Towards a Socio Cognitive Approach to Knowledge Transfer - Essay Example

?Introduction The research paper, ‘Towards a Socio Cognitive Approach to Knowledge Transfer’ by Ringberg and Reihlen is hugely important as it helps to understand as to how knowledge is transferred and propagated across people. The basic hypothesis that underpins the research is that knowledge transfer is a socio cognitive mechanism that is defined by its relevance to the context as judged by individuals. Hence codification and de-codification of knowledge in various format is subject to the cognitive response to the environmental paradigms that define criteria or behavioral pattern of people. The researchers have used mainly two approaches: positivist and social construction to evolve socio cognitive model of transfer of knowledge. The new model helps explain the anomalies found in the two former approaches. Summary Knowledge management is one of the most crucial aspects of business that helps them to gain competitive advantage. The explicit and implicit use of knowledge within an organization or a society becomes the most powerful tool to define social relationships and major catalyst of change. Literature review shows that judicious use of knowledge improves and improvises outcome through increased competency and creative input. Positivist and social construction are two key approaches in research epistemology that scholars have used to explain the process of knowledge transfer. Positivist approach believes that knowledge pre-exists in texts and other format that are de-coded by individuals to propagate it. The communication channels become useful in sharing the knowledge that is deemed an asset. The resource based view therefore exploits the same to improve its performance. It emphasizes knowledge as an object that is sought or exploited for its inherent content. It can be codified and stored such that its retrieval encourages sharing of knowledge. Social construction, on the other hand, emphasizes that knowledge is socially constructed and is transferred through practice and action. It speculates that knowledge resides within the system like routine, archive, memo etc. which enhances organizational productivity. The precept and concept of knowledge become strong tools that widen the scope of existing resources for improved productivity. But both the approaches fail to take into considerations the changing dynamics of environment that influence the cognitive ability of individuals to absorb knowledge or to manipulate information to suit the changing paradigms of social control. As such, the socio-cognitive model of knowledge transfer fills the gap. It uses the tacit knowledge and evaluates its viability to absorb or create new framework of transferring knowledge. The cultural and private models promote reflective and categorical processing. The cultural and private models rely on the ideologies of group that individuals identify with and which influence the way knowledge is processed. Categorical process predefines the outcome whereas reflective process helps to improve and improvise outcome through critical thinking. Thus, socio-cognitive model helps to explain more comprehensively the propagation of knowledge. Critique The researchers have extensively used literature to show as to how the Positivist theory and theory of social construction, both lack critical thinking. It fails to rationalize knowledge transfer in diversified situation under changing social dynamics. Positivist approach sees knowledge as objects dissociated with human input of ideas and thoughts. Perception of object is inherently linked to interpretation of same and understands it with regard to its physicality or object reality. Most importantly, the perceived reality is also influenced by the manipulation of information that is stored in our memory (Winn & Snyder, 1996). Hence, perception significantly relies on cognitive processing that defines its accuracy and relevance to the event. This is interesting because it lends credibility to the research hypothesis. While Positivist approach stresses that disembodied structure of knowledge as key mechanism of transfer, it does not explain its relevance to present reality, when decoded. The decoding of objects would remain ambiguous till the time it is correlated with its environment to become productive (Kemper, 1981). The paper makes it explicit that Positivist fails to take into account the extent to which receiver will absorb the knowledge, predefined in its content and framework. It totally ignores the environment that influences an individual’s behavior or its ability to receive the decoded knowledge in its entirety. The researchers’ objectivity in rationalizing the myriad postulates of social construction theory has been exemplary. They have shown that social construction is very useful in deciphering the process of knowledge transfer in resolving conflicts, impact on productivity etc. Indeed, the organization culture gives credence to transfer of knowledge through practice and actions. Shared knowledge and learning environment considerably help propagate knowledge within the defined parameters of organizational goals and objectives. The conceptual framework of knowledge transfer is therefore predefined and resists changes that are inherent part of social structure. The interpretations of researchers hugely facilitate better understanding of the parameters that tend to influence knowledge transfer. Ringberg and Reihlen (2008) have emphatically asserted that socio-cognitive approach takes into account the environmental factors that influence the cognitive ability of receiver to absorb knowledge. At the same time, it also helps to ensure that knowledge transfer is effective and results in positive outcome. The interpretation of knowledge becomes fundamental to the expansion of knowledge base and thereby its propagation. The theory uses cultural and private mental model and shows how they are practiced in conjecture with categorical and reflective process to evolve new meanings. The mechanism of social feedback by virtue of reflective processes become important as individuals interpret one’s actions vis-a-vis application of knowledge. Evaluating pros and con of situation gives rise to new knowledge that is used for improved performance. The socio-cultural model amalgamates Positivist approach and theory of Social Construction and uses them to understand the behavior of human interaction in knowledge transfer. The cultural and private mental models are used as discursive elements to explain the drivers of change that impact behavior and perception of people. The cultural model categorizes people in subsets with unique traits and behavioral pattern that helps define their outcome within the given parameters of organizational imperatives. But as people are seen to differ in their interpretation of events or things, it is assumed that they are also endowed with private mental model that may provide them with some unique attribute. Indeed, people’s perception is greatly influenced by cultural model, cognitive disposition and private mental model. All these become hugely pertinent when exposed to new events which also lead to knowledge transfer that is proactive. It is a fact that knowledge broadly comprises of ideas, thoughts, observation etc. which are continuously manipulated in one’s life. Indeed, they are also categorized into systematic format so that they can be used or modified to suit the changing requirement of the people (Hogg & Vaughan, 2002). This is the key element in knowledge transfer. Its adaptability and flexible approach equips people with greater knowledge that enhances not only the outcome but also the process of transference. Within an organization, the evolving database of knowledge, developed over time, is applied judiciously in relevant field for higher productivity. The feedback provides the necessary tools to evolve new ways of meeting the challenges of times and add constructively to the knowledge database (Argote & Ingram, 2000). It takes into account the factors that have significant impact on the human psyche which promote the process of rational thinking. Moreover, it also tends to focus on the environmental factors that have significant impact on the outcome of the behavior. The paper clearly discerns the deeper meanings in the reflective process which stress the cognitive responsiveness and review the cultural model that has been internalized. The flexibility that reflective process provides to the interpretations of object reality of knowledge, also facilitates its propagation. It greatly contributes to the existing research findings in the field of knowledge transfer and deconstruction of factors and issues that impact its smooth propagation. Researchers assumptions of the importance of private model is realized when reflective process helps to exploit the unique attributes of private mental model of individuals for organizational gain. It explains how new products are developed and provide the organizations with distinct capabilities to gain competitive advantage. Conclusion The paper has used relevant literature to emphasize the evolving trend in knowledge transfer across the organizations and societies. It is well written and is hugely relevant to the current environment of global business. Indeed, it also reveals as to how managerial leadership becomes the enabling element of organization’s improved performance. In the contemporary environment of rapid globalization and transforming business dynamics, the understanding of socio cognitive model of knowledge transfer becomes the most pertinent issue within organizations. Most importantly it raises the need for further research in the area that can help provide the facilitating environmental attributes for knowledge transfer. It is important to evolve new mechanisms of cohesive learning that can exploit knowledge to widen its sphere. Diversity in the area of knowledge is key aspect that must be discerned and applied creatively for transforming the world in terms of socio-economic and political gain. (words: 1479) Reference Argote, L. and Ingram, P. (2000) Knowledge transfer: A basis for competitive advantage in firms. Organizational Behavior and Human Decision Processes, 82 (1), p 150- 169. Hogg, M.A. & Vaughan, G.M. (2002) Social Psychology, 3rd edition, London: Prentice Hall. Kemper, Theodore, D. (1981) Social Constructionist and Positivist Approaches to the Sociology of Emotions. American Journal of Sociology, 87(2), p 336-362. Ringberg, Torsten and Reihlen, Markus.(2008) Towards a Socio-Cognitive Approach to Knowledge Transfer. Journal of Management Studies, 45(5), p 912-935. Winn, W., & Snyder, D.(1996) ‘Cognitive perspectives in psychology’. In D.H. Jonassen (ed.) Handbook for research for educational communications and technology (p. 112-142). New York: Simon & Schuster Macmillan. Read More