Information technology and knowledge-based business development

Abstract

Information technology creates a very fast increase in the demand for new skills, competencies and knowledge in all types of organisations and in society as a whole. We know how important learning and knowledge development are, but we do not understand how we should bring it about in a rational and e ective way. The objective of this analysis and review is to suggest methods and ideas about how to make optimal use of the intellectual capital in companies, regardless of whether it is carried by people or by information technology. Three models for management of change are presented: (1) allocation of functions, (2) business development, (3) web based learning. Finally the concept of competence ergonomics is introduced to decrease`learning stress'. The ergonomic design of new technology and its related tasks ® t the skill, competence and learning potential of the available personnel.

A Practical Proposal for a “Competence Plan Fulfillment” Key Performance Indicator

“…Each of these definitions depends on the field it is related to and the specific needs it is addressing for that field. Hamel and Prahalad (1994) have defined competence as a bundle of skills and technologies that enables a company to provide benefits for customers rather than single skill or technology (see also Ivergard, 2000;Sydänmaanlakka, 2003). Whether we use some partial definition of competence or not, in a business sense, competence means something that has been used or can be used to deliver some benefit for some beneficiary.…”

“…As we have discussed earlier, there are many definitions of competence (e.g., Hamel and Prahalad, 1994;Ivergard, 2000;Sydänmaanlakka, 2003;Drejer and Riis, 1999), theories of organizational learning (Argyris and Schön, 1978;Kolb, 1984), culture (Schein, 1992) and knowledge management (Kolb, 1984;Nonaka and Takeuchi, 1995). Much of the literature on competence-based strategy does not pay adequate attention to the specification, representation, and management of the competencies of the firm.…”

“…As we have discussed earlier, there are many definitions of competence (e.g., Hamel and Prahalad, ; Ivergard, ; Sydänmaanlakka, ; Drejer and Riis, ), theories of organizational learning (Argyris and Schön, ; Kolb, ), culture (Schein, ) and knowledge management (Kolb, ; Nonaka and Takeuchi, ).…”

“…In other words, for firms competing in a hyper‐competitive environment, competitive advantage should be based on “core competencies” (Prahalad and Hamel, ) and their creative management and innovative nurturing and development. Furthermore, the recent management and leadership research literature (e.g., Sydänmaanlakka, ; Ivergard, ; Laughton and Otteweil, ) stresses the importance of the role of managers/leaders in the development of competence and competence management inside the organization.…”

Supporting continuous learning in a large organization: the role of group and organizational perspectives

“…Iverga˚rd (2000) identifies the lack of cohesion between learning initiatives in different subsystems of an organization as a major problem, and argues that these separate endeavours need to be interfaced, but cannot be turned into a unified structure. Numerous factors can affect the complexity of the integration process, including the relationship between staff and leaders.…”