Cross‐generational knowledge flows in edge organizations
| DOI | https://doi.org/10.1108/02635570710822787 |
| Pages | 1123-1153 |
| Published date | 02 October 2007 |
| Date | 02 October 2007 |
| Author | Jay Liebowitz,Nirmala Ayyavoo,Hang Nguyen,Deborah Carran,James Simien |
| Subject Matter | Economics,Information & knowledge management,Management science & operations |
Cross-generational knowledge
flows in edge organizations
Jay Liebowitz, Nirmala Ayyavoo and Hang Nguyen
Department of Information Technology, Carey Business School,
Johns Hopkins University, Rockville, Maryland, USA
Deborah Carran
JHU School of Education, Johns Hopkins University,
Columbia, Maryland, USA, and
James Simien
Institute for Distribution and Assignment Systems,
Navy Personnel Research Studies and Technology (NPRST),
Millington, Tennessee, USA
Abstract
Purpose – This paper seeks to investigate how cross-generational biases affect tacit knowledge
transfer and resulting knowledge flows in edge organizations.
Design/methodology/approach – The paper applied hypothesis testing
x
2
s, as well as
ethnographic analysis.
Findings – Cross-generational biases affect tacit knowledge transfer and resulting knowledge flows
in edge-like organizations. Other factors, such as trust, loyalty, work ethics, and family values, also
affect knowledge flows.
Research limitations/implications – Sample size should be increased for future work, as well as
applying the results in a defense/military environment.
Practical implications – The results of the paper should influence succession planning, human
capital strategy, and knowledge management efforts in edge-like organizations.
Originality/value – The work is quite novel as it integrates inter-generational differences, tacit
knowledge transfer, and knowledge flows in edge organizations.
Keywords Tacit knowledge,Knowledge transfer, Knowledgemanagement, Organizational culture
Paper type Research paper
1. Edge organizations: criteria for success
Edge organizations allow individuals “at the edge” to be empowered. As such, edge
organizations can take many forms. Certainly, terrorist cells are a type of edge organization
where cells operate fairly autonomously, yet have an encompassing vision in mind. Other
edge-like organizations may include jazz ensembles, soccer teams, open source
development teams, small businesses, and university research teams. For our research,
we are our Spring 2007 semester MS-ITS (Master of Science-Information and
Telecommunications Systems for Business) capstone teams at Johns Hopkins University
to form our edge-like organizations for testing our cross-generational knowledge
The current issue and full text archive of this journal is available at
www.emeraldinsight.com/0263-5577.htm
The authors gratefully acknowledge the support of Dr David Alberts in the DoD Command &
Control Research Program, and Dr Mark Nissen at the Center for Edge Power at the Naval
Postgraduate School.
Cross-
generational
knowledge flows
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Industrial Management & Data
Systems
Vol. 107 No. 8, 2007
pp. 1123-1153
qEmerald Group Publishing Limited
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DOI 10.1108/02635570710822787
flow model. Most of these 4-5 member teams are multi-generational, and they have a
defined mission to complete for the capstone clients (AARP, GAO, USDA, St Joseph Medical
Center, HHS-Office on Disability, CBH Health, and Goodwill Industries of the Chesapeake
Region). Some of these teams are working together on a collaborative project. Each team
hasaprojectleader.Theteamsaregrantedtremendous autonomy in getting the work done,
and must employ a variety of business and IT specialties during the course of each project.
Nine of the key factors that comprise edge organizations include: robustness,
interoperability, competence, agility, shared awareness, decentralized knowledge and
command, situational leadership, pull and smart, and network-centric focus. In
forming our cross-generational knowledge flow model on edge organizations, we will
use nine key factors for edge organizations, tacit knowledge transfer, and
cross-generational biases as the upper bound based on Miller’s 7 ^2 model. Table I
highlights some of the key research on edge organizations. Nine primary factors for an
edge organization are highlighted below:
(1) Interoperability. This is the ability to work together. Interoperability is
synonymous to edge-type organizations which gives way to quality information
sharing, collaboration, and self-synchronization. All this in turn dramatically
increases mission effectiveness. The degree to which forces are interoperable
directly affects their ability to conduct network-centric operations.
(2) Agility. Edge organizations are agile. Agility allows available information to be
combined in new ways, whereby a variety of perspectives are brought to bear,
and the assets can be employed differently to meet the needs of a variety of
situations. For this same reason, one of the factors of generation biases (i.e. the
ability to deal with ambiguity and change) can be accommodated well by edge
organizations. Edge organizations are particularly well suited to deal with
uncertainty and unfamiliarity because they make more of the relevant
knowledge, experience, and expertise available.
(3) Shared awareness. Shared awareness includes shared understanding of
command intent. Power to edge is inherently a joint and coalition concept.
Again the cross-generational biases-trust, reciprocity, motivation, values, and
societal, organizational culture – will have a great impact on the success of the
edge organization. Furthermore, the size of each group in an edge organization
will significantly influence the sharing of knowledge among them too. Google
(Vise and Malseed, 2005), for example, has found the ideal project team size to
be between three and five persons, dependent upon the scope of the effort.
(4) Decentralized knowledge and command. An edge organization encourages
appropriate interactions between and among any and all members. An edge
organization is characterized by peer-to-peer relationships eliminating
the middle management, and barriers to information sharing and
collaboration are eliminated as well. Its approach to command and control (C2)
breaks the traditional C2 mold by uncoupling C2. Control is not a function of
command but an emergent property that is a function of the initial cond itions, the
environment, and the adversaries.
(5) Situational leadership. In edge organizations, leadership always emerges by
sheer competence and not by position. In edge organizations, no single person
will be in charge all the time. The person with greatest access to information
IMDS
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1124
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