Transcript Strategic HRM - Tilde Publishing & Distribution

Human Resource Development:
Managing Learning and Knowledge Capital
Chapter 13
Creating and embedding new knowledge
Copyright © 2010 Tilde University Press
From maintaining to creating
• So far, have assumed that the knowledge available
somewhere
– Everything that is worth knowing is already known?
– A finite reservoir of knowledge?
• The shadow system – creating/importing new knowledge
– Based on
• Positive feedback loops
• Double loop learning
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Pulls organisation towards chaos
Keeps organisation viable in far-from-certainty conditions
Needs an appropriately powerful legitimate system
Staff move in and out of the shadow system several times a day
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Guiding principles of the shadow system
• Focuses on the individual in relationships
• Others in the relationship exert a certain level of
constraint
• Leads to extraordinary management indirect
form of restraint and is referred to as
– Harnesses energy of individuals within
relationships
– Uses position power of supervisor to energise,
coerce, and direct
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Three roles of the shadow system
1. Identify new knowledge
– Two basic sources for this new organisational knowledge
– Reveres and honours learning
– failure as a natural process in learning
2. Challenge fundamental values of legitimate system
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Double loop learning
Theory-in-use Model II
3. Store potentially useful knowledge/ information
• basic information and raw data
• unrelated knowledge in minds of staff
• knowledge of how to learn
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Extraordinary management processes
• The process – subtle, complex, focuses on individuals
in relationships
• Self-organising groups
– The heart of the shadow system
– Dissipative structures
– Inherent desire of individuals to form relationships, particularly
in times of tension
– ‘whinge-and-bitch’ groups
– Usually initiated by two or more members coming together over
an exciting idea
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Supporting SOGs
• Provision of sufficient resources
– Time & money
– Active interest of upper management
• Have ready access to knowledge systems
• Variety in the membership of the SOG
• Interactions within the SOG based on group dynamics
– Help move through the stages of group growth
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Facilitating the knowledge development process
• Appoint a facilitator
• Manage the process
– One of the problem-solving models
– Move through the four knowledge generation steps
– Cavaliere’s five-stage model
• At least one of four outcomes
• The SOG, being a dissipative system, dies before achieving
• Original idea is expanded into a viable concept, but the concept
is not yet useful to the organisation
• Original idea becomes a viable product, knowledge base,
or alternative
• SOG evolves into a community of practice
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Communities of practice
• Often develops out of a SOG
• Informally bound social collectives of experts, either
existing within or independent of organisation
• External CoPs (e.g., professional bodies)
• Internal CoPs
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Encourage greater knowledge sharing.
In turn, this supports and promotes innovation
Develop social capital as well as specialist content knowledge
Need some of the same support mechanisms as SOGs
Not always the benevolent and beneficial entities
Power dynamics may arise in CoPs, leading to politics
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Networks
• Powerful bonds of the six degrees of separation
• External networks
– Increase the potential for identifying knowledge that is new
– Weak ties (sometimes called loose links)
– Strong ties (sometimes called tight links)
• Relationship strength
• Network density
• Internal networks
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With weak ties - catalyst for new knowledge
with strong ties - thick communication
SOGs are often conceived within internal networks
Exportation process
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Learning partnerships
• Special type of networking
• Organisations have become less satisfied with the mere
transmission of information by learning institutions
• Joint ventures
• Apprenticeship learning partnerships
• Strategic learning partnerships - with tertiary institutions
– Research
– Work integrated learning or work experience learning
– Customised work integrated learning
– Work capacity integrated learning
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Exporting to the legitimate system
• Need new knowledge embedded in the workplace
• Defence mechanisms
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Defensive routines
An appearance of positive action
Use up the energy
Purposes of defence mechanisms
• Each system has its role
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Exporting to the legitimate system (cont)
• The shadow system
– The paths to the legitimate system can be many and varied
– Quickly and painlessly – codified (more explicit)
– Non-codified, tacit knowledge needs thick communication
channels and strong ties
– Exportation to legitimate system is, often, a political process
• Several options
• The legitimate system
– Embedding process
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The audit
Strategic planning process, standing plans, single-use plans
Implementation
Extended learning
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Control—to be or not to be?
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Managing the shadow system is not an easy process
Direct control is the very antithesis of the shadow system
Allowing open slather will also be an invitation to disaster
Need to use more indirect controls
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Carefully selecting staff
Providing ‘sunset’ clauses in any projects
Constraining effect of individuals operating in relationships
The ‘invisible force’ of organisational culture
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