Knowledge Management and Innovation Theory
Introduction
Arguably, world economy in the recent post-industrial times can be said to be an information-intensive atmosphere. A good number of scholars assert that, competition both in global and local market, distinction of the market place, as well as profitability is influenced by efficient knowledge. There are numerous definitions that have been put forward to explain the term ‘knowledge’, depending on the area in which it is applied. In this particular context or rather in the business context, the term ‘knowledge’ is used to refer to the state of being aware and able to understand specifics, truth, or information that is achieved through learning or experience.
Admittedly, to an organization or rather an enterprise, knowledge is considered as being an asset. However, unlike material assets this type of asset appreciates with time rather than depreciating, (Amrit 2002). It is evident that thoughts lead to new thoughts, and when knowledge is shared the receiver is augmented while the giver stays with it. Notably, creation of knowledge by organizations is considered to be promoting competitive advantage for firms that operate in the modern world marketplace. This is the reason why most firms concentrate most in sharpening their expertise of creating knowledge in different fields. According to the modern organizational theory, organizations are seen as systems that “process” information as well as, “solve” predicaments, (Nonaka & Takeuchi 1995). It is assumed that the elementary task for an organization is the way it handles information and decisions in a tentative shifting atmosphere.
It is argued that enthusiastically handles a shifting environment usually creates information a...
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On 20th December 2013, it was announced that BlackBerry and Foxconn had agreed a 5 year strategic alliance whereby Foxconn will design, manufacture and sell consumer BlackBerry devices in Indonesia and other emerging markets (Taylor and Mishkin, 2013). To develop our understanding of this alliance, one must view it in the context of both BlackBerry’s and Foxconn’s recent performance in the markets.
Knowledge work according to Raman, (1999), contains activities, which are "information-based, knowledge intensive and knowledge generating" (p. 2). The paper's theme is, "organizations staying ahead of the competition have come to realize knowledge and knowledge workers are their key to success in today's environment where knowledge and information have become commodities" (Raman, 1999, p. 1). This paper's theme traces the historical development of knowledge management and knowledge workers; differentiates between knowledge workers and non-knowledge workers, and illustrate the knowledge workers experience in the author's organization. Knowledge systems contain the potential to increase business value (Bang, Cleemann, & Bramming, 2010).
Being engulfed in a competitive market could be an overwhelming and challenging experienced for any company. The compatibility of Blackberry did not match the standards of other competitive operating systems. Even the acquisition of QNX could not help Blackberry tap in the lucrative market to stay afloat.
T.D. Wilson (2002) makes a point of identifying several sources of articles, references and course syllabi with varying takes on knowledge management within organizations. Wilson is convinced that organizations misuse the terminology “knowledge management” and that their activities are more concerned with managing information than with the management of knowledge (Wilson, 2002). Wilson defines knowledge as involving “the mental processes of comprehension” or, as “what we know” and information as the expression of what we know and can convey through messages (Wilson, 2002). By researching the use of the “knowledge management” Wilson conveys that the terms knowledge and information are used interchangeably, which results in an inaccurate application
In 2007 and after the huge success of apple’s iPhone, Blackberry decided to diversify from the Enterprise market into a new market segment(consumer market) using its existing product(the business phones).
With today’s rate of development in technology, there has also been an immense increase in global information sharing. Innovations in technology and design seem to be emerging in the market almost every month. One of the key aspects of any business is to gather, organize and efficiently apply this information. According to Antonic (2005), economic assets are fast becoming of secondary importance in the market as companies ascribe more importance to intellectual capital. With the right application of Knowledge Management methods, companies can achieve a competitive advantage through managing the immense amount of information available (Balanced Scorecard Institute, 2002).
In order to survive in the competitive environment of today’s business world, it is imperative for organisations to cope with uncertainty and unrest. The strategies pertaining to survival /coping are the result of accumulated/ acquisition of new knowledge that occurs through learning (Bhaskar & Mishra, 2014). An organisation’s ability in learning, applying and spreading new insight has been persuaded as the fundamental strategic capability (Fiol & Lyles, 1985). Bontis et al. (2002) noted that in order to continue to exist in today’s complex environment, organisations must learn efficiently and effectively. The rate at which individuals and organisations learn is the leading source of competitive advantage (Stata, 1989). Thus, learning is pondered
Hansen M., Nohria N., and Tierney T. (1999), “What’s your Strategy for Managing Knowledge?,” Harvard Business Review (March 1999), 106–16.
The main objective of writing this paper is in practice, the management of innovative process takes into account the most important criteria that reflect the substance of innovation and arising directly from the definition of "disruptive innovation". Such criteria include the degree of novelty and substantive content.
BlackBerry, formerly known as Research in Motion (RIM), was a market leader and innovator for smartphone products. The business and government sectors found the BlackBerry device particularly useful because of its email capabilities, superior security system, and convenient keyboard. As the smartphone industry began to shift its focus towards the average, everyday customer, competition increased, and BlackBerry’s first-mover advantage began to decline. Over the past five years RIM has changed its corporate name to BlackBerry, been purchased by private equity firm Fairfax Financial, written down over $1 billion in assets and unsold inventory, and laid off more than 40% of its workforce (Connors).
At the final week of Innovation & Enterprise I EE3031 module, I finally learned the process of conceptualizing and designing a product which involves technology. Leadership, teamwork and communication should be part of education as it not only enhances interpersonal skills but real life skills. In addition, presenting to an audience was key to gaining interest for a new development product.
As society grows and evolves, technological advancements and innovations continue to develop and consistently change different aspects of our society. For an organization, understanding how to manage these innovations is essential for their proper utilization and implementation. With technological advancements and innovations constantly emerging, it is important for an organization to stay aware of which new technological innovations can help them be successful. Organizations are always looking to set themselves apart from competition through innovation.
1).Innovation Management:Innovation Management is the form of looking into future, of being creative, imaginative .It is used in the growth of product and also organizational innovation. It also includes tools which allows higher management & engineers to communicate with basic understanding of goals and its processes .Its main focus is to allow the organization to react quickly occurring within an organization, using its efforts to implement new ideas or its products. It also involves persons in contributing to the development of the companies manufacturing and also its marketing. Through development also innovation process can be done. There are two types of process involved in innovation management one is pulled and the other is pushed. Pushed process is the one in which the organization uses its technology to discover profitable applications. Pulled process is the one in which the focus is mainly in developing the efforts to find the solutions. There are two phases in innovation management .First phase includes design of the innovation and second phase includes the implementation. Internal bench marking can be established to measure the innovation. Managers should focus on ones attention on innovation cause to be necessary to infer something from information received on the complexity.
The kind of information I will explore is the knowledge of a specific news or event derived from study, experience or instruction(Webster 1993). This type of information is not something everyone can have access to. This information can separate the successful companies from the one¹s struggling to survive. This information is valuable, and can be bought, sold traded and even stolen. It can be the most important asset a company owns.
Innovation in business is a key aspect of staying viable in an ever changing climate of competition. One must continuously provide insight and solutions to issues, known and presently unknown through investigation and collaboration. Within this paper we will look into four businesses and their use of innovation in attempt at a better business or greater market share. The innovative businesses of interest are: Taco Bell, Zipcar, Dollar Shave Club and Kickstarter.