Views upon knowledge and its implications for studying learning in organizational networks

Frank Cornelissen, Tjip de Jong and Joseph Kessels

Paper presentation for the EAPRII 2009 conference in Trier, Germany

I Warming up: yes or no answers

II Knowledge: what are we talking about?

III Are you a structuralist or a connectionist?

IV Performance versus social homogeneity

VI Framing the perspectives into a quadrant

V Discussing the different frames

VII Discussion

Paper presentation for the EAPRII 2009 conference in Trier, Germany

-> Some structure …

Paper presentation for the EAPRII 2009 conference in Trier, Germany

Knowledge: yes or no?

Paper presentation for the EAPRII 2009 conference in Trier, Germany

Paper presentation for the EAPRIL 2009 conference in Trier, Germany

Views on knowledge

Paper presentation for the EAPRIL 2009 conference in Trier, Germany

Knowledge: what are we talking about?

Curious questions from educational/organizational practice

- Talking about knowledge: ‘Do we mean the same?’

- Studying learning and knowledge: ‘Which perspective is appropriate?’

- Making policy: ‘Which perspective is fruitful?’

Research questions

-Dominant viewpoints in studying knowledge in fields of HRD and OD?

-Dominant perspectives in studying networks in fields of HRD and OD?

-Relation between different viewpoints on knowledge and different network perspectives?

Paper presentation for the EAPRIL 2009 conference in Trier, Germany

Viewpoints on knowledge

Organizational Development (Von Krogh & Roos, 1995; Sveiby, 2001)

-Cognitivist -‘objective out-there-reality’ and 1 truth

-Connectionist -‘objective out-there-reality’ and experts define truth

-Autopoietic -‘subjective socially created reality’ and truth is what individual

people believe is true at a certain moment in time

Human Resource Development (Harrison & Kessels, 2004)

Knowledge as: - Control - acquire knowledge and apply generally

- Intelligence - acquire knowledge and experts help apply

- Commodity - create knowledge interactively and transfer

- Relationships - create knowledge socially and no transfer

Paper presentation for the EAPRIL 2009 conference in Trier, Germany

Categories of knowledge

Some categories

-Explicit (Nonaka & Takeuchi, 1995) : Expressed in formal systematic language

-Encoded (Zuboff, 1988) : Residing in databanks

-Procedural (Zander & Kogut, 1995) : Knowledge about processes

-Tacit (Polanyi, 1967) : Personal knowledge, hard to formalize and express

-Embodied (Nonaka & Takeuchi, 1995) : Roots from experience and physical presence

-Embrained (Argyris & Schön, 1978) : Cognitive abilities to recognize underlying patterns

-Embedded (Venzin, Von Krogh & Roos, 1998): Knowledge embedded in contextual factors

-Not yet embodied (Schärmer, 2001) : Tacit knowledge not yet embodied in day-to-day practice (e.g. intuition,

inspiration)

Paper presentation for the EAPRIL 2009 conference in Trier, Germany

Network perspectives

Paper presentation for the EAPRII 2009 conference in Trier, Germany

-> Explanatory mechanism: Are you a structuralist or connectionist?

Networks as roads

Networks as traffic

Paper presentation for the EAPRII 2009 conference in Trier, Germany

-> Are you a structuralist or connectionist?

Networks as roads

Paper presentation for the EAPRII 2009 conference in Trier, Germany

-> Are you a structuralist or connectionist?

Networks as traffic

Paper presentation for the EAPRII 2009 conference in Trier, Germany

Performance variation

Social homogeneity

-> Outcomes: Do you favor performance variation or social homogeneity?

Paper presentation for the EAPRII 2009 conference in Trier, Germany

-> Do you favor performance variation or social homogeneity?

Performance variation

Paper presentation for the EAPRII 2009 conference in Trier, Germany

Social homogeneity

-> Do you favor performance variation or social homogeneity?

Paper presentation for the EAPRII 2009 conference in Trier, Germany

Studying knowledge in networks

Performance variation Social homogeneity

Structuralist (‘roads’)

- Structural capital studies- Individuals exploit network positions

-Cognitivistic viewpoint of knowledgeexplicit and encoded knowledge

- Learning through knowledge transfer

- Environmental shaping studies- Comparable structures evoke

similar behaviour- Autopoietic viewpointembodied and embrained knowledge- Learning through socialization

Connectionist (‘traffic’)

- Social resource access studies- Access and use of social relations

- Connectionist viewpoint of knowledgeExplicit, encoded and procedural knowledge- Learning is about engagement

- Contagion studies- Networks is self-creating and co-evolving- Autopoietic viewpointTacit knowledge, embrained and Embodied knowledge- Learning is based on intrinsic drivers and is relational

Paper presentation for the EAPRII 2009 conference in Trier, Germany

Discussion

Talking about knowledge: ‘Do we mean the same?’

Studying learning and knowledge: ‘Which perspective is appropriate?’

Making policy for education: ‘Which perspective is fruitful?’