Towards Organizational Knowledge ― The Pioneering Work of Ikujiro Nonaka

In recognition of Professor Ikujiro Nonaka's contribution to the field of Knowledge Management this book, forming part of The Nonaka Series on Knowledge and Innovation from Palgrave Macmillan, deals with a variety of aspects of the Knowledge Management (KM) theory and the knowledge-based view of the firm.

Through the apparent heterogeneity of interests and approaches to the subject matter, a common thread goes through Professor Nonaka's important contributions to the field through the foundation of a School of Knowledge Approach in management.

By engaging in discussion and criticism, and by building upon Nonaka's insight and pioneering thinking, the contributions of this book shed light on a number of knowledge and innovation-related key facets. In doing so, the contributors provide a review of the current state of the KM theory and take stock of its major strengths and shortcomings. They also explore new research ventures in the field and suggest critical issues for further thinking.

Georg von Krogh is a professor at ETH Zurich, Switzerland and specializes in competitive strategy, technological innovation and knowledge management. He has conducted research in various industries including financial services, media, computer software and hardware, life-sciences, and consumer goods. He has been Associate Professor of Strategy at the Norwegian School of Management, and Professor of Management at the University of St. Gallen in Switzerland. He has been Visiting Professor at MIT's Sloan School of Management, Hitotsubashi University in Japan, Japan Advanced Institute of Science and Technology, and the London School of Economics and Political Science. His publications include Carrots and Rainbows: Motivation and Social Practice in Open Source Software Development (co-authored with S. Haefliger, S. Spaeth and M. Wallin); MIS Quarterly, 2011; Tacit Knowledge and Knowledge Conversion: Controversy and Advancement in Organizational Knowledge Creation Theory (with I. Nonaka), Organization Science, 20 (3), 2009; Empirical Tests of Zipf's Law Mechanism in Open Source Linux Distribution (co-authored with T. Maillart, D. Sornette and S. Spaeth), and Physical Review Letters.

Hirotaka Takeuchi is a Professor in the Strategy Unit at Harvard Business School, USA, where he currently teaches three second-year elective courses: Knowledge-based Strategy, Japan IXP, and Microeconomics of Competitiveness (which he co-teaches with University Professor Michael Porter). He received a BA from the International Christian University in Tokyo, Japan and an MBA and PhD from the University of California, Berkeley. His publications include Extreme Toyota: Radical Contradictions That Drive Success at the World's Best Manufacturer (co-authored with E. Osono and N. Shimizu).

Kimio Kase is a Professor at IESE Business School, University of Navarra, Spain. Previously he worked for Price Waterhouse European Firm and Inter-American Development Bank. He has also taught at the International University of Japan. He holds a DBA from Manchester University and an MBA from IESE Business School. His current research interests include strategy, corporate-level strategy and Asian management. Kimio has published articles and books including Asian versus Western Management Thinking: Its Culture-Bound Nature (co-authored with A. Slocum and Y. Zhang) and he is currently on the editorial board of the following: The Nonaka Series on Knowledge Management and Innovation; Cross Cultural Management: An International Journal; and Academia: Revista Latinoamericana de Administracion.

Cesar G. Canton is Professor of Management at Universidad Complutense de Madrid (CUNEF), Spain. In the past he has worked with the University of Navarra, Pompeu Fabra University and IESE Business School. His main research interests are in corporate responsibility and human rights, global business ethics, gender issues and industrial relations. He has published Business in the frontline: the Ruggie's framework and the capability approach, and From Conflict To Regulation: The Transformative Function Of Labour Law (co-authored with J. Lopez and Ch. Chacartegui) in Davidov, G. and Langille, B. (eds.)