Nina Evans

Exploring Factors Influencing the Use of Enterprise Social Networks in Multinational Professional Service Firms

ABSTRACT Organizations are increasingly implementing enterprise social networks (ESNs) for improved communication and collaboration, as well as enhanced knowledge sharing and innovation among employees. However, the paradoxical relationship between ESN implementation and the promised benefits has been attributed to employees’ underutilization. Our research focuses on factors influencing employees’ decision to use ESN in their work role and draws on case studies of two multinational professional service firms (PSFs) based in Australia. Qualitative data were collected during ten semi-structured interviews with employees from both organizations, to determine their perceptions of ESN usage and capture the factors that influence their use behavior. The findings illustrate that the likelihood of ESN use is significantly influenced by technological, organizational, social and individual factors. A successful ESN use within an organization involves the nexus between these four factors and recommendations are made, as guidelines for organizational actors about how ESNs usage can be increased.

CSR and stakeholders of small businesses in regional South Australia

Purpose - This paper aims to report on the key CSR strategies, activities and attitudes of small business owners in a South Australian regional area with regard to the key stakeholders, towards developing socially and environmentally responsible small businesses. Design/methodology/approach - The investigation was conducted collaboratively between the University of South Australias Centre for Regional Engagement (CRE) and the Whyalla Economic Development Board (WEDB), using an interview-driven, qualitative design. Findings - It was found that the small business owners in Whyalla were supportive of their stakeholders, especially the local community, because it was the right thing to do and was generally beneficial to their business. Research limitations/implications - It is acknowledged that this type of research design limits the degree to which the results can be generalised, as the sample was limited and questions on environmental issues can be misunderstood and misinterpreted. Practical implications - The results enable the University to assist the University and the WEDB to play an active role in developing the social and environmental awareness of businesses towards sustainable, socially and environmentally responsible regional small businesses. Social implications - CSR is viewed through the lens of stakeholder theory, where stakeholders are all the people and entities that contribute to the businesses’ wealth-creating activities. Originality/value - The paper is based on an original study within small firms and their social and environmental responsibility relating to their stakeholders. Previous research on the CSR activities of small businesses within regional or rural environments is limited, especially in regional areas of a developed economy.

Destroying collaboration and knowledge sharing in the workplace: a reverse brainstorming approach

Organizations in the 21st century find themselves in the culture of collaboration. Collaboration and knowledge sharing are fundamental aspects of problem solving, decision making and innovation, and are therefore vital for success. Some organizational cultures foster collaboration while others actively or inadvertently destroy shared decision-making activities. Reverse brainstorming is a method where participants identify different ways to cause a problem. These negative ideas are then used to stimulate ideas for solving the problem. This paper reports on a reverse brainstorming session during which knowledge management practitioners, consultants and academics generated ideas on how collaboration and knowledge sharing is destroyed in organizations, followed by positive ideas to promote effective, collaborative workplaces.

Deterrents to knowledge-sharing in the pharmaceutical industry: a case study

Purpose – This study aims to explore deterrents to knowledge-sharing in pharmaceutical manufacturing. Effective knowledge-sharing is fundamental to stimulation of the process of knowledge absorption. The limited proximal communication between the employees in the pharmaceutical industry stifles their knowledge-sharing behaviour significantly. Design/methodology/approach – A cross-sectional case study, consisting of semi-structured interviews with managers and scientists, was conducted in a multinational pharmaceutical company in Australia. Respondents were asked to answer questions regarding their current knowledge-sharing practices and to identify organisational deterrents to knowledge-sharing. The data were condensed into themes according to the thematic analysis method. Findings – The pharmaceutical industry is extensively regulated and its excessive competitiveness is cultivating organisational reticence towards the development of a knowledge-sharing culture. Nine categories of deterrents to intra- (w...

Achieving adoption and effective usage of Web 2.0 among employees within Australian government organizations

Purpose – Ensuring effective usage of Web 2.0 within government organisations is not as straightforward as it seems. The organisations should be aware of a number of issues when implementing Web 2.0 internally. This paper introduces a theoretical model that highlights the importance of management, technology and people issues influencing the level of Web 2.0 usage from an internal perspective. The purpose of this paper was to identify and explore these issues in a government context. Design/methodology/approach – This paper uses a mixed-method (qualitative and quantitative) analysis to identify the issues that should be focused on for achieving effective usage of Web 2.0 among government employees. A combination of interviews, surveys and usage data collected from two government organisations was used to gather the data. Findings – The main finding is that, a policy will act as an initial catalyst for culture change and effective usage of Web 2.0 technologies in a government environment. It was also found...

Internal Intellectual Assets: A Management Interpretation

This document reports on the investigation of senior managers’ interpretation of Intellectual Assets and their value to the corporation. The participants included ten senior managers from nine large Australian organizations. Confidential qualitative interviews were employed and emerging themes were identified. The research participants recognize the need to manage intellectual assets and their importance to operations and competitive advantage. However, because of the intangible nature of Intellectual Assets there is a lack of management of this valuable resource.

The Role of Trust in Absorptive Capacity Operationalization

In this era of rapid growth in information and communication technologies organizations are going through melodramatic changes in their environments and culture. This challenge demands dynamic capabilities to sustain its competitive advantage. One such a capability is the knowledge absorption capability (i.e. absorptive capacity) that can be described as the ability of an organization to acquire, assimilate, transform and exploit knowledge gained from external sources. Absorptive capacity operationalization refers to the functioning of its dimensions. Although absorptive capacity has been extensively studied, the role of trust in operationalizing absorptive capacity is not yet been investigated. This research seeks to understand the role of trust in each of the absorptive capacity dimensions. A qualitative research methodology is employed through exploratory case studies to answer the research question, using semi-structured interviews as a dynamic data collection strategy. A theoretical framework is proposed to further understand the relationship between trust and absorptive capacity. A model will be developed to guide organizations to enhance absorptive capacity towards innovation, improved performance and competitive advantage. The paper is representing work in progress and the framework is currently being tested in the Healthcare industry in Australia.

Exploring innovation in regional manufacturing SMEs

ABSTRACT Continuous change and increased business complexity pose unique challenges to Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) to develop and sustain competitive advantage. These challenges are even more pronounced for SMEs in isolated regional areas, especially those that operate in the declining manufacturing industry. This paper explores key factors that regional SMEs draw on in their quest to survive and innovate in a changing business environment. Based on a qualitative interpretive research design, empirical evidence was gathered through personal interviews with business owners/managers of 19 regional Australian manufacturing SMEs. Three interrelated innovation factors were identified: (i) an emphasis on developing knowledge; (ii) openness to continuous learning; and (iii) engagement in social networking with various stakeholders. In addition, information technology plays an enabling and supportive role in strengthening regional manufacturing SMEs’ ability to be more innovative. Based on these findings, four propositions are suggested indicating how SMEs can use knowledge to foster innovation in a challenging and competitive business environment.

Reflection of embedded knowledge culture in communications of Australian companies

ABSTRACT Managing knowledge and fostering a knowledge-sharing culture are essential in meeting the expectations of such diverse stakeholders as business owners, investors, current and prospective employees, business partners, customers, and the public. This paper describes how the adoption of knowledge management is reflected in communicated company values and principles by analysing the occurrence of knowledge-related keywords in the online resources of selected companies in Australia. The results show that companies are publicly communicating knowledge creation, sharing, and management-related topics, with knowledge sharing being the most frequent topic. The extent of communicating about knowledge-related issues differ between large organisations and SMEs; large companies mention relevant keywords significantly more frequently in their documents than SMEs. This indicates that knowledge management penetrates deeper into larger companies’ values and philosophy.

Enterprise information asset management: the roles and responsibilities of executive boards

In the modern organisation the effective management of data, information, content and knowledge is crucial for enhancing competitiveness and growth. There is a profound need for all levels of business management to understand the risks, challenges and business benefit of managing these ‘Information Assets’. This paper describes the results of qualitative empirical research to investigate the roles and responsibilities of Executive Boards to ensure effective management and governance of Information Assets. Personal interviews were conducted with Board members in Australia and the United States. The results indicated that Boards often fail to fully appreciate the strategic value of Information Assets and do not understand the organisational risk and untapped business benefit resulting from ineffective Information Asset Management practices. This paper suggests that Executive Boards should be engaged in discussions about Information Management and fulfil strategic-, control- and institutional roles to guide the way Information Assets are managed and deployed.