An Existential-Humanistic Process Model of Knowledge Creation: Evidence, Limitations, and Potential for Innovation in Virtual Organizations

摘要

Despite rigorous business strategies, astute leadership, abundant capital, state-of-the-art technology and tools, creative skilled workforce, and established processes, many companies are waking up to a scene of despair. The tumultuous times of change marked by a complex business environment, exponential technologies, and market turmoil are driving the race to the finish for innovation. The premise of this research study was that if people are ultimately responsible for leveraging organizational assets and their own intellectual and imaginative resources for the creation of knowledge, then their need for a sense of community should matter and guide the social structure of their omni-connected work environment. From the participation of 264 knowledge workers across more than 12 industries, this quantitative study found that 48% of knowledge creation can be attributed to sense of community characterized by feelings of co-leadership, connection, belonging, give and take, ability to influence organizational outcomes, and creative growth. The results revealed that both high-tech and high-touch work practices, such as telecommuting, spontaneous face-to-face interactions, and synchronous and asynchronous collaboration lend positive support for sense of community, the source of undeniable advantage. The strategic outcome of this study is an existential-humanistic process model of knowledge creation presented along with evidence, limitations, and potential for innovation in virtual organizations.