An essay on corporate epistemology

Abstract

The objective of this essay is to contribute to a new perspective of strategic management by developing a new theory of organizational knowledge. The article focuses on how managers can understand and guide knowledge development processes in organizations. Our epistemology broadens strategic management to also include the advancement activities of the organization. In addition to discussing development of organizational knowledge, the essay also emphasises fundamental consequences for research methodology.

Knowledge acquisition from foreign parents in international joint ventures: an empirical examination in the Hungarian context

“…Prahalad and Bettis (1986), Lyles and Schwenk (1992), and von Krogh et al (1994) underscore that acquiring new knowledge results from organizational members sharing experiences and prior learning. Further, top management plays an important role in defining knowledge structures.…”

Learning to innovate : a series of studies to explore and enable learning in innovation practices

“…Von Krogh, Roos and Slocum (1994) distinguish between survival and advancement. Survival strategies aim to secure current profitability whereas advancement strategies aim to influence future profitability (Scardamalia & Bereiter, 2003b).…”

“…Either one that promotes survival, or one that promotes advancement (Von Krogh et al, 1994). Survival strategies aim to secure current profitability, while advancement strategies strive to develop future profitability (Scardamalia & Bereiter, 2003b).…”

Assessment of Operational Experience as Strategy for Knowledge Acquisition and Learning in Organizations

“…Learning is the process whereby knowledge is created through the transformation of experience (Kolb, 1984). However, these aspects while necessary, are not sufficient, since the organizational knowledge should be shared, it is conditioned by people can establish formal and informal relations and the need of an evaluation from the observation of the organization of itself (Von Krogh et al, 1994). In this sense, the organizations which are willing to implement the management of knowledge, must be able to collect in a formal way the experience of the organization, which is ultimately determined by the interaction between people and their organizational structures, and between the organization and its environment (companies of the same sector of activity, customers and suppliers).…”