Abstract

There exists considerable interest in the development of successful knowledge management program initiatives across every industry. This research aims to improve the overall discipline of knowledge management within the context of a corporate environment, so that competitive advantages can be realized from cultivating and sharing tacit knowledge routinely among a company's employees. The analysis of a well-resourced knowledge management program will allow guidelines to be developed to prescribe successful future knowledge management programs. Prior studies may have missed the human factors elements related to how employees learn and build knowledge in the workplace. Specifically, the learning group (LG) portion of this company's knowledge management program was studied to understand if this tool made advancements in the human behavior change needed for a successful knowledge management effort. Three main research questions focused on the communication, support, and evidence of successful collaboration were studied through a qualitative evaluation. LG focus, maturity, and connection to the business processes were considered. This provided evidence of patterns in the infrastructure, scope of the effort, focus of curriculum and workflows that were considered in the LG establishment. For technological companies, LGs are a good vehicle to augment knowledge management efforts. These drive awareness of the effort, help produce content, and establish an atmosphere of collaboration for ongoing professional development and education. The LGs are a compulsory tool to take an organization through the change management needed to generate and utilize the appropriate content of a knowledge management system. Leadership style is a key factor to evolve into a learning organization. A strong organization centric leader seems to provide the interconnectivity to the overarching knowledge management effort. Strategies that connect the LGs to the knowledge database provided a catalyst to change the standard behavior with how information about tacit knowledge was stored/shared. This provided awareness to begin using the knowledge management database as a resource. The LGs are the people based infrastructure required to break down the barriers of collaboration in a corporate setting. The human and social aspects are the most important considerations to address for organizations trying to evolve into learning organizations for strategic benefit.

Library of Congress Subject Headings

Dissertations (EdD) -- Educational technology; Knowledge management; Organizational learning; Organizational effectiveness; Teams in the workplace

Date of Award

2014

School Affiliation

Graduate School of Education and Psychology

Department/Program

Education

Degree Type

Dissertation

Degree Name

Doctorate

Faculty Advisor

Sparks, Paul;

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