Bijaya Mishra

Knowledge management process in two learning organisations

– This paper aims to study how knowledge management (KM) practices are carried out in learning organisations. It seeks to find out; how learning organisations carry out KM practices and whether there are any specific KM attributes that differentiate high learning organisations from low learning organisations., – The research is carried out in two information technology (IT) organisations. Qualitative data obtained from these two organisations are analysed using the grounded theory approach., – Four themes of KM process emerged after the data were subjected to grounded theory analysis. These are: knowledge creation, knowledge sharing, knowledge up‐gradation, and knowledge retention. The two sample organisations were compared on these dimensions. Two concepts emerged from this comparison, namely, knowledge enablers and knowledge inhibitors., – The paper attempts to find out the pattern of KM systems in two learning organisations (high learning and low learning). The findings shed some light on different themes of KM existent in low and high learning organisations and how they differ in their KM attributes.

Exploring the relationship between organizational structure and knowledge retention: a study of the Indian infrastructure consulting sector

Purpose Infrastructure adds pace and efficiency into India’s progress. It is a country which has embraced the notion of a knowledge economy of late, and thus raised the importance of infrastructure consulting per se. The study aims to cover the consequent but underexplored role of organizational structure (OS) vis-a-vis knowledge retention (KR) in this sector. Design/methodology/approach For conducting the research, the sampling organization that has been chosen is an infrastructure consulting organization. The researchers had undertaken an exploratory study to find out the dynamics between OS and KR. A qualitative approach has thus been adopted and the application of thematic analysis found place in conducting the research. The themes and sub-themes generated from the research, aligned with the theoretical backdrop, gave rise to a schematic model explaining the relationship between OS and KR. Findings From the above themes and sub-themes along with possible relationships which emerged from the study, the researchers observed that the theme “organizational structure” had a significant relationship with the sub-theme “knowledge retention”. In the order, what was the most noteworthy was that designing of an OS had a refined and somewhat directed influence on KR in the organization. Originality/value This paper tries to uncover the relationship between an organization’s structure formation and the key aspect of knowledge management cycle, which is KR. This shall be helpful for both academics (who can make advancements by testing the relationship in other contexts) and practitioners (who can look forward to minimizing business losses through the concept of KR).

Strategic HR Integration and Proactive Communication during M&A: A Study of Indian Bank Mergers

Research in the past has documented the use of strategic human resources (HR) integration and proactive communication as best practices in mergers and acquisitions (M&A) to deliver the expected synergy out of a combination (merger or acquisition). The failure of majority of M&A deals has been attributed to improper handling of HR issues and lack of a thorough understanding of the merger/acquisition context by the acquiring management. This study was initiated to understand how proactive communication and strategic integration of HR issues improves the chances of deal success. Based on data collected through field interviews with managers of two bank mergers in India, it was concluded that strategic employee communication, appropriate changes in the performance management system and a compensation structure with cutting edge strategic HR practices paved the way for successful integration and merger success in one of the cases studied.