the knowledge – creating company
DESCRIPTION
Amer Aljarallah Switi Bora Vivek Voona. The Knowledge – Creating Company. The Distinctive Japanese Approach Tacit/Explicit Knowledge Spiral Model Metaphor, Analogy, and Model Chaos to Concept . Agenda. - PowerPoint PPT PresentationTRANSCRIPT
THE KNOWLEDGE – CREATING COMPANY
Amer AljarallahSwiti Bora
Vivek Voona
The Distinctive Japanese Approach
Tacit/Explicit Knowledge
Spiral Model
Metaphor, Analogy, and Model
Chaos to Concept
Agenda
Japanese business experts Nonaka and Takcuchi are the first to tie the success of Japanese companies to their ability to create new knowledge.
Nonaka proposes a fresh way to think about managerial roles and responsibilities, organizational design, and business practices in the knowledge creating company
Any company that wants to compete on knowledge must also learn from Japanese techniques of knowledge-creation.
• Western knowledge is based on explicit knowledge-They see company as a kind of machine for information processing-Westerners believe that the only useful knowledge data is formal and systematic-hard data, procedures, universal principles
• Tacit knowledge is more important in Japan-Organization is a living organism-Tacit knowledge is highly personal
The Distinctive Japanese Approach
• Tacit knowledgeDifficult to articulate and generally expressible only through actions
• Explicit KnowledgeCan be articulate, codified, stored, transferred through documents.
Tacit Vs Explicit Knowledge
• Socialization
• Externalization
• Combination
• Internalization
Nonaka’s Spiral Model
Problems faced in the development of automatic home bread-making
machine.
-Machine was not kneading dough correctly
-Crust of bread was overcooked
-While inside was hardly done
Analyzed the problem by comparing the x-ray of dough kneaded by the
machine and the dough kneaded by professional baker. Even then they
were unable to obtain meaningful data. No one could explain why.
Matshushita Electric
Ikuko Tanaka SchemeSoftware developer Ikuko Tanaka proposed a creative solution
1. Use Osaka International Hotel’s bread making as model.
2. Tanaka trained with the hotel’s head baker to study kneading technique.
3. She observed baker’s distinctive way of stretching dough.
4. After year of trial and error ,working closely with product engineer she came up with product specification
5. Include additional ribs inside machine.
6. After including additional special ribs inside machine
- Machine reproduced bakers stretching and- Quality bread
Knowledge creation pattern
Metaphors
Metaphors are one of the frequently neglected but highly important management tools for converting Tacit Knowledge to Explicit Knowledge.
Japanese companies use the figurative language of Metaphors at all levels of the company and in all phases of the product development process.
Honda is one such company and following is a closer look at how the use of metaphors in Honda revolutionized the auto market.
Metaphor to Model
“Theory of Automobile Evolution”
“Man-Maximum, Machine-Minimum”
“Let’s Gamble”
“Tall Boy”
Metaphor to Model Contd…
Metaphor to Model Contd…
People
Metaphor + Intuition + Imagination + Symbols
Express the Inexpressible
Analogy
In the Knowledge Creation Process, a Metaphor is only the first stage. The next step is an Analogy.
A Metaphor links two distinct images and is driven by intuition where as an Analogy clarifies the similarities and differences between them and harmonizes the contradictions.
A great example of an Analogy is the Canons development of the revolutionary minicopier.
Metaphor to Model Contd…
Metaphor to Model Contd…
Metaphor to Model Contd…
Pure Imagination
Analogy
Logical thinking
Model • The last step in the knowledge creation process
• Contradictions are resolved
• Concepts become transferable through consistent and systematic logic
Metaphor to Model Contd…
Metaphor to Model Contd…
Metaphor
ModelAnalogy
In theory, we can see the Metaphor, Analogy, and Model as different entities.
In reality, they overlap and is hard to distinguish but the three terms capture the complete Knowledge Creation in an organization.
Redundancy
Business Activities
Managerial Responsibilities
Company Information
From Chaos to Concept
Best approach
Team1Team2
Team3
Internal Competition
R&D
Marketing
Sales
Production Kao
Strategic Rotation
Information for All
Top Management
Middle Management
FrontlineChaos
Vision
ConceptualizationSynthesizingExplicit-ingIncorporating{
The Dynamic Interaction
Umbrella concept“Optoelectronics” – Sharp
Justification of value“It’s our fate to deal with this challenge” -
Mazda
Open-ended vision“Let’s gamble” - Honda
Sense of Direction
