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Manpower Discipline Based on Knowledge Skills: The Case of a Consulting Company in Iranian Commercial Marine Industry
Abstract
In today’s world, some industries have been shifting to the knowledge based industries. Marine industry as a knowledge-dependent industry in which the knowledge and technology changes have a noticeable pace, is a good example of the knowledge based industries. In knowledge based organization and industries, the knowledge manpower plays the most important role in the organization. In fact, the knowledge workers are the real owner of the organization’s knowledge domains. So, to achieve a sustainable competitive position, organizations in commercial marine industry have to articulate suitable human resources strategies. In this article, a practical approach is defined to evaluate the knowledge capabilities based on which the appropriate strategies for manpower can be made. The case of this article is a consulting company which is working in commercial marine industry area in Iran. As the result of doing this research, this company articulates suitable strategies for its manpower after identification of the knowledge capabilities and domains available in the organization. According to this process, the manpower of the company is divided to 4 categories: workers who should be trained, workers who should be maintained and promoted, workers who should be dismissed, and specialists who should be hired due to knowledge requirements of the organization. The results of this study can highlight the roadmap of manpower strategy definition and application based on employees’ knowledge skills, which can be beneficial for both academics and practitioner in knowledge management and human resource strategic planning areas.
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Our paper examines issues of epistemology, power and culture with respect to their impact upon the use of information and communication technology (ICT) to manage knowledge within an organization. Utilizing an empirical case study of a global pharmaceutical company, in which the implementation of an intranet failed to meet aspirations of the Chief Executive that employees freely share knowledge, we encourage academics and practitioners to reflect more critically upon the limits to technology in pursuit of knowledge management. Our study illustrates that ‘technical fixes’ to knowledge management issues merely harden existing practices and routines, rather than open up new directions. In particular, broader organizational issues of power and culture may mean that employees are unwilling or unable to share knowledge and, beyond the epistemological problem, this is likely to further inhibit the contribution of ICT to the management of knowledge.
Purpose
To date, critical success factors for designing and implementing a knowledge management system at national level for countries have not been systematically investigated. Existing studies have derived their critical success factors from companies' perspectives and have not considered the needs of a larger scale such as a country and at a national level. This paper aims to bridge this gap.
Design/methodology/approach
A qualitative case study technique has been used in this paper for data collection to gain insights into the topic being investigated. For that, “grounded theory” research approach has been selected, by which the collected data from real case studies (European countries) are categorized and analyzed through specific stages. The extracted concepts can demonstrate critical success factors of a knowledge management master plan at a national level.
Findings
The overall results from the real case studies were positive, thus reflecting the appropriateness of the proposed critical success factors. Also 20 concepts and one semantic network are the other findings of this research that clarify how to design and implement a knowledge management system at a national level. The semantic network shows the most important factors (concepts), their effects on one another, and their relations.
Practical implications
The set of critical success factors can act as a list of items for countries to address when adopting knowledge management (KM). This helps to ensure that the essential issues and factors are covered during the design and implementation phase. For academics, it provides a common language for them to discuss and study the factors crucial for the success of a knowledge management master plan at a national level.
Originality/value
This study is probably the first to provide an integrative perspective of critical success factors for implementing KM level in countries. It gives valuable information and guidelines that hopefully will help governments to accomplish knowledge management through their countries.
Purpose
– The purpose of this paper is to show that small and medium enterprises (SMEs) play an important role in national economies.
Design/methodology/approach
– The paper shows that we are experiencing a new kind of economy in recent times known as the “knowledge economy” which considers knowledge as the main resource of organizations for innovation and competitiveness.
Findings
– The paper finds that considering SMEs as the microelement of a society or macro economy, knowledge management is crucial to drive them towards becoming learning organizations and to achieve sustainable competitiveness.
Originality/value
– The research results in this paper can help SME leaders to understand the knowledge management dimensions that will move their organizations towards becoming learning organizations, and is especially relevant for developing countries.
Purpose
To date, critical success factors for design and implementing knowledge management (KM) system in a multi‐case study research have not been systematically investigated. Most of existing studies have derived their critical success factors from single company perspectives and have not considered all factors in an integrated way in a multi case study research. This paper is aimed to bridge this gap.
Design/methodology/approach
A qualitative case study technique has been used in this paper for data collection to gain insights into the topic being investigated. For that, “grounded theory” research approach has been selected by which the collected data from real case studies (successful organizations in KM adoption) are categorized and analyzed through specific stages. The extracted concepts can demonstrate critical success factors of KM system within organizations.
Findings
The overall results from the real case studies were positive, thus reflecting the appropriateness of the proposed critical success factors. Also 16 concepts and a conceptual framework are the other findings of this research that clarify how to design and implement a KM system in an organization. The conceptual framework presents a roadmap for success of KM programs in the organizations.
Practical implications
The set of critical success factors can act as a list of items for organizations to address when adopting KM. This helps to ensure that the essential issues and factors are covered during design and implementation phase. For academics, it provides a common language for them to discuss and study the factors crucial for the success of KM program in an organization.
Originality/value
This study is probably the first to provide an integrated perspective of critical success factors for implementing KM through a multi case study research. It gives valuable information and guidelines which hopefully will help the leaders to accomplish KM through their organizations in an effective way.
The role of human resource management in learning organizations has been discussed by a number of researchers. It is suggested that some of the more traditional personnel functions of HR practitioners may be tailored to encourage a focus on learning and thus to help achieve organizational goals. However, there is a lack of empirical studies that explore the relationship between human resource management and organizational learning. This article aims to address this shortcoming. More specifically, the purpose of this article is to analyse the relation between four human resources practices (hiring, training, compensation and decision-making) and organizational learning. The hypotheses proposed were tested on a sample of 195 Spanish companies using the structural equation modelling technique. The results support that selective hiring, strategic training and employee participation in decision-making positively influence organizational learning.
Today, knowledge is considered the most strategically important resource and learning the most strategically important capability for business organizations. However, many initiatives being undertaken to develop and exploit organizational knowledge are not explicitly linked to or framed by the organization's business strategy. In fact, most knowledge management initiatives are viewed primarily as information systems projects. While many managers intuitively believe that strategic advantage can come from knowing more than competitors, they are unable to explicitly articulate the link between knowledge and strategy. This article provides a framework for making that link and for assessing an organization's competitive position regarding its intellectual resources and capabilities. It recommends that organizations perform a knowledgebased SWOT (strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats) analysis, comparing their knowledge to that of their competitors and to the knowledge required to execute their own strategy.
Purpose
By now, change management programs for establishing knowledge management system at a national level for the countries have not been systematically explored. Available studies have derived their critical issues for change management from companies' perspectives and have not considered the needs of a larger scale such as a country and at a national level. This paper aims to fill this gap.
Design/methodology/approach
A qualitative case study technique has been used in this paper for data collection to gain insights into the topic being investigated. For that, “grounded theory” research approach has been selected by which the collected data from some case studies (European countries) are categorized and analyzed through specific stages. The extracted concepts can demonstrate critical issues of change management programs for knowledge management establishment at a national level.
Findings
The overall results from the case studies were positive, thus reflecting the appropriateness of the proposed concepts. In addition, ten concepts and a framework are the other findings of this research that clarify how to design and implement a change management program for knowledge management adoption at a national level.
Practical implications
The set of critical factors (concepts) can act as a list of items for countries to address when adopting knowledge management through a change management program. This helps to ensure that the essential issues and factors are covered during design and implementation phase. For academics, it provides a common language for them to discuss and study the factors crucial for the success of change management program designed for knowledge management adoption at a macro level.
Originality/value
This study is probably the first to provide an integrated perspective of critical issues for change management program during KM adoption at a national level in the countries. It gives valuable information and guidelines which hopefully will help the governments to mange essential changes for accomplishing knowledge management through their countries.
Numerous studies have documented the ways in which work is structured along gender lines. Predominantly such investigations have reported on the inequity of the sexual division of labour and have argued that such gender segregation operates in favour of males, with the majority of female economic activity concentrated in the low-paid areas of the service sector. Further research has explored the sexual stereotyping of the service encounter, and in particular the personification of the service provider epitomizing the service to the consumer. Presents the findings of an in-depth case study conducted within the hotel industry designed to examine the views of hotel workers in a large hotel about the sexual division of labour and sexual stereotyping of individuals within their organization. Explores the origins of these gender divisions within the hotel industry, and locates the prevalence of such an imbalance firmly in the sphere of overall business strategy and hence the human resource strategy of the organization. Discusses the conclusions in terms of the relationship between equal opportunities policies and strategic HRM.
The objective of this paper is to develop the relationships among the identified knowledge management (KM) barriers. Further, this paper is also helpful to understand mutual influences of barriers and to identify those barriers which support other barriers (driving barrier) and also those barriers which are most influenced by other barriers (dependent barriers). The interpretive structural modeling (ISM) methodology is used to evolve mutual relationships among these barriers. KM barriers have been classified, based on their driving power and dependence power. The objective behind this classification is to analyze the driving power and dependence power of these barriers.
“New” essential resources and success factors keep being invested and provide fertile grounds, not only in the consultancy industry, for ever more glossy brochures to create success. The production factor of knowledge is currently at the focus of many theories and numerous publications. It remains to be seen whether we are seeing real innovations. Knowledge has always been prerequisite to creating products or services, an essential input, a “silent production factor”. The modern, complex environment has also made products and processes more complex and extensive. The ability to adapt to changing conditions increasingly determines success or failure. All aspects of enterprises are affected, even the ”smallest units”, the human element. In this context, it is becoming increasingly important to be able to share knowledge with colleagues. Knowledge transfer is basically characterised by a question-and-answer principle. The focus is on the incalculable human factor. This causes more or less distinct transfer barriers. Prejudices, fear of criticism, lack of confidence, constant time pressures and other factors are some barriers to transfer caused by the individual. Besides organisations may create barriers, too, through rigid hierarchies, red tape, and outdated procedures. By means of the barrier matrix and the barrier cube we have presented eight different constellations from the scientist’s view. At a very theoretical level we have also touched briefly on how to solve these problems. Knowledge management does not yet seem to attach enough importance to the issue of communication, particularly to internal communication. In addition to individual and organisational transfer barriers, communication media can also contribute to problems and barriers in knowledge transfer.
Purpose – The purpose of this research is to examine how the fit between the strategy of business and HRM would affect HRM effectiveness and organizational performance. The paper aimed to find whether a better fit between firm's strategy and HRM strategy would strengthen HRM effectiveness and organizational performance. Design/methodology/approach – The literature was reviewed from both the theoretical and empirical perspectives. Four hypotheses were formulated. Top 1,000 manufacturing companies in Taiwan were sampled, yielding valid questionnaire data and objective performance indexes from 181 firms. Multiple regressions and LISREL was employed to test the four hypotheses empirically. Findings – The main findings were: the strategy fit between a firm's business and HRM strategy has a positive and direct impact on HRM effectiveness and labor productivity after analyzing by hierarchical multiple regression. HRM effectiveness could directly increase labor productivity while strategy fit strengthened the relationship between HRM effectiveness and labor productivity. Practical implications – This study found that the alignment between the business and HRM strategy was the key factor of success for organizations. When the HRM strategy and business strategy were aligned, the effectiveness of HR practices and organizational performance were better than “that of not aligned” by contingency perspective. This study also estimated the practical significance through calculating the impact of HRM effectiveness and strategy fit on labor productivity by each standard deviation increase, respectively. Originality/value – This study confirmed that a firm's competitive advantage can be enhanced by HRM practices and strategy fit. Strategy fit could also moderate the relationship between HRM effectiveness and labor productivity.
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