Knowledge Management, Organizational Trust, Creativity and Innovation in UAE - Essay Example

Table of Contents Table of Contents 1.0 3 2.0Introduction 3 3.0 Knowledge Management Behaviors 4 3 Knowledge Management 4 3.2 Knowledge acquisition 4 3.3 Knowledge Dissemination 5 3.4 Responsiveness to Knowledge 5 4.0 The elements of Interpersonal Trust at Work 6 4.1 Confidence in Peers 6 4.2Faith in Peers  6 4.3 Faith/Confidence in Leadership 7 5.1 Creativity and Innovation 7 5.2 Productivity 8 6.0 Hypothesis 8 7.0 Methodology 9 7.1 Participants 9 7.2 Method of data collection 9 7.3 Procedure 10 7.4 Results 10 7.5 Challenges and Limitations 12 9.1 Time management 13 References 13 Appendix 14 The Relationship between Knowledge Management, Organizational Trust, Creativity and Innovation in UAE 1.0 Abstract Knowledge management, (KM) is the process of capturing, distributing, and effectively using knowledge. Knowledge is an enterprise’s information asset that includes procedures, policies, database, employees’ experiences and previously un-captured expertise. Knowledge is power and makes individuals and organizations grow (BARNES, 2001). In businesses, knowledge provides a competitive advantage. Depending on the strategies adopted in an organization, knowledge management can be different from one organization to another. However, one thing is common in knowledge management, that is, it needs trust, creativity, and innovation to succeed. 2.0 Introduction The world is changing is changing more rapidly than ever before, to be able to succeed, managers and employees need to perform at a higher level. Most organizations have discovered that to be able to reach and remain in the top of the competitive environment, they need to build a competitive advantage. Competitive advantage is the ability of organizations to perform better than other organizations because they are producing desired goods and services more effectively and efficiently than its competitors. The main items that help in building a competitive advantage is quality, innovation, efficiency, and responsiveness to customers’ changing needs. In the today’s competitive environment, organizations look for new ways to improve themselves (BECERRA-FERNANDEZ, 2008). This shows that knowledge is crucial to the success of an organization. This paper looks at how organizations in the UAE can succeed if they develop proper knowledge management, organizational trust, creativity, and innovation and how these elements are related. 3.0 Knowledge Management Behaviors 3.1 Knowledge Management Knowledge management is a crucial aspect in gaining insights over the competitive edge in the framework of the EAU economy. Knowledge has proved to be beneficial in helping organizations gain an advantage over other competitors in the market. The concept of efficiency and effective management of knowledge is a crucial aspect in all organizations. When knowledge is managed, organizations get ways to take advantage of opportunities and are able to reduce the chances of errors. Knowledge management goes through some steps which include; identification of need, knowledge acquisition, and sharing. 3.2 Knowledge acquisition Knowledge acquisition is the process that a company tries to obtain information from internal and external sources. External knowledge sources include customers, suppliers, partners, competitors, and external experts. This is the process of extracting knowledge and structuring the knowledge into useful form (RAMAN, 2003). One of the biggest challenges of KM is effectively acquiring information. Organizations have realized that their success depends on the rate at which they acquire knowledge. 3.3 Knowledge Dissemination Knowledge dissemination is the process by which an organization is affected by the experience of another organization. This is manifested through change in knowledge or performance. Knowledge dissemination has always existed in one form or another in organizations. This is through apprenticeship, on-the-job discussions with peers, mentoring programs, and professional training. Since the late twentieth century, technology has played a vital role in Knowledge dissemination through the creation of expert base, knowledge bases, and other knowledge repositories. To be able to get the right benefits from the knowledge, organizations need adapt knowledge dissemination in everyday business processes. Organizations in the UAE are doing this by encouraging networking in and outside organizations, by capturing best practices, by building knowledge dissemination strategies, and developing knowledge sharing proficiencies (PANDA, 2008). A knowledge dissemination initiative needs motivational and change management in an organization. Many companies in the UAE are worried that they are not utilizing the knowledge that exists within their organizations and in the marketplace. For this reason, organizations need to increase their responsiveness to knowledge. 3.4 Responsiveness to Knowledge When implementing knowledge management in organizations, key question that they need to ask how fast the firm can respond to change in its environment. With globalization and the fast changing world of business, many organizations find it difficult to compete because they face the challenge of being very responsive to knowledge. The business volatile and is always unpredictable which is caused by changing forces both within and outside the organization. These forces can include a change in customers’ tastes and preferences, and change in technology. Organizations need to respond fast to these forces by continuously acquiring new knowledge and incorporating the new knowledge in their processes. By being responsive to new knowledge, organizations in the UAE will maintain their competitive advantage will also be able to satisfy the changing needs of its customers locally and internationally. 4.0 The elements of Interpersonal Trust at Work 4.1 Confidence in Peers For knowledge to be successfully transferred within, and outside and organization there needs to be some level of trust between people and organizations. In knowledge sharing, interpersonal trust is crucial because requestors need to allow themselves to be open to others, by, for example, accepting that they lack knowledge in a certain area. People need to trust that information provided is helpful and accurate. Trust also entails people also being confident that knowledge will be used appropriately (SCHWARTZ, 2006). Lack of trust can hinder information sharing process. 4.2 Faith in Peers  One of the most crucial elements in knowledge management is faith in peers. If there is no faith between peers, knowledge will not be useful. Managers need to promote and environment where employees can trust their colleagues regarding information that they have discovered and analyzed (DEVELOPMENT, O. F. E. C.-O. A, 2004). There is a need for managers to assess employees and try to discover if there is a lack of trust among colleagues (HALL, 2011). This will help remove any root cause of mistrust that will help remove the barriers to trust. Research shows that employees are more willing to share information if they have faith that their peers will accept it and use it in reaching the goals of the organization. 4.3 Faith/Confidence in Leadership New knowledge is not useful if employees do not use it. One reason why employees may opt not to use knowledge is because of their confidence level in the organizational leadership. This means that employees will be more willing to use knowledge if they are certain that the choice will not affect their relationship with managements (BELL, 2008). The level of trust that employees have in their managers is usually not given the attention it deserves. When trust there is trust, a more positive working relationship is developed which has a crucial impact on an individual’s overall psychological well being. 5.0 Knowledge Responsiveness within the Organization 5.1 Creativity and Innovation Employees need to be creative and innovative in order to be knowledgeable. Creativity is a function of imagination, evaluation, knowledge, and curiosity. The greater the level of organizational knowledge base and level of curiosity, the more patterns, ideas, and combinations an organization can achieve, which then correlates to create new and innovative products and services (Mann, 2011). Innovation, on the other hand, is an organization’s ability to apply new knowledge. Businesses that take creating and innovation, succeed in the market by always finding new ways to satisfy the needs of customers (Clegg, 2013). 5.2 Productivity Business to today acknowledge how crucial knowledge is to the success of their businesses. Knowledge has now become a resource in itself. The business arena in the UAE has become all about learning and improving how they produce goods and services. To be able to improve the competitive advantage, businesses need to find new strategies that will help them be able to frequently meet the expectations of clients and the changing market conditions. Without knowledge, organizations will have outdated strategies that will make businesses produce degraded outputs. Therefore, companies need to keep up with the rapid change in the market. Businesses in the EAU needs to adopt policies that will increase knowledge and know-how in order to increase their productivity levels. 6.0 Hypothesis From the readings, this research has come up with the following hypothesis; Hypothesis 1. Knowledge management is an organization’s asset that is directly related to the success of the organization. This is because, with information, organizations are always aware of changes in the market which gives them a competitive advantage. Hypothesis 2. In order to succeed, organizations need to be responsive to knowledge. This is by being more innovative and creative, and by being willing to implement the knowledge gain in their activities. Hypothesis 3. The success of knowledge management depends on the level of trust and confidence between employees, and between employees and management. 7.0 Methodology 7.1 Participants A set of questions was prepared in order to find out the hypothesis between knowledge Management, Organizational Trust, Creativity and Innovation. 548 people UAE sample, both male and female, from the age of 16years participated in the study. These people were selected by random sampling method and came from all kinds of background, country, and race. 7.2 Method of data collection In conducting this study, data was collected through the use of questionnaires. Questionnaires were designed to investigate the quantitative aspects of the study. The use of questionnaires was adopted because it is efficient, and they are convenient to respondents. This method was also chosen because it saves time. Many people are able to fill the questionnaires as a short period of time. This is as compared to the use of interviews where the interviewer needs to handle each interviewee personally which takes a long period of time. Questions in questionnaires are usually the same meaning that the respondents will give answers do not deviate from the questions. This improves the ability to compare the answers during the analysis stage of the study. The most crucial part of the data collection process is to assure respondent of their anonymity. This encouraged more respondents to take part in the study. 7.3 Procedure The questionnaires were administered to the study group on a random basis but also on voluntary basis. All the procedures to be followed in filling the questionnaires were in the questionnaires. This also includes instruction for the respondents to maintain their anonymity. The respondents were reminded to return the questionnaires via mail after some days. When collecting all the data, analysis of the data was done to get the results. 7.4 Results From the data collection and analysis, below are the results showing the correlations and the Average (µ) value Correlations for UAE Sample Sample Size N = 548   Trust KMB Creativity Innovation Productivity Trust 1 KMB 0.400082 1 Creativity 0.2325944 0.2669091 1 Innovation 0.1999394 0.1901472 0.32845674 1 Productivity 0.1169916 0.414309 0.06357093 0.423597396 1   Trust KMB Creativity Innovation Productivity Trust 1 KMB 0.17205 1 Creativity -0.11834 -0.0126 1 Innovation -0.17266 -0.14436 0.14172 1 Productivity 0.079024 -0.09947 -0.21089 0.08579 1 Correlations for UAE ARMY in chart Correlations for UAE Sample in chart The chart above actually shows the trust, knowledge management, creativity, productivity, and innovation for UAE Army as the study group. Variable relationship: In this section a correlation between each variable is shown in a single graph where a variable is described in a graph and being compared with the rest of variable. Trust affects the knowledge management, creativity, productivity, and innovation. Trust in management makes the employee innovative and somehow it increases the KMB. 7.5 Challenges and Limitations While doing this study challenges came in administering the questionnaires, this is because people were not willing to spend time to fill the questionnaires. This meant that willing respondents had to go with the questionnaires and fill them in a given period of time. Making general follow ups were the most difficult time which consumed some of the time needed to do the analysis of the results. The accuracy of the results is also not certain. This is because some respondents did not actually fill the questionnaires. Some respondents usually hand them to other people to fill for them. 8.1 Conclusion To conclude, it is evident from the analysis that knowledge is crucial for the success of organizations. However, to make sure that organizations succeed, they need to manage knowledge. This is by always being up to date with new knowledge through creation and innovation, and also by being willing to share and use the knowledge. Businesses in the UAE need to develop a culture of finding and using new knowledge so that they can gain or maintain their competitive advantage in the global market. 9.1 Time management Date and Duration Research Topic References BARNES, S., 2001. Knowledge management systems: theory and practice.. London: Thomson Learning. BECERRA-FERNANDEZ, I. &. LEIDNER. D., 2008. Knowledge management an evolutionary view. Armonk, N.Y: M.E. Sharpe, Inc. BELL, A. H. &. COHN. R. G., 2008. Winning with trust in business.. Gretna, La: Pelican Pub. Co. Clegg, B., 2013. Creativity and Innovation for Managers. s.l.:CRC Press. DEVELOPMENT, O. F. E. C.-O. A, 2004. Measuring Knowledge Management in the Business Sector First Steps. Paris: Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development. HALL, V. &. HOLLOWAY. M., 2011. The truth about trust in business how to enrich the bottom line, improve retention, and build valuable relationships for success. Austin, TX: Emerald Book Co. Mann, L. &. CHAN. J., 2011. Creativity and Innovation in Business and Beyond: Social Science Perspectives and Policy Implications. s.l.:Taylor & Francis. PANDA, T. K., 2008. Knowledge management: a global perspective. New Delhi: Excel Books. RAMAN, A. T., 2003. Knowledge management: a resource book. New Delhi: Excel Books. SCHWARTZ, D., 2006. Encyclopedia of knowledge management. Hershey, PA: Idea Group Reference Appendix KM- Knowledge Management UAE- United Arab Emirates Read More