Information and Informality: Leaders as Knowledge Brokers in a High-Tech Firm

Abstract

The article presents an empirical study of informal leadership in an international high-tech company. The empirical work consisted of qualitative observation and shadowing of managers in the company, and a total of 14 interviews. The transcribed fieldnotes and audio recordings of observations and interviews were analyzed thematically, resulting in three central themes: informality, information based authority, and information brokering. The general informal character of interactions at work included a network based information dissemination. In these networks, persons were percieved as informal leaders on the basis of their possession of reliable knowledge in technical as well as organizational domains. The informal leaders engaged in interpretation and brokering of information and knowledge, as well as in mediating strategic values and priorities on both formal and informal arenas. Informal leaders were thus seen to function on the level of the organization as a whole, and in cooperation with formal leaders. Drawing on existing theory of leadership in creative and professional contexts, this cooperation can be specified to concern task structuring. The informal leaders in our study contributed to task structuring through sensemaking activities, while formal leaders focused on aspects such as clarifying output expectations, providing feedback, project structure, and diversity.

O papel dos agentes de suporte à inovação no desenvolvimento de empresas de base

“…The qualitative research normally allows a deep view of the interaction between researched agents and their external context (Larsson et al, 2011;Voss et al, 2002;Yin, 1994), what is in consonance with the purposes of this research. Another purpose is to allow the comparative analysis (e.g.…”

“…Lastly, another ISAs' information role identified is to become a reference to external agents, as a place which gathers innovation firms, hence, acting as a technological broker (Larsson et al, 2011;Verona et al, 2006), reducing the social searching costs (Stigler, 1961). In this case, the ISAs become a reference agent to external agents who seek to some specific resource based on innovation.…”

“…Finally, another agent that can play the role of linkage agent is the broker (Aval and Maimon, 1978;Johnson and Schneider, 1995). Although the brokerage process frequently is used in the context of economic transactions, it can also refer to knowledge and information brokerage, mainly in the context of high-tech firms (Larsson et al, 2011;Verona et al, 2006).…”

“…An example of this situation was found in the ZAB which established a partnership with another firm of the ZSP (It was not visited in this research) to develop a specific software to one client. Table 6 summarizes the social roles of ISAs as the linkage agent between its NTBFs and the external environment, that is, as the function of technological broker (Larsson et al, 2011;Verona et al, 2006). Firstly, mentorship is an approach commonly used by BAs and BIs.…”

Burns, Senge, and the Study of Leadership

“…The articles in this category made brief mention of learning organizations or their components a) The learning organization (Brookes, 2011;Kaufman, 2009;Kodish, 2006;Lane & Klenke, 2004;Song & Kolb, 2012). b) Systems thinking (one of the five disciplines) (Black & Copsey, 2014;Chermack, 2003;Dittmar, 2006;Lahdenperä, Gustavsson, Lundgren, & Schantz Lundgren, 2016;Larsson, Segerstéen, & Svensson, 2011;Lengnick-Hall & Inocencio-Gray, 2013;Lynham & Chermack, 2006;Middlebrooks, Miltenberger, Tweedy, Newman, & Follman, 2009;Peterson, 2008;Satterwhite, Sheridan, & McIntyre, 2016;Song & Kolb, 2012;Steinbauer, Rhew, & Chen, 2015).…”