Pascal Krenz

Hamburg Model of Knowledge Management

Knowledge management within manufacturing networks allows an efficient integration of distributed business processes in order to realise a common value creation. There are enormous potentials to accelerate the common innovation development or to cut costs through the harmonisation of cross-company value chains. Although the science and industrial community is aware of this, the potentials arising from a collaborative use of knowledge in networks have not been entirely exploited yet. The Hamburg Model offers a general guideline for developing a systematic management of knowledge within value creation networks, which is supplemented by a context-dependent, dynamic qualitative model that takes the relevant impact factors of a specific case of application into account.

Facing the conflict of transparency and non-disclosure of knowledge within value creation networks

Collaboration of autonomous and specialized actors in value networks makes special demands on the joint use of knowledge resources. On the one hand, the actors wants to protect their competitive knowledge during the cooperation within the network. On the other hand, the distribution of knowledge must be ensured within the network in develop potentials for value co- creation. Based on a description model for an interconnected and open value creation this article discusses the conflict of objectives between the protection of knowledge and the availability of knowledge within a value creation network. Furthermore, a concept for inter-organizational cooperation is introduced which fosters the depth of cooperation and interaction between the actors within the network establishing save spaces for knowledge exchange and a common development of knowledge.

Unfold Collective Intelligence!: Erschließung neuer Wertschöpfungspotenziale durch Entfaltung kollektiver Intelligenz

Kurzfassung Die Entfaltung kollektiver Intelligenz in Produktionsnetzwerken ist der Schlüssel zu einer erfolgreichen Zusammenarbeit und Wertschöpfung. Das Konzept „Unfold Collective Intelligence“ basiert auf der Einstellbarkeit von Diversität, Autonomie und Aggregation, den zentralen Bausteinen kollektiver Intelligenz. Der hier entwickelte morphologische Kasten „Einflussfaktoren kollektiver Intelligenz in Wertschöpfungsnetzwerken“ systematisiert eine gezielte Gestaltung des unternehmensübergreifenden Wertschöpfungsprozesses.

Tesla Motors, Inc.: Pioneer towards a new strategic approach in the automobile industry along the open source movement?

In many industries, we observe a paradigm shift from traditional value creation towards co-creation and open production approaches. The boundaries of companies dissolve and many more players (suppliers, customers, community members, etc.) are integrated into the value creation process. This also implies the share of knowledge to set industry-wide standards and to advance new technologies. Tesla Motors, Inc. recently announced that it would give away all their patents to anyone who in good faith wants to use them. They say their aim was to foster the advancement of electric vehicles to compete with conventional vehicles and give the zero-emission mobility a push. Nevertheless, what about the traditional automobile industry with its big players where even the slightest growth in market share is crucial and the intellectual property (IP) of a company is kept secret like the Holy Grail as it ensures competitive advantages? Based on a Tesla case study our research focusses on product-, company-, market- and industry-specific factors that might enable even small players to start an industry-wide revolution by applying strategic aspects of openness in their business model.

Testa motors inc.: pioneer towards a new strategic approach in the automotive industry along open source movement

This publication contains reprint articles for which IEEE does not hold copyright. Full text is not available on IEEE Xplore for these articles.

Unfold Collective Intelligence

Kurzfassung Die Organisation unternehmensübergreifender Produktionsprozesse ist eine hoch komplexe Aufgabe. Eine prozessgetriebene, durch die Akteure des Netzwerks selbst gestaltete Organisation der gemeinsamen Wertschöpfung basiert auf breiter Akzeptanz und intrinsischer Motivation. Dazu ist eine Befähigung der Akteure notwendig, ihre Bedarfe im Rahmen einer ganzheitlichen Betrachtung der Wertschöpfung zu artikulieren, Bottom-up-Formen der interorganisationalen Zusammenarbeit zu etablieren und auf Basis einer entfalteten kollektiven Intelligenz diese selbst zu organisieren.

OpenLabs -- Open Source Microfactories Enhancing the FabLab Idea

Increasing social and economic imbalances as well as restricted access to production means and participation in value creation processes ask for new approaches to overcome the asymmetric distribution of knowledge and information between producers and consumers as well as between industrialized and developing countries. Technical progress in production technology, the advancement and spread of information and communication technologies (ICT) as well as the spill-over of the highly efficient and innovative open source principles to the world of physical products represent a new set of tools and concepts to address this challenge. Correspondingly, we can observe (new) modes of value creation that put into question traditional economic strategies and assumptions by stressing collaboration instead of competition and knowledge sharing instead of black box engineering. The FabLab movement (fabrication laboratory) is one emerging and promising approach for decentralized, participative, locally grounded and globally interconnected value creation. This paper presents findings from a study on the latest development, effects and success of FabLabs focusing especially on its potential for development cooperation. Based on findings from the survey and the premises of the FabLab idea, we finally present the multidisciplinary OpenLabs concept.

Die Entwicklung der Offenheit im Lebenszyklus von Produktionsnetzwerken

Kurzfassung Die erfolgreiche Vernetzung einzelner produzierender Unternehmen in mehrschichtigen Produktionsnetzwerken, welche eine kollektive Leistungssteigerung durch die Bündelung verschiedenster Ressourcen anstreben, basiert auf einem grundlegenden Verständnis hinsichtlich der spezifischen Eigenschaften jener Netzwerke. Oftmals werden die Herausforderungen einer erfolgreichen Ausgestaltung von Produktionsnetzwerken jedoch nicht zeitgerecht erkannt. Der vorliegende Beitrag und das darin vorgestellte Lebenszyklusmodell soll dazu beitragen, das grundlegende Verständnis hinsichtlich der Implementierung der Offenheit, als zentralen Erfolgsfaktor von Wertschöpfungskooperationen, notwendigerweise zu erweitern, um daraus zeitlich angepasste, phasenspezifische Maßnahmen zur aktiven Gestaltung der Offenheit innerhalb von Produktionsnetzwerken ableiten zu können.

Granulares Wissensmanagement: Schaffung einer virtuell gestützten Realität durch funktionale Arbeitsräume

Kurzfassung Granulares Wissensmanagement (GWM) ist ein Gestaltungsmodell zur Führung von Wertschöpfungssystemen auf Grundlage der Ressource Wissen. Zentraler Aspekt der Umsetzung sind funktionale Arbeitsräume, welche Akteure dazu befähigen, ihre transprozessuale Zusammenarbeit selbst zu organisieren und zu regeln. Ein gemeinsamer Bezugsrahmen der Gruppe berücksichtigt Kriterien wie Schutz des gemeinsamen Wissens, Art der Wissensaufbereitung und -diffusion, welcher sich in der funktionalen Gestaltung der Gruppenarbeitsräume abbildet.

The Strategy of Openness in industrial production

Flexibility and adaptability of production systems are still some of the most discussed characteristics of production systems within the traditional manufacturing industry. Because of increasing complexity and dynamics within the corporate environment, some approaches to optimize these traditional characteristics are no longer sufficient to achieve competitive advantages. The ongoing paradigm shift from traditional industrial production to a system of value co-creation forces manufacturers to redefine their role and position within a more open value creation process. Companies have to add principles of openness to previous strategic success factors. In future, the competitiveness of a company will rather be determined by the ability to cooperate with different actors in heterogeneous global networks. Moreover, we have to be aware that the traditional factory as the central production facility will be dissolving more and more. A new strategic approach for those companies might be what we call the Strategy of Openness.