Group items tagged

Organizational knowledge creation is the process of making available and amplifying knowledge created by individuals as well as crystallizing and connecting it to an organization's knowledge system. In other words, what individuals come to know in their (work-)life benefits their colleagues and, eventually, the larger organization.

The speed of change in competitive environments has prompted firms to develop processes directed at enabling organizational adaptation. This is captured by the concept of dynamic capabilities. We focus on a particular form of business organization, that is, the family firm. Specifically, we argue that knowledge integration—a dynamic capability through which family members' specialized knowledge is recombined—guides the evolution of capabilities. We present a general framework illustrating factors that affect knowledge integration in family firms. We conclude that only those family firms that are able to effectively integrate individual family members' specialized knowledge will be successful in dynamic markets by changing their capabilities over time.

This study is designed to provide a detailed description of the processes involved in a knowledge transfer intervention and to develop and refine a useful model of the knowledge transfer process.

The approach is designed to articulate the broad components of the knowledge transfer process and to test these against evidence from case study sites.

A major challenge facing the family firm is the succession process. One reason for this challenge might involve the successor's ability to acquire the predecessor's key knowledge and skills adequately to maintain and improve the organizational performance of the firm. This paper uses two theoretical approaches from the strategic management field to explore this critical process and analyze how it can be managed effectively: the resource-based theory of the firm and the emergent knowledge-based view. This conceptual framework provides a powerful tool for understanding the nature and transfer of knowledge within the family business, which becomes the basis for developing competitive advantage over nonfamily businesses.

The aim of this article is to make a contribution to the understanding of how knowledge can be accumulated in family business. Four family firms from Switzerland and Italy are part of this research. Existing literature combined with the case studies analysed lead to the development of a model that outlines factors responsible for knowledge accumulation viewed as an `enabler of longevity' in family business.The relationships depicted in the model can be read by researchers as hypotheses and suggestions for further research, and by managers as possible factors needed to accumulate knowledge in order to be successful across generations.

With regard to our measure of performance (i.e., EPRP data), there is reason to question its accuracy in terms of documentation. Anecdotally, we were told that EPRP data does not necessarily reflect the true state of affairs in reference to guideline adherence. For example, performance may actually occur even though it is not formally documented (e.g., conducting depression screening, though neglecting to record this activity). Conversely, providers admitted to documenting performance that may not have actually occurred (e.g., offering smoking cessation counseling when none was actually given). Because our outcome data may have suffered from documentation errors, the actual effect of knowledge creation on guideline compliance may not have been realized. Also, statistical power was not sufficient to detect potentially meaningful effects. Saal and Knight (1996) recommend a 10:1 case to predictor ratio for estimating statistical power for collection of predictor data. A 31-item instrument would therefore require 310 cases or respondents to yield sufficient power, clearly more than we were able to acquire. Finally, this research must be quantitatively regarded as pilot work toward the development of a survey instrument. Indeed, survey development is an iterative process in which this project was the first iteration.

While most literature promotes a positive impact of social capital on various organizational performance outcomes, empirical results on the social capital—organizational performance link are not conclusive.

This article suggests that the egalitarian approach to organizational learning advocated by some theorists requires the development of a more inclusive learning vocabulary.

This article aims to shed light on the distinguishing features of management accounting in family firms in relation to processes of professionalization and succession. The study combines insights offered by the debate on family businesses and management accounting with the empirical findings of a longitudinal case study (Monnalisa). By exploring the evolution of management accounting practices within the company and the processes of succession and professionalization, this article shows that management accounting can affect the transfer of knowledge across generations and between the owner family and the management team, thus representing and reproducing the priorities, values, and vision of the entrepreneur.

In contrast to the literature that portrays nepotism as generally problematic, we develop a conceptual model to explain why some family firms benefit from nepotism while others do not. We distinguish two types of nepotism based on how nepots are chosen. We elaborate the differences between entitlement nepotism and reciprocal nepotism. We propose that reciprocal (vs. entitlement) nepotism is associated with three family conditions that indicate generalized (vs. restricted) social exchange relationships between family members. We also suggest that generalized social exchanges are valuable to firms because they facilitate tacit knowledge management that can lead to competitive advantage.

While some research on entrepreneurship in family businesses has focused on transgenerational value creation, a gap exists in understanding how such value is generated across generations. The present research offers insights through the lens of dynamic capabilities, which are created by knowledge and in turn generate entrepreneurial performance and value creation. A model is built based on literature and case research. The crucial role of the organizational culture emerges through the empirical study. Family inertia is considered to be a factor preventing the creation of dynamic capabilities. We find that family inertia depends on characteristics of the family business culture, where paternalism and entrepreneurial orientation influence family inertia positively and negatively, respectively. Family firms from Switzerland and Italy active in the beverage industry represent the empirical context. Theoretical and practical implications are offered.

The majority of family businesses are small businesses, and as such will endure a greater risk from the occurrence of knowledge loss compared to large organisations because most of the key knowledge is held in the minds of few people, specifically the owner managers.