Global Leadership
akashaseeja
MGMT5006GLWk10GlobalLeadershipKnowledgeCreationandTransfer.pptxMGMT5006 Global Leadership Week 10: Global Leadership Knowledge Creation and Transfer
Students can pick up a Unit Outline and a number card on the way into class
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Overview
Looking back to Week 9 – Leading Global Change
Week 10 – Global Leadership Knowledge Creation and Transfer:
Types of knowledge and modes of knowledge creation and transfer
Application to global leadership: international experiences
Characteristics
Types of knowledge
Transfer of global leadership knowledge after an international experience
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Looking back to Week 9 Leading Global Change
Last week we considered:
Is implementing change more difficult for global leaders?
How do aspects of culture influence change within organisations?
What are some ways that successful global leaders effect change?
We learned that:
The diversity and dispersion of teams within global organisations provides a unique context for leaders
National culture can influence the way that change is perceived, and can impact effective implementation
Cultural contextualisation of change may be important to the successful roll-out of organisational change
Questions for discussion (open)
Questions for discussion are:
1. What does the world in which I have to function as a leader look like?
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Linking to Week 10 Global Leadership Knowledge Creation and Transfer
This week, we start to think about the development of global leaders. Gaining global leadership knowledge is one key process.
This week we consider:
the ways in which knowledge relevant to global leadership is created;
the characteristics of these experiences; and
how a person's global leadership knowledge is transferred from one situation to another and from the person to their organisation and why this is important.
Week 10 Global Leadership Knowledge Creation & Transfer
Global Leadership Knowledge – Key Ideas
Global leadership knowledge is important for effective leadership
Global leadership knowledge is created and accumulated through exposure to the international/global business context
So -> exposure to international/global business context is key in the development of global leaders
Knowledge accumulated during international assignments is valuable, but poorly managed by organisations
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Knowledge Types – Key Ideas
First, let’s look at the types of knowledge that are important to global leadership and the ways that this knowledge are created.
Knowledge is classified as ‘explicit’ or ‘tacit’
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Explicit knowledge
Transferred to others in formal, systematic ways
Impersonal and independent of any person or situation
Tacit knowledge
Information embedded in people’s experiences
Gained by first-hand experience, intuition, speculation, feeling
Examples: formulas, facts, rules, systems
Difficult to communicate
Example: beliefs, mental models that help us make sense of a situation
Example: know-how, techniques, skills
Knowledge Creation – Key Ideas
There are four types of knowledge creation that create a “cycle of knowledge creation” linking the transfer of explicit and tacit knowledge (Nonaka, 1991)
Socialisation – sharing of existing knowledge, e.g: between master and apprentice, observation and imitation.
Articulation – conversion of tacit knowledge to explicit knowledge, e.g: a master’s knowledge or techniques that is articulated into procedures that can be used by others in the organization.
Combination – combining or synthesizing explicit knowledge to create new knowledge.
Internalisation –application of explicit knowledge to an individual’s personal situation, resulting in expanded tacit knowledge and reframing.
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Socialization
Articulation
Combination
Internalization
Tacit to tacit knowledge transfer
Tacit to explicit knowledge transfer
Explicit to explicit knowledge transfer
Explicit to tacit knowledge transfer
Application to Global Leadership
Consider a career as a ”repository of knowledge”
Different experiences within a career provide opportunities for knowledge creation through various modes
Repeating the sequence of knowledge creation modes leads to knowledge growth
Let’s look at an example from the reading…
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Example of knowledge creation modes Global leadership development
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International Assignment
Team member joins a new work team in international location
Conversations / sharing within the team
Learning by doing
Articulation
(tacit to explicit)
Internalisation
(explicit to tacit)
Newly expressed knowledge about the job
Socialisation
(tacit to tacit)
Adjustment to new location
Sharing of their experiences / observations
Experimenting with new knowledge
Ideas about work context, organization, environment
Combination
(explicit to explicit)
Global Leadership Knowledge International experiences
Qualities of knowledge creating experiences (Nonaka 1994):
International experiences offer:
Variety - a range of new, intense and challenging experiences in a short period of time
Quality – richer and deeper experiences.
More mistakes and failures | heightened success
Intensity / impact – stronger affective reactions, heighted emotional impact chance for greater self-knowledge
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Variety
Quality
Affective intensity / emotional impact
Global Leadership Knowledge – Characteristics of International experiences
International experiences have distinctive characteristics that impact knowledge creation and determine the most effective mode
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Duration
Sequence
Consider knowledge creation cycle when sequencing career roles/ assignments
Need to internalize knowledge from previous roles, otherwise it may be lost
Structure
Consider the types of experiences available in an international assignment
Maximise changes to create new knowledge in individual and in receiving team
Short term vs long term
Degree of difference from home culture
Large difference: socialization (working closely with local)
Small difference: combination (sharing understanding)
Disruption in knowledge creation common when moving from one assignment to another
Provide opportunities for this
Global Leadership Knowledge – International experiences
International experiences bring about specific types of knowledge and skill acquisition
4 types:
Cognitive (knowing what)
Behavioural (knowing how, knowing when)
Relational (knowing who)
Attitudinal – adopting a new attitude or approach, developing ‘self’ competencies
A key impact of international experiences is on self- knowledge: resulting on transformation to attitudes and identity
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Global Leadership Knowledge – Knowledge transfer
Knowledge gained from international experiences / expatriate postings in not often viewed as a valuable resource
When expats come home…
**Dissatisfied repats -> danger of turnover -> loss of knowledge transfer**
Questions to ask within the organisation:
Is new knowledge considered valuable?
How can it be applied to the ‘local / home’ context?
Are repatriates considered a strategic resource?
What is the next role?
How is knowledge shared?
What can organisations do?
What can individuals do?
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Global Leadership Knowledge – Challenges of knowledge transfer – why is it done badly?
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For organisations
Lack of interest
Lack of global mindset within the organisation
Assigning returning employees to roles that do not utilise their international experience
For individuals
Lack of motivation to share new knowledge
Lack of organisational commitment
Lack of self-efficacy / self-belief
Lack of communication processes
Weak social networks
Relevance of new role to precious experience
What do you think?
What can organisations do to improve knowledge transfer?
What can individuals do to improve knowledge transfer?
Global Leadership Knowledge – Knowledge transfer model (Bird & Oddou 2017, p316)
Model indicates key characteristics of individual and organization that will facilitate transfer of global leadership knowledge, obtained during international experiences
Individual
Ability to transfer
Motivation to transfer
Organisation
Ability to receive
Motivation to receive
Shared context
a space for communication
emerges from trust between IND and ORG
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Global Leadership Knowledge Returning employees as a valuable resource and competitive advantage
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Employee - knowledge assets
Perspective shifts
Network knowledge
Global mindset
The Manager's Role
Facilitate or block knowledge transfer
Interest and support
Incorporate into strategic decision making
Personal /'self' attributes
Understand the returning process
Create an open learning environment
The Organisation's Role
Establish knowledge management system
Identify team members with international experience
Create an organisational culture that values learning and global mindset
