Managing knowledge for innovation : multiple case studies in Thailand's university R&D laboratories | |
| Author | Somchai Numprasertchai |
| Call Number | AIT Diss no.SM-04-10 |
| Subject(s) | Laboratories--Thailand--Management Research--Thailand--Management Laboratories--Thailand--Management Research--Thailand--Management |
| Note | A doctoral dissertation submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy, School of Management |
| Publisher | Asian Institute of Technology |
| Abstract | In the developing countries such as Thailand, universities are the main organizations to conduct research and explore new knowledge. However, the nature of university research in Thailand has both advantages and disadvantages. The advantage is that researchers can conduct research projects of their own interest independently, while the disadvantages are inadequate funding, lack of basic knowledge, and missing response to the market needs. Therefore, most results from university research units are sitting on the shelf of labs rather than becoming innovations. University researchers in Thailand are also burdened with other mandates, namely teaching, community service, and administrative duties, all of which drain time away from the research activities. As such, knowledge management (KM), the ability to create, store, transfer, and use knowledge, is likely to play a significant role in improving and sustaining research activities of universities. Therefore, some university research units have applied KM into research strategies in order to overcome resource problem and better achieve their research goals. The study begins by exploring the literature on the interfaces between managing innovation and knowledge. The preliminary research utilized three pilot case studies and expert opinions to explore the KM process, innovation process, and the interaction between these two processes. A tentative conceptual model is presented, based on the finding from the literatures, pilot case studies and expert opinions. It represents the understanding of the current situation about KM and innovation process in the university research. Finally, ten university research units were selected as multiple case studies. These ten units are classified into the more or the less successful research units using the composite indicators in qualitative and quantitative dimensions. Qualitative measurement consists of self-evaluation by researchers, peer-evaluation by other researchers in the related research fields, and experts' opinions by senior researchers in the same and different research fields and executives of funding organizations. The quantitative measurement refers directly to research output such as the number of publications, patents and copyrights. Four university research units are classified as being more successful, while the others are considered as less successful. The information obtained was analyzed in-depth to determine the specific KM practices used in research and innovation process management by these ten university research units. The findings were validated through expe1is' opinions. Initial findings indicate that (1) Knowledge identification and knowledge integration are key processes that help achieving research goals; (2) Knowledge acquisition through collaboration helps fill in-house knowledge gaps, but in-house knowledge development is still the most impo1iant process for building research competence; (3) On-the-project training is the most popular practice for tacit knowledge transfer across research projects. ( 4) Individual research knowledge in persons and shared knowledge pools are essential for creating better research plans and reducing the repetition of previous mistakes. (5) Trust and balanced mutual benefits among partners are the main factors to ensure successful research collaboration. Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs): communication, collaboration, and storage technologies, are essential tools for managing knowledge and collaboration but not sufficient for research units success. The paper concludes with recommendations to university research units how to improve their research strategies and project management through a systematic knowledge management system. |
| Year | 2004 |
| Type | Dissertation |
| School | School of Management |
| Department | Other Field of Studies (No Department) |
| Academic Program/FoS | Master of Business Administration (MBA) (Publication code=SM) |
| Chairperson(s) | Igel, Barbara;Igel, Barbara; |
| Examination Committee(s) | Speece, Mark; Donyaprueth Krairit; Vatcharaporn Esichaikul;Swan, Jacqueline Ann ; |
| Scholarship Donor(s) | Kasetsart University, Thailand |
| Degree | Thesis (Ph.D.) - Asian Institute of Technology, 2004 |