Fostering knowledge management deployment in R&D workspaces: a five‐stage approach

Abstract

In recent years, R&D institutes have encountered various intensified challenges. New instruments are needed to manage knowledge-related activities more effectively and efficiently. This paper presents and discusses the lessons learned from a case study in fostering knowledge management (KM) initiatives and systems in a research-oriented institute serving the metal industry, specifically the Metal Industries Research and Development Centre (MIRDC) in Taiwan. We perform a comparative review of the experience of embarking on KM among Taiwanese R&D institutes, a very rarely performed job. Following this, we investigate, by conducting the primary and secondary researches, how MIRDC has adopted a five-stage approach to develop a deliberate framework of KM deployment in order to manipulate the KM operations in the context of a Chinese R&D institute. The MIRDC case demonstrates a sophisticated KM process that provides an activity-based perspective of the plan, control, coordination and evaluation framework in an R&D workspace. This paper argues that well-defined deployment frameworks embody qualities of goal pursuing that are important to KM activities and compel managers to examine more closely how to realize the KM initiatives. This paper also reveals that a rigid hierarchical R&D structure inhibits the dynamics of the knowledge cycle due to technology segmentation. A parallel R&D structure supported by mission offices and a 'pioneer and innovation program' that is cross-departmental and industry-focused can positively motivate horizontal 'coopertition' networking so as to better exploit and leverage knowledge assets. The practices applied in these elemental KM activities are useful to other R&D organizations by suggesting how each of the KM activities can be configured and implemented.

The Influence of Product Market Competition on Technological and Management Innovation: Firm‐Level Evidence from a Large‐Scale Survey

“…A possible explanation of this finding arises from considering complementarities between innovation types. Many management innovations introduce essential requisites for R&D processes while simultaneously increasing the efficiency of these processes (Tatikonda and Montoya‐Weiss, ; Laursen and Foss, ; Collins and Smith, ; Chang and Li, ; Cantner et al ., ; Foss et al ., ). Increasing R&D intensity may also increase incentives for the implementation of management innovations.…”

The Measurement Factor of Employee Participation for Knowledge Management System in Engineering Consulting Firms

“…More specifically, these barriers manifest themselves in a lack of managerial support, employee resistance to knowledge sharing, poor information technology infrastructure, lack of a real-time integrated database, and inadequate cash flow (Carrillo, Chinowsky 2006). The control points of KMS in the stages of execution, evaluation, and reinforcement of KM include the system usability and effectiveness, the number of knowledge objects, progress reports, user satisfaction, knowledge object application count, usage count, appraisals, review mechanisms, portal maintenance, and process tuning (Chang, Li 2007).…”

“…The objective of a KMS is to collect, use, and reuse useful knowledge for solving a problem and improving work performance (Tuzovsky, Yampolsky 2003;Tseng 2008b). A well-developed KMS should not only take advantage of information technology but also of cultural change, rewards, and executive teams (Chang, Li 2007;Du Plessis 2008;Yu et al 2009;Ding et al 2011).…”

Knowledge Integration in Distributed Product Development

“…Knowledge integration has been studied as codified knowledge or information with a focus on IT tools to support knowledge integration [5]. In this study, knowledge is considered as including both codified (information) and tacit knowledge.…”