Intraorganisational Knowledge Transfer in Security-Critical Environments: A Conceptual Framework for High Reliability Or
- PDF / 891,491 Bytes
- 20 Pages / 439.37 x 666.142 pts Page_size
- 19 Downloads / 165 Views
Intraorganisational Knowledge Transfer in Security‑Critical Environments: A Conceptual Framework for High Reliability Organisations Johannes C. Müller1 · Eva‑Maria Kern1 · Jana M. Holling1 Received: 31 March 2020 / Accepted: 10 July 2020 © Springer Nature Switzerland AG 2020
Abstract The purpose of this paper is to discuss the central role of knowledge transfer for high reliability organisations (HROs) and to present new empirically based findings in this context. An explorative approach is used to investigate how HROs deal with the transfer of operational knowledge. Twenty-eight expert interviews with members of five different HROs were conducted and analysed by means of a qualitative data analysis. The conceptual framework presents intraorganisational knowledge transfer in a cyclical way, defining operational knowledge as particularly relevant for HROs. Four influencing factors are highlighted in this context. Informal forms of knowledge transfer turn out to be particularly relevant for HROs, despite their hierarchical structures. Although previous contributions investigate the management of knowledge and its transfer in a broad sense, this paper specifically addresses HROs as a research subject, analysing the transfer of operationally relevant knowledge in several HROs on an empirically substantiated basis. Keywords Knowledge transfer · High reliability organisations · Security-critical environments · Conceptual framework
1 Introduction An adequate handling of knowledge as an important resource is essential for the development of an organisation. This has been subject to intensive discussions for some time now (Reagans et al. 2016; Szulanski et al. 2016; Wathne et al. 1996). In this context, the main question is to what extent knowledge is to be understood as a production factor and how it relates to the classical production factors labour, land * Johannes C. Müller [email protected] 1
Faculty of Economics and Organisational Sciences, Chair of Knowledge Management and Business Process Management, Universität der Bundeswehr München, Werner‑Heisenberg‑Weg 39, 85577 Neubiberg, Germany
13
Vol.:(0123456789)
J. C. Müller et al.
and capital (Shen et al. 2015; Argote et al. 2003; Drucker 1993). Especially, the transfer of knowledge is considered as a key task in dealing with this resource (Burmeister 2017; Szulanski et al. 2016; Kane 2010; Wilkesmann et al. 2009; EasterbySmith et al. 2008). This applies in particular to knowledge transfer in high reliability organisations (HROs), which operate in security-critical environments and thus face specific challenges regarding their performance (Chen et al. 2008; Dietrich and Childress 2004). HROs include, for example, operating teams in hospitals, nuclear power plants or organisations such as the police, police special units, fire brigades, the armed forces or disaster relief organisations. This paper explicitly addresses HROs, whose primary task is to carry out emergency operations. In general, emergency operations can be divided into the segments operatio
Data Loading...
