The successful creation and implementation of effective organizational learning and knowledge is critical to an organization’s success and productivity. Current organizational learning and knowledge within organizations and the technological advancements have revolutionized financial transactions, management infrastructure, and knowledge workers. From knowledge management and business intelligence to data warehousing and mining, this ever-advancing field of organizational learning and knowledge is critical to the success of modern businesses, academic communities, and consumers.
The constantly changing landscape of organizational learning and knowledge makes it challenging for experts and practitioners to stay informed of the field’s most up-to-date research. That is why Information Science Reference is pleased to offer this four-volume reference collection that will empower students, researchers, and academicians with a strong understanding of critical issues within organizational learning and knowledge by providing both broad and detailed perspectives on cutting-edge theories and developments. This reference is designed to act as a single reference source on conceptual, methodological, technical, and managerial issues, as well as provide insight into emerging trends and future opportunities within the discipline.
Organizational Learning and Knowledge: Concepts, Methodologies, Tools and Applications is organized into eight distinct sections that provide comprehensive coverage of important topics. The sections are: (1) Fundamental Concepts and Theories, (2) Development and Design Methodologies, (3) Tools and Technologies, (4) Utilization and Application, (5) Organizational and Social Implications, (6) Managerial Impact, (7) Critical Issues, and (8) Emerging Trends. The following paragraphs provide a summary of what to expect from this invaluable reference tool.
Section 1, Fundamental Concepts and Theories, serves as a foundation for this extensive reference tool by addressing crucial theories essential to the understanding of organizational learning and knowledge. Introducing the book are a handful of chapters breaking down the fundamentals of organizational learning into its more basic elements (knowledge management and occupational skill). The first chapter, “Are We Stuck with Knowledge Management?” by David Griffiths and Serge Koukpaki begs the fundamental question of whether this remains the landmark study within organizational learning, if this is for the best, and what else there is being offered. Later in the section, a few basic applications of knowledge management are laid out, like sustainable concepts that can keep an organization efficient and effective in “Sustainable Communities for Knowledge Management Systems in the New Technological Era” by Elham Mousavidin and Lakshmi Goel. Closing out section 1 is a discussion of some of the potential technological barriers within knowledge management, discussed in a chapter titled “Video Issues for Knowledge Management” by Richard T. Herschel and Ira Yermish. These and several other foundational chapters provide a wealth of expert research on the elemental concepts and ideas surrounding organizational learning and knowledge.
Section 2, Development and Design Methodologies, presents in-depth coverage of the conceptual design and architecture of organizational learning and knowledge, focusing on aspects including readiness, new ontologies, semantic annotation, and much more. The section begins by laying out the terminology used within organizational learning with the chapter, “Towards a Consensus Knowledge Management Success Definition” by Murray E. Jennex, David Croasdell, and Stefan Smolnik. Designing and implementing effective processes and strategies are the focus of such chapters as “Toward Building the Knowledge Culture” by Saad Haj Bakry and Abdulkader Alfantookh. The concluding two chapters introduce how knowledge management can be used in intellectual capital audits within a company: “A Knowledge Management Framework to Manage Intellectual Capital for Corporate Sustainability” and “A Model for Knowledge Management and Intellectual Capital Audits.” With contributions from leading international researchers, this section offers copious developmental approaches and design methodologies for organizational learning and knowledge.
Section 3, Tools and Technologies, presents extensive coverage of the various tools and technologies used in the development and implementation of organizational learning and knowledge. The first chapter, “History, Evolution, and Impact of Digital Libraries,” by Leonardo Candela, Donatella Castelli, and Pasquale Pagano discusses digital libraries and their recent development. This comprehensive section continues with such chapters as “ICT and Web 2.0 Technologies as a Determinant of Business Performance” by Tanja Arh, Vlado Dimovski, and Borka Jerman Blažic, which as the title suggests, develops a framework for assessing workplace efficiency and business performance with the integration of technology within organizational learning. Finally, the section closes with “Industrialisation of the Knowledge Work” by Vedran Hrgovcic, Robert Woitsch, and Dimitris Karagiannis, discussing process orientation, and developing a “knowledge conveyor belt” tool within organizational learning. In all, this section provides coverage of a variety of tools and technologies that inform and enhance modern organizational learning and knowledge.
Section 4, Utilization and Application, describes how organizational learning and knowledge have been utilized and offers insight on important lessons for their continued use and evolution. The section begins with a discussion of competitive advantage within small and medium sized enterprises, and how knowledge management tools can give your SME the edge it needs to compete in the marketplace in the chapter, “SMEs and Competitive Advantage” by Eleonora Di Maria and Stefano Micelli. As this section continues, the next few chapters discuss knowledge management in the corporate education sector, with chapters such as “Reflective Practice, Professional Learning, and Educational Partnerships” and “Exploring Interprofessional Educational Possibilities.” The section continues with a wealth of case studies in knowledge management and its applications in a variety of sectors and fields, including R&D workspaces, a call center, charities, the Green Bay chamber of commerce, higher education, and in businesses in countries around the world. Contributions found in this section provide comprehensive coverage of the practicality and current use of organizational learning and knowledge.
Section 5, Organizational and Social Implications, includes chapters discussing the organizational and social impact of organizational learning and knowledge. Introducing the section is a chapter on learning to learn, titled “Knowledge for Communicating Knowledge,” by Dov Te’eni. Continuing, the next few chapters discuss human resource management and the ways in which organizations can become more efficient with their knowledge management practices in personnel decision making, discussed in chapters such as “Managing Knowledge for Enhancing the Participants through Organizational Learning and Leadership” and “Human Capital in Knowledge Creation, Management, and Utilization.” The section concludes with a more specific look into doctors using patient feedback to improve their occupational success in managing information in “Doctors Using Patient Feedback to Establish Professional Learning Goals” by several practitioners from the Auckland Institute of Technology in Australia. Overall, these chapters present a detailed investigation of the complex relationship between individuals, organizations, and organizational learning and knowledge.
Section 6, Managerial Impact, presents focused coverage of organizational learning and knowledge as it relates to improvements and considerations in the workplace. As discussed elsewhere in the book, the manager’s tasks within organizational learning are vast: they must at once coordinate human resource management to ensure the proper personnel are being utilized within their given skill sets, and that knowledge is efficiently being disseminated throughout their organization. Introducing the section is “Leading in a Knowledge Era” by Sharmila Jayasingham and Mahfooz A. Ansari. The chapter continues with these more general practices for managers within knowledge management, assessing strategy and the impact of alliances, offshoring, and more. A fascinating chapter later in the section is “The Project Manager in the Theatre of Consciousness” by Kaj U. Koskinen and Pekka Pihlanto. The section closes with a discussion on intellectual capital within the subject matter in “Intellectual Capital Components, Measurement and Management” by Amir Khanlari, Iman Raeesi, and Babak Sohrabi. In all, the chapters in this section offer specific perspectives on how managerial perspectives and developments in organizational learning and knowledge inform each other to create more meaningful user experiences.
Section 7, Critical Issues, addresses vital issues related to organizational learning and knowledge, which include customer relationship management, critical success factors, and the business strategies. Chapters such as “Global ‘Knowledge Management’ in Humanist Perspective” and “Knowledge Management and Democracy” discuss more general topics in different perspectives on knowledge management, while later chapters focus more specifically, such as “A Survey of Epistemology and its Implications on an Organisational Information and Knowledge Management Model” by Graham Orange and Ah-Lian Kor. Concluding this section is an important chapter, “Pedagogical Sustainability of Interoperable Formal and Informal Learning Environments” by Sabrina Leone and Giuliana Guazzaroni. This section also asks unique questions about the role of business intelligence in developing companies and human resource/customer management.
Section 8, Emerging Trends, highlights areas for future research within the field of organizational learning and knowledge, while exploring new avenues for the advancement of the discipline. Beginning this section are two fantastic chapters: “The New Company Water Cooler” by Amelia W. Cheney, Richard E. Riedl, Robert L. Sanders, and John H. Tashner; and “Towards The New Episteme” by Zbigniew Król. Further chapters discuss such topics as knowledge cybernetics, social software, customer knowledge, intellectual capital/property, transfer knowledge, and many more. The section and book conclude with “Trends in Integration-Based Orientation in Academic Libraries” by Deborah Stansbury Sunday and Aimee Denise Loya. These and several other emerging trends and suggestions for future research can be found within the final section of this exhaustive multi-volume set.
Although the primary organization of the contents in this multi-volume work is based on its eight sections, offering a progression of coverage of the important concepts, methodologies, technologies, applications, social issues, and emerging trends, the reader can also identify specific contents by utilizing the extensive indexing system listed at the end of each volume. Furthermore to ensure that the scholar, researcher and educator have access to the entire contents of this multi volume set as well as additional coverage that could not be included in the print version of this publication, the publisher will provide unlimited multi-user electronic access to the online aggregated database of this collection for the life of the edition, free of charge when a library purchases a print copy. This aggregated database provides far more contents than what can be included in the print version in addition to continual updates. This unlimited access, coupled with the continuous updates to the database ensures that the most current research is accessible to knowledge seekers.
As a comprehensive collection of research on the latest findings related to using technology to providing various services, Organizational Learning and Knowledge: Concepts, Methodologies, Tools and Applications, provides researchers, administrators and all audiences with a complete understanding of the development of applications and concepts in organizational learning and knowledge. Given the vast number of issues concerning usage, failure, success, policies, strategies, and applications of organizational learning and knowledge in organizations, Organizational Learning and Knowledge: Concepts, Methodologies, Tools and Applications addresses the demand for a resource that encompasses the most pertinent research in organizational learning and knowledge development, deployment, and impact.