Proceedings of the 12th European Conference on Knowledge ...

Inocencia Mª Martínez-León and Isabel Olmedo-Cifuentes
Surprisingly, high formalization have a positive impact on Organizational memory, because <strong>the</strong>
establishment <strong>of</strong> standard practices to capture, codify, organize, store and retrieve <strong>the</strong> information
and knowledge favour its development. This finding corroborates <strong>the</strong> ideas <strong>of</strong> Alavi and Leidner
(2001), who suggested that high level formalization generates greater knowledge creation.
Low centralization shows significant positive effect on previous OLPh to Information distribution,
confirming partially Hypo<strong>the</strong>sis 6. Decentralization requires employee’s participation in decisionmaking
in multiple-locations and moments, which demand and generate knowledge. Consequently, all
OLPh are highly demanded but not achieved. Hence, it has not a significant impact on all prior OLPh
to Shared interpretation and Organizational memory. Despite this result, decentralization influences
positively from <strong>the</strong> internal information acquisition to <strong>the</strong> shared interpretation. In a similar way, it has
a joint effect on information acquisition and distribution as previous OLPh to organizational memory.
Finally, high Indoctrination does not show significant effects in Model 2 (rejecting Hypo<strong>the</strong>sis 7).
Indoctrination implies enjoying <strong>the</strong> same culture, <strong>the</strong> mutual trust, team spirit and friendship between
organizational members. These activities reduce <strong>the</strong> information distribution, because <strong>the</strong>
organization and its members provide wide information that diminishes this OLA; but <strong>the</strong>ir interactions
facilitate shared interpretation and organizational memory.
7. Discussion and conclusion
The most striking result to emerge from <strong>the</strong> data is that all OLPh have a positive and significant
influence on OLA. These results are consistent with <strong>the</strong> idea that when <strong>the</strong> previous OLPh is reduced,
<strong>the</strong> development <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> following OLA is minor compared with <strong>the</strong> adequate development <strong>of</strong> prior
OLPh. This aspect has an important influence on <strong>the</strong> OLP, and on <strong>the</strong> organizational capacity in
knowledge creation. Subsequently, this consequence reflects on organizational performance. In
reviewing <strong>the</strong> literature, no empirical studies were found in <strong>the</strong> association between OLPh and OLA.
The present study was designed to demonstrate <strong>the</strong> close significant relationship between both
concepts.
Ano<strong>the</strong>r important finding is that organizational structure directly affects OL. Prior studies had noted
<strong>the</strong> importance <strong>of</strong> organizational structure on OL (Martínez and Olmedo, 2010; Martínez and
Martínez, 2011). However, no empirical studies were found in <strong>the</strong> literature on <strong>the</strong> question <strong>of</strong>
analyzing <strong>the</strong> influence <strong>of</strong> design parameters on OLPh and OLA. Therefore, this study set out with <strong>the</strong>
aim <strong>of</strong> assessing <strong>the</strong> importance <strong>of</strong> design parameters in <strong>the</strong> development <strong>of</strong> OLP. The results <strong>of</strong> this
study show that information distribution process is induced by high vertical specialization and low
centralization (decentralization), toge<strong>the</strong>r with <strong>the</strong> external and internal information acquisition. High
vertical specialization limits <strong>the</strong> worker’s control and his/her vision, but can actively participate in <strong>the</strong>
information acquisition, favouring information distribution. Decentralization creates a participatory
environment that also facilitates both activities.
Shared interpretation is always positively affected by prior OLPh, and low horizontal specialization
and formalization. Low horizontal specialization implies that different tasks are included in a job
description, which expands <strong>the</strong> vision <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> worker and <strong>the</strong> information acquisition and distribution,
facilitating shared interpretation. Low formalization provides relative freedom in <strong>the</strong> job, expanding
previous OLPh and <strong>the</strong> employee’s understanding (interpretation). On <strong>the</strong> contrary, high formalization
and previous OLPh have a direct effect on <strong>the</strong> organizational memory process. The existence <strong>of</strong>
procedures, rules and regulations (consequence <strong>of</strong> high formalization) and significant development <strong>of</strong>
previous OLPh facilitate <strong>the</strong> development <strong>of</strong> organizational memory.
It is also interesting to note that several design parameters influence jointly with some OLPh on OLA,
but it is not a general effect on all <strong>the</strong> previous OLPh which are included in <strong>the</strong> activity in question.
Considering information distribution, low formalization affects jointly with <strong>the</strong> previous design
parameter and external information acquisition in this OLA due to <strong>the</strong> job flexibility, which allows
distributing <strong>the</strong> external information to be acquired in a better way.
Besides, shared interpretation is affected by o<strong>the</strong>r significant relationships. Low centralization and
high vertical specialization (plus o<strong>the</strong>r design parameters), and internal information acquisition (OLPh)
have a combined effect on this OLA. The participation <strong>of</strong> worker in <strong>the</strong> decision making process
facilitates shared interpretation, acquiring internal information. In addition, high vertical specialization
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