Nature, extent and antecedents of risk managment practices in knowledge-intensive firms

This study provides empirical evidence on the nature and extent of risks faced by Small to Medium-Sized Knowledge Intensive Firms (SMKIFs) and the risk management approaches adopted by them. The study also assesses the effects of selected organisational factors such as industry, entity size and risk governance leadership on the commitment by SMKIFs to using an Enterprise Risk Management (ERM) approach. Data was obtained through a questionnaire survey of SMKIFs in the state of Victoria, Australia which were either in the bio-technology (bio-tech) or the accounting and legal (business services) industry sectors. Based on a total of 104 (13%) useable responses from senior managers in charge of risk management, some of the key findings include the identification of the top three risks faced by SMKIFs being (i) potential damage to firm’s reputation, (ii) inability to recruit and retain workers who have appropriate skills and expertise, and (iii) increase in costs. Interestingly, while 51% of the respondents described their firms as being willing to or keen to take risks, 38% saw their firms as being either preferring not to take risks or refuse to take risks, with the remainder of the firms (11%) viewed as neutral. The data also indicates that more than half of the respondent firms (54%) had established either a complete or a partial ERM system. Further, data analysis based on a binary logit regression model indicates bio-techs, firm size and directors’ support of risk management as key predictors of ERM implementation in SMKIFs.

Strategic HRM in for-profit and non-profit organizations in a knowledge-intensive industry

This article examines the adoption of strategic Human Resource Management (HRM) by for-profit and non-profit knowledge-intensive health services (HS) organizations in the Australian context. Survey data collected from senior executives are used to test the relationships between a strategic HRM model and firm performance. Path analysis found that for HS firms, irrespective of whether for-profit or non-profit, adopting strategic HRM could increase organizational performance. Strategic HRM could be achieved through the cultivation of an external orientation to customers' demands and a commitment to employees. Building an external orientation with internal structural dimensions such as commitment to employees, allows HS organizations to develop a strategic HRM approach with human capital-enhancing HRM practices. Public and non-profit organizations in the HS industry facing or undergoing health sector reform need to be aware of both of these orientations in order to adopt strategic HRM and improve their performance.

Knowledge sharing in professional accountancy firms : the effects of task complexity and management control system

Numerous empirical studies on knowledge management have focused on effectiveness of enablers such as organizational structure (Bennett and Gabriel, 1999; Gold et al., 2001), technology (Gold et al., 2001; O’Dell and Grayson, 1998), culture (DeLong and Fahey, 2000; Gupta and Govindarajan, 2000), managerial system (Nonaka, 1994; Sveiby, 1997) and strategy (Bierly and Chakrabarti, 1996; Holsapple and Joshi, 2001) on knowledge sharing. These enablers are organizational infrastructure or mechanism for facilitating the sharing of knowledge in a firm. In knowledge-intensive firms, task complexity and management control systems (MCS) can potentially affect the mode and effectiveness of knowledge sharing. However, these two factors have not been distinctly and explicitly investigated and discussed in literature relevant to the domain of knowledge sharing and management. This study proposes to examine how task complexity and the design of MCS could be the key determinants of the mode and effectiveness of knowledge sharing in professional accounting firms or practices.

Enterprise social networking in knowledge-intensive work practices : a case study in a professional service firm

Social media technologies are making fast inroads into organisations. In the context of knowledge-intensive work the propositions of improved communication, information sharing and user involvement seem particularly promising. We study the phenomenon of Enterprise Social Networking (ESN) in the context of Professional Service Firms (PSF). Our case study investigates emerging knowledge work practices on the ESN platform Yammer within Deloitte Australia. We perform a genre analysis of communication data and uncover a set of emerging practices. We reflect on our results in the context of the knowledge-intensive nature of professional service work. We find that Yammer in the case company has become 1) an information-sharing channel, 2) a space for crowdsourcing ideas, 3) a place for finding expertise and solving problems and 4) a conversation medium for context and relationship building. We conclude by positioning ESN in the well-known 3-C model for classifying collaborative ICT.

Managing collaborative business process in knowledge-intensive environment

Business processes especially those in knowledge intensive environments often emerge rather than following predefined steps. Supporting emergent processes is one of the key issues for collaborative knowledge sharing. This paper first introduces a component-based workspace metamodel used to support emergent processes. A loose-coupled collaborative process management model WorkPath is proposed based on the workspace structure to support flexible process evolution management and coordination among processes. Key elements that construct workspace and WorkPath, such as role, action, artifact, workspace and reference relation, are described in detail. An implementation prototype and future work is also discussed at the end of the paper.

Same strategic HRM issues predict performance in both for-profit and non-profit organizations in a key knowledge-intensive industry

This paper examines the adoption of strategic human resource management (HRM) by for-profit and non-profit knowledge-intensive health services (HS) organisations in Australia. Survey data collected from senior executives is used to test the relationships between a strategic HRM model and firm performance. Path analysis found that, irrespective of whether for-profit or non-profit, adopting strategic HRM could increase organisational performance. Strategic HRM could be achieved through the cultivation of an external orientation to customers’ demands and an internal orientation highlighting commitment to employees. Public and non-profit organisations in the HS industry facing or undergoing health sector reform need to be aware of both of these orientations in order to adopt strategic HRM and improve their performance.

Management control systems and effectiveness of knowledge sharing

Numerous empirical studies on knowledge management have examined the relative effectiveness of various enablers, such as organizational structure (Bennett and Gabriel, 1999; Gold et aI., 2001), technology (Gold et aI., 2001; O'Dell and Grayson, 1998), culture (DeLong and Fahey, 2000; Gupta and Govindarajan, 2000), managerial system (Nonaka, 1994; Sveiby, 1997) and strategy (Bierly and Chakrabarti, 1996; Holsapple and Joshi, 2001) on knowledge creation and sharing in organizations. Little research has focused on the role of management control systems (MCS) in facilitating knowledge sharing in knowledge-intensive firms (Ditillo, 2004). This study examines how the interactive use of management control systems (MCS) could facilitate the different modes of knowledge sharing among accounting professionals in Malaysia. Based on Nonaka's (1994) knowledge sharing mode, this study found a highly significant relationship between an interactive use of MCS and knowledge sharing to suggest that a more open, less fmancial-oriented and more interactive type of MCS tends to interlink and underpin organizational social process which is the central part of the knowledge sharing process. While professional accountants are generally keen to gain access to knowledge databases to source for possible task solutions, they are generally hesitant to share their tacit knowledge by transforming that knowledge into explicit form. The fmding suggests that there may be cultural-related factors that inhibit sharing of one's tacit knowledge totally and completely.

Social intelligence and top management team: an exploratory study of external knowledge acquisition for strategic change in global IT service providers in India

This paper focuses on the processes by which firms, particularly knowledge intensive firms, can augment their overall knowledge stock by tapping into external sources of knowledge. It is argued that Top Management Teams' (TMTs') social intelligence is a critical learning capability in acquiring external knowledge that leads to strategic change. Social intelligence involves social awareness, social understanding and social skills. The study draws from the experience of 11 of the largest Information Technology Service Providers (ITSPs) in India and based on in-depth interviews. The findings show that TMTs' learning capability in the context of social intelligence to interact with external stakeholders is important to ITSPs in facilitating external knowledge acquisition and allowing new knowledge emerge within and across networks. The findings provide significant insights into ITSPs emerging in other developing countries such as in China. Research limitation and future research direction are also provided.

The role of human resource practices in developing knowledge and learning capabilities for innovation : a study of IT service providers in India

This paper examines the role of human resource practices in the development of knowledge and learning capabilities for innovation for information technology service providers (ITSP) in India. Developing knowledge and learning capabilities for innovation has been the subject of much attention from industry, governments and researchers. However, the questions surrounding how human resource practices influence the development of knowledge and learning capabilities that lead to organizational innovation remains unclear; particularly for knowledge intensive firms in developing countries. The study draws from the experience of 11 of the largest ITSPs in India and based on in-depth interviews. The findings suggest that while traditional human resource practices are important, senior executives should take a strategic approach in developing human resource practices with knowledge and learning capabilities as central piece for organizational innovation.

The `knowledge-intensive development' agenda and equitable access to knowledge: higher education in Ethiopia

In light of the normative assumption of the role of knowledge in economic productivity and in response to strong exogenous policy orientations (mainly from the World Bank), the government of Ethiopia has restructured and expanded the higher education (HE) subsystem since the late 1990s. In critically analysing selected policy documents, this article seeks to understand the seemingly unlinked agendas of strengthening the role of HE in supporting the knowledge-intensive development agenda and the representation of the problem of inequality in access to and success in HE. It has been shown that the economic value of knowledge has been echoed in the reforms of Ethiopia, and that the problem of inequality has been superficially represented just as inequality of access while serious challenges that hinder participation and success of women, non-traditional students and ethnically and regionally disadvantaged groups remain unchallenged. Hence, the analysis indicates that under a situation of unequal opportunity to knowledge, the knowledge-intensive development agenda appears to be empty policy rhetoric.

Do entrepreneurship programs matter? An analysis of North American university innovation systems

Are there differences in commercialization outcomes between universities in Canada and the USA? If so, why? We first examine the commercialization performance of universities on both sides of the 49th parallel through indicators of university spinouts generated. Secondly, we measure the presence and growth in numbers of entrepreneurship centers to determine if there are any parallels or discernable patterns that may be related to spinout performance. Based upon theories that suggest entrepreneurial culture plays a significant role in the spinout process, we then test the hypothesis that entrepreneurship education programs play a significant role in determining spinout performance. Our model assumes that the level and intensity of an academic entrepreneurship program/center is a valid indicator of “entrepreneurial culture” that may impact upon a universities propensity to spinout new knowledge intensive firms. Our results find that there is indeed a correlation between intensity of entrepreneurship program and commercialization outcomes.

What drives technology innovation among the emerging Chinese enterprises?

In the light of rapid development of technology/knowledge intensive firms arising from the emerging economy of China in recent time, this paper is aimed at developing an analytical framework, based on the institutional theory and resource-based view, to evaluate the drivers and antecedents of technology innovation among Chinese emerging multinational enterprises (MNEs). Use of case study approach, the study examined two large Chinese enterprises in Wuhan and found that a linear sequential pattern of technology innovation did not apply. In contrast, two enterprises investigated tended to combine several types of innovation (strategic cost, organisational and operational innovation) to manage their internal capabilities and other organisational activities and routines to change, learn, adapt and create technology innovation. Our finding in this study also suggests that the key factor for Chinese firms to be innovative is more internally driven by several human resource management strategies that helped build technological capabilities effectively. Main implications of this study are that organisational human resource managers, technology and system designers should work together to design and develop enterprise management systems conducive to enhance both technology and human creativity for emerging Chinese multinational enterprises.

Knowledge management culture, strategy and process in Malaysian firms

Malaysia is one of the leading countries in Asia that are at the forefront in the development of a knowledge-based economy (KBE). The Malaysian government has been making substantial investments in both physical and technological infrastructure to facilitate knowledge-intensive economic activities. Foreign and local firms in Malaysia are encouraged to take advantage of the opportunities brought by the emerging KBE. However, little is known as to how firms in Malaysia respond to this new trajectory of economic development. In particular, there is paucity in the literature as to how Malaysian firms manage knowledge in their organizations as they strive to achieve sustainable competitive performance. Little is known as to how and why firms in Malaysia develop and manage their intangible and knowledge-based resources as they operate and respond to the modern knowledge-based competitive economic arena. This paper examines a type of organizational culture that supports and promotes knowledge management (KM) within firms in Malaysia. The paper argues that KM-oriented culture shapes the overall KM strategy of firms, which consequently shapes the organizational process required to manage the firm's knowledge-based resources. The study uses survey data from a sample of 153 firms from Malaysia. Structural equation modelling was used to develop and test the measurement model of KM-oriented culture, KM strategy and KM process of the sample firms, as well as the structural model of their hypothesized relationships. The results show that firms with high level of KM-oriented culture demonstrated well-defined KM strategies. Firms that implemented well-defined KM strategies also reported that they have better KM processes in place. Building a KM-oriented culture within the organization is a pre-requisite to the implementation of any KM systems in Malaysian firms. Successful implementation of KM strategies, processes and the supporting technological infrastructure depends on whether organizational members consider KM as a norm within the firm. The study's focus on the linkages between KM-oriented culture, strategy and process in the context of Malaysian firms contributes to a more nuanced understanding of KM among firms in the Asian context in general, and in the Malaysian context in particular.

Towards a model to explain knowledge sharing in complex organizational environments

Effective knowledge sharing underpins the day-to-day work activities in knowledge-intensive organizational environments. This paper integrates key concepts from the literature towards a model to explain effective knowledge sharing in such environments. It is proposed that the effectiveness of knowledge sharing is determined by the maturity of informal and formal social networks and a shared information and knowledge-based artefact network (AN) in a particular work context. It is further proposed that facilitating mechanisms within the social and ANs, and mechanisms that link these networks, affect the overall efficiency of knowledge sharing in complex environments. Three case studies are used to illustrate the model, highlighting typical knowledge-sharing problems that result when certain model elements are absent or insufficient in a particular environment. The model is discussed in terms of diagnosing knowledge-sharing problems, organizational knowledge strategy, and the role of information and communication technology in knowledge sharing.

Managing Indian IT professionals for global competitiveness: the role of human resource practices in developing knowledge and learning capabilities for innovation

Little is known about how human resource practices contribute towards the competitiveness of people based-knowledge intensive organisations in developing countries. This paper examines the role of human resource practices in developing knowledge and learning capabilities for innovation in the Indian information technology services sector. The study draws from the experience of a sample of 11 of the largest information technology service providers (ITSPs) in India and is based on in-depth interviews. The main finding suggests that the talent management architecture of ITSPs that comprises human resource practices and the development of knowledge and learning capabilities is the main drivers of innovation. A conceptual framework showing the link between human resource practices, knowledge and learning capabilities and innovation of ITSPs is developed followed by the limitations of the study and avenues for future research.