Priscilla Arling

Facilitating new knowledge creation and obtaining KM maturity

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to describe a framework designed to assess the capacity of a knowledge management (KM) system to facilitate new knowledge creation.Design/methodology/approach – A longitudinal case study methodology, in a single company, Pratt Whitney Rocketdyne (PWR), was used to test the framework.Findings – New knowledge creation is best supported through mature KM systems that include all four modes of knowledge creation: combination, externalization, socialization, and internalization. KM systems and environments as a whole reach maturity by progressing through stages, which is presented as a KM maturity model.Research limitations/implications – By combining Nonakas knowledge creation theory with Wittrocks generative learning activities, the paper illuminates both the why and how of new knowledge creation, in a way that can be applied to KM technological initiatives. One of the limitations of this study is the generalizability of the findings, which may be limited by the singl...

Knowledge sharing and knowledge management system avoidance: The role of knowledge type and the social network in bypassing an organizational knowledge management system

Knowledge sharing is a difficult task for most organizations, and there are many reasons for this. In this article, we propose that the nature of the knowledge shared and an individuals social network influence employees to find more value in person‐to‐person knowledge sharing, which could lead them to bypass the codified knowledge provided by a knowledge management system (KMS). We surveyed employees of a workmans compensation board in Canada and used social network analysis and hierarchical linear modeling to analyze the data. The results show that knowledge complexity and knowledge teachability increased the likelihood of finding value in person‐to‐person knowledge transfer, but knowledge observability did not. Contrary to expectations, whether the knowledge was available in the KMS had no impact on the value of person‐to‐person knowledge transfer. In terms of the social network, individuals with larger networks tended to perceive more value in the person‐to‐person transfer of knowledge than those with smaller networks.

Communication and effectiveness in a US nursing home quality-improvement collaborative.

In this study, we explored the relationship between changes in resident health outcomes, practitioner communication patterns, and practitioner perceptions of group effectiveness within a quality-improvement collaborative of nursing home clinicians. Survey and interview data were collected from nursing home clinicians participating in a quality-improvement collaborative. Quality-improvement outcomes were evaluated using US Federal and State minimum dataset measures. Models were specified evaluating the relationships between resident outcomes, staff perceptions of communication patterns, and staff perceptions of collaborative effectiveness. Interview data provided deeper understanding of the quantitative findings. Reductions in fall rates were highest in facilities where respondents experienced the highest levels of communication with collaborative members outside of scheduled meetings, and where respondents perceived that the collaborative kept them informed and provided new ideas. Clinicians observed that participation in a quality-improvement collaborative positively influenced the ability to share innovative ideas and expand the quality-improvement program within their nursing home. For practitioners, a high level of communication, both inside and outside of meetings, was key to making measurable gains in resident health outcomes.

The effect of virtuality on individual network centrality and performance in on-going, distributed teams

For distributed teams to succeed, individuals must interact successfully within team social networks. To understand individual performance in distributed teams, we consider a multi-dimensional view of individual virtuality and its relationship with centrality in the team’s face-to-face network and ICT network. We leverage social network theory and hierarchically analyse data from 254 individuals in 18 teams. We find that members with higher dispersion are less central in the face-to-face network while those with higher ICT use are more central in the ICT network. Centrality in the ICT network, but not centrality in the face-to-face network, is positively related to performance. The results provide insights for academics and practitioners on how to improve individual performance in distributed teams.

Applying Systems Thinking to Knowledge Management Systems: The Case of Pratt-Whitney Rocketdyne

This paper describes PrattWhitney Rocketdynes (PWR) use of a systems thinking methodology to define and improve knowledge management (KW within the firm. Using systems thinking, the company identijed and changed key behaviors within the KM environment and effectively established a generative learning environment. This manuscript is one of the first papers that analyzes and reports a real-world application of the systems thinking methodology to improve KMpractices. We first review systems thinking concepts and adapt them to the KM context. We then present the case study of the application of systems thinking to KM at PWR. Finally, we use an inductive approach based on an analysis of the case to develop propositions on how and why the KM systems thinking methodology at PWR can be transferred to KMpractices in other organizations.

Improving the Implementation of Evidence-Based Practice and Information Systems in Healthcare: A Social Network Approach

In healthcare, evidence-based practice EBP integrates clinical expertise with the best available external evidence from systematic research. Yet even with the aid of technology, implementation of EBP in many settings remains a challenge due in part to the complexity of the healthcare system and the lack of a strong theoretical and analytical foundation to guide implementation efforts. This paper combines research from the fields of healthcare implementation science and social networks to present a theoretically based, integrated framework for the study of EBP implementation. This study explores the application of the framework to a complex healthcare collaborative, the MRSA infection control project, a project intended to foster the implementation of EBP to reduce the spread of MRSA infections. The authors consider how the framework can also be used to inform future research into EBP-related information system implementations and innovations.

Redefining and Measuring Virtual Work in Teams: An Application of Social Network Analysis

For several decades organizational researchers have explored the practice of using electronic technology to communicate when team members work physically apart from each other. Yet despite a growing body of research in the areas of telework and virtual teams, findings regarding the antecedents and outcomes of virtual work have often been inconsistent and many questions remain. One possible reason for the equivocality of findings regarding this practice is the lack of a common definition and method of measuring virtual work. The purpose of this paper is to present a definition and measure of virtual work that can capture the practice in a variety of settings. The author integrates work from studies on telework and virtual teams to present a new definition of virtual work, the author proposes using social network analysis as a tool to measure virtual work scope, an individuals level of virtual work practice in teams

Leveraging Social Network Analysis to Improve the Implementation of Evidence-Based Practices and Systems in Healthcare

In healthcare, evidence-based practice (EBP) integrates clinical expertise with the best available external evidence from systematic research. Yet even with the aid of technology, implementation of EBP in many settings remains a challenge. This paper combines research from the fields of healthcare implementation science and social networks to present an integrated framework for the study of EBP-related information systems. We explore the application of the framework to a complex healthcare collaborative, the MRSA infection control project, a project intended to foster the implementation of EBPs to reduce the spread of MRSA infections. We also consider how the framework can be used with other theories, to inform EBP-related information system implementations.

Knowledge management: Integrating social networking technologies and a generative learning environment

Social networking technologies have commanded a lot of recent attention because they have changed the manner in which individuals have traditionally and historically accessed and shared knowledge. Although these technologies provide individuals with the opportunity to access and to utilize a plethora of knowledge created by others, the knowledge still needs to be organized, interpreted, and incorporated by the user in order for it to be useful. This research sought to better understand how social networking technologies can aid a firms efforts to establish a knowledge management and a generative learning environment. The study closely followed one of the United States leading aerospace and defense firms efforts to utilize new information and communication technologies to facilitate knowledge exchange and communications within the organization. This investigation provided a rich source of evidence for how social networking technologies can aid a firms ability to encourage knowledge exchange, as well as networking and communication within the firm. We provide four key research-related findings and offer practitioners several key strategies, tactics, and pitfalls to avoid that they should consider when attempting to use SNT to aid in the establishment of a knowledge management and a generative learning environment.

Persistent anchoring to default rates when electing 401(k) contributions

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to investigate how the 401(k) auto-enrollment rate influences the size of elected contribution rates in defined contribution plans for new, young enrollees. Design/methodology/approach The authors survey 324 undergraduate students at a mid-sized Midwestern university, and compare the elected contribution rates for two groups who were randomly given two default rates: 3 and 15 percent. Findings The results indicate widespread evidence of the anchoring and adjusting heuristic in regards to the provided auto-enrollment rate, as the 3 percent default rate group selects a contribution rate of approximately 2 percent less than the group that was provided with the 15 percent default rate. The results also provide support to the benefits of financial education: those who were taking or had already taken a college-level finance course provide higher contribution rates by about 1.7 percent overall. Additionally, individuals with the lowest critical thinking skills elect approximately 2 percent less in annual contributions overall than those who demonstrate higher critical thinking skills. Originality/value Interestingly, all groups seem to be susceptible to the anchoring and adjustment heuristic, as the default rate plays a significant role in the elected contribution rate, regardless of an individual’s financial sophistication or critical thinking skill level. The authors hope that these findings prompt benefit plan administrators and policy-makers to reconsider default rates in their retirement plans that would allow for maximum savings and participation rates. The findings also speak in favor of developing programs that would assist enrollees with financial education and critical thinking skills that would yield better retirement savings decisions when asked to make their employee benefit selections.