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.

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.

e examine three related ways in which the gap between theory and practice has been framed.

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.

Our purpose is to challenge the dominant meaning of professional management in family business research and to suggest an extended understanding of the concept. Based on a review of selected literature on professional management and with insights from cultural theory and symbolic interactionism, we draw on interpretive case research to argue that professional family business management rests on two competencies, formal and cultural, of which only the former is explicitly recognized in current family business literature. We elaborate on the meanings and implications of cultural competence and argue that without it a CEO of a family business is likely to work less effectively, no matter how good the formal qualifications and irrespective of family membership.