Knowledge Matters™

Introduction

I'm told that a PhD has a number of stages and goes through a number of refinements - mine is no different. This link will take you to overview of my research as I thought it would develop. This page provides a very brief overview of my research as it stands at the moment.

Research Problem

The problem being addressed in my research is - ‘How can mapping knowledge and knowledge flows improve knowledge worker productivity?’

Central Ideas

There are three central ideas which have been determined from the preliminary literature review and my own experience. They are:

• Serendipitous networks can be weaved with goal-directed networks, or to create goal-directed networks, to enhance organisational productivity;
• Understanding the artefact, inter-personal, inter-positional, inter-unit, and inter-organisational networks will provide a mechanism to enhance organisational outcome; and.
• Knowledge itself cannot be managed, but mapping knowledge and knowledge transfer paths can enable knowledge worker productivity.

Assumptions and Propositions

At the moment I have four assumptions and two propositions, which have also been determined from the preliminary literature review, my own experience, and the methodological framework to be employed. They are:

• Assumption One. Organisations are complex soft systems, consisting of formal and informal networks;
• Assumption Two. Organisation networks represent relationships that can be managed;
• Assumption Three. Formal and informal knowledge can be mapped;
• Assumption Four. Knowledge transfer paths can be mapped;
• Assumption Five. Serendipitous networks can be converted to goal-directed networks;
• Proposition One. Organisations find it difficult to exploit knowledge because they don't understand their artefact, social, organisational and knowledge relationships; and
• Proposition Two. Knowledge worker productivity can be enhanced through an understanding of artefact, social, organisational and knowledge relationships.

Desired Outcome

I hope to achieve three things from this research.

• Firstly I want to develop a methodology that allows managers to weave their artefact, social, organisational and knowledge relationships and hence enable knowledge worker and organisational productivity.
• Secondly I want to establish the utility of managing a program of projects by understanding personal, organisational and artefact relationships.
• Finally I want to establish the utility of managing a complex project by understanding personal, organisational and artefact relationships.

Research Methodology

I am using an action research approach with one organisational case. The research uses both qualitative and quantitative methods. The research has three phases as follows:

• Phase one encompasses all the preliminary requirements to gain approval for the research, as well as instrument design, and the conduct of a small pilot.
• Phase two involves data collection and analysis . Surveys and personal interviews will be used, along with a number of software tools to aid analysis. Model and theory development will be developed in parallel.
• Phase three is the write up of the thesis and the production of a report for the organisation that was researched.

Research Questions

I am still refining my research questions. At the moment they are:

• How can mapping knowledge and knowledge flows improve knowledge worker productivity?
• How is organisational knowledge acquired?
• How is organisational knowledge used?
• How are the pattern of ties related to organisational knowledge and knowledge transfer?
• How does social connectivity correlate with task performance?

Research Justifications

Much of the literature has an evangelistic quality about it, and relies upon a ‘business guru’ or self-proclaimed knowledge expert to justify its contention. Further there is little empirical research available on the application of theory to the workplace, and there is a paucity of Australian examples in the literature. All this means corporations and the public-sector are spending millions of dollars on knowledge management initiatives, with up to 84% of projects failing. My research will take a small step towards correcting these anomalies by providing a methodology that allows managers to weave their artefact, social, organisational and knowledge relationships and hence enable knowledge worker and organisational productivity.