Knowledge at Work Creative Collaboration in the Global Economy

by Defillippi, Robert; Arthur, Michael; Lindsay, Valerie

• ISBN13: 9781405107563
• ISBN10: 1405107561
• Edition: 1st
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2006-09-29
• Publisher: Wiley-Blackwell

Summary

Work-based projects provide a focus for learning, initially for individuals, but subsequently for the organizations and industries in which they work, as their learning is disseminated more widely. This book establishes the link between individual, community, organizational and industry learning processes, and suggests that understanding this link is vital if organizations and industries are to capitalize on project-based learning. The authors start by defining project-based learning, and by reviewing the evidence linking individual learning and institutional evolution. They then go on to explore project-based learning in relation to career learning, community learning, company learning, and industry learning. Finally, they consider the role of learning networks and project-based learning in virtual communities. Throughout, they draw on a large body of theoretical work and refer to a wide range of real-world examples, including the film industry, boat building, and the software industry.

Author Biography

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.

Table of Contents

List of Figures	xi
List of Tables	xii
List of Case Studies	xiii
Preface	xvi
Acknowledgments	xx
Chapter 1 Knowledge Workers and Knowledge Work	1	(24)
Knowledge Work in the Global Economy	4	(2)
What Do Knowledge Workers Do?	6	(1)
Explicit and Tacit Knowledge	7	(1)
Who Owns the Knowledge?	8	(2)
Knowing and Learning	10	(1)
The Interplay of Knowing and Learning	11	(1)
Knowledge Work as Practice	12	(1)
Communication between Practices	13	(1)
Tools for Knowledge Work	14	(2)
Closed versus Open Perspectives	16	(1)
Participants in Knowledge Work	17	(1)
The individual	17	(1)
The community	17	(1)
The organization	18	(1)
The industry	18	(1)
The Knowledge Diamond	18	(2)
The Chapters to Follow	20	(1)
Questions for Reflection	21	(4)
Chapter 2 Individual Knowledge at Work	25	(25)
Three Ways of Knowing	28	(1)
Knowing-why	28	(1)
Knowing-how	28	(1)
Knowing-whom	29	(1)
Interdependence among the Ways of Knowing	29	(2)
Knowing-why and knowing-how	29	(1)
Knowing-why and knowing-whom	30	(1)
Knowing-how and knowing-whom	30	(1)
The Individual and the Knowledge Diamond	31	(7)
One individual and another	32	(1)
The individual and the community	33	(2)
The individual and the organization	35	(2)
The individual and the industry	37	(1)
Keeping the Individual in View	38	(2)
Other Ways of Knowing?	40	(1)
Free Agency and Trust	41	(1)
Networks and Social Capital	42	(2)
Tools for Individuals	44	(1)
Summary	45	(1)
Questions for Reflection	46	(4)
Chapter 3 Community Knowledge at Work	50	(25)
Three Dimensions of Community Activity	52	(2)
Joint enterprise	53	(1)
Shared repertoire	53	(1)
Mutual engagement	53	(1)
Interdependence among the Dimensions	54	(2)
Joint enterprise and shared repertoire	55	(1)
Joint enterprise and mutual engagement	55	(1)
Shared repertoire and mutual engagement	55	(1)
The Community and the Knowledge Diamond	56	(5)
One community and another	56	(1)
The community and the organization	57	(1)
The community and the industry	58	(2)
The community and the individual	60	(1)
Keeping the Community in View	61	(1)
Other Meanings of Community	62	(1)
Organizational Communities	63	(2)
Occupational Communities	65	(1)
Community Social Capital	66	(1)
The Returns on Community Social Capital	67	(2)
Community and Inter-Community Knowledge Work	69	(1)
Tools for Communities	70	(1)
Summary	71	(1)
Questions for Reflection	72	(3)
Chapter 4 Organizational Knowledge at Work	75	(26)
The Organization's Core Competencies	77	(2)
Organizational culture	78	(1)
Organizational capabilities	78	(1)
Organizational connections	78	(1)
Interdependencies among the Core Competencies	79	(2)
Culture and capabilities	79	(1)
Culture and connections	80	(1)
Capabilities and connections	80	(1)
The Organization and the Knowledge Diamond	81	(5)
One organization and another	81	(2)
The organization and the individual	83	(1)
The organization and the community	84	(2)
The organization and the industry	86	(1)
Keeping the Organization in View	86	(1)
Knowledge Transfer in Strategic Alliances	87	(3)
Exploitation versus Exploration	90	(1)
Codification versus Personalization	91	(2)
Closed versus Open Innovation	93	(2)
Fools for Organizations	95	(1)
Summary	96	(1)
Questions for Reflection	97	(4)
Chapter 5 Industry Knowledge at Work	101	(26)
Three Attributes of Industry Activity	104	(1)
Industry milieu	104	(1)
Industry recipes	104	(1)
Industry system	105	(1)
Interdependence among Industry Attributes	105	(2)
Industry milieu and industry recipes	105	(1)
Industry milieu and industry system	106	(1)
Industry recipes and industry system	106	(1)
The Industry and the Knowledge Diamond	107	(7)
One industry and another	108	(1)
The industry and the individual	109	(2)
The industry and the community	111	(1)
The industry and the organization	112	(2)
Keeping the Industry in View	114	(1)
Industry Regions and Regional Advantage	114	(2)
Regional Closure versus Brokerage	116	(1)
Knowledge Transfer between Industries	117	(2)
Business Ecosystems	119	(2)
Tools for Industry	121	(1)
Summary	122	(1)
Questions for Reflection	123	(4)
Chapter 6 Projects and Knowledge Work	127	(25)
The Evolution of Project-Based Knowledge	130	(3)
Variation: the beginnings of exploration	131	(1)
Selection: between exploration and exploitation	131	(1)
Retention: the shift to exploitation	132	(1)
Projects as Episodes in Knowledge Work	133	(1)
Contrasting Project-Based Learning Experiences	134	(6)
Low performance, low learning	134	(2)
High performance, low learning	136	(1)
Low performance, high learning	137	(1)
High performance, high learning	138	(2)
Learning Landscapes and their Beneficiaries	140	(1)
Organizations and Project Organizing	141	(3)
Projects, Practice and "Boundary Objects"	144	(2)
Tools for Project Work	146	(2)
Summary	148	(1)
Questions for Reflection	148	(4)
Chapter 7 Virtual Knowledge Work	152	(25)
Virtual versus Physical Space	155	(1)
Properties of Virtual Communications	156	(2)
Brokerage and Closure in Virtual Work	158	(1)
Managing Virtual Projects	159	(7)
Working with a distant subsidiary	160	(2)
Working on a complex project	162	(1)
Selecting communications media	163	(3)
Facilitating Cross-Disciplinary Teams	166	(1)
Open-Source Software Communities	167	(1)
Grid Computing	168	(2)
From e-Business to Virtual Product Testing	170	(2)
Fools for Virtual Knowledge Work	172	(1)
Summary	173	(1)
Questions for Reflection	173	(4)
Chapter 8 Global Knowledge and Learning	177	(22)
The Global Organization	180	(6)
Harnessing and exploiting local knowledge	181	(1)
Acting locally, thinking globally	182	(2)
Born global through international alliances	184	(2)
Knowledge Flows in Global Organizations	186	(1)
The Individual's Role in Global Knowledge Work	187	(1)
The Community's Role in Global Knowledge Work	188	(1)
Industry's Role in Global Knowledge Work	189	(2)
Local versus Global Knowledge	191	(2)
Accessing Global Knowledge Workers	193	(1)
Tools for Global Knowledge Work	194	(1)
Summary	195	(1)
Questions for Reflection	196	(3)
Chapter 9 Intellectual Property in Knowledge Work	199	(23)
Intellectual Property and the Knowledge Diamond	202	(6)
The individual	202	(2)
The community	204	(1)
The organization	205	(1)
The industry	206	(2)
A Changing Global Context	208	(7)
Individual—organization conflict	209	(1)
Contrasting organizational strategies	210	(1)
National initiatives	211	(2)
Open knowledge sharing	213	(2)
An Intellectual Property Paradox	215	(1)
Tools Related to Intellectual Property	216	(1)
Summary	217	(1)
Questions for Reflection	218	(4)
Chapter 10 Participating in the Knowledge Economy	222	(16)
The Knowledge Diamond at Work	225	(2)
The individual	225	(1)
The community	225	(1)
The organization	225	(1)
The industry	226	(1)
Interdependencies	226	(1)
Why, How and with Whom We Work	227	(1)
Conditions Underlying Knowledge Work	228	(3)
Alignment	228	(2)
Conflict	230	(1)
Open versus closed positions	230	(1)
Processes behind Knowledge Work	231	(3)
Making and sustaining connections	231	(1)
The evolution of projects	232	(1)
Collaboration over the web	232	(1)
Contributing to global knowledge work	233	(1)
Developing intellectual property	233	(1)
Using the knowledge work toolkit	234	(1)
Playing Parallel Roles	234	(1)
A Final Message	235	(1)
Questions for Reflection	236	(2)
About the Authors	238	(1)
Bibliography	239	(14)
Index	253