Knowledge and relationships: when cooperation is the norm

Abstract

We believe that structural changes in a knowledge economy mean that managers will increasingly seek to make cooperative relationships the norm in their organisations. However, they are hampered in their attempts to do so by organisation designs that institutionalise the dominant assumption about human intentionality, which sees people and their relationships as motivated by self‐interest. We argue that the self‐interest assumption runs counter to the types of cooperation required to leverage fully the potential of the knowledge‐based firm since it provides for relatively restricted forms of social exchange. We propose that the assumption of excellence, as set out by Aristotle in Nicomachean Ethics, provides a valuable alternative. We discuss four tenets of this assumption and find that they suggest important differences in organisation design that are more likely to encourage and institutionalise cooperative relationships. We explore these differences, considering their implications for practice and research.

Creating an Ethical Work Context: A Pathway to Generate Social Capital in the Firm

“…This is the case of the design of compensation policies that reward group performance and cooperative behaviors (Leana and Van Buren, 1999;Nahapiet et al, 2005), organization designs that encourage the formation of networks (Nahapiet et al, 2005), reconsidering physical layout of buildings to encourage informal connections (Brown and Duguid, 2001;Fairtlough, 1994), or rules and procedures that promote stability (Cohen and Prusak, 2000;Leana and Van Buren, 1999). In this respect, Wimbush and Shepard (1994) found that employees in firms characterized by ethical norms and rules exhibit greater proclivity to behave ethically than in instrumental work contexts.…”

Public Bureaucracy Collaboration: Barriers and Challenges the Academic Perspective

“…This implies that as an economy develops, organizations come closer together to synergize their efforts and capabilities. This occurs both at intra-organizational (Nahapiet, Gratton & Rocha, 2005) and inter-organizational (Miles, Miles & Snow (2005); Rocha, 2006) levels.…”

HR Practices, Social Climate, and Knowledge Flows: Towards Social Resources Management

“…The objective of this paper is to address this gap by arguing that HR practices may influence employee knowledge sharing attitudes and behaviour through their impact on perceptions of an organisational social climate conducive to cooperative social relations and teamwork orientation. Such a climate has been identified in the literature as key to knowledge exchange and organisational learning (Nahapiet, Gratton, & Rocha, 2005;Jackson, Chuang, Harden, & Jiang, 2006).…”