Malaysian Knowledge Management and Innovation

Nations seek to develop new ways of competing on the market. As the world economy sputters along the race for development continues at a renewed pace. The Internet has afforded new ways of using information and those industries and nations that can capitalize on knowledge acquisition the most are likely to see growth in their revenue and subsequent GNP. 

Malaysia has increased in financial and social prominence throughout Southeast Asia. Many of the organizations have capitalized on the new knowledge based technologies to create international competitiveness and improve on national output (Özçelik & Taymaz, 2002). They were able to find methods of gaining, sharing, and implementing such knowledge. 

Yet such gaining, sharing and implementing is not a onetime event. Effective innovation requires a cultural change that creates sustained momentum (Davenport and Prusak, 1998). People should become accustomed through their daily routines to this sharing and developing new knowledge. 

Effective application of innovation requires the ability to put to strong use what is learned. Accordingly, knowledge gaining, knowledge sharing, and application are key components (Zheng, 2005). Such processes of learning, sharing, and implementation should be as efficient and effective as possible. 

Capitalizing on knowledge networks requires the ability to effectively tie new information together in new ways to solve problems. Gaining knowledge alone is not enough. It must be analyzed and connected to other knowledge create and effective solution. Organizations that are more able to effectively capitalize on this connecting of information have significant competitive advantages. 

Research by Tan and Mohd (2010) help to highlight innovative knowledge sharing in Malaysia. A total of 674 large manufacturing firms were found in the Malaysian states of Selangor, Pulau Pinang,

Johor, Kedah, Kuala Lumpur, and Perak for possible testing. Of these potential contributors a total of 171 usable survey responses were returned for analysis. The purpose of the study was to study the influence of knowledge management effectiveness on aspects of administrative and technology innovation.

Results:

-Knowledge management has a significant impact on firm innovation. When firms are able to share and manage knowledge both internally among agents and externally among partners they are able to link information for potential solutions.

-Knowledge gained should be put into training programs for employees and then applied to the workplace.

-Pathways should be developed that allow for transference of knowledge from company to employee, employee to employee, and employee to company.

-Companies should help to encourage employee problem solving abilities.

-With effective knowledge management firms will better be able to capitalize on technology and administrative innovations.

Analysis: 

Organizations that seek to develop stronger innovation networks to capitalize on both administrative and technological advantages need to first create these proper networks and then the cultural routines to ensure the programs are in proper use. New knowledge is gained through these networks by connecting information together in unique ways to solve problems and develop more effective solutions. Effective development of information sharing networks between organizations can lead to further development of national growth. 

Davenport, T., & Prusak, L. (1998). Working knowledge. How organization manage what they know. Boston, MA: Harvard Business Review School Press.

Tan, C. & Mohd, A. (2010). An empirical study of knowledge management effectiveness and organizational innovation in Malaysia manufacturing firms. Proceedings of the International Conference on Intellectual Capital, Knowledge management & Organizational Learning. 

Özçelik, E., & Taymaz, E. (2002). Does Innovativeness Matter for International Competitiveness in Developing Countries? The Case of Turkish Manufacturing Industries, (ERC Working Papers in Economics 01/07), [online], Ankara, Turkey: Middle East Technical University, Department of Economics, Economic Research Center. http://www.erc.metu.edu.tr/menu/series01/0107.pdf

Zheng, W. (2005). The impact of organizational culture, structure, and strategy on knowledge management effectiveness and organizational effectiveness. Published Doctoral of Philosophy dissertation. University of Minnesota, United States: Faculty of The Graduate School.

Knowledge Sharing Networks and Employee Motivation as Precursors to Organizational Innovation

We are in the massive explosive age of knowledge sharing and virtual information transference. Organizations are scrambling to find ways of capitalizing on the large movement of information in order to create more efficient and innovative firms. Research helps to support the concepts that effective knowledge sharing is part communication technology and part human motivation. 

Knowledge sharing creates opportunities for organizations to meet the needs of customers, generate solutions and create efficiencies that provide opportunity for organizations to more effectively compete on the open market (Reid, 2003). Through this sharing of knowledge workers can better enhance both their personal efforts as well as the resources of the organization. 

Organization innovation often rests on the ability to make meaning of important information and then applying it to solve important problems. According to Scarbrough (2003) knowledge sharing is essential to the development of higher levels of innovative output. Problem solving requires the collaboration of skills and information in order to effectively complete and this is where knowledge sharing has its value.

Simply because an organization has developed knowledge sharing networks does not necessarily mean that they will be utilized effectively. There are individual, organizational, and technology related factors to the success of such networks (Taylor and Write, 2004). Each of these factors can influence the viability and practical utility of such systems making them either profitable or sunk costs with no opportunity for recovery. 

Employees must also willingly engage in such knowledge sharing projects. Without employee participation and belief that the networks are important to them they won’t be utilized to their fullest extent. Thus such networks need to have value for the members and contribute to their personal goals. 

Research conducted by Hsiu-Fen from the National Taiwan Ocean University in 2007 helps to determine the individual, organizational, and technology related factors in the on knowledge sharing and where or not such factors influence organizational innovation.  After initial pilot testing the study included 172 participants from 50 organizations and analyzed results using the structural equation modeling (SEM). 

Results:

-Enjoyment of helping others and knowledge self-efficiency were strongly associated with employee willingness to share knowledge.

-Top management support was effective for employee willingness to share and collect knowledge on such networks. 

-Positive relationship of information networking and knowledge collecting but not necessarily with the desire to share knowledge. 

-The willingness of employees to both donate and share knowledge has a marked impact on a firm’s innovation capacity. 

Analysis:

Through the study it is possible to see that knowledge sharing networks have an impact on organizational innovative capacities. However, employees must find a beneficial use in the information they are finding as well as a willingness to donate their energy to sharing knowledge. This sharing motivation is rooted in the desire to help others but also is enhanced through the rewards of performance. Organizations that implement such knowledge sharing networks should also consider the human elements of motivation and ease of usage. 

Hsiu-Fen, L. (2007). Knowledge sharing and firm innovation capability: an empirical study. International Journal of Manpower, 28 (3/4). 

Reid, F. (2003). Creating a knowledge sharing culture among diverse business units. Employment Relations Today, 30 (3). 

Scarbrough, H. (2003). Knowledge management, HRM and innovation process. International journal of Manpower, 24 (5). 

Taylor, W. & Wright, G. (2004). Organizational readiness for successful knowledge sharing: challenges for public sector managers. Information Resource management Journal, 17 (2).