Knowledge dialogue generation with multi-head attention mechanism

An increasing number of research efforts are focusing on knowledge dialogue generation. Less attention is focused on increasing knowledge diversity in generated responses. A model of knowledge selection guided by a multi-head attention mechanism is proposed. First, the current input discourse and knowledge content are input into the Bi-GRU module to obtain the coding vector, and then obtain multiple aspects of semantics from the user input discourse coding vector based on the multi-head attention mechanism, so as to select different knowledge. A punishment item method is proposed to force different attention to focus on different aspects, and finally, use the user input and selected knowledge for the decoding stage. Experiments with manual and automated evaluations have proven that the model is superior to the baseline model compared to previous work.

Knowledge Diversity and Employee Outcomes

This research investigates the impact of perceived knowledge diversity (PKD) on job outcomes such as job satisfaction (JS) and job performance (JP). Next, this study also explores the moderating role of workforce diversity management (WFDM) on the relationship between PKD and employee job outcomes (EJO). SPSS and AMOS-SEM are used to analyze the data. The findings show that PKD is positively related to JS and negatively associated with JP. WFDM moderates the relationship between PKD and EJO (JS and JP). There are many studies related to diversity and its management, but most of the studies are from an American perspective that deals with diversity related to age, gender, race, ethnicity, etc. (surface-level diversity). The study in diversity in knowledge, value, personality, belief, etc. (deep-level diversity) is scanned in the literature. This study aims to address this void, particularly investigating knowledge diversity in research by establishing how WFDM moderates the relationship between PKD and employee outcomes.

Influence of Project Team Knowledge Diversity on Implementation of Building Construction Projects. A Case of Kajiado County, Kenya, Africa

Implementation of the building construction projects is done by workers with diverse knowledge. The knowledge diversity can either be beneficial or detrimental to the implementation process. Out of the 50 building construction projects implemented by Kajiado county government in the financial year 2016/2017, 24 were not successfully implemented. This study sought to determine the influence of project team knowledge diversity on the implementation of building construction projects. The study used a pragmatism paradigm as well as a correlational research design and a sample of 251 respondents. Data was collected using semi-structured questionnaires, interview guides, and observation. Quantitative data was analysed for means and standard deviation as well as inferential techniques for correlation and regression while hypothesis was tested using ANOVA. Qualitative data was thematically analysed and the results triangulated with the quantitative results for presentation. The results indicated the existence of a positive correlation (r=0.323)  between project team knowledge diversity and implementation of building construction projects. It was also established that 10.4% of the variations in implementation of the building construction projects are attributable to project team knowledge diversity R2=0.104 . The null hypothesis project team knowledge diversity has no significant influence on implementation of building construction projects was rejected based on F1,219=25.522, p=0.0000<0.05.  It was concluded that project team knowledge diversity has a significant influence on implementation of building construction projects. The study recommends that recruitment into project teams for implementation of building construction projects should consider people with diverse knowledge backgrounds since they complement each other’s competencies.

Entrepreneurial Team Knowledge Diversity and Creativity: A Multilevel Analysis of Knowledge Sharing, Individual Creativity, and Team Creativity

Although the academic community has consistent with the key role of entrepreneurial team knowledge diversity (ETKD), which serves as a critical catalyst of creativity in organizations, the extant research on the link between knowledge diversity and creativity is mainly concerned with individual creativity in single-level analyses. With emerging entrepreneurial ventures increasingly relying on innovation enhancement in the form of teams, there is research motivation to explore how team-level creativity develops. In this sense, this study attempts to investigate the underlying mechanism through which ETKD is associated with team-level creativity. Through a multilevel mediation model, this study proposes that ETKD can facilitate team creativity (TC) sequentially transmitted through individual-level team members' knowledge sharing (KS) and creativity. Based on a survey of 252 team members from 42 entrepreneurial teams in China, multilevel structural equation modeling (MSEM) is applied to test the top–down relationship between ETKD and KS, as well as the bottom-up link between individual creativity and TC. The findings show that our hypotheses are supported. Our findings provide some of the first empirical evidence to examine how knowledge-based diversity of entrepreneurial teams facilitates TC potential by multilevel approach. Theoretical contributions and practical implications are also offered.

Managing Inter-Organizational Knowledge Sharing: Integrating Macro, Meso and Micro Level Analysis

Numerous studies focus on the increasing role that cooperation plays on knowledge creation and the importance of knowledge diversity. However, in dealing with different background, culture, process, and knowledge throughout collaborative project, organizations must improve their practices to access, share and create knowledge. This paper aims at highlighting the complexity of interfirm collaborative projects while analyzing how different factors bolster knowledge sharing between partners depend on project phases. This work supports literature on interactionist approaches and project management to analyze these concepts of collaboration and knowledge sharing. Based on case study of an aerospace cluster, the findings highlight the factors that may enhances the effectiveness of knowledge sharing depend on project phases. We conclude by identifying further conceptual research and implication for research and practice.

STANDING GROUND? THE INFLUENCES OF KNOWLEDGE DIVERSITY AND TECHNOLOGY OPPORTUNITY ON GENERATIVE APPROPRIATION

This study examines the determinants of a firm’s generative appropriation, defined as a firms’ effectiveness in capturing a larger share of cumulative inventions spawned from its prior inventions. Building on learning theory and the resource-based view, we investigate how a firm’s knowledge diversity across technological and geographic space influences generative appropriation. We also investigate how technology opportunities moderate the effect of knowledge diversity on generative appropriation. Using a longitudinal study of US manufacturing firms and using patents as a proxy for inventions, we find that technological knowledge diversity has a negative effect on generative appropriation and that technology opportunity weakens that effect. We also find that the effect of geographic diversity is contingent on the availability of technological opportunities. When technology opportunity is low, moderate geographic diversity leads to higher generative appropriation than high or low geographic diversity does. However, when technology opportunity is high, geographic diversity appears to have a monotonically negative effect on generative appropriation. These results highlight the way the cumulative and preclusive learning of prior knowledge depend on a firm’s knowledge diversity and technology opportunities.

Levels and dimensions of diversity in small businesses: contributions for performance

PurposeThe purpose of this study is to propose and test a model on the impact of diversity over performance using a Portuguese national wide comprehensively matched employee–employer dataset of small businesses.Design/methodology/approachThe study uses structural equation modeling to analyze the relationships between variables. The study addresses the impact of top managers and employees' diversity on firm performance considering two dimensions of diversity: knowledge diversity and social diversity.FindingsThe study provides a clear understanding of how workforce diversity affects performance differently at the two hierarchical levels. Both employees' diversities have stronger relations to performance than the diversity of top managers. Results point out to idiosyncratic aspects of services firms' dynamics that should be further explored.Research limitations/implicationsThe study presents some limitations, since it uses data from a single country and the dataset provides limited variables.Practical implicationsThe study offers evidence on the effects of diversity in small businesses alerting managers to acknowledge such influence when recruiting, selecting and training. With regard to services firms, managers should pay close attention to negative impacts of diversity over performance.Originality/valueNever before to the authors' knowledge the managers' level diversity and employees' level diversity (considering two dimensions each) effect on performance have been addressed in a single national wide study.

Whither geographic proximity? Bypassing local R&D units in foreign university collaboration

MNCs often engage in international research collaborations with foreign universities through one of their central R&D laboratories (at headquarters or elsewhere) even though they operate a local R&D unit close to that university, and hence forego the benefits of geographic proximity and local collaboration. Drawing on the knowledge-based theory of the firm, we hypothesize that the choice between distant and local collaboration systematically relates to the knowledge capabilities of the firms’ R&D units, the characteristics of the focal knowledge, and local knowledge leakage risks. Analysis of close to 13,000 research collaborations with foreign universities by the world’s major biopharmaceutical firms (1995–2015) confirms that collaboration at distance occurs if this allows the firm to benefit from scale and knowledge diversity advantages, if the central unit has strong basic research capabilities, and if collaboration is in a core research domain of the MNC while rival firms are locally present. Maturity of the focal research domain is associated with local collaboration. Our findings qualify the common arguments in favor of collaboration in proximity and suggest that (distant) central R&D units are important orchestrators of research collaboration with universities around the globe.