Rodrigo Valio Dominguez Gonzalez

Mapping the organizational factors that support knowledge management in the Brazilian automotive industry

Purpose – The latest models on knowledge management (KM) recognize four phases for its practice: acquisition, storage, distribution, and knowledge utilization. The KM is characterized as a multidisciplinary discipline, involving both technical and social aspects. Therefore, the purpose of this research is both social and of coordination, aiming to identify contextual factors, internally developed in the organizations, which support the KM process in the Brazilian companies in the automotive sector. Design/methodology/approach – To achieve the research purpose, a quantitative research method was employed, based on a survey research in the automotive sector. Findings – The results point to the existence of eight contextual factors that support the KM process in the organizations. These factors are mainly related to the human being, responsible for the retention and transformation of primary knowledge, and the development of an organizational context that encourages the learning process through the culture a...

Knowledge Management: an Analysis From the Organizational Development

This research develops a theoretical framework on the implications of the organizational characteristics on the knowledge management (KM). The organizational characteristics are handled in this work as constructs, as they are complex concepts. This paper is based on a theoretical research, considering original and classic articles on KM. From a broad theoretical-conceptual research, the paper presents as a result five organizational constructs that support the KM process: human resources, team work, organizational culture, organizational structure and development and absorption of knowledge. The article presents the implications of these constructs in relation to the four phases of the KM process (acquisition, storage, distribution and use of knowledge).

Knowledge Retention in the Service Industry

Currently, the challenge for researchers and managers in the area of knowledge management is to study methods and models that promote and facilitate the acquisition, retention, distribution and utilization of knowledge by individuals and groups of organizations. The main objective of this paper is to analyze how a company that operates in multi-site service sector is organized internally in order to retain the acquired knowledge. The research strategy used is the simple case study, applied in a large multinational company. The findings points out that the service providing organizations should focus their knowledge retention process in a specific department toward this goal. This department has the task of identifying and registering the best practices and learned lessons among all the employees working on different clients in databases, in addition, to promote the integration of these employees in order to promote the distribution of tacit knowledge.

Gestão do conhecimento: uma análise baseada em fatores contextuais da organização

The latest models of Knowledge Management (KM) recognize four phases: acquisition, storage, distribution and use of knowledge. KM is characterized as a multidisciplinary field, involving both technical and social facets. Due to the diversity of issues surrounding this topic, it is essential to define their study. This research is based on social and coordination studies that seek to identify contextual factors developed internally in organizations that support the KM process in the automotive industry. To achieve this goal, a quantitative research method based on a surveys was used. The results point to the existence of eight contextual factors that support KM. These factors are mainly related to the human beings responsible for the retention and transformation of common knowledge and the development of an organizational context that encourages the learning process.

Knowledge exploration and exploitation in team context

Knowledge exploration and exploitation are themes of interest for researchers, as these processes are able to generate innovation, improvement of processes and products, and competitive advantage. A variety of contributions on the topic indicates that teamwork supports knowledge exploration and exploitation. However, there is a gap in the literature concerning the analysis of the impact of the teamwork characteristics in these two processes. Therefore, this study is based on the recognised input-mediators-output model to collect the characteristics of the teams, in addition to relating them to the processes of knowledge exploration and exploitation. This research is based on a survey involving 252 companies of the capital goods industry. Results show that both processes are supported, especially by factors related to the knowledge integration and the collaborative culture.

Linkage between dynamics capability and knowledge management factors: A structural equation model

Purpose Organizations are currently set in a background of dramatic discontinuity, i.e., environments that require continuous change due to fierce competition and market latent demands. From this perspective, it becomes eminent for organizations to develop an organizational context that stimulates routines reconstruction and internal capabilities to continue to be a competitive organization. The purpose of this paper is to examine entry and exit relationships of knowledge management (KM). Entries are considered, in this paper, the foundation factors of KM, and exits are related to dynamic capability (DC). Design/methodology/approach Data were collected through a survey conducted with 550 companies of the automotive industry, which are registered in the database of SINDIPECAS (National Union of Automobile Component Industries) with return rate of 143 valid questionnaires. The hypothesis testing and analysis were conducted using structural equation modeling. Findings The research shows the organizational structure as the main contextual factor related to KM, that supports DC. Besides organizational structure, this paper also assesses the interaction between human resources and organizational culture related to DC. Practical implications The results may help managers of companies from the automotive industry to understand which initiatives promote DC and innovation. Originality/value This paper presents one of the few researches that compare contextual factors related to KM that support DC; and it also compares the connection among human resources, organizational culture and organizational structure related to KM.

Retenção de conhecimento em serviços

Atualmente, o desafio para os pesquisadores e gestores na area da gestao do conhecimento e estudar modelos que promovam a aquisicao, retencao, distribuicao e utilizacao do conhecimento por individuos e grupos das organizacoes. As empresas prestadoras de servico sao exemplos de organizacoes que apresentam dificuldades na retencao do conhecimento, uma vez que este e criado nos locais de prestacao de servico, isto e, distante da sede da empresa. Quando a empresa prestadora de servico nao se estrutura internamente a fim de resgatar este conhecimento diluido entre varios locais de operacao, a chance de ocorrer a perda do conhecimento e de vantagem competitiva e grande. Desta forma, o principal objetivo deste trabalho e analisar um modelo organizacional voltado para um prestador de servico que promova a retencao do conhecimento adquirido em seus diversos clientes. Os resultados apontam que as empresas prestadoras de servico devem focar seu processo de retencao de conhecimento em um departamento especifico. Este departamento tem a tarefa de identificar e resgatar as melhores praticas e licoes aprendidas entre todos os funcionarios que atuam em diferentes clientes em bancos de dados, e, alem disso, promover a integracao desses funcionarios a fim de promover a distribuicao de conhecimento tacito.

Knowledge Management Process in Multi-Site Provision of Service

Differently from manufacturing operations, which have a combination of tangible and intangible resources, services are characterized by intensive competencies and knowledge. Several services intensive organizations present a model called multi sites. In this model, the service provider company has several work teams, called in this work full service sites, installed full time at client sites. The challenge for these organizations is to manage the knowledge acquired in these various sites in order not to lose the knowledge created from the improvement, problem solving and innovations implemented in the processes of customer. Thus, this paper aims to analyze the stages that constitute the knowledge management process in the multi-sites service provider company context. The research results point to a model based on joint working between sites and full service center for excellence. The latters mission is to identify, assess, store and distribute knowledge among sites, acting as a department that centralizes the knowledge management process.

Competências habilitadoras da melhoria contínua: estudo de casos em empresas do setor automobilístico e de bens de capital

The current state of the art on continuous improvement takes into account that the organizational competences and behaviors are more important elements for continuous improvement sustainability than the technical aspect. This set of competences and behaviors, initially treated by Bessant and Caffyn in the 90s, essentially considers that companies must build an environment geared to ongoing learning. Thus, this paper aimed to analyze the development of competences that support the continuous improvement in two different production environments: the automotive and capital goods to order industry. A set of competences that is related to the practice of continuous improvement is raised based on a theoretical background, and through a qualitative approach, four companies of the two considered sectors are analyzed. The research results suggest that the researched automotive sector companies have higher level of employee engagement in continuous improvement programs compared to companies in the capital goods sector, which is justified by the strategy adopted by the them.

Gestão do conhecimento: tipologia a partir dos fatores contextuais da organização

Univ Estadual Campinas, Fac Ciencias Aplicadas, R Pedro Zaccaria 1300, BR-13484350 Limeira, SP, Brazil