriers to successful knowledge transfer in a cross-cultural knowledge transfer context. It was found that, when a provider and a recipient are located in different individualism/collectivism, power distance, and uncertainty avoidance cultural dimensions, there will be a reduced likelihood of successful knowledge transfer in a structured knowledge transfer process. However, peer-to-peer help, close relationships and proactive learning may assist in decreasing the knowledge transfer difficulties. Research limitations/implications-The research was limited to one organization in one industry (the IT support industry) and in one country (China). There could be both industry-specific issues and national cultural issues that may affect the findings and conclusions. However, the paper has important practical implications for organizations that are trying to carry out transfer of organizational knowledge or to acquire organizational knowledge in a cross-cultural business context. Originality/value-The findings provide insight into the cultural issues implicated in the structured knowledge transfer process, when a knowledge provider and a recipient are from different cultural dimensions, as well as offering more general insight into the mechanism of knowledge transfer in the cross-cultural business context. Keywords Knowledge management, Cross-cultural management, Outsourcing, China Paper type Research paper Datamonitor Research found that the number of contact center agents based in the Asia-Pacific region will continue to grow throughout the following five years (Datamonitor, 2006). The main purposes of offshore outsourcing are to lower operating costs, improve service quality, and facilitate access to expertise (Stratman, 2008). However, outsourcing is not always successful. Gartner, Inc. (2005) predicted that through to 2007, 80 percent of organizations that outsource customer service and support centers with the primary goal of reducing cost will fail. Carmel and Beulen (2005) argued that unsuccessful knowledge transfer is one of the principal reasons for failures in the first few years of offshore

In this article, we argue that a focus on the debunking of consulting knowledge has led to a disconnect between the research and the practice of management consulting. A renewed focus on consulting practice, that is, the doing of consultancy itself, affords an opportunity for bringing clients, practitioners and researchers of consulting closer together. We sketch an outline of an alternative approach to consulting practice, based not on knowledge, but on knowing, the socially situated activity whereby knowledge is applied and created. Borrowing from the practice-based theories of organizational knowledge and knowing, we explore how key aspects of consulting practice-problem solving, participation and knowledge transfer-might be handled differently when we give primacy to practice. We discuss the viability of this alternative approach, and argue that despite established relations of power and politics, the dynamic and indeterminate nature of practice environments does afford some space for this and other alternative forms of consulting practice to take hold.

The creation and deployment of knowledge repositories for managing, sharing, and reusing tacit knowledge within an organization has emerged as a prevalent approach in current knowledge management practices. A knowledge repository typically contains vast amounts of formal knowledge elements, which generally are available as documents. To facilitate users' navigation of documents within a knowledge repository, knowledge maps, often created by document clustering techniques, represent an appealing and promising approach. Various document clustering techniques have been proposed in the literature, but most deal with monolingual documents (i.e., written in the same language). However, as a result of increased globalization and advances in Internet technology, an organization often maintains documents in different languages in its knowledge repositories, which necessitates multilingual document clustering (MLDC) to create organizational knowledge maps. Motivated by the significance of this demand, this study designs a Latent Semantic Indexing (LSI)-based MLDC technique capable of generating knowledge maps (i.e., document clusters) from multilingual documents. The empirical evaluation results show that the proposed LSI-based MLDC technique achieves satisfactory clustering effectiveness, measured by both cluster recall and cluster precision, and is capable of maintaining a good balance between monolingual and cross-lingual clustering effectiveness when clustering a multilingual document corpus.

The business world has enthusiastically adopted the idea that knowledge has become the most strategic of corporate assets, the principal basis for competitive advantage. This enthusiasm has not, however, been matched by an understanding of how to operationalize knowledge. It seems we argue that knowledge is important largely because it is a different kind of asset. While this is perplexing and suggests that it is important to understand the strategic significance of the different kinds of organizational knowledge, it also raises operational issues for managers. How are they to identify knowledge assets, and measure them? We offer tentative proposals for a new approach to assets evaluation.

Notwithstanding the warning of myopic view, when giving too much emphasis to the short run and stable environments, efficiency is usually claimed by standard economics as the main goal of competitive firms. This is challenged by management and organization scholars, who argue that, in presence of strong uncertainty due to environmental turbulence, slack resources can be a competitive advantage. In order to put some sound block in this debate through, this paper tests four groups of hypotheses on an agent based model of industry competitiveness based on suppliers’ quality. It innovates current literature in two ways: first, it considers redundancy in terms of organizational knowledge, and not in terms of personnel or financial assets or other types of resources, which are usually taken as object of study. Secondly, it compares the effects of two forms of perturbations: environmental shock and opportunism. The results show that these two forms impact differently on industry profitability and that knowledge redundancy can (limitedly) compensate the effects of environmental shocks but not of opportunism. Moreover, it demonstrates that, as agents exchange (and accumulate) more information, knowledge efficiency declines, but less than proportionally to the increase of knowledge exchange.

Purpose-The purpose of this study was to understand the effects of creative self-efficacy and affective personal commitment on individuals' knowledge creation and innovative work behaviors. Design/methodology/approach-This study used a time-lagged field survey to collect data from a diverse sample across various organizations in Pakistan (N 5 249 paired responses). Main and mediating effects were tested using bootstrapping technique. Findings-The results revealed that affective personal commitment and creative self-efficacy significantly predicted supervisory-rated innovative performance directly and indirectly through knowledge creation ability (KCA). Originality/value-The study uniquely contributed to the body of knowledge by developing and validating scales for KCA and affective personal commitment. In addition, the study contributed to the body of knowledge by examining the antecedents and outcomes of KCA.

The article considers the specificity of the contemporary university administration, when the University is losing its classical unity and acquires plural forms of existence. Particular attention is paid to the research university, which transforms the classical university's ideas in its adaptation to the conditions of the information society. Cognitive management in the research university is a form of governance that increases its competitiveness in the globalized educational area. The most important factor bringing about cognitive management is based on the transformation of knowledge into information, when it solves the task of forming the social capital and increasing the student's cognitive competence.

This paper presents a scale developed to classify organizations through cluster analysis as being exploiters, explores, ambidextrous or with no defined orientation. The theoretical framework helps identify that the concepts associated with exploration and exploitation may be classified into six practical dimensions: organizational knowledge practices, innovative practices, competition, strategic orientation, organizational efficiency and partnerships. After stripping the data, the scale was underpinned by 45 attributes related to these dimensions. Convergent and divergent validity statistics are presented resulting from a questionnaire being applied to 249 respondents from companies located in Brazil.

This paper combines ideas from disciplines ranging from physics, epistemology and philosophy of science to military affairs, to sketch a scientific framework for studying organizational learning, knowledge and memory. Threads are woven from this background into a generic analytical framework that reveals the biological nature of knowledge in learning organizations. There are many epistemological and conceptual difficulties surrounding the concept of autopoiesis, so most of the present work focuses on explaining it in generic terms, establishing an epistemological framework in which the autopoietic status of any kind of complex system can be evaluated, and then deriving generic concepts of memory, learning and knowledge within the autopoietic framework. The autopoietic status of human organizations is then tested in relation to this framework, and some of the direct implications regarding organizational learning and adaptation are highlighted.