Ali Intezari

Looking beyond knowledge sharing: an integrative approach to knowledge management culture

Purpose This study aims to identify the main knowledge processes associated with organizational knowledge culture. A diverse range of knowledge processes have been referred to in the extant literature, but little agreement exists on which knowledge processes are critical and should be supported by organizational culture. Design/methodology/approach Using a systematic literature review methodology, this study examined the primary literature – peer-reviewed and scholarly articles published in the top seven knowledge management and intellectual capital (KM/IC)-related journals. Findings The core knowledge processes have been identified – knowledge sharing, knowledge creation and knowledge implementation. The paper suggests that a strategy for implementing successful organizational KM initiatives requires precise understanding and effective management of the core knowledge infrastructures and processes. Although technology infrastructure is an important aspect of any KM initiative, the integration of knowledge into management decisions and practices relies on the extent to which the organizational culture supports or hinders knowledge processes. Research limitations/implications The focus of the study was on the articles published in the top seven KM/IC journals; important contributions in relevant publications in other KM journals, conference papers, books and professional reports may have been excluded. Practical implications Practitioners will benefit from a better understanding of knowledge processes involved in KM initiatives and investments. From a managerial perspective, the study offers an overview of the state of organizational knowledge culture research and suggests that for KM initiatives to be successful, the organization requires an integrated culture that is concerned with knowledge processes as a set of inextricably inter-related processes. Originality/value For the first time, a comprehensive list of diverse terms used in describing knowledge processes has been identified. The findings remove the conceptual ambiguity resulting from the inconsistent use of different terms for the same knowledge process by identifying the three major and overarching knowledge processes. Moreover, this study points to the need to attend to the inextricably interrelated nature of these three knowledge processes. Finally, this is the first time that a study provides evidence that shows the KM studies appear to be biased towards Knowledge sharing.

Conceptualizing Wise Management Decision-Making: A Grounded Theory Approach

This article investigates the role of wisdom in management decision-making. In one of the first empirical studies investigating wisdom and management, 37 CEOs, top managers, and senior executives were interviewed about their perspectives on the concept of wisdom in the business context and its role in management decision-making; the data were analyzed using grounded theory methodology. The findings introduce a grounded construct of Wise Management Decision-making, in which wise decision-making is understood as an integrated cogni-emotional, reflective process that accounts for internal and external conditions related to the decision, which is made with the well-being of the greatest number of stakeholders in mind. The findings both confirm and challenge previous conceptual studies of wisdom and provide a practical approach to wise management decision-making. The implications of this study are significant as they broaden the view of the practicability of wisdom in management and add greater understanding of the complex nature of decision-making in the business context. For managers, developing wise decision-making abilities in situ should be considered an integrated and multidimensional practice, one that can be learned.

Information and reformation in KM systems: big data and strategic decision-making

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to provide a theoretical framework of how knowledge management (KM) systems can facilitate the incorporation of big data into strategic decisions. Advanced analytics are becoming increasingly critical in making strategic decisions in any organization from the private to public sectors and from for-profit companies to not-for-profit organizations. Despite the growing importance of capturing, sharing and implementing people’s knowledge in organizations, it is still unclear how big data and the need for advanced analytics can inform and, if necessary, reform the design and implementation of KM systems. Design/methodology/approach To address this gap, a combined approach has been applied. The KM and data analysis systems implemented by companies were analyzed, and the analysis was complemented by a review of the extant literature. Findings Four types of data-based decisions and a set of ground rules are identified toward enabling KM systems to handle big data and advanced analytics. Practical implications The paper proposes a practical framework that takes into account the diverse combinations of data-based decisions. Suggestions are provided about how KM systems can be reformed to facilitate the incorporation of big data and advanced analytics into organizations’ strategic decision-making. Originality/value This is the first typology of data-based decision-making considering advanced analytics.

Making Sense of Mobile Technology: The Integration of Work and Private Life

Mobile technologies have facilitated a radical shift in work and private life. In this article, we seek to better understand how individual mobile technology users have made sense of these changes and adapted to them. We have used narrative enquiry and sensemaking to collect and analyze the data. The findings show that mobile technology use blurs the boundaries between work and private life, making traditional time and place distinctions less relevant. Furthermore, work and private life can be integrated in ways that may be either competitive or complementary. We also observed an effect rarely discussed in the literature—the way personal and professional aspirations affect how work and private life are integrated. Implications include the need for researchers and organizations to understand the wider consequences that arise from the integration of work and private life roles.

The past-present-future conundrum: extending time-bound knowledge

This paper extends the Knowledge Management-disciplines understanding of knowledge. By including the concept of time, this extended conceptualization of knowledge could make knowledge management and decision making more responsive to the complexity found in organizational and social environments. The authors suggest that knowledge tends to be past-oriented in terms of its formative components, while emergent situations are future-oriented, which may or may not have roots in the past. In this article, the authors explore this past-present-future conundrum by explaining how reliance on the past may restrict an organizations ability to deal with emergent situations in the future. The role of wisdom will be introduced as a bridge connecting current past-oriented knowledge to unknown and unpredictable future-oriented events. The paper concludes that handling complex business decisions requires wisdom and that knowledge management and information systems must be designed and developed to support decisions by providing an integrative framework of analytics and insight.

Grounded Theory in Practice: Novice Researchers’ Choice Between Straussian and Glaserian

Novice researchers face challenges in applying grounded theory and choosing between its two historical approaches—Glaserian and Straussian. Although much has been discussed regarding the differences between the Glaserian and Straussian approaches, these differences can confuse early researchers, leading to the flawed use of grounded theory in management and organizational research. Using three case studies (a PhD graduate, a PhD candidate, and a PhD supervisor) in a management and organizational research context, this article illustrates these key differences and provides guidance for researchers in choosing between them. By providing examples and commentary, this article aims to help researchers to choose and apply the most appropriate form of grounded theory within the field of management and organizational research.

Big data, little wisdom: trouble brewing? Ethical implications for the information systems discipline

Abstract The question we pose in this paper is: How can wisdom and its inherent drive for integration help information systems in the development of practices for responsibly and ethically managing and using big data, ubiquitous information and algorithmic knowledge and so make the world a better place? We use the recent financial crises to illustrate the perils of an overreliance on and misuse of data, information and predictive knowledge when global Information Systems are not wisely integrated. Our analysis shows that the global financial crisis was in part caused by a serious lack of integration of information with the larger context of social, cultural, economic and political dynamics. Integration of all the variables in a global and information hungry industry is exceptionally difficult, and so “exceptionality” of some kind is needed to make sufficient integration happen. Wisdom, we suggest, is the exceptionality needed to lead successful integration. We expect that a wisdom-based shift can lead to more organizationally effective and socially responsible Information Systems.

The DIKW Hierarchy and Management Decision-Making

This paper reports on a mixed-method study in progress. The qualitative part has been completed and the quantitative part is underway. The findings of the qualitative study -- the theory of Integral Decision-Making (IDM) -- are introduced, and the research method to test IDM is discussed. It is expected that the integration of the qualitative and quantitative studies will provide insight into how data, information, and knowledge capacities can lead to more effective management decisions by incorporating more human inputs in the decision-and policy-making process. Implications for theory and practice will be suggested.

Practical Wisdom Through Sustainability: A Meta-approach

The interconnected and multi-dimensional nature of social, economic, environmental, technological, and political aspects of today’s business world urges organizations and enterprises to re-think more deeply and thoroughly the way they observe, rely on and interact with their business and the wider society including diverse stakeholders. Sustainability strategies and initiatives have been regarded by practitioners and academics as effective approaches to establishing a long-lasting positive connection with the surrounding environment and society. The reliability of the enterprise-society interconnectedness, however, relies to no small degree on the soundness of the assumptions underlying and the practices associated with the enterprise’s sustainability in the first place. Socio-environmental and techno-political values and beliefs are dynamic and evolving as are market needs and expectations. It is crucial for sustainability managers to undertake regular (re)evaluation of the assumptions underlying their enterprise’s sustainability strategies and how those strategies are implemented. The wisdom theory, as an emerging theory in the business field, can serve as a meta-approach that may enhance the effectiveness of an enterprise’s sustainability. This chapter suggests a wisdom-based practical framework that can assist enterprises with (re-)assessing their sustainability strategies and initiatives. The framework relies on five wisdom-related principal questions. Answers to the questions may provide insight into the extent to which an enterprise’s sustainability approach relies on a true understanding of the company and the surrounding environment. The paper concludes by emphasising that the wisdom meta-approach regards an enterprise’s sustainability strategies and initiatives as an integrated whole. The five principal questions dealing with both the core assumptions and practices are, therefore, interrelated and must be addressed comprehensively and coherently.