Virgílio Cruz Machado

Leveraging Knowledge Management with the Balanced Scorecard

In a rapidly changing environment, innovative firms are increasingly using the Balanced Scorecard (BSC) to identify and communicate key factors that drive future value. Knowledge is described as the only meaningful resource in the Knowledge Economy (KE). Although there is recognition that knowledge is a key business asset, many organizations still do not understand the implications of Knowledge Management (KM). The key is to understand what makes knowledge valuable and, in particular, how knowledge creates wealth in a knowledge-driven economy. KM deals with the production, application, and distribution of knowledge within and between organizations. Such intellectual assets are always constituted through practices and undertakings in an everyday work life setting. This paper seeks to examine how the BSC represents a relevant tool to KM, bridging the gap between strategic objectives set at the senior level within an organization and their operational execution.

Gestión por Procesos en el Diseño de las Organizaciones

El articulo presenta una metodologia para el diseno de las organizaciones, basandose en dos macro procesos: el primero transforma los requisitos de la organizacion en formatos estructurales y estrategias; el segundo define una red de procesos a traves de la cual se alcanzan los objetivos. La norma ISO 9001:2000 incluye este requisito como una buena practica de gestion. La metodologia empleada se baso en estudio de casos y se han considerado las relaciones entre las soluciones estructurales y los modelos de gestion de los procesos adoptados en 16 empresas portuguesas con los Sistemas de Gestion de la Calidad (SGC) certificados ISO 9001:2000. Este estudio valido el segundo macro proceso. Se concluye que los modelos de gestion por procesos son conceptuales y estan en general desalineados con los objetivos estrategicos. No fue verificada ninguna relacion causal entre modelos de procesos y formatos estructurales.

Multi-criteria decision methodology for selecting maintenance key performance indicators

Many key performance indicators (KPIs) can be used for measuring maintenance performance. Companies must implement a suitable set of KPIs to measure the performance of maintenance services and the influence of practices implemented in their activities. Establishing a useful set of maintenance KPIs depends on a companys maintenance objectives and is highly related to specific business contexts, strategies, processes, and systems. Maintenance managers deal with the complex tasks of finding the best performance indicators that can help them to achieve goals. This paper presents a new approach to selecting relevant maintenance KPIs using a methodology based on the original ELECTRE I, which is a multi-criteria decision making method. The proposed methodology, which involves decision makers preference information, determines a ranking of possible alternatives following its evaluation according to important criteria. To validate the methodology, a case study is presented. The results show that this methodology is an effective tool to aid maintenance managers in accurate KPI selection tasks according to maintenance objectives and strategies. The proposed methodology makes the decision process more explicit, rational, and efficient.

Linking knowledge management and intellectual capital: An evidence based on Portuguese banks study

Intellectual capital (IC) is the key driver of innovation and sustainable competitive advantage in todays knowledge-based economy. At the same time, knowledge management (KM) is a set of processes that includes knowledge acquisition, development, distribution, utilization, retention and measurement within the organization. This means that the successful management of IC is closely linked to the efficiency of KM processes, which, in turn, implies that the successful implementation of KM ensures the growth and renewal of IC in an organization. Banking industry is one of the most knowledge-intensive industries where IC is the key driver of value creation. Based on previous studies, this article seeks to explore the links between IC and KM in Portuguese banks, by identifying the IC resources of importance and leveraging these resources through KM capability.