Maria José Sousa

Game Based Learning Contexts for Soft Skills Development

This paper presents the results of the use of Game-based learning (GBL) with the goal to improve soft skills. The research question was if GBL enable the development of leadership, team management and time management skills. The methodological approach of this research was qualitative, privileging the interpretative approach and the main technique used was content analysis from the forums of discussion of the courses. The main skills developed were: (a) leadership: organization, decision making, resources management, and financial skills, in order to assume the role of the Mayor; (b) team management: manage all the people and the resources and the allocation of tasks to each member of the team; and (c) time management: planning, defining priorities and managing stress, in order to accomplish all the goals defined. The major originality of the research was the analogy process between the games situations and the organizational life resulting on the creation of a leadership typology.

Culture and innovation in SMEs: the intellectual structure of research for further inquiry

ABSTRACT Regional and organizational cultures are commonly considered key enablers to innovation dynamics in organizations, in particular to small and medium enterprises (SMEs). Although this intersection is a crucial topic of research, studies addressing this issue remain limited in number and scope in the case of SMEs. In this article, a systematic literature review of that intersection is presented by gathering articles from ISI-WoS and Scopus databases. It combines a qualitative approach (content analysis) and a statistical procedure (HOMALS) to analyse the information from 1947 articles found. As a result, the contribution is twofold: a map of the intellectual structure of research and a codebook of descriptors. The study helps identify relevant gaps for future research, specifically the need for mixed approaches from a variety of social sciences with a particular focus on regional science. Future research should shift from a static to a dynamic perspective of culture in groups, organizations and territories. In the case of SMEs, this can be labelled as transformational culture: the study of how organizational and regional cultures may co-evolve along with the changes in the environment by seizing on the SMEs’ flexibility and flattened organizational structure.

Corporate Digital Learning – Proposal of Learning Analytics Model

This paper presents a research on the effectiveness of digital learning in organisations and how it can be measured. The aim of this research is to bridge the gap between scientific and practice-oriented research about digital learning. The focus will be on learning analytics with the goal to identify the potential of digital learning for organisations. This research is based on a systematic literature review to answer the following research questions: What are the contexts in which digital learning can take place? And what are the main metrics which allows measure the efficiency of digital learning in organisational contexts? The results showed that digital learning analytics can enhance the efficacy of the learning process impact in organisations and that contexts for learning supported on mobile technologies, tablet and smart phone applications become more and more popular among the employees. Additionally, the results helped to create a model of learning analytics with four dimensions: Participants, Learning Contexts, Learning processes, and Learning facilitators.

Employee knowledge profiles --- a mixed-research methods approach

The purpose of this paper is to identify different knowledge profiles in organizations and to analyze their contribution to innovation. This is done by analyzing how knowledge is integrated within the work processes by groups of workers with different characteristics (i.e. knowledge profiles). The paper uses a combination of qualitative analysis with quantitative analysis. Using Action Research methodology, several semi-structured group interviews were performed and a questionnaire was applied to employees of two organizations. In order to identify the employee’s profiles, different groups were found by means of a factorial analysis, which resulted in specific knowledge profiles. The major finding of this research was the identification of several knowledge profiles - Innovators, Integrators, Organizers and Facilitators,. An important conclusion is that integration of knowledge in day-by-day practices can boost innovation. The collection of evidences carried out helped to identify ways of integrating knowledge through the implementation of knowledge sharing routines and promotion of collaborative activities in systematic transfer processes, including problem-solving routines and participation in improvement, quality and maintenance projects.

Action Research Study on Individual Knowledge Use in Organizational Innovation Processes

This paper is the result of an Action Research (AR) study that was developed in a Portuguese company during an organizational innovation process. The research question is: do organizational actors use their individual knowledge to help the company in the organizational innovation process? In order to accomplish the research it was used AR methodology, which have implied that the researcher and the organizational actors participated interactively in the research. The main technique to collect data was group recall, involving technicians and managers in separate group sessions, where they shared experiences, ideas and gave suggestions about the organizational innovation process conception and implementation. The main findings identified similar perspectives from the organizational actors: managers and technicians create and use technical knowledge, but assume a passive behavior concerning to organizational innovation practices; they also don´t create new knowledge if they don’t have the pressure of a new project.

Knowledge Integration in Problem Solving Processes

This paper analyses the knowledge integration in problem-solving situations which requires a high level of interaction and trust among workers. The literature review explores the main barriers associated to knowledge integration and use; even if most problem situations are solved in an unconscious way, automatically and in a few seconds, others situations requires more time, effort, teamwork, collaboration and extensive abstract knowledge. This research goal is to analyse the perceptions of the workers from Alpha Organisation. The research findings allow us to conclude that, depending on the complexity of the workstation, the Operator decides if he has the knowledge and the tools to solve the problem or if he needs help from Managers. The use and share of employees’ knowledge is an important factor to solve problems and strengthen performance. However, several organisational and individual barriers condition the process.

Mobile health as a tool for behaviour change in chronic disease prevention: A systematic literature review

Customized information, dynamic interactions and innovative technologies may motivate the individuals to adopt an active approach to look after their own health. The mobile health is considered one of the most important platforms, able to influence human behaviour. This literature review aims to identify the main behavioural theories underlying the influence of mHealth technologies on behaviour change, for the prevention of noncomunicable chronic diseases, in developed countries. To answer the question: What behaviour change theories and models, support mHealth interventions, in chronic disease prevention? - was conducted a systematic and comprehensive review, combining experimental studies with theoretical perspectives, in order to identify the main theoretical approaches. The databases consulted for the present research were: Science Direct, Google Scholar, Scielo and PubMed, for an analysis period from 2011 to January 2016. They were identified as principal theories underpinning this research the Social Cognitive Theory, the Transtheoretical Model and the Chronic Care Model.

Game Based Learning Improving Leadership Skills

This research intended to identify leadership skills in Game Based Learning (GBL) context that were developed in the project GREAT implementation. This project was developed within an international partnership including Portugal, Austria, Italy, Romania and Turkey and the main product was a GBL course. The course and the learning process was supported on the SimCity Social game. The trainees had to assume the Mayor role with the goal to construct and manage a city with 5000 inhabitants, assuming a leadership style encouraging the collaboration of the others trainees to accomplish their the learning goals. The main findings of this research were the diverse skills of leadership that emerged from the reflections of the trainees on the discussion forums about the game situations and the analogy they made to real life in organisations.

Special section on “emerging trends and challenges in digital learning”

There is a growing interest in the field of digital technologies in education and learning, and this special section aims to discuss recent academic research on all dimensions of emergent and universal technologies and information systems used to promote digital learning processes. It will provide a global forum for the investigation and reporting of diverse issues that affect the learning processes: human– computer interaction, intelligent systems, information systems innovations in learning and its impacts in people, organizations and society. It will also address all aspects of technological developments on educational issues toward ensuring universal access. Digital learning is a complex phenomenon linked with many different interpretations in the existing literature. In order to create a consensus, we will need to base this on a common definition. Kyndt et al. [1] describe digital learning as an unplanned and implicit process with unpredictable results. This learning process has a self-evident character and takes place in the daily working situation [2]. It is seen as the development of the individual through interaction with others [3]. Digital learning often happens spontaneously and unconsciously without any a priori stated objectives in terms of learning outcomes [1]. In this context, it is possible to argue that digital learning technologies are powerful, transformative tools which are improving on our knowledge and capacity to learn with more flexibility. They help to promote innovative pedagogical practices [4] and also support professionals and students on knowledge construction, becoming a tool that helps to access information, communicate information and collaborate with others [5]. According to [6], on the one hand, teachers can use technology to plan and prepare classes and collaborate with other teachers. On the other hand, students use technology to potentiate their knowledge, to study and to conduct research projects, analyses data, solve problems. Cheon et al. [7] held that mobile learning can also play a significant role in education. These authors identified several potential benefits of mobile learning including cost savings, ubiquitous communications, study aids and location-based services. Bocconi et al. [8] argue that the students’ use of digital learning resources is related to the teachers’ digital competences. Wastiau et al. [3] have also indicated that students have the highest frequency of digital learning technology use when taught by teachers who possess appropriate digital skills, who use the internet, including social media [9]. In this context, this special section aims to include scientific issues related to new technologies and information systems contributing to learning and new knowledge creation for universal access in the following topics:

The impact of the Internet of things on global trade: a multiple-case study on multinationals

Abstract This paper analyses the importance of emerging technologies, especially the impacts of the Internet of Things on Global Trade activities of multinational companies. The relevance of this research is based on the approach to emergent technologies articulating the appliance and its impacts on multinational companies. Two analytical dimensions have been considered to formulate the research problem: The Internet of Things and the impacts, inhibitors and enablers of its implementation anchored to the research question: What are the perceived impacts, the inhibitors and the enablers of the Internet of Things on global trade activities of multinational companies? The methodology was based on interviews and on a survey online launched in multinational companies. The research finds that the Internet of Things revolution is changing all sectors of global economy: manufacturing, energy, agriculture, transportation and others. It transforms how the work could be performed through human-machine interactions.