Case study

Putting Theory into Practice

Submitted By:

Hira

Rabia

Submitted To:

Sir Col Sial

Degree/ Section:

MBA-IV / A (Morning)

National University of Modern Languages

Islamabad
 Summary
Company Introduction:

 Coal black Industries have operated in resource sector for 50 years.

 Location: some main divisions are located in Sydney, Australia. Besides, it
also has some regional offices across Australia, Asia, the Middle East and
Europe.
 Activity fields: exploration, development and mining activities, sector
development, chemicals, national infrastructure building in the Third World,
and any other form of resource expansion which seems profitable.
 Company tries to develop a strong knowledge culture, and encourages those
who are willing to share and collaborate.

Developing knowledge cultures in Coalblack Industries Company:

 Building strategies and applying it in practice:

1) Collaborative and innovative culture

2) The firm core values Communication on across divisions and teams is

strongly encouraged
3) Using everyone’s knowledge for the public good
o Structural support: Company is now in fourth system, with each
increasing in technological sophistication and user friendliness.
o Two key types of employees:
Core employees:
Employees are employed long term.
Contract employees:
 Employees are employed for specified short term, Ranging
from 6 months to 3 years.

Strategies to building knowledge management:

1) The organization’s core value is displayed in all divisions in wall charts.

2) New employees are provided with a pocket guide when they start their duties.

3) New staffs are provided 3 days training and return for refresher in 6 months.

4) New employees are given a detailed introduction about the structure of

organization.

 The results of building knowledge culture in three divisions

 Company is very concerned at the lack of follow-through in knowledge
sharing.
 Only Exploration Division has achieved significant in knowledge sharing.
 Knowledge sharing in Exploration Division
 Members meet regularly, and use the organization’s knowledge systems
extensively.
 New members are sponsored by experienced members, and are encouraged
to see that their fresh insights are both beneficial and useful to other
members.
 Members are also committed and motivated.
 Knowledge sharing in Chemical Division
 A consultant identified that the scientists, who constitute most of the
employees, was reluctant to share their knowledge.
  Members of this division argue that the sharing of knowledge would result
in lost productivity, rather than gains.
 There is a high retention in this area. Most staff had been employed for 20
years.
 Knowledge sharing in Engineering Division
 Staff work on project basis
 . Members may vary across different projects.
 Some learning was transferred across project managers.
(Even: some errors were repeated)
 A manager does not easily access information on past projects.
 Staff who travel off-shore to work on projects often hand their local projects
over to another staff member. Others hold two jobs.
 The work pressure is very high in this division.

Questions and Answers:

1) Do you feel that knowledge management is necessary in the Engineering
and Chemical Divisions? Why?

Answer: Knowledge management is necessary in the Engineering and Chemical

Divisions because:

 These two divisions are lack of knowledge sharing.

 Both divisions are highly pressured environment. Therefore, knowledge
management is necessary to manage time and job.

2) Review the three divisions and analyze the existing factors which contribute
toward the development of a knowledge culture. Using figure 4.1, consider
which elements are evidence in the Exploration Division but appear to be
absent from the other two divisions?

Answer: The existing factors which contribute toward the development of a

knowledge culture in three divisions:

Exploration Division:

 Members share their knowledge positively. Its membership is diverse. The

productivity is noticeably high Members are highly committed and
motivated.

Chemical Division:

 Most of staffs in this division are experienced. They had been employed for
20 years.

Engineering Division:

 There is little of learning transferring across project managers. Significant

expertise is hired to meet short- term need. A new director has been
appointed to develop a strong knowledge focus.

Figure 4.1:
 Regular communication across levels and organizational units is
demonstrated
 Knowledge sharing is actively encouraged by supervisors and leaders
 Colleagues invite sharing and learning
 Employees are kept informed of events, issues, and innovations
 Working together is seen as a core activity
 Collaborative knowledge cultures
  Openness, honesty and concern for others is encouraged
 Learning is incorporated into the work community and practice
 Innovative ideas and solutions are developed through combined efforts
 New ideas are welcomed and explored
 People prefer to work together

3) If you were asked to advise organization on its diagnosis of the culture and
knowledge barriers, what strategies might you suggest?

Answer: Strategies to diagnose the culture and knowledge barriers of organization:

 Interviews
 Trend analysis
 Observation
 Questionnaires
 Action research

4) Imagine you are the new director of the Engineering Division. Review the
stages of organizational development and consider how you would plan to
improve the knowledge culture?

Answer: Plan to improve knowledge culture in Engineering Division:

 After a project team is established, members will gather to discuss about the
way to finish the project.
 Encouraging the project manager in past project share the information with
the new project manager.
 Minimizing to hire new experts, using experts who have worked in some
past project.
  Staffs that travel off-shore to work on project have to hand their local
projects to another staff and share all of the information about the project for
them.
 Reduce the work pressure by adding some staffs.

5) Communities of practice play an important role in knowledge

environments. How would you encourage their development in this type of
organization?

Answer: Encouraging the CoPs development in organization:

 Organizations can support communities of practice by recognizing the work

of sustaining them by giving members the time to participate in activities;
and by creating an environment in which the value communities bring is
acknowledged.
 Introducing the term "communities of practice" into an organization's
vocabulary.
 Facilitate the identification of potential members
 Support key members.
 Provide opportunities to interact across CoPs. It helps to find out the
common interest between various groups and identify the potential
members.