Laila Marouf

Social networks and knowledge sharing in organizations: a case study

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to determine the association between the strength of different types of ties with the sharing of different kinds of knowledge.Design/methodology/approach – In this paper the association of ties with the sharing of different types of knowledge was measured by a specifically created and developed web survey that was made available to 22 units in the subject organization. Multiple Regression Quadratic Assignment Procedure (MRQAP) was used to examine the resulting data in order to address the following questions: first, is there a significant association between strength of business ties and the sharing of public knowledge? Second, is there a significant association between strength of social ties and the sharing of private knowledge?Findings – Findings in this paper show that the strength of business relationships rather than the strength of social relationships contributed most significantly to the sharing of public and private knowledge in this organization. Specifica...

Information‐seeking behavior of the social sciences faculty at Kuwait University

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to investigate the information‐seeking behavior of the social sciences faculty at Kuwait University.Design/methodology/approach – A survey method was used for this study. The data were collected using a structured, peer‐reviewed questionnaire self‐administered to 77 faculty members, with 54 returns.Findings – It was found that these respondents heavily depend on books and journals for teaching and on a larger variety of materials for research purposes. Their use of informal sources is comparatively less than formal sources. Journals and books are considered the most important sources to meet their needs. Among the informal sources, conferences, subject experts, and colleagues are given higher importance than librarians and government officials. Journals and books are used more frequently than raw data, technical reports, and manuscripts and primary materials. Their satisfaction level with all the sources is positive but higher for journals and books. The level of sat...

MLIS program at Kuwait University: Perceptions and reflections

Purpose – This study aims to analyze the perceptions of the graduates of Master in Library and Information Science (MLIS) program at Kuwait University about coursework, faculty, instructional methods, instructional facilities, fieldwork, comprehensive examination, and research component.Design/methodology/approach – A survey instrument was used for electronic administration. Eighty graduates of the MLIS program of Kuwait University were identified as population of the study. Sixty‐seven alumni (86.3 per cent) participated in the survey.Findings – Based on the analysis of 61 usable responses, it was found that the faculty and core courses received highest mean scores for satisfaction whereas elective coursework, fieldwork, and comprehensive examinations received the lowest. Qualitative analysis of the participants revealed that the alumni wished broadening the breadth of the elective coursework and fundamental changes in fieldwork and comprehensive examination. Many of them were quite critical of instructi...

Information operations in the Kuwaiti corporate sector: an analysis

The purpose of the study was to investigate the conduct of information operations in Kuwait. One of the top executives or managers from each of the 39 companies, which volunteered to participate in the study, was interviewed. Participant input was sought on a carefully designed questionnaire, containing 19 questions, covering the scatter of information operations. It was noted that most of these companies were engaged in a number of activities for determining user needs and collecting, organising, servicing, packaging, searching and retrieving information from formal and structured information sources. Against this backdrop, the absence of any information unit or professional was quite significant. Little activity was also noted in the use of Web technology and Internet utilities. Another finding, worthy of the attention of the policy makers, was related to little activity in the organisation, control and use of the internal information sources of these companies.

The Influence of Individual Characteristics on Knowledge Sharing Practices, Enablers, and Barriers in a Project Management Context

The knowledge management KM literature in general is short on field evidence concerning knowledge sharing KS practices in project management settings, where knowledge occupies a central place. In addition, research on KS enablers and barriers has largely overlooked the fact that individual characteristics may influence the choice to share knowledge. This research explored departmental KS practices, enablers and barriers at a Middle-Eastern project management company. It also investigated the influence of a number of individual characteristics on KS, enablers and barriers. The findings confirm that Knowledge is partially shared within departments, and the employees have varying views on KS enablers and barriers. Although many do not perceive organizational enablers as catalysts for KS, they somewhat believe that the information technology IT enablers do facilitate KS. The employees, however, do not believe that the identified individual, organizational and IT barriers hinder KS. In addition, gender, age, department type and job type have varying effects on the perceived KS practices, organizational enablers, and IT enablers and barriers. These findings and their implications are further discussed in the paper.

Understanding Information and Knowledge Flows as Network Processes in an Oil Company

We focus on information and knowledge flows as social network processes in organisational contexts. Seeking and giving work-related information is distinguished from seeking and providing problem-solving help as knowledge flows. Hypotheses from the literature suggest that (perceived) accessibility, knowledge about the work-related skills of others, and knowledge about the functions that others perform in an organisation all predict knowledge and information flow relations. We also include membership in geographically dispersed work units as a feature of the formal organisational structure. As an additional predictive relation, non-work related socialisation is used to capture the informal structure. While all potentially predictive relations are significant and positively related to information and knowledge flows, once membership in work units and socialisation are included, the latter two relations are the dominant predictors. Perceived accessibility, at most, is a weak and inconsistent predictor of knowledge flows. Knowledge of work-related skills and the functions that others perform in an organisation also appear to have little relevance for seeking and providing knowledge. That work group membership and socialisation are the most potent predictors of knowledge and information flow relations suggests that these components of the formal and informal organisational structures operate in complementary ways. However, we note that this organisation may have a clear technical foundation that helps promote the effectiveness of both formal and informal organisational structures for promoting knowledge flows. This may be especially true for the studied managerial unit. In general, establishing the conditions under which the formal and informal organisational structures positively complement each other merits further attention. Some practical implications are outlined.

What Motivates Librarians to Share Knowledge

ABSTRACT This study investigated the effects of social and individual factors of strength of ties, perceived benefits, extrinsic rewards, recognition, reciprocity, and perceived cost on sharability. A survey was sent to 170 librarians at special, public, and academic libraries across Kuwait; 139 responses were received for a response rate of 80%. It was found that the strength of ties and perceived benefits had a positive effect and perceived costs had a negative effect on sharability. The findings can help libraries identify the opportunities and barriers to motivate librarians to share their knowledge. This study is a useful contribution to knowledge management literature, especially concerning the library context.