Jonathan H. Klein

Using industrial processes to improve patient care

Might industrial processes improve quality, reduce waiting times, and enhance the working environment?

The paradox of using tacit and explicit knowledge: Strategies to face dilemmas

Purpose – This paper contrasts two perspectives on the distinction between tacit and explicit knowledge: on the one hand, the perspective that categorises knowledge as belonging to either one or the other class; and, on the other hand, the perspective that views knowledge type as a graded continuum.Design/methodology/approach – The paper explores the extensive literature on the topic, and from this literature engages in conceptual development.Findings – The paper adopts the view that the continuum perspective, in which knowledge in a particular context has both tacit and explicit characteristics, is of particular value when considering the knowledge strategy of an organisation. Whereas the former perspective presents a well‐known dilemma, the continuum perspective permits the specification of a strategy in which the advantages of both tacit and explicit knowledge can, in principle, be obtained. One such strategy might be one that renders organisational knowledge as internally explicit, but externally taci...

It's tacit knowledge but not as we know it: redirecting the search for knowledge

A central issue in the knowledge management literature is the definition of the nature of knowledge, and particularly the distinction between tacit and explicit knowledge. This paper reviews some of the common standpoints on this issue, but argues that, within an organisational context, a useful alternative view is one in which knowledge is viewed as a systemic property of the organisational system to which it belongs. Thus, attempts to codify knowledge, and position it on a tacit-explicit continuum, are sometimes misplaced. Instead, this paper advocates approaches that view knowledge as a holistic system property. The paper considers the practical implication of this stance, from the perspective of knowledge transfer between individuals and between organisations, and investigates the potential that this stance offers OR practitioners.

Some directions for research in knowledge sharing

This paper reviews some issues associated with knowledge sharing, and identifies what the author considers to be potentially interesting and fruitful avenues of future research. The inadequacy of the common distinction between tacit and explicit knowledge is examined, and the importance of providing experience in which the tacit knowledge of the individual can be generated is highlighted. Storytelling, in particular, is identified as one such generation mechanism. The differing ways in which communities of practice may support knowledge sharing and generation are discussed. A link between the health of the communities of practice in an organisation, the nature of its organisational memory, and the ability of the organisation to operate flexibly is hypothesised.

Risk management for information systems development

This paper considers the application of project risk management techniques, methods and approaches to information systems development. The paper reviews current thinking on risk as it relates to information systems, and the approaches to risk that have been adopted in IS projects. The paper considers, in the context of IS, the processes of risk identification, structuring, assessment, and aggregation, and the use of such risk analysis to inform the process of risk management. The paper analyses available risk management techniques, and then proceeds to develop a comprehensive decision support system to aid risk analysis.

Knowledge transfer frameworks: an extension incorporating knowledge repositories and knowledge administration

While theories abound concerning knowledge transfer in organisations, little empirical work has been undertaken to assess any possible relationship between repositories of knowledge and those responsible for the use of knowledge. This paper develops a knowledge transfer framework based on an empirical analysis of part of the UK operation of a Fortune 100 corporation, which extends existing knowledge transfer theory. The proposed framework integrates knowledge storage and knowledge administration within a model of effective knowledge transfer. This integrated framework encompasses five components: the actors engaged in the transfer of knowledge, the typology of organisational knowledge that is transferred between the actors, the mechanisms by which the knowledge transfer is carried out, the repositories where explicit knowledge is retained and the knowledge administrator equivalent whose function is to manage and maintain knowledge. The paper concludes that a ‘hybridisation’ of knowledge transfer approach, revealed by the framework, offers some promise in organisational applications.

Narrative approaches to the transfer of organisational knowledge

Narratives, or stories, have been identified as one of the ways in which knowledge might be transferred, shared or exchanged in organisational settings. Beyond their identification, little consideration has been given to the ways in which narrative approaches can increase our understanding of the creation and dissemination of knowledge in organisations. This paper reflects upon some of the ways in which narrative approaches might contribute towards a better understanding of organisational knowledge management. It contributes to the debate on the nature and significance of the contextual features of organisational knowledge, particularly the role of tacit knowledge, and identifies some of the distinctions between formal and informal knowledge transfer mechanisms, which operate (with or without effective management) within organisations.

Stakeholder engagement in health care simulation

The RIGHT project (Research Into Global Healthcare Tools, http://www.right.org.uk/) is a collaborative project involving five British universities, funded by the UKs Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council. Phase 1 of the project is due to be completed in October 2009, and this paper describes one strand of the research, namely identifying some of the issues with involving stakeholders in simulation modeling in healthcare. Not the least of these is actually identifying who the stakeholders are! Other problems identified are equally tricky, as they involve deeply rooted cultural and behavioral attitudes as well as complex organizational relationships. One of the underlying aims of the next phase of RIGHT is to tackle these problems and to develop a methodology for more effective stakeholder engagement with simulation modeling.

Knowledge characteristics of communities of practice

This paper proposes a typology of communities of practice based on their knowledge characteristics. The structure of a community of practice, in terms of knowledge, may tend to the stratified or to the egalitarian. The predominant knowledge activity of the community may be sharing or nurturing. This produces four classes of community of practice. The paper identifies and discusses examples of these classes. It is argued that the class to which a community belongs tends to determine the rapidity with which knowledge within the community evolves and the degree of pluralism, as opposed to homogeneity, that the knowledge exhibits. The paper concludes by discussing some of the implications of the typology for knowledge management practice.

An approach to technical risk assessment

This paper describes a framework for assessment of the risk that a proposed machine or system, such as an aircraft or computer, will not operate to its required performance specifications when it is developed. The method is based upon decomposition of the system under assessment into a hierarchy of functionally or structurally defined assessment areas. Within each area, technical risks, and methods of assessing these risks, are identified. The framework provides a systematic structure for selecting assessment methods and integrating results of the use of selected methods into a coherent overall assessment of the system.