Understanding employee knowledge: the development of an organizational memory scale

Abstract

Purpose – The aim of this study is to develop a psychometrically sound self-report scale of organizational memory. The scale is planned for use in future research to test the relationship between what employees know and their attitudes to passing on their knowledge. Design/methodology/approach – A total of 72 organizational memory scale items representing six hypothesised dimensions of organizational memory were developed and tested with 143 participants using exploratory factor analysis. The resulting five-factor model was tested with a further sample of 288 employees using structural equation modelling, and the test-retest reliability was examined. Findings – Five factors of the organizational memory scale were identified. These were: socio-political knowledge, job knowledge, external network, history, and industry knowledge. The dimensions correlated with tenure variables often used as proxies for experience. Structural equation modelling confirmed the five-factor model and the scale achieved adequate test-retest reliability. Research limitations/implications – The five organizational memory factors are not an exhaustive list. While the scale enables employees to evaluate their own organizational memory, it may not necessarily be an accurate indicator of their knowledge. Practical implications – The scale can be used as a knowledge audit instrument for examining attitudes to mentoring and knowledge sharing, as well as for auditing knowledge that may potentially be lost when experienced employees leave organizations. Originality/value – The scale is a valid and reliable self-report measure of organizational memory. It is an innovative tool for examining employee attitudes to knowledge sharing initiatives. The scale also recognises the contribution made to organizational memory by those with industry knowledge outside the organization.

A human capital measurement scale

“…In these searches, the authors found many publications on intellectual capital and human capital, specifically on human capital measurement. The authors found that works like Edvinsson and Malone (1998), Bueno et al (2011), Mention and Bontis (2013), and Dunham and Burt (2014) addressed this issue, but there is still a lack of studies that have validated instruments for human capital dimensioning.…”

“…To fulfil this gap, the authors consider the work of Bueno et al (2011), which shows a way to measure leadership related to human capital. Besides, Dunham and Burt (2014) provide a scale to measure aspects related to organizational memory, applied in New Zealand, that are directly related to human capital. These, if aggregated with the previous one, could assist in measuring a broader perspective of human capital.…”

Employees Retention Strategy and its Impact on Organizational Memory: An Exploratory Research for the opinion of Faculty Members at Private Colleges on Baghdad

“…The questionnaire consisted of three sections, The first dealt with demographic information of the research sample, the second section dealt with employee retention strategy, which consists of 40 statements on Positive work environment (5), Employee involvement (5), Compensation & benefits (5), Management support (5), Team working (5), Training & development (5) Employee freedom & flexibility (5) Employee communication ( 5) (Kiruthiga and Magesh, 2014). And the last section dealt with organizational memory which consists of 35 statements on Social knowledge (5), Job knowledge (5) Corporate knowledge (5) Industry knowledge (5) History of the organization (5) Political knowledge (5) Cultural knowledge (5) (Dunham and Burt, 2014). The research uses a five-point rating scale (Likert's Scale).…”

Testing for the human capital value of daily newspaper journalists in the era of newsroom downsizing

“…It was measured through the “human resources indicator approach,” which is a “popular approach” in management and related fields (Mubarik et al, 2018, p. 608). Eight indicator-statements were adapted from the literatures on human capital (Baron, 2011; Dunham & Burt, 2014; Mention & Bontis, 2013; Vidotto et al, 2017). “Human capital” was defined across the statements as newsworkers’ general knowledge, skills and abilities in relation to their jobs.…”