No abstract

This study focuses on knowledge management in relation to its organizational context. It argues that knowledge management is not just computer and information systems; it embodies organizational processes that seek to augment the creative, innovative capacity of human beings. Specifically, the study regards the compatibility between the organizational structure and corporate culture essential for activating a knowledge base culture in modern organizations. The study sets a proposed framework on how to transform Arab bureaucracies into knowledge creating cultures by means of designing the right structure in which information sharing, learning and knowledge formation should be parts of the organizational norm.

The research reported in this paper aims to examine the newer leadership styles and their implication for implementing knowledge management in Jordanian organizations. The research investigates Jordanian managers' leadership styles and then compares them with managers in other organizations with different cultures, such as the International Air Transport association (IATA). The issue merits investigation because it has important implications for local as well as international corporations. A survey of 120 managers from Jordan and IATA was undertaken using an established measurement instrument. Results revealed that meanwhile IATA managers preferred transformational than transactional leadership style, in Jordan, there was no clear preference for transactional or transformational style as both were being used. But when compared with IATA managers Jordanian managers showed more inclination towards transactional than transformational behaviors. However, like other comparative research, this study shares the limitation of likely sampling bias. Moreover, it did not take into account the political realities of conducting social science research in countries with long authoritarian histories, such as Jordan, which present the likelihood of further response bias.

As considerable research has examined cultural influences on organizations exploring if cultural similarities between nations might lead businesses to matched structures arise an important issue.Hence, this study aims to examine the structure of Jordanian and Japanese companies on subjective cultural and the objective structural characteristics. The cultural characteristics of Jordan and Japan were established on their power distance and uncertainty avoidance orientations, and the structural characteristics were established on the locus of decision making and the degree of structuring of activities. The sample comprised of twelve companies each from Jordan and Japan matched in size, dependence and operation technology. Data of the Jordanian companies were collected through structured interviews and data of Japanese companies were derived from Azumi and McMillan's study (1975) that used the same instrument of measurement. The analysis revealed that on the cultural dimensions a "full bureaucracy" is a preferred structure in Jordan and Japan because it fits the desired 'pyramid form' in the minds of Jordanian and Japanese managers, but on the structural dimensions, results revealed that companies in Jordan and Japan are designed in a "personnel bureaucracy" form of structure. The results have implications for further research in cross-cultural comparative management.