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Knowledge Networks: Innovation Through Communities of Practice
Manufacturer: IGI Global ProductGroup: Book Binding: Hardcover Similar Items:
ASIN: 1591402700 |
Book Description
Knowledge Networks: Innovations Through Communities of Practice draws on the experience of people who have worked with CoPs in the real world and to present their combined wisdom in a form that is accessible to a wide audience. CoPs are examined from a practical, rather than a purely academic point of view. The book also examines the benefits that CoPs can bring to an organization, provides a number of case studies, lessons learned and sets of guidelines. It also looks at virtual CoPs and to the future by asking 'what next?' This book is a resource for all people who work with CoPs - both in academia and in the real world.Customer Reviews:
A Rich crop...Well harvested..........2004-04-06
The agricultural metaphor lends itself well to the nurturing of knowledge. Of course, this is not the first time it has been used nor will it be the last. My own particular interest in the metaphor is how it not only lends itself to communities of practice but also to the process of learning.
For the last three years, I have been involved in teaching a module entitled "Knowledge Management" to students Mastering in Information and Library Management at a University in the North East of England. During those three years, communities of practice have emerged as a significant tool in understanding the creation, capture and transfer of knowledge within and between organizations.
The method of teaching involves lectures (theory-based) and seminars (case study-based) with the use of specific tasks to link the two areas.
This collection of papers is, perhaps, the single most useful text to emerge for teaching the concept of communities of practice, how they relate to managing knowledge within organizations and how they are cultivated and developed. It is abundant in well-researched and relevant commentary, which avoids the jargon of other works. The case studies are particularly useful to information management students trying to understand the relationship between information and knowledge management.
Congratulations to the editors for their conceptualization of the structure and identification of appropriate areas of content and to the individual authors for the quality of their contributions.
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The Future of Knowledge: Increasing Prosperity through Value Networks
Verna Allee Manufacturer: Butterworth-Heinemann ProductGroup: Book Binding: Paperback Similar Items:
ASIN: 0750675918 |
Book Description
Verna Allee, whose groundbreaking book 'The Knowledge Evolution' helped usher in the exploding field of knowledge management, has brought her experience-tested insights into an exciting new synthesis, penetrating to the very heart of value creation. 'The Future of Knowledge' strips away traditional business thinking to reveal the new patterns of management thought and practice essential for success in a more complex world.Customer Reviews:
A great piece!.......2006-03-23
Value Networks: Seeing the unseen value of intangibles.......2003-11-11
The idea that there should be any enthusiasm about another book on knowledge would normally be questionable, given the number of books published on knowledge management in recent years, and the attendant hype accompanying such new challenges to business thinking. What makes Allee's contribution special is the elegant manner in which she takes a living systems approach to connect knowledge and value in a profound yet pragmatic way.
The focus on value is particularly appropriate for business given that profitability, the lifeblood of any commercial enterprise, depends on the discovery and creation of value. With the new era of the "extended enterprise" model of the organisation, in that any company competes in a supply chain and wider business ecosystem of customers, suppliers, joint venture partners and other stakeholders, the value network approach is a potentially powerful one in helping to identify, investigate and, ultimately exploit key relationships within the network.
Where Allee perhaps scores highest with her approach is in her treatment of intangible deliverables within value networks, and the introduction of a simple, practical set of tools to assist with the mapping of both intangible and tangible relationships. Because value networks take a living systems perspective, it deals with real people - either individuals, small groups or teams, business units, organisations, industry groups, communities or nation states - dealing with value exchanges flowing between participants in the network, linked by arrows showing the transactions and deliverables of value exchanges.
The power of value networks lies in its simplicity and practicality. As well as providing a structured framework for dealing with intangibles, it also raises interesting questions and challenges assumptions about the real nature of networks in action and the value being created (or destroyed) within these networks.
If business leaders aspire to understand the deeper dynamics of value creation in their extended enterprise networks, The Future of Knowledge will provide them with the philosophy, the roadmap and the tools to guide them.
A refreshing new look at established concepts.......2003-02-19
Overall, the book offers a fresh, thought-provoking look at what have become already become well-worn concepts in the knowledge management field. Allee has synthesized a diverse array of ideas and concepts and theories from multiple disciplines to this work.
Part I tends to be a little abstract and theoretical and some of the ideas here about the new knowledge economy and intangible assets will not be new to anyone familiar with knowledge management. However, it does provide a useful context for subsequent chapters. At the end of chapter 5, the checklist of 'where we are now in the learning journey or knowledge continuum' is a useful summary of current thinking. Allee takes an organic view of knowledge networks and communities, such that rather than trying to create them in organizations, it is better to simply find those that already exist and make them visible to themselves and the rest of the organization.
The discussion on how intangibles 'go to market' challenges the notion that we can create value from them in the same way that we do from tangible assets. But perhaps the most interesting section of the book is that which discusses mapping value networks, and the practical examples that are provided. It is here that Allee brings together the concepts discussed in Part I and we begin to see the whole picture that she is building. These chapters will be of particular interest to practitioners who are attempting to grapple with creating value from knowledge in their own, or their client's organizations, and identifying where to focus their attention.
Allee has the capacity to discuss complex issues in a simple and straightforward way without allowing us to feel that we've been shortchanged. Essentially, each chapter offers a simple message. In her discussion of communities of practice, there is a clear message is that knowledge cannot be separated from the human networks that create it, use it and transform it. Similarly, in Chapter 6, she argues that the best technology infrastructure does not guarantee knowledge sharing - organizational intelligence is not a technology question, it is a human question.
At one point, Allee refers to the ancient saying that one cannot step into the same river twice (pp. 143) because the water is never the same water. This is analogous to what Allee has done with in this book - although the concepts, and ideas may seem familiar and have certainly been discussed previously in the plethora of books and articles currently available, she has presented them in a refreshing new way and brought together diverse ideas to challenge our assumptions. It is well worth reading.
Accounting for Intangibles.......2002-11-19
A must read!.......2002-10-18
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The Chief Learning Officer (CLO): Driving Value Within a Changing Organization Through Learning and Development (Improving Human Performance)
Tamar Elkeles , and Jack J. Phillips Manufacturer: Butterworth-Heinemann ProductGroup: Book Binding: Paperback Similar Items:
ASIN: 0750679255 |
Book Description
New business realities and customer demands, coupled with new technologies in a changing competitive landscape are causing corporate learning departments to rethink their value, role, and impact in the organization. In a constantly changing business landscape with limited resources and tight budgets, learning must be viewed as essential to a successful achievement of business goals. The individual driving this function, the Chief Learning Officer (CLO), is in a unique position to add significant value to the organization. The role of the CLO is to drive value, focusing on issues such as business alignment, managing resources, innovation, customer service and ROI. The challenge is to show value to the organization in terms that business leaders and financial analysts can understand and appreciate. Written from the perspective of the CLO, this book discusses nine important value-adding strategies, making up this critical role of the CLO of the future. At least twenty high profile CLOs provide their strategies on each of these issues.
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Performance Through Learning: Knowledge Management in Practice (Improving Human Performance)
Carol Gorelick , Kurt April , and Ph.D., Nick Milton Manufacturer: Butterworth-Heinemann ProductGroup: Book Binding: Paperback Similar Items:
ASIN: 0750675829 |
Book Description
Performance Through Learning is a practical guide to the key issues surrounding knowledge management from a human resource perspective and provides incisive insights into developing a strategy linked to organizational learning. The authors present a framework and model that practitioners within organizations can adapt to increase performance through learning using knowledge management tools. The book is divided into two parts and includes:Download Description
Performance Through Learning is a practical guide to the key issues surrounding knowledge management from a human resource perspective and provides incisive insights into developing a strategy linked to organizational learning. The authors present a framework and model that practitioners within organizations can adapt to increase performance through learning using knowledge management tools. The book is divided into two parts and includes: *An overview of theory *Case studies and practitioner stories from a range of KM initiatives *Tools and techniques for implementing an effective KM strategy. Written by a respected international author team, the book provides an understanding of the theory that supports knowledge management in the current business environment. Drawing upon real-life examples across a variety of organizational settings, from large global financial and professional services firms, to multinational oil and mining companies.Customer Reviews:
Getting value out of learning.......2005-08-16
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Business Process Improvement Through E-collaboration: Knowledge Sharing Through The Use Of Virtual Groups
Ned F. Kock Manufacturer: Idea Group Publishing ProductGroup: Book Binding: Hardcover ASIN: 159140357X Release Date: 2005-05-20 |
Product Description
Business Process Improvement Through E-Collaboration: Knowledge Sharing Through the Use of Virtual Groups is written around two main theses. The first is that business process improvement, a key element of the most influential management movements since the 1980s, can itself be considerably improved by the use of information technology. The second is that process improvement affects organizational knowledge sharing in a non-linear way, and that the use of e-collaboration technologies can boost this influence by increasing the breadth and speed of knowledge dissemination in organizations. Business Process Improvement Through E-Collaboration: Knowledge Sharing Through the Use of Virtual Groups discusses key findings in connection with effects of e-collaboration technologies on business process improvement groups, making this book an important tool for academia and businesses everywhere.Customer Reviews:
Excellent "Real World" Literature.......2005-07-01
Excellant Resource for E-collaboration implementation in BPR.......2005-06-30
Excellant learning as well as work tool.......2005-06-30
Understanding not just Learning.......2005-06-14
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Transformational Learning: Renewing Your Company Through Knowledge and Skills
Daniel R. Tobin Manufacturer: Wiley ProductGroup: Book Binding: Hardcover ASIN: 0471132896 |
Book Description
In their headlong rush to transform themselves to meet the challenges of global competition, companies have invested millions in new technologies and grand reengineering schemes. In all too many cases, the outcomes have been smaller, disgruntled staffs and, from a competitive standpoint, business as usual, or worse. As Daniel R. Tobin demonstrates in this groundbreaking book, while technology may help to facilitate change, change always originates with people. That's why today's most successful businesses are those in which individuals at every levelâfrom the mailroom to the executive suiteâare committed to acquiring new knowledge and skills that will help their company win the battle for market share. While the concept of the learning organization is not newâit has been a major theme in corporate America ever since Peter Senge's 1990 classic The Fifth Disciplineâuntil now, no single source provided the tools needed to translate that vision into everyday reality.The first nuts-and-bolts guide to building a learning organization, Transformational Learning supplies step-by-step guidance and the tools you need to put learning organization concepts into daily practice. You'll learn how to align your group's learning initiatives with long-range company goals, develop a renewable learning system, measure the group's learning "vital signs," develop partnerships with key leaders throughout the organization, and much more. And with the help of many instructive and inspiring case studies from major North American and international companies, including Corning, PPG, Amoco, and Sun Microsystems, you'll discover how real people have successfully implemented transformational learning principles to help their organizations bounce back from crises, sustain and magnify successes, and forge a powerful new competitive edge.
Drawing upon more than 20 years of experience as a leading corporate education expert, Tobin also introduces an array of original tools and techniques that have yielded remarkable results in case after case. He describes a dynamic new model that helps companies maximize the capture and use of crucial information. He details a revolutionary approach to benchmarking that helps you zero in on and exploit the best knowledge and skill resources available both within and outside your company. And he provides a comprehensive new method for building a knowledge network and tying it effectively into your company's transformational goals.
A comprehensive guide to making learning organizational principles a practical reality in your organization, Transformational Learning is a must read for every manager, executive, and team leader.
"The solid linkage Dan Tobin forges between the core value of continuous learning and the never-ending quest for profitability is an essential extension to the idea of the Learning Organization. Small, medium, and large companies can use Tobin's ideas to create a learning strategy that directly supports corporate renewal and long-term growth." âTheodore B. Kinni Founder, The Business Reader
"To survive in this constantly changing new world, a company will have to renew itself many times in its life cycle; the key to renewal will be learning. This book is a must read for both the CEO and the training manager of the company who want to better understand their roles for that life cycle and the attainable future." âRay Morrison, PhD Administrator, Lockheed Technical Institute
"Transformational Learning focuses people on a vision of what they need to learn to take action and ownership for changing themselves and their jobs. It is the engine that drives people to achieve their company's strategic goals . . . that is what measures the real success or failure of a corporate training function." âJoe Slezak Mercury Marine
"This is the best book I know of that can be used by leaders to build organizational commitment to understanding and achieving excellence." âJames R. Marchant Vice President, Human Resources Avenor, Inc.
"Dan Tobin's Transformational Learning: Renewing Your Company Through Knowledge and Skills aids business leaders in understanding how to use information technology, not be victimized by it. I recommend that business leaders expecting to prosper beyond the next five years read this book." âSteven J. Bomba Vice President, Technology Johnson Controls, Inc.
"This immensely readable book can help improve any manufacturer, large or small." âJoan Carvell Vice President California Manufacturing Technology Center
Customer Reviews:
Transformational Learning - readable, interesting, relevant........1996-09-27
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Learning Through Knowledge Management
Pervaiz K. Ahmed , Kwang Kok Lim , and Ann Y E Loh Manufacturer: Butterworth-Heinemann ProductGroup: Book Binding: Paperback Similar Items:
ASIN: 0750647108 |
Book Description
'Learning through Knowledge Management' provides an insightful overview of the main issues integrating learning and Knowledge Management. It offers a rich resource of case examples that highlight Knowledge Management in practice.
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Performance Support Solutions: Achieving Business Goals Through Enabling User Performance
William Bezanson Manufacturer: Trafford Publishing ProductGroup: Book Binding: Paperback Similar Items:
ASIN: 1553694678 Release Date: 2006-07-06 |
Product Description
Performance support is a rapidly growing discipline of enabling human performance on the job, rather than through off-job training or extensive reading, thus helping organizations to achieve business goals. This book summarizaes many ways of incorporating techniques of performance support which product groups can adopt, to have profound impacts on their businesses.
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Competing through Knowledge: Building a Learning Organisation (Response Books)
Madhukar Shukla Manufacturer: Sage Publications Pvt. Ltd ProductGroup: Book Binding: Hardcover ASIN: 0803993889 |
Book Description
In todayÆs turbulent business environment, the conventional bases of competitive strategy are increasingly being eroded. In such an environment, the ability to generate and acquire new knowledge is becoming an essential prerequisite for success. This emerging paradigm of business treats knowledge and learning as the singular basis not only for competitive success, but also for corporate survival. Most books on the subject adopt either one of two mutually exclusive approachesùthe first places emphasis on learning as an activity internal to the organization, while the second views learning as a resource to be leveraged by the organization. In Competing Through Knowledge, the first to emanate from India on the subject, Dr. Madhukar Shukla integrates both these approaches and focuses not only on how organizations learn, but also on how they can (and do) use knowledge and learning as strategic weapons to transform their operating paradigms. Beginning with a discussion on the radical changes taking place in the Indian business environment and the need for Indian organizations to develop learning capabilities, the first part of the book provides a framework to understand the dynamics of knowledge-based competition. The second part details six case studies of organizations that have encouraged learning and have utilized knowledge as a competitive asset. Generalizing from these cases, which also serve as benchmarks, the third and last part discusses the architecture of a learning organization and the qualitative shift required in the organization paradigm. Illustrating the ideas and concepts with real-life examples and case studies, including several from India, this book demonstrates the applicability of the new paradigm of the learning organization in the changing Indian business environment. This extremely readable book will appeal to CEOs, practicing managers, human resource professionals, and management consultants. It will also serve as supplementary reading for courses on the learning organization, strategic management, and organizational change.Customer Reviews:
An Essential Guide to Managing Learning Times.......2000-04-03
With the examples of case studies of organisations like ABB, British Airways, GE, Citicorp and Xerox , Dr. Shukla shows us how successful corporations around the world are recognising this fact and are trying innovative ways to leverage this capital for competitive advantage...to turnaround themselves, to transform and to innovate.
What makes this book doubly enjoyable, is that it steers as clear of dobbledegook management jargon as much as possible..and when the author has to resort to jargon, they are suitably explained in lay terms. Coupled with examples strewn throughout the book, the often esoteric theories start to make startling sense and sock you between the eye. This book is a must read to all professionals and management people of all hues!
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Competing Through Knowledge: Building a Learning Organization
Madhukar Shukla Manufacturer: Sage Pubns ProductGroup: Book Binding: Paperback ASIN: 0803993897 |
Customer Reviews:
An easy to understand book on a confusing subject.......1998-04-15
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