Knowledge At Work - Creative Collaboration In The Global Economy

This book's unique perspective stems from its “knowledge diamond” framework to examine how individuals, communities, organizations and host industries reciprocally influence each other in the course of knowledge work.



This highly topical book focuses on work-based projects as a focus for organizational learning.

Establishes the link between individual, community, organization and industry learning.

Suggests that organizations need to recognise and understand this link if they are to capitalize on project-based learning.

Incorporates material on project-based learning in virtual communities.

Refers to different examples, such as the film industry, the software industry and the boat building industry.

Includes end-of-chapter questions provoking reflection and discussion.

Robert DeFillippi is Professor of Management and Director of the Center for Innovation and Change Leadership at Suffolk University, Boston.



Michael B. Arthur is Professor of Management at Suffolk University, Boston.



Valerie J. Lindsay is Associate Professor in International Business at Victoria University, Wellington, New Zealand.

Preface.
1. Knowledge Workers and Knowledge Work.
Knowledge Work in the Global Economy.
What Do Knowledge Workers Do?.
Explicit and Tacit Knowledge.
Who Owns the Knowledge?.
Knowing and Learning.
The Interplay of Knowing and Learning.
Knowledge Work as Practice.
Communication between Practices.
Tools for Knowledge Work.
Clossed versus Open Perspectives.
Participants in Knowledge Work.
The Individual.
The Community.
The Organization.
The Industry.
The Knowledge Diamond.
The Chapters to Follow.
Questions for Reflection.
2. Individual Knowledge at Work.
Three Ways of Knowing.
Knowing-why.
Knowing-how.
Knowing-whom.
Interdependence among the Ways of Knowing.
The Individual and the Knowledge Diamond.
One Individual and Another.
The Individual and the Community.
The Individual and the Organization.
The Individual and the Industry.
Keeping the Individual in View.
Other Ways of Knowing?.
Free Agency and Trust.
Networks and Social Capital.
Tools for Individuals.
Summary.
Questions for Reflection.
3. Community Knowledge at Work.
Three Dimensions of Community Activity.
Joint Enterprise.
Shared Repertoire.
Mutual Engagement.
Interdependence among the Dimensions.
The Community and the Knowledge Diamond.
One Community and Another.
The Community and the Organization.
The Community and the Industry.
The Community and the Individual.
Keeping the Community in View.
Other Meanings of Community.
Organizational Communities.
Occupational Communities.
Community Social Capital.
The Returns on Community Social Capital.
Community and Inter-Community Knowledge Work.
Tools for Communities.
Summary.
Questions for Reflection.
4. Organizational Knowledge at Work.
The Organization's Core Competencies.
Organizational Culture.
Organizational Capabilities.
Organizational Connections.
Interdependencies Among the Core Competencies.
The Organization and the Knowledge Diamond.
One Organization and Another.
The Organization and the Individual.
The Organization and the Community.
The Organization and the Industry.
Keeping the Organization in View.
Knowledge Transfer in Strategic Alliances.
Exploitation versus Exploration.
Codification versus Personalization.
Closed versus Open Innovation.
Tools for Organizations.
Summary.
Questions for Reflection.
5. Industry Knowledge at Work.
Three Attributes of Industry Activity.
Industry Milieu.
Industry Recipes.
Industry System.
Interdependence among Industry Attributes.
The Industry and the Knowledge Diamond.
One Industry and another.
The Industry and the individual.
The Industry and the community.
The Industry and the organization.
Keeping the Industry in View.
Industry Regions and Regional Advantage.
Regional Closure and Brokerage.
Knowledge Transfer between Industries.
Business Ecosystems.
Tools for Industries.
Summary.
Questions for Reflection.
6. Projects and Knowledge Work.
The Evolution of Project-Based Knowledge.
Variation: The Beginnings of Exploration.
Selection: Between Exploration and Exploitation.
Retention: The shift to exploitation.
Projects As Episodes in Knowledge Work.
Contrasting Project-based Learning Experiences.
Low Performance, Low Learning.
High Performance, Low Learning.
Low Performance, High Learning.
High Performance, High Learning.
Learning Landscapes and their Beneficiaries.
Organizations and Project Organizing.
Projects, Practice and "Boundary Objects".
Tools for Project Work.
Summary.
Questions for Reflection.
7. Virtual Knowledge Work.
Virtual versus Physical Space.
Properties of Virtual Communications.
Brokerage and Closure in Virtual Work.
Managing Virtual Projects.
Working with a Distant Subsidiary.
Working on a Complex Project.
Selecting Communications Media.
Facilitating Cross-Disciplinary Teams.
Open Source Software Communities.
Grid Computing.
From e-Business to Virtual Product Testing.
Tools for Virtual Work.
Summary.
Questions for Reflection.
8. Global Knowledge and Learning.
The Global Organization.
Harnessing and exploiting local knowledge.
Acting Locally, Thinking Globally.
Born Global through International Alliances.
Knowledge Flows in Global Organizations.
The Individual's Role in Global Knowledge Work.
The Community's Role in Global Knowledge Work.
Local versus Global Knowledge.
Accessing Global Knowledge Workers.
An Integrative Model.
Tools for Global Knowledge Work.
Summary.
Questions for Reflection.
9. Intellectual Property in Knowledge Work.
Intellectual Property and the Knowledge Diamond.
The Individual.
The Community.
The Organization.
The Industry.
A Changing Global Context.
Individual-Organization Conflict.
Contrasting Organizational Strategies.
National Initiatives.
Open Knowledge Sharing.
An Intellectual Property Paradox.
Tools Related to Intellectual Property.
Knowledge Policy in the Corporate World.
Summary.
Questions for Reflection.
10. Participating in the Knowledge Economy.
The Knowledge Diamond at Work.
Why, How and with Whom We Work.
Conditions Underlying Knowledge Work.
Alignment.
Conflict.
Open Versus Closed Positions.
Process Behind Knowledge Work.
Making and Sustaining Connections.
The evolution of projects.
Collaboration Over the Web.
Contributing to Global Knowledge Work.
Developing Intellectual Property.
Using the Knowledge Work Tool-kit.
Playing Parallel Roles.
A Final Message.
Questions for Reflection.
Bibliography.
Index.