Kerry Tanner

Collaboration Between Academics and Library Staff: A Structurationist Perspective

Developing effective forms of collaboration has become essential for universities dealing with the challenges of complex, dynamic environments. Although the importance of collaboration between academics and library staff is widely accepted, collaboration is a complex concept, representing a high level of human relationship, and there are many potential barriers to developing an effective collaborative partnership. This article reports on a research project exploring this topic through in-depth case study research in an Australian university, drawing on the theoretical lens of structuration theory. The research aims to elucidate the factors that affect collaboration between academics and library staff, including the power asymmetries that exist between different professional groups in a collaborative relationship, and the impacts of temporal and spatial dimensions, individual participants, and structural enablers and constraints on the collaborative partnership.

Systematic performance measurement for university libraries in Vietnam

Purpose – Higher education reform in Vietnam has recently required university libraries to improve their quality, to evaluate their performance, and to be accountable for the purpose of quality assessment and accreditation. Systematic performance measurement is an integral part of this process. The aims of this paper are: to provide an overview of the current state of performance development in Vietnamese university libraries; to address issues related to the measurement of library performance; and to propose an approach to evaluation for university libraries in Vietnam.Design/methodology/approach – The paper reviews the literature on library performance measurement, with particular focus on university libraries in Vietnam. Relevant documents relating to performance measurement were examined, and two case studies of performance measurement in university libraries in Vietnam were carried out.Findings – It is critical that university libraries in Vietnam develop systematic performance measures and apply dif...

Diversity of knowledge in patent co-authorship networks – case studies in the Victorian biotechnology industry

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to understand the role of k-networks in knowledge creation, as existing literature argues that network structure does not provide sufficient explanation per se. This paper proposed diversity as an important construct to explain knowledge creation in SMEs’ k-networks. Design/methodology/approach – First, by reviewing the literature, this paper proposes a hypothesis that predicts a positive association of content and knowledge creation. Then, focusing on patent co-authorship networks of the biotechnology industry in Victoria, this research used an explanatory multiple case study approach to test the formulated hypothesis. Findings – By introducing new constructs, the results provide more insight on the positive association of knowledge content and knowledge creation. Based on the emergent constructs, rival hypotheses are also developed for further research. Originality/value – Beyond the role of network structure, which has dominated the knowledge network literature, t...

Knowledge networks and innovation-driven collaborations: A study in Victoria's biotechnology industry

In a rapidly changing era, organisations need to be innovative in order to survive, and they need to access external knowledge. This paper examines knowledge networks between organisations by focusing on three main elements of a network: content, knowledge process and the structure of the network. Although the influence of these three elements on innovation has been discussed, the interrelation between these elements has not been explored in detail. The subject of our study is the patent co-authorship networks of biotechnology firms in Victoria, Australia. The data were extracted via the Australia patent database (AusPat) from 2001 to 2010. Using social network analysis and statistical analyses, our study explores the relationship between knowledge processes, knowledge and network structure. This exploratory and ongoing research aims to extend our understanding of knowledge networking and their role in inter-organisational collaboration.

The Role of Emotional Capital in Organisational KM

In the intellectual capital and knowledge management (KM) literatures, emotional capital has been a neglected dimension. From the late 1980s into the 1990s, there was burgeoning interest in intellectual capital, which had a substantial impact on the early development of KM. Over the past decade, social capital theory has sparked a new wave of thinking in KM. The concept of emotional capital has the potential to further enrich the knowledge base of the KM discipline. This article explicates the concept of emotional capital and provides a framework for understanding its role in organisational KM.