Andrea Garlatti

Public sector knowledge management: a structured literature review

Purpose – This paper aims to review and critique the public sector knowledge management (KM) literature, offers an overview of the state of public sector KM research and outlines a future research agenda. Design/methodology/approach – Articles published in KM journals are analyzed using a structured literature review methodology. The paper analyzes 180 papers published within ten journals specializing in the field of KM. Findings – Public sector KM is a research area of growing importance. Findings show that few authors specialize in the field and there are several obstacles to developing a cohesive body of literature. Low levels of international cooperation among authors and international comparisons mean that the literature is fragmented. Some research topics and some geographical areas within the public sector theme are over-analyzed, while others are under-investigated. Additionally, academic researchers should re-think their methodological approach if they wish to make significant contributions to th...

Practitioners’ views on intellectual capital and sustainability: From a performance-based to a worth-based perspective

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to investigate the relationship between intellectual capital (IC) and sustainability using practitioners’ perspectives and by developing an analysis of comments and practices published in 1,651 blog posts in one of the leading sources of sustainability research: CSRwire.com. Design/methodology/approach A total of 1,651 posts, containing more than 1.5 million words, published by experts in the field of sustainability are analysed using Leximancer and content analysis. Findings The results reveal IC and sustainability to be complex topics under active discussion by practitioners, and several links to the IC literature are identified and compared. The findings focus on the managerial practices applied by leading companies, as discussed by practitioners, that show IC and sustainability influence each other in answering a plurality of demands or logics. Research limitations/implications First, the authors identify the need to study the managerial practices proposed by practitioners, rather than their company reports. Second, the authors propose developing a trading zone for IC researchers and practitioners. Third, the authors reflect on the role of new communication tools, such as integrated reporting, to connect IC and sustainability. Finally, the authors conclude that the relationship between IC and sustainability could benefit from a fifth stage of IC research that considers justifications of the worth of IC and sustainability practices. Originality/value The paper is novel because it addresses concerns about the relationship between IC and sustainability by examining messages posted by practitioners, rather than examining company disclosures. This leads to an understanding of the impact of practices rather than the desires motivating practice. The results support the view that it is time to remove the boundaries of IC research and work towards reconciling the worth of IC to different people in different contexts. The authors argue that practitioners require scholars to reduce the ambiguity between IC and its expected results. This would open the door to a potentially productive way of understanding IC and the complexity of economic, social, and environmental value. In short, researchers should change their research questions from, “What is IC worth to investors, customers, society, and the environment?” to “Is managing IC a worthwhile endeavour?”

A Soft Skills Training Model for Executive Education

It is an imperative for executive education (EE) to assess the learning needs of participants, the course contents and the knowledge, skills, and teaching methods of instructors to be effective and sustainable. An increasing number of scholars are disagreeing with the way business schools are conducting their business (Andrews and Tyson, 2004; Mintzberg, 2004; Pfeffer and Fong, 2002). While many have long ago postulated that learning and contents must shift toward a global focus (Conger and Xin, 2000; Greenwalt, 1999), others acknowledge that business schools “are still on the wrong track” (Bennis and O’Toole, 2005), emphasizing a “relevance-rigor-gap” (Tushman et al., 2007). It seems that there has been a backlash which drove contents and teaching methods toward over-emphasizing hard core business techniques and neglecting soft skills and which has consequently focused on rules-based rather than on principles-based content.

The Iron Law of Unintended Effects, Again? Outcome Measures and Blame-Avoidance

The shift from output to outcome measures is a recurrent doctrine in public administration studies and practice. However, as with many popular doctrines before, more empirical analysis is still needed. This chapter focuses on the unintended effects of outcome-based performance management and explores how the use of outcome measures influences blame-avoidance strategies by officials and service providers. In looking for answers and using the concept of social mechanism as the analytical lens, this contribution explores a pilot case in the Italian public sector, where a performance ranking composed of outcome measures was introduced as the pivotal performance management tool. Results allow to conceptualize a link between the type of blame-avoidance response and the features of the potential blamers.

Distribuzione dei farmaci: gestione diretta o tramite farmacie? Materiali e metodi da un caso aziendale

Il dibattito sui costi della distribuzione dei farmaci e spesso caratterizzato da una logica di contrapposizione tra pubblico e privato, con limitati approfondimenti dei fenomeni gestionali. L’articolo analizza un caso aziendale, considerando processi, costi e risultati del servizio distributivo realizzato. Sviluppa, nell’ambito concettuale del cost accounting, una valutazione di convenienza economica comparativa delle opzioni disponibili per l’azienda considerata, evidenziando vantaggi economici e di servizio di una soluzione di collaborazione e integrazione con le farmacie territoriali. L’analisi offre un esempio della complessita delle variabili che concorrono alla formazione dei costi della distribuzione, dell’importanza di effettuare valutazioni economiche di convenienza esplicite e dell’infondatezza delle posizioni che associano alla natura pubblica o privata della gestione giudizi precostituiti sui livelli di efficienza.