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Recently, the field of Knowledge Management has seen some movements towards sustainability and more responsible business practices. Especially sustainability has become a hot topic for almost every organization. In this paper, we try to locate the concept of sustainability in the field of Knowledge Management. We argue that lived sustainability is built upon relatedness (the holistic understanding of interdependence and interconnectedness of complex systems) and futureness (adopting a long-term perspective for the management of organizations) that together promote sustainable organizing from the inside-out. We find that in particular two streams, Responsible Knowledge Management and Spiritual Knowledge Management, have taken up ideas that potentially lead to sustainable Knowledge-based Management. Those streams emphasize various forms of non-rational knowledge as a necessary, but previously underrepresented aspect of knowledge, as a counterpart to the instrumental-calculative rationality that has become predominant in the study of organizations and organizational knowledge. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper we describe an approach to assess the impact that a shared vision has on the perceived meaningfulness of work in an organization. Our measurement system is based on the essential principles of performance measurement. Building on this assessment logic, we present the process and respective scales that allow us to measure changes in perceived meaningfulness that occur through a shared vision development process. With this work, we provide a practically applicable measure to evaluate whether the creation of a shared vision is beneficial for an organization. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Currently, the topic of Spiritual Knowledge is discussed in the literature and approaches to systematize this type of knowledge are presented. It seems unquestionable that an important aspect of spiritual knowledge is in particular the topic of meaningfulness. In order to systematize this aspect of spiritual knowledge, it could be helpful to measure the meaningfulness of activities in general and of work in particular. The aim of this paper is to reveal the fundamental dimensions of meaningful work by comparing selected measurement scales. Selected measurements mainly focusing either on meaningful work or on calling are introduced, namely the Comprehensive Meaningful Work Scale, the Work and Meaning Inventory, the Existential Meaning of Work Inventory, the Copenhagen Psychosocial Questionnaire, the Vocation Identity Questionnaire, and the Calling and Vocation Questionnaire. Based on a semantic cluster analysis of their relevant items and an interrater analysis, fundamental dimensions are grasped. Altogethersix dimensions are found: balance, belonging, calling, enjoyment/enablement, significance, and work as an end and not as a means. Based on these dimensions, we propose a general approach to measure meaningfulness in the context of spiritual knowledge. Finally, the relevance of spiritual knowledge and its factor of meaningfulness for modern knowledge management in organizations is discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This conceptual paper outlines the descriptive theoretical foundations or kernel theories for designing an information and communication technology (ICT) tool to assess professional competences in the Austrian trade and craft sector. Upon completion, the ICT-tool serves as a boundary object in which applicants and assessors can interact. While this paper consists of a literature review and conceptual discussion, the overall project is methodologically placed within a multidisciplinary design-science paradigm. Design science scaffolds and structures the development of a theoretical model, the generation of assessment-items and the ICT-tool itself. This paper discusses the necessary descriptive knowledge or kernel theories on which the design of the ICT-tool rests. First, we describe the validation of prior learning -- a process advocated by the European Union to make professional competences visible. Second, we describe the process how professional competences come about: through formal, non-formal and informal learning. Subsequently, we outline a knowledge-driven discourse on professional competences and discuss how different definitions of professional competence afford different approaches for its assessment. By presenting a use-case, we outline how the ICT-tool may guide applicants and assessors through this process. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We report about the design and implementation of an undergraduate course on organizational learning in an Austrian business school. Using problem-based learning, this course enables students to put theories on organizational learning into practice. In a live case study, a case partner from industry provides an unstructured and ill-defined problem which students try to solve. The design and implementation follow a recent call to complement rational-analytic with creative and design-oriented thinking in business schools and leadership education (Glen et al., 2014). The design thinking framework serves as a scaffold to apply theories from organizational learning to the problem. From a researcher's perspective, the course implementation reflects an action research cycle addressing how problem-based learning and design thinking can bring theory on organizational learning into practice. As the course evaluation shows, the proposed course design and implementation are well recognized by the students and are a viable way to teach organizational learning. With this paper, we contribute to the discourse on how design thinking can be applied in business schools and practically outline how it can serve as a scaffold to teach organizational learning. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Our modern economy is characterized by a fast-changing and unpredictable business environment in all areas and sectors. Several authors argue that organizations must meet these conditions by developing sustainable intellectual capital (IC). We propose to consider and implement human needs to build up sustainable IC, which is necessary for the organization's long-term success. In the realm of knowledge-based management, we have developed a methodological framework to generate explicit knowledge about human needs in organizations, which we call Bewextra. Combined with the organization's expertise, explicit need knowledge fosters the reinforcement of IC which in turn allows for developing need-based transformation strategies. Over the past few years, we conducted several successful organizational learning processes where we used human needs to develop IC. These projects covered a variety of organizational domains regarding organizational scope, business environments and size. Thus, we gained vast experience and rich empirical data. In this paper, we reflect on factors, which we found to be decisive for organizational learning processes to develop sustainable IC. Accordingly, the research question is the following: Reflecting on case studies from diverse organizational domains and contexts, what are methodological key factors for enabling sustainable IC in need-based organizational learning processes? To answer this question, we employ a multi case study about projects we conducted over the past few years to then discuss methodological key factors to enable sustainable IC. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The purpose of this paper is to present two concepts, which can be well combined in order to build intellectual capital in organizations. The method of generative listening is described as a listening from the emerging field of future possibility and transformative conversation. It can be seen as the ability to generate or transform one’s own understanding and furthermore it can generate a new space of instructional activities. This type of listening moves beyond the current field and connects us to an even deeper realm of emergence. Peet et al describe it is a process of storytelling, listening, dialogue, and documentation that helps to identify and document the tacit knowledge embedded within key learning experiences. By having students generatively listen to one another, they learn how to surface, identify, and document their own and each other's' tacit capacities, strengths, and skills (Peet et al 2011). A very similar approach, the method of generative knowledge interviewing can be seen as a method of tacit knowledge retrieval, validation and sharing. Roughly speaking, classical learning theories argue that we learn from our past experience and adapt accordingly to cope with the future. Besides the classical theories several authors are proposing a second source of learning, thus a second source for knowledge creation: Learning from the (emerging) future (Greenleaf1977, Jaworski1998, Senge2005, Scharmer2013). Learning from the future signifies a heightened state of attention that allows individuals and groups to operate from a future space of possibility, in which they drop the non-essential aspects of the self and open themselves to new aspects of their highest future possible future self. It is an approach that builds on sensing, presencing and prototyping emerging opportunities. Our paper will be structured in three main parts. First, we will describe the two concepts laying a strong focus on the aspect of knowledge creation and building intellectual capital. Second we will shortly introduce Bewextra (Kaiser et al. 2014) which is a methodology and framework we have developed in the last two years and which uses the concept of generative listening as well as learning from the future. Finally we will present the most important outcomes of two case studies – one with pupils in an Austrian school and another one with Austrian bakers – where we have practically applied Bewextra and point out the potential for building intellectual capital by generative listening and learning from the future. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The field of knowledge management is in its third stage. After its emergence surrounded by a techno-centric paradigm and based on the close connection to information management in which the handling of data seemed to be most promising in order to generate knowledge, the field experienced its first social turn led and heavily influenced by the work of Nonaka who was the first to put the human in the center of any knowledge creating process. Since then, it is widely accepted that knowledge creation is a mainly social process. Shortly after the turn of the century, the field shifted for a second time: Apparently, as a result of the growing challenges of globalized economy accompanied by the phenomenon of decreasing stability and higher uncertainty, the need for new approaches in knowledge management being able to take future demands for new types of knowledge into account has emerged. Future is not a probability-based forward projection of the past. Rather, organizations and individuals need the capacity to sense emerging opportunities and adapt accordingly. There is an apparent need for theories and approaches being able to deal with the future and prepare individuals as wells as organizations for the time to come. In this third stage of knowledge-based management, the most innovative strategies are capable of anticipating and shaping the future. Scharmer's concept of "learning from the future as it emerges" can be seen as a promising strategy to do so. Based on this idea, two recent approaches are considered in this paper, namely the Theory U model for processes of profound change (Scharmer 2009) and the Vikobama method for vision development processes (Kaiser & Fordinal 2010a). The purpose of this paper is to compare Vikobama with Scharmer's Theory U model, both emphasizing on the anticipation of future needs. The paper's focus lies on the depiction of those state-of-the-art concepts to the creation and transfer of knowledge regarding their narrative methods used. The paper will be structured in three main parts. First, it will be argued that taking the future into consideration in knowledge creating processes is necessary and highly valuable. Second, the two concepts named are briefly introduced and analyzed in terms of their concrete realization. In the last chapter, we will give an outlook on how the idea of learning from the future has been advanced and introduce the concept of "interacting with the envisioned future". The main method of this concept is narrative reporting which will be contextually explained. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In his recent work, Nonaka argues that what differentiates firms from one another is their vision of the future and their practical ability to act out and to realize that future vision (Nonaka / Toyama 2008:2). Thus, the development process of a future vision is crucial for the long-term well-being of a company or of an organization. The purpose of this paper is to introduce a new method of a knowledge-based vision development process called VIKOBAMA (Vision development and knowledge-based management). The main focus of this new approach is on the development of a knowledge vision, together with a mission statement on a collective level (of organizations, firms, teams or communities). There are three important and groundbreaking aspects of VIKOBAMA: the creation of self-transcending knowledge is most vital for the whole process the individual visions of the employees are of high importance, and are therefore well integrated into the overall vision of the system a radical bottom-up approach is implemented on a collective level These three aspects are essential steps for the development of a sustainable overall vision of any system. Furthermore, this paper describes some experiences with the method of VIKOBAMA, mainly taken from several case studies with medium-sized companies in Austria. In addition, the paper at hand is one of a few studies which both, theoretically and practically, deals with the aspect of self-transcending knowledge in the context of vision development processes and knowledge-based management on the individual level as well as on the collective level. The paper is organized into three parts. Part 1 points out the importance of a sustainable knowledge vision in companies and gives a short overview on how to create a knowledge vision in the context of the SECI/ba model of Nonaka and his colleagues as well as on the context of the fifth disciplines of organisational learning (system thinking) by Senge. Part-2 introduces the VIKOBAMA method itself and describes the main steps of this knowledge-based vision development process. Moreover it deals with the most important aspects of the creation of self-transcending knowledge, as well as with knowledge transfer and with knowledge distribution of implicit and explicit knowledge. In part-3 several case studies with medium-sized companies in Austria will be analysed, in which we have applied the VIKOBAMA method. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]