| Self-Transcending Knowledge: Organizing Around Emerging Realities |
| | Scharmer, Claus Otto | Massachusetts Institute of Technology | scharmer@MIT.EDU | 617 258-8132 |
| | Throughout the 20th century, the logic of competition has shifted from decreasing return to increasing return markets driven by positive feedback loops (Arthur 1996). Thus, leaders are confronted with a new challenge: to develop the capacity for "precognition." To do this, leaders must be able to see the sources of emerging realities. This kind of knowledge can be thought of as tacit knowledge prior to its embodient, or "self-transcending" knowledge.
While the knowledge management discussion of the 1990s revolved around the interplay of two forms of knowledge-explicit and tacit (Nonaka and Takeuchi 1995)-the underlying proposition of this essay suggests that the discussion of the next decade will revolve around the interplay of three forms of knowing: explicit, tacit, and self-transcending knowledge.
The article introduces the concept of self-transcending knowledge by presenting four arguments: 1) Epistemology. Tacit-embodied and self-transcending knowledge are grounded in different epistemologies; 2) Praxis. Managing tacit and self-transcending knowledge requires managers to create different types of learning infrastructures; 3) Requisite Conversational Complexity. Whereas tacit knowledge requires reflective dialogue, self-transcending knowledge needs generative dialogue in order to emerge in conversations; 4) Strategy. Self-transcending knowledge matters because within increasing return-based competition, nothing counts more than the ability to organize around not-yet-embodies knowledge.
Thus, the concept of self-transcending knowledge constitutes a knowledge type sui generis. The more the world economy moves towards increasing returns the more the capacity to sense and actualize self-transcending knowledge will be the most scarce-and most valuable-source of future competitive advantage. |
| | Keywords: Knowledge creation; Change; Dialogue |
| The Strength of Redundant Ties: Overcoming Barriers to Information Transfer Across Networks |
| | Anderson, Marc H. | U. of Minnesota | manderson1@csom.umn.edu | (612)-934-3788 |
| | The structural view of information transfer across networks claims that redundant ties are
worthless for information transfer, and thus individuals should minimize this redundancy. This
paper argues instead that redundancy can serve several important purposes and can sometimes
increase information transfer. Four conditions are proposed that must hold for information to
transfer between two actors in a network: (1) the sender must have the information, (2) the
sender must know that the receiver does not have the information, or the receiver must know
the sender has the information, (3) the sender must be able to transmit the information and the
receiver able to receive it, and (4) the sender must be willing to transmit the information and the
receiver willing to receive it. Violations of these conditions represent barriers to information
transfer. Redundant ties can help overcome these barriers. Redundant ties can increase the
likelihood that the sender has important information, knows who can use the information or
where to find it, increase the ability of individuals to transmit the information, and increase the
willingness to transmit and receive information. The strength of redundant ties highlights the
need for a more detailed micro-level analysis of what information actually transfers across
networks and for research that goes beyond simple structuralism to consider how processes
of interpretation affect information transfer across networks. |
| | Keywords: Information Transfer; Networks; Redundancy of Ties |
| Where Institutions Collide: An International Congregate Identity Map of Middle Managers Attitudes TowardsTechnology and Innovation |
| | Perez, Pedro David | Cornell U. | espresso@exotrope.net | (607) 256-1313 |
| | Management of technology scholars have frequently indicated the need for studies of managerial attitudes towards technology and innovation (T&I). The paper describes the process of acquisition of a congregate identity map of managerial attitudes towards T&I in Germany, India, the U.S.A. and Venezuela. This congregate identity map is then used to determine whether four variables, level of economic development, nationality, industry, and organizational status as a MNC subsidiary, explain significant differences in managerial attitudes towards T&I across managers. It turns out that all of the variables studied and most of their first degree interactions are significant. Level of economic development affects managerial attitudes the most, followed by nationality, industry, and organizational status. It is then shown that more differences in managerial attitudes towards T&I are related to the market (through the variables industry and level of economic development) than to hierarchies (through the variables nationality and organizational status). This may indicate both greater variabilility in market behavior, and greater attention to the market on the part of the managers. |
| | Keywords: Congregate identity maps; Managerial attitudes; Institutions |
| "If the Technology's in My Head, what's going on in There?" Identifying Cognitive Frames Essential to Sensemaking Practices in Data Base-Centered Work |
| | De Long, David W. | Boston U. | ddelong@world.std.com | (978)-369-5083 |
| | Recognizing the dual nature of complex computer technologies as existing both "in the head" and
"on the floor" (Weick, 1990), this study provides empirical evidence of different types of
cognitive frames that shape the collective sensemaking activities central to data base-centered
work. Implications for theory and practice are explored. |
| | Keywords: cognition; sensemaking; technology |
| Network Interaction at the Top: The Emergence of Top Management Team Beliefs |
| | Sutcliffe, Kathleen M. | U. of Michigan | ksutclif@umich.edu | (734)-764-2312 |
| | Vodosek, Markus | U. of Michigan | markvodo@umich.edu | (734) 763-8702 |
| | Bunderson, John Stuart | Washington U. | Bunderson@mail.olin.wustl.edu | (314) 935-4943 |
| | Although researchers in organization and management theory have become
increasingly interested in the collective beliefs and mental models of top
management teams (TMTs), little is known about the mechanisms by which
these collective beliefs and mental models emerge. The present study
provides insight into these underlying processes by investigating how two
aspects of a management team's interaction network are associated with the
similarity of team members' beliefs. Drawing from a number of literatures
in organization and management theory, we argue that the density and
centralization of a team's interaction network is associated in a
curvilinear manner with belief similarity. We test the hypotheses using
data gathered from 44 market unit management teams. Overall, the results
show a more complex relationship between the density of network interaction
and network centralization and belief similarity than most researchers
have suggested to date. Specifically, the density of network interaction
is associated in a curvilinear manner with the similarity of TMT members'
beliefs across the four belief domains examined in this study. The
association between network centralization and belief similarity is
curvilinear for two belief domains and linear for two other belief domains.
The findings suggest that the group processes underlying the development
of "shared understanding" may differ depending on belief domain content.
The findings provide insight into two promising areas for future
sociocognitive research. |
| | Keywords: Top management teams; Managerial cognition; Social networks |