Knowledge Retention in the Service Industry

2016 ◽  
Vol 12 (1) ◽  
pp. 45-59 ◽  
Author(s):  
Rodrigo Valio Dominguez Gonzalez
Keyword(s):  
Knowledge Management ◽  
Best Practices ◽  
Tacit Knowledge ◽  
Service Sector ◽  
Service Industry ◽  
Knowledge Retention ◽  
Research Strategy ◽  
Multinational Company ◽  
A Company

Currently, the challenge for researchers and managers in the area of knowledge management is to study methods and models that promote and facilitate the acquisition, retention, distribution and utilization of knowledge by individuals and groups of organizations. The main objective of this paper is to analyze how a company that operates in multi-site service sector is organized internally in order to retain the acquired knowledge. The research strategy used is the simple case study, applied in a large multinational company. The findings points out that the service providing organizations should focus their knowledge retention process in a specific department toward this goal. This department has the task of identifying and registering the best practices and learned lessons among all the employees working on different clients in databases, in addition, to promote the integration of these employees in order to promote the distribution of tacit knowledge.

Knowledge retention and age management – senior employees’ experiences in a Swedish multinational company

2018 ◽  
Vol 22 (7) ◽  
pp. 1510-1526 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ewa Wikström ◽  
Ellinor Eriksson ◽  
Lejla Karamehmedovic ◽  
Roy Liff
Keyword(s):  
Tacit Knowledge ◽  
Single Case ◽  
Case Study Research ◽  
Field Research ◽  
Knowledge Retention ◽  
Multinational Company ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Knowledge Codification ◽  
Practical Implications

Purpose The focus of this study is on the knowledge retention process, including knowledge capture, knowledge codification and the internalising of knowledge in organisations – a key aspect of age management. The purpose of this paper is to contribute to an understanding of the difficulties in this process to discuss implications for organizational measures to retain knowledge. Design/methodology/approach This study is based on field research on a Swedish multinational company from the perspective of senior employees. Findings The findings indicate that knowledge retention is a complex phenomenon, partly because valued knowledge is tacit and knowing is highly subjective and transferred through learning in collaboration with others in the process of undertaking assignments and acting together in work situations. Research limitations/implications Knowledge retention is considered only from the perspective of senior, white-collar employees in this study; it would be of interest to consider other employees’ perspectives as well. A second limitation is that the data were collected at a single site. It could be argued, however, that a single case study research format provides an opportunity to gain deep knowledge and allows for explanations about observed phenomena, thereby contributing towards transferable scientific knowledge. Practical implications Knowledge retention is hindered by focusing solely on senior workers and on an explicit and commodified view of knowledge. Social implications Knowledge retention should be an on-going way of working throughout the organization in which tacit knowledge and knowing are important. Originality/value This study shows the importance of considering knowledge and knowing retention as a matter of continual interaction between actors. Retention of tacit knowledge and knowing is not merely a matter of capturing and codifying knowledge. This study contributes to an understanding of the internalisation of tacit knowledge and knowing in continual interaction and cannot be preceded by a step-wise process.

Where Knowledge Management Resides within Project Management

2005 ◽  
pp. 138-154 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jill Owen ◽  
Frada Burstein
Keyword(s):  
Knowledge Management ◽  
Project Management ◽  
Knowledge Transfer ◽  
Tacit Knowledge ◽  
Crucial Role ◽  
Explicit Knowledge ◽  
Formal Knowledge ◽  
Engineering Consulting ◽  
Insight Into

This chapter explores how an engineering consulting company creates, manages, and reuses knowledge within its projects. It argues that the informal transfer and reuse of knowledge plays a more crucial role than formal knowledge in providing the greatest benefit to the organization. The culture of the organization encourages a reliance on networks (both formal and informal) for the exchange of tacit knowledge, rather than utilizing explicit knowledge. This case study highlights the importance of understanding the drivers of knowledge transfer and reuse in projects. This will provide researchers with an insight into how knowledge management integrates with project management.

Knowledge-Driven Customer Support Services

2011 ◽  
pp. 23-38
Author(s):  
Itzhak Aviv ◽  
Meira Levy ◽  
Irit Hadar
Keyword(s):  
Knowledge Management ◽  
Customer Service ◽  
Support Services ◽  
Service Providers ◽  
Relationship Management ◽  
Customer Support ◽  
The Relationship ◽  
A Company ◽  
Software Organization

A Customers Relationship Management (CRM) program aspires to manage the relationship between a company and its customers as a key to success, in view of the fact that good relationships with customers lead to higher customers’ satisfaction. Despite the importance of CRM programs, their failure rates are high, partly because CRM service providers cannot resolve customers’ claims on time, which often occur due to the difficulty to find valuable knowledge and reproduce solutions. Therefore, integrating Knowledge Management (KM) activities, and in particular social Web 2.0 applications, within a CRM solution suit may enable to significantly enhance the efficiency of the organizational CRM program and build a knowledge-driven customer support services solution. The proposed CRM solution is based on a research case study conducted within customer service department of a large software organization.

scholarly journals Barriers to tacit knowledge retention: An understanding of the perceptions of the knowledge management of people inside and outside the organisation

2013 ◽  
Vol 15 (2) ◽  
Author(s):  
Jacky Bessick ◽  
Visvanathan Naicker
Keyword(s):  
Information Technology ◽  
Knowledge Management ◽  
Tacit Knowledge ◽  
Quantitative Research ◽  
Target Population ◽  
Knowledge Retention ◽  
Research Approach ◽  
Knowledge Loss ◽  
Private And Public ◽  
The Impact

Background: Knowledge loss causes challenges for organisations that wish to remain competitive. These organisations must identify the risks that could lead to knowledge loss and become aware of issues that affect knowledge retention.Objectives: The objective of this research was to identify tacit knowledge retention barriers that could cause knowledge loss in an organisation. The paper presents a framework for the assessment of the impact of these barriers and discusses the research findings in order to critique that framework.Method: A quantitative strategy was used to interpret the findings. The target population is information technology (IT) professionals in a government organisation. Interviews were conducted in order to produce a more context-sensitive interpretation of the findings. A quantitative research approach was used to ensure the findings would precisely reflect the target population.Results: The majority of respondents confirmed that career development requires professional development, training prospects and improves the employability of employees. The agreed result was that respondents seek autonomy, that is, the ability to make decisions. Job stress and burnout are experienced because of problems with in filling posts, and the competition between the private and public sectors for experienced IT employees.Conclusion: Certain determinants were found that affect barriers in knowledge management: organisational commitment, job satisfaction, job characteristics and talent management. These need to be measured to prevent barriers from occurring. Implications are drawn from the study; these provide a focus for further research to bridge some gaps in information technology that currently limit the widespread use of knowledge management.

scholarly journals The Impact of Knowledge Behavioural Factors on Tacit Knowledge Retention: Empirical Study in Oil and Gas Industry

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
AbdulGhani Abdullah Gaghman
Keyword(s):  
Knowledge Management ◽  
Empirical Study ◽  
Tacit Knowledge ◽  
Oil And Gas ◽  
Knowledge Retention ◽  
Study Results ◽  
Knowledge Share ◽  
Strategic Goals ◽  
Organisational Behaviour ◽  
The Impact

Organisation need be more effective in retaining the tacit knowledge (know-how and know-what) and made it accessible for another staff to be more productive and enable management to make better decisions. Relying on explicit knowledge and old-style training courses is simply no longer effective to transfer or retain knowledge; therefore, understanding the role of tacit knowledge retentions as part of knowledge management is becoming increasingly more important to fulfil the organisation strategic goals. To attain the aim, theoretical and empirical study using (275) samples from different international oil and gas companies have quantitatively assessed three main factors; the strategic impact of tacit knowledge loss, the impact of knowledge and organisational behaviour at the individual level on knowledge retention within the organization. Based on the study results, both knowledge and organisational behaviour shows direct impact in knowledge retention enhancement. What knowledge and whose knowledge should be emphasised to reduce the impact of crew change. Knowledge management implementation to be the most important factor as Learning and sharing knowledge is affected by the cognitive processes and the way the organisation practice and implement the knowledge share such as mini-workshops, short assignment and community of practice (CoP). The last factor is positive individual attitude, which reflected in more effectiveness knowledge share and transfer. These factors improve tacit knowledge retention and fulfil the strategic goals such as competitiveness advantage and improve the performance, productivity and employee’s effectiveness. Keywords: Oil and Gas, Knowledge Retention, Tacit knowledge, knowledge behaviour, organisational behaviour.

scholarly journals Horizontal innovation and ambidextrous organization: a new innovation model applied in a mature industrial company

2021 ◽  
Vol 9 (3) ◽  
pp. 588-621
Author(s):  
Antonio Carlos Teixeira Alvares ◽  
José Carlos Barbieri ◽  
Dafne Oliveira Carlos de Morais
Keyword(s):  
Best Practices ◽  
Systematic Search ◽  
Management Tool ◽  
Radical Innovations ◽  
Innovation Model ◽  
New Type ◽  
A Company ◽  
Industrial Company ◽  
The Way

Objective of the study: Analyze how Horizontal Innovation enables a company to produce radical and incremental innovations, making it ambidextrous.Methodology/approach: The research is a case study at a mature Brazilian company that puts Horizontal Innovation based on its Employee Suggestion System (ESS) into practice. A total of 18 interviews were conducted, including: all 4 directors and all 10 managers of the organization, in addition to 2 coordinators and 2 researchers.Originality/Relevance: The paper creates and defines the concept of Horizontal Innovation: a type of innovation that originates from all employees, usually stemming from an ESS. The study shows, based on continual ESS operations, how a company can achieve ambidexterity and systematically produce incremental, radical products and processes.Main results: ESS produces radical innovations as well as incremental ones, although the latter occur more frequently, and lead to Horizontal Innovations. The systematic search for Horizontal Innovations paves the way for a company to become ambidextrous, promoting, with the same competence, these two types of innovation.Theoretical/methodological contributions: The study contributes to the debate that defends the viability of innovative ambidexterity, and to new insights that clarify how a culture that stimulates ambidexterity can influence the ambidextrous behavior of employees through Horizontal InnovationPractical implications: A new type of innovation is proposed and described, reinforcing the value of an ESS as an important management tool. The case enables comparisons and contrasts with others for best practices benchmarking.

scholarly journals Knowledge Management for Banking Industry Continuous Improvement

2013 ◽  
Vol 64 (3) ◽  
Author(s):  
Maya Irjayanti ◽  
Anton Mulyono Azis
Keyword(s):  
Knowledge Management ◽  
Tacit Knowledge ◽  
Explicit Knowledge ◽  
Service Industry ◽  
Standard Operating Procedure ◽  
Synthesis Process ◽  
Valuable Contribution ◽  
Industrial Sustainability ◽  
Preliminary Model ◽  
Review Study

Knowledge Management (KM) provides formal activity so the industry could implement to prevent knowledge lost. Subsequently, KM plays important role to manage the intellectual capital for maintaining industrial sustainability. Finally, increases the performance through saving all tacit knowledge from their potential workers. Especially in service industry like banking, where most knowledge obtained from experience while serving clients, to achieve its best performance, service industry should put KM as a standard. Since most KM starts from identify tacit knowledge, service industry must create certain process to transfer it as an explicit knowledge. This research aim to build KM system not only to transform tacit into explicit knowledge, but also to prevent important knowledge lost. The method used in this research were divided into three sections: literature review, study the standard of creating KM process, and synthesis process in knowledge management as a preliminary model. Based on the result, KM system consists certain formal activities like building managerial commitment, creating KM division, socializing KM, sharing, documenting, and implementing the knowledge. The results expected is a valuable contribution to secure employees’ tacit knowledge through building of Standard Operating Procedure for KM, so the company could perform with certain standard without rely on certain employees ability.

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