- Library Home /
- Search Collections /
- Open Collections /
- Browse Collections /
- UBC Theses and Dissertations /
- Creating knowledge in a small business: a qualitative...
Open Collections
UBC Theses and Dissertations
UBC Theses and Dissertations
Creating knowledge in a small business: a qualitative case study Allan, Suzanne Christine
Abstract
This study investigates how knowledge is created in a small business organization. Knowledge creation refers to organizational learning which results in innovation. The research design was a qualitative, single site case study of three firms in the point of sale industry. Data collection took place during a six month field study and employed multiple methods including participant observations, interviews, document reviews, and field journal entries. The study was informed by a conceptual framework which focused on the importance of both tacit and explicit knowledge forms, multiple modes of knowledge conversion (socialization, externalization, combination, internalization), and a knowledge spiraling process. Six themes emerged from the data. The first theme, "the people are the business" indicated that individuals become a knowledge creating structure that transcends office boundaries. A second theme, "we just spend tons of time talking", emphasized the importance of dialogue and informal communication structures to the sharing of tacit knowledge. A third theme, "there hasn't been a new idea in a million years", illustrated the predominance of incremental rather than radical innovation, the strategy of mimicking concept successes, and the importance of learning with other organizations through strategic alliances. A fourth theme, "you learn from your mistakes", represented the experiential nature of learning within the firm. A fifth theme, "it's one of those crystal ball kind of things" depicted the intuitive nature of personal knowledge and its limitations. Finally, the sixth theme, "a day late and a dollar short" explored how time and money pressures both enhance and hinder knowledge creation within a small business context. By comparing the themes to the conceptual framework the study concluded that small business organizations create knowledge in accordance with the nature of interpersonal interactions as they occur in context. The theoretical knowledge spiral was reconceptualized as a web structure in order to accommodate more diversity of approaches to knowledge creation and the complex nature of innovations.
Item Metadata
Title |
Creating knowledge in a small business: a qualitative case study
|
Creator | |
Publisher |
University of British Columbia
|
Date Issued |
1996
|
Description |
This study investigates how knowledge is created in a small business
organization. Knowledge creation refers to organizational learning which results in
innovation. The research design was a qualitative, single site case study of three firms in
the point of sale industry. Data collection took place during a six month field study and
employed multiple methods including participant observations, interviews, document
reviews, and field journal entries.
The study was informed by a conceptual framework which focused on the
importance of both tacit and explicit knowledge forms, multiple modes of knowledge
conversion (socialization, externalization, combination, internalization), and a knowledge
spiraling process. Six themes emerged from the data. The first theme, "the people are
the business" indicated that individuals become a knowledge creating structure that
transcends office boundaries. A second theme, "we just spend tons of time talking",
emphasized the importance of dialogue and informal communication structures to the
sharing of tacit knowledge. A third theme, "there hasn't been a new idea in a million
years", illustrated the predominance of incremental rather than radical innovation, the
strategy of mimicking concept successes, and the importance of learning with other
organizations through strategic alliances. A fourth theme, "you learn from your
mistakes", represented the experiential nature of learning within the firm. A fifth theme,
"it's one of those crystal ball kind of things" depicted the intuitive nature of personal
knowledge and its limitations. Finally, the sixth theme, "a day late and a dollar short"
explored how time and money pressures both enhance and hinder knowledge creation
within a small business context.
By comparing the themes to the conceptual framework the study concluded that
small business organizations create knowledge in accordance with the nature of
interpersonal interactions as they occur in context. The theoretical knowledge spiral was
reconceptualized as a web structure in order to accommodate more diversity of
approaches to knowledge creation and the complex nature of innovations.
|
Extent |
7089649 bytes
|
Genre | |
Type | |
File Format |
application/pdf
|
Language |
eng
|
Date Available |
2009-02-17
|
Provider |
Vancouver : University of British Columbia Library
|
Rights |
For non-commercial purposes only, such as research, private study and education. Additional conditions apply, see Terms of Use https://open.library.ubc.ca/terms_of_use.
|
DOI |
10.14288/1.0055453
|
URI | |
Degree | |
Program | |
Affiliation | |
Degree Grantor |
University of British Columbia
|
Graduation Date |
1996-11
|
Campus | |
Scholarly Level |
Graduate
|
Aggregated Source Repository |
DSpace
|
Item Media
Item Citations and Data
Rights
For non-commercial purposes only, such as research, private study and education. Additional conditions apply, see Terms of Use https://open.library.ubc.ca/terms_of_use.