Five groups of around three respondents will be subjected to semi-structured interviews lasting around 30-45 minutes. The semi-structured nature of the interviews allows the interviewer to change the order of the interview topics, based on the flow of the interview. Particular questions may be skipped if the topic has been sufficiently discussed following a prior interview question. The respondents’ job descriptions and tenure will be registered at the start of each interview. The interviews will be recorded using a digital audio recording device and hand written notes will be taken to help in reconstructing the vital parts of the discussions after the interviews have been conducted. The interviews will not be transcribed in their entirety.
Prior to the interview the respondents will receive a list of discussion topics. At a later stage they are granted the opportunity to critique the transcriptions to make sure they are comfortable with the quotes that are published in the paper.
The interview outcomes will be used to support claims about the applicability of Nonaka’s Hypertext organisational model and form a basis upon which conclusions are drawn about the value of the model. The exploratory nature of the study implies that these conclusions hold limited external validity.
The interviews are divided into four segments. The first part will focus on the current method of knowledge creation at the case company. These questions will be used to form a context with which the Hypertext model can be compared and create awareness of the current paradigm.
Between the first and second part of the interview a brief explanation of the Hypertext model will be provided to prepare the interviewees for the upcoming discussion topics. This explanation will cover the four modes of knowledge creation and the three-layered organisation design. The questions in part two will cover the Hypertext model with certain depth. The respondents are asked to provide their opinions and expectations on the model’s underlying principles. The outcomes of this part will be used as exploratory assessment of the value of the model’s foundations.
After establishing some familiarity with the Hypertext model and its fundamentals, the third part of the interview will cover the expectations of value and applicability of the Hypertext model at the case company. The questions in part three are formulated to resemble the questions in part one, to allow an easy comparison between the existing model for knowledge creation and the Hypertext model. The fourth and final part of the interview serves as an opportunity for the interviewees to express
87 their thoughts on the topic in a general sense, or elaborate on aspects which were not covered by the interview questions.
Part I – The knowledge creation methods currently in use at the case company. (Limited to 10 minutes)
Introductions and formalities will be limited to thanking the interviewees for participating in the research, a brief introduction of the topic and an explanation of the relevance of this research to the case company. A sense of familiarity and trust between the interviewees and interviewer is assumed to exist based on the interviewer having been employed at the case company in the years prior to the study and as a result having an informal relation with the interviewees.
1. Explain your current involvement in knowledge creation. Elaborate on motivating factors, context and how newly created knowledge is made available to the rest of the organisation. 2. Explain why the current system of knowledge creation is a suitable, or unsuitable, system for
the organisation. Elaborate on how it fits the organisation’s requirements for knowledge creation.
3. How do you think the current system of knowledge creation should be amended to increase its fit with the organisation’s requirements?
4. How do you think the current system of knowledge creation should be amended to increase the knowledge creation output?
Part II – Familiarising the respondents with the mechanics of the Hypertext model, and assessing the value and applicability of the model’s underlying principles. (Limited to 15 minutes)
After briefly explaining the Hypertext model, the second part of the interview focuses on expectations about an implementation of the model at the case company. The questions will be presented using schematic representations of the four modes of knowledge creation and the three- layered organisation design. These drawings are expected to assist in explaining the model and
5. What are your expectations of using triggering mechanisms (self-organising teams, dialogue, coordination and documentation, and experimentation) to facilitate the sequence of
knowledge conversion modes? Elaborate on which mode(s) of knowledge creation you think to be the closest to your current role in knowledge creation. Are you optimistic or pessimistic
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about particular modes of knowledge creation? (Socialisation, externalisation, combination, internalisation)
6. Why do you think knowledge creation in self-organising teams can be a success or failure? This question focuses on the processes of socialisation and externalisation. Discuss
expectations surrounding the roles of top management and middle management, creative chaos, autonomy, self-transcendence, redundancy of information, cross fertilisation, and informal face-to-face communication.
7. Why do you think knowledge creation under typical top-down management can be a success or failure? This question focuses on the processes of combination and internalisation. Discuss expectations surrounding the roles of top-down directives, low uncertainty, measurable criteria, sequential (relay pattern) information flows between organisational layers, low personal interaction with information, top management’s distance from shop floors and the creation of visionary concepts at the organisational level.
8. What is your position on the storage of newly created knowledge in a central organisational knowledge repository? What do you think are the shortcomings and advantages of this approach? How would you improve the usability of a central organisational knowledge repository? How would you increase the effectiveness of using a central organisational knowledge repository?
Part III – The expected applicability and value of the Hypertext model. (Limited to 10 minutes) 9. Discuss how you expect your involvement in knowledge creation to change, if this model is
implemented. Elaborate on motivating factors, context, how newly created knowledge is made available to the rest of the organisation and if you think this a positive or negative development.
10. Explain why the Hypertext model can be a suitable, or unsuitable, system of knowledge creation for the organisation. Elaborate on how you think it will fit the organisation’s requirements for knowledge creation.
11. How do you think the Hypertext model should be changed to increase its fit with the organisation’s requirements?
12. How do you think the Hypertext model should be changed to increase the knowledge creation output?
13. After discussing these topics, how would you judge the Hypertext organisation model in terms of value and applicability?
89 Part IV – Ending the interview. (Unlimited)
14. I don’t have any other questions; is there anything you want to add with regard to the topic of organisational knowledge creation?
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