Carlos Olavo Quandt

Knowledge management and strategic orientation: leveraging innovativeness and performance

Purpose – The aim of this study is to investigate whether knowledge management (KM) contributes to the development of strategic orientation and to enhance innovativeness, and whether these three factors contribute to improve business performance. Design/methodology/approach – A sample of 241 Brazilian companies was surveyed, using Web-based questionnaires with 54 questions, using ten-point scales to measure the degree of agreement on each item of each construct. Structural equation modeling techniques were applied for model assessment and analysis of the relationships among constructs. Exploratory factor analysis, confirmatory factor analysis, and path analysis using the technique of structural equation modeling were applied to the data. Findings – Effective KM contributes positively to strategic orientation. Although there is no significant direct effect of KM on innovativeness, the relationship is significant when mediated by strategic orientation. Similarly, effective KM has no direct effect on business performance, but this relationship becomes statistically significant when mediated by strategic orientation and innovativeness. Research limitations/implications – The findings indicate that KM permeates all relationships among the constructs, corroborating the argument that knowledge is an essential organizational resource that leverages all value-creating activities. The results indicate that both KM and innovativeness produce significant impacts on performance when they are aligned with a strategic orientation that enables the organization to anticipate and respond to changing market conditions. Originality/value – There is a substantial body of research on several types of relationships involving KM, strategic orientation, innovativeness and performance. This study offers an original contribution by analyzing all of those constructs simultaneously, using established scales so that comparative studies are possible.

Colaboração interinstitucional em pesquisa no Brasil: tendências em artigos na área de gestão da inovação

El trabajo colaborativo en red se expandio a partir del final del siglo XX, apoyado por los avances en las tecnologias de la informacion y comunicacion. La velocidad creciente de los cambios tecnologicos y la exacerbacion de la competitividad internacional demandan esfuerzos cooperativos de investigacion y desarrollo entre organizaciones. Estandares similares de colaboracion en red se observan en el medio academico y sus relaciones con el sector productivo. El objeto de este articulo es contribuir a la identificacion de los estandares de colaboracion de los investigadores brasilenos. Para ello, se analiza la colaboracion en produccion cientifica en el area de gestion de la innovacion, por medio de un relevamiento de coautoria de los articulos presentados en el Simposio de Gestion de la Innovacion Tecnologica (Sigitec) en el periodo 1998-2008. Se verifica la ausencia de una tendencia clara de crecimiento de la colaboracion interinstitucional, que todavia es inferior a los niveles internacionales, asi como la persistencia de la concentracion espacial de la produccion cientifica.

Toward a knowledge-based framework to foster innovation in networked organisations

To foster innovation management in enterprises willing for competitive advantage in the near future, managers should be aware about and make use of well-adapted information technology solutions. Such assertion is specially emphasized in networked organizations, such as the virtual, extended or distributed enterprises, and provides several open questions guiding to sensible research efforts. The paper particularly focuses on a basic question: how information technology can be used to recover the individual knowledge, the intellectual capital, and transform it into products and services that can be exploited by the organisation? In this sense, an IT-based framework is proposed to basically support the life cycle of knowledge in networked organizations.

Inter-institutional collaboration in research in Brazil: trends in articles in the innovation management area

El trabajo colaborativo en red se expandio a partir del final del siglo XX, apoyado por los avances en las tecnologias de la informacion y comunicacion. La velocidad creciente de los cambios tecnologicos y la exacerbacion de la competitividad internacional demandan esfuerzos cooperativos de investigacion y desarrollo entre organizaciones. Estandares similares de colaboracion en red se observan en el medio academico y sus relaciones con el sector productivo. El objeto de este articulo es contribuir a la identificacion de los estandares de colaboracion de los investigadores brasilenos. Para ello, se analiza la colaboracion en produccion cientifica en el area de gestion de la innovacion, por medio de un relevamiento de coautoria de los articulos presentados en el Simposio de Gestion de la Innovacion Tecnologica (Sigitec) en el periodo 1998-2008. Se verifica la ausencia de una tendencia clara de crecimiento de la colaboracion interinstitucional, que todavia es inferior a los niveles internacionales, asi como la persistencia de la concentracion espacial de la produccion cientifica.

Social innovation practices in the regional tourism industry: case study of a cooperative in Brazil

Purpose This paper aims to analyze the main elements of the process of social innovation by using a case of a tourism cooperative created by an underprivileged community in Northeastern Brazil while assessing the applicability of the conceptual framework proposed by Centre de Recherche sur les Innovations Sociales (CRISES) in that context. Design/methodology/approach The case study was based mainly on content analysis of semi-structured interviews with cooperative managers and members, complemented by direct observation, analysis of documents and data from secondary sources. Findings The process of social innovation in the tourism cooperative presents distinctive characteristics that are not adequately captured by the dimensions that are proposed in the CRISES framework. Alternative frameworks may contribute additional perspectives to complement and expand the current approach to the analysis of social innovation in diverse contexts. Practical implications The study indicates the need for more appropriate territorially based metrics and assessment models for particular configurations and settings of social innovation, such as in this case. Originality/value The paper contributes to a better understanding of the diversity of social innovation possibilities and how extant analytical frameworks may be adapted and expanded to capture such diversity.

Relationships Among Knowledge Management, Organisational Innovativeness and Performance: Covariance-Based Versus Partial Least-Squares Structural Equation Modelling

The relationships among effective knowledge management (KM), organisational innovativeness (OI), market orientation (MO) and organisational performance (OP) have been explored in the literature. These constructs are generally analysed in pairs, such as the influence of KM on OI, or KM on OP, and other combinations, but the relationships among the full set of constructs in question are not fully understood yet. In the extant literature, the relationships among them are analysed for the most part with covariance-based structural equation modelling (CB-SEM). Partial least-squares (PLS) path modelling is a component-based approach to SEM that is not as widely used as CB-SEM, but it has the potential to allow increased flexibility in handling various modelling problems in comparison with CB models, particularly for predictive and exploratory purposes. This paper aims to verify whether the PLS method could confirm or reject the results of the more restrictive covariance-based method in modelling the relationshi...

An IT-based framework for knowledge management in networked organisations

In order to increase the competitive advantage in the near future, which will be oriented by the Knowledge Economy, the enterprises should be aware about and make use of Information Technologies solutions well-adapted for knowledge management requirements. In fact, the future competitiveness of networked economies will be determined by their ability to make effective use of new methods and technologies that are able to deal with intangible assets, such as information and knowledge. The reason leading the enterprises to be concerned is to transform ideas into commercialised products, i.e. to recover the individual knowledge — the intellectual capital — and transform it into products and services that can be exploited by the organisation. Such assertion is specially emphasised in virtual enterprise context and provides several open questions guiding to sensible research efforts.

Dimensões da inovatividade organizacional e seu impacto no desempenho inovador: proposição e avaliação de um modelo

The study proposes a theoretical model that represents the enabling organizational conditions for innovation (defined in the study as innovativeness) and evaluates the impact on innovation performance. Canonical correlation is employed as a way to evaluate the capacity of the model to explain the variation in innovation performance in 120 medium and large organizations located mostly in southern Brazil. The results indicate that the conditions identified are consistent in expressing innovative improvements in the surveyed companies. Moreover, the results suggest that innovative organizations that develop aspects of organizational culture, leadership and learning processes present superior performance in the development and implementation of innovations.

Los impactos de la gestión del conocimiento en la orientación estratégica y de la capacidad de innovación en resultados de la organización: una survey llevada a cabo con empresas ubicadas en Brasil

This paper presents the results of a survey of 241 Brazilian companies, which sought to investigate whether effective knowledge management contributes to strategic orientation, innovativeness and business results. Data collection was undertaken via self-reporting electronic questionnaires with 54 questions, using 10-point rating scales to measure agreement with the variables that composed the four constructs under study. The Structural Equation Modeling technique was used for data analysis. The research approach is based on the Resource Based View of the Firm, and it presupposes that knowledge is one of the main resources of the organization, and that it is used to leverage the other resources. The results support the conclusion that effective knowledge management contributes positively to strategic orientation. However, it was not possible to verify the positive contribution of these constructs upon the others when only direct relations were analyzed. When mediated by strategic orientation, knowledge management presented statistically significant direct and indirect effects on business results. The impacts of knowledge management and organizational innovativeness were found to be robust and significant when aligned with a strategic orientation that allows the company to anticipate and respond to market conditions. The evidences show that knowledge management permeates the relationships among the other constructs, corroborating the argument that knowledge is a resource that leverages the diverse value-generating activities in organizations. Even though numerous studies explore the constructs presented here, the originality of this study lies on the simultaneous analysis of all of them, oriented by a methodology that allows its replication in other cultures and conditions. In addition, the managerial implications of the study point out that the strategic nature of knowledge management and its practices must be considered before the application of isolated practices to achieve specific objectives.

The impacts of Knowledge management on strategic orientation, and innovativeness in organizational outcomes: a survey of companies operating in Brazil

This paper presents the results of a survey of 241 Brazilian companies, which sought to investigate whether effective knowledge management contributes to strategic orientation, innovativeness and business results. Data collection was undertaken via self-reporting electronic questionnaires with 54 questions, using 10-point rating scales to measure agreement with the variables that composed the four constructs under study. The Structural Equation Modeling technique was used for data analysis. The research approach is based on the Resource Based View of the Firm, and it presupposes that knowledge is one of the main resources of the organization, and that it is used to leverage the other resources. The results support the conclusion that effective knowledge management contributes positively to strategic orientation. However, it was not possible to verify the positive contribution of these constructs upon the others when only direct relations were analyzed. When mediated by strategic orientation, knowledge management presented statistically significant direct and indirect effects on business results. The impacts of knowledge management and organizational innovativeness were found to be robust and significant when aligned with a strategic orientation that allows the company to anticipate and respond to market conditions. The evidences show that knowledge management permeates the relationships among the other constructs, corroborating the argument that knowledge is a resource that leverages the diverse value-generating activities in organizations. Even though numerous studies explore the constructs presented here, the originality of this study lies on the simultaneous analysis of all of them, oriented by a methodology that allows its replication in other cultures and conditions. In addition, the managerial implications of the study point out that the strategic nature of knowledge management and its practices must be considered before the application of isolated practices to achieve specific objectives.