دانلود رایگان مقاله نقش رهبری دانش گرا در روش های مدیریت نوآوری و دانش

ABSTRACT

This study aims to examine the role of a specific type of organizational leadership – knowledge-oriented leadership – in knowledge management (KM) initiatives that seek to achieve innovation. An analysis of the knowledge-based view of the firm gives rise to several hypotheses, with structural equation modeling (SEM) analysis through partial least squares (PLS) providing the methodology to test these hypotheses. This approach yields results for a sample of empirical data from technology industries. This paper presents empirical evidence of the mediating effect of KM practices in the relationship between knowledge-oriented leadership and innovation performance. In line with previous literature, results show that, although KM practices themselves are important for innovation purposes, the existence of this kind of leadership encourages the development and use of KM exploration (i.e., creation) and exploitation (i.e., storage, transfer, and application) practices. A major implication is that, as a result of this development and the use of KM practices, the firm is able to improve its performance in product innovation.

4. Discussion and conclusion

The volume of research on how best to design and implement organizational factors to yield further innovation is growing, owing to this question's theoretical importance and practical relevance for firms. Among these factors, leadership is a way of establishing a clear direction for employees to accomplish organizational tasks (Dessler, 2001). This article's thesis is that, in knowledge-based organizations, leadership should also contribute to creating the conditions for adequate management of knowledge through KM initiatives (Yahya & Goh, 2002). To gain competitive advantages based on innovation, knowledge creation, transfer, and application is necessary beforehand to develop new products that allow the firm to reach the competitive frontier (DeCarolis & Deeds, 1999). From this perspective, knowledge-oriented leadership behaves like a dynamic capability, with a focus on the continuous recon- figuration of a firm's knowledge position through initiatives to articulate, codify, and utilize both tacit and explicit knowledge (Wang & Ahmed, 2007; Zollo & Winter, 2002). The first objective of this paper has been to analyze the extent to which a specific type of leadership behavior – knowledge-oriented leadership – is an essential element for technology firms to obtain further innovation. The results confirm that the existence of this kind of leadership – combining features of transformational and transactional leadership styles, along with elements of effective motivation and communication – is antecedent to the KM practices of creation, transfer, storage, and application. First, the results of the study show knowledge-oriented leadership's strong impact on KM creation practices. These initiatives mainly relate to experimentation through internal R&D and shifts in current technological trajectories (Gupta, Smith, & Shalley, 2006). In this regard, a strong knowledge-oriented leadership position forces the firm to embark on substantial investment and development initiatives to generate new knowledge. This kind of organizational leadership leads the firm's employees to believe that knowledge creation, via R&D support, is essential for organizational development and competitive advantage (Nonaka & Takeuchi, 2011).