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

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Nasser Easa and Robin Fincham<br />

knowledge. It follows <str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g>n that <str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g> Japanese c<strong>on</strong>text well favours <str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g> explicating <str<strong>on</strong>g>of</str<strong>on</strong>g> knowledge which<br />

is embedded.<br />

Weir and Hutchings (2005) claimed that in <str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g> Arab culture externalisati<strong>on</strong> works not exactly <str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g> way it<br />

is supposed to according to <str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g> SECI model, however <str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g>y reported that Chinese organisati<strong>on</strong>s<br />

externalise knowledge almost by <str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g> same way as Japanese companies do. They opined that it is not<br />

clear that <str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g> c<strong>on</strong>cept <str<strong>on</strong>g>of</str<strong>on</strong>g> externalisati<strong>on</strong> as used in <str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g> SECI framework works as well in <str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g> Arab<br />

c<strong>on</strong>text as many <str<strong>on</strong>g>of</str<strong>on</strong>g> <str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g> networks already exist in virtual form. The process <str<strong>on</strong>g>of</str<strong>on</strong>g> externalisati<strong>on</strong> is a<br />

c<strong>on</strong>tinuous <strong>on</strong>e in which <str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g> knowledge base does not move inexorably from covert to overt status,<br />

but can shift as <str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g> definiti<strong>on</strong>s <str<strong>on</strong>g>of</str<strong>on</strong>g> <str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g> social situati<strong>on</strong>s change according to events. As a result, some<br />

knowledge can indeed remain tacit but available, while o<str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g>r knowledge can surface as explicit and<br />

<str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g>n revert as situati<strong>on</strong>s develop. They claimed also that Arab culture is high in tolerance <str<strong>on</strong>g>of</str<strong>on</strong>g> ambiguity<br />

and Arabs tend to prefer to keep <str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g>ir own knowledge until <str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g>re is an absolute need for disclosure.<br />

But within relati<strong>on</strong>s <str<strong>on</strong>g>of</str<strong>on</strong>g> trust, all knowledge may be available to partners and colleagues. This means<br />

that <str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g>se situati<strong>on</strong>s are governed by <str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g> nature <str<strong>on</strong>g>of</str<strong>on</strong>g> <str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g> relati<strong>on</strong>ships, ra<str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g>r than by legal rules or<br />

judgments <str<strong>on</strong>g>of</str<strong>on</strong>g> business importance. Therefore, In Arab business people may prefer not to surface tacit<br />

knowledge, but in case that happens it is usually <str<strong>on</strong>g>of</str<strong>on</strong>g> significance. China, however, dem<strong>on</strong>strates some<br />

similarities with N<strong>on</strong>aka’s characterisati<strong>on</strong> <str<strong>on</strong>g>of</str<strong>on</strong>g> Japanese organisati<strong>on</strong>s in <str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g>ir approach to knowledge<br />

management and <str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g> sharing <str<strong>on</strong>g>of</str<strong>on</strong>g> knowledge. In a similar fashi<strong>on</strong> as in Japan, <str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g> willingness <str<strong>on</strong>g>of</str<strong>on</strong>g> <str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g><br />

Chinese to share knowledge is also underpinned by its group orientati<strong>on</strong> and <str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g> Chinese also devote<br />

c<strong>on</strong>siderable time to <str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g> diffuse processes <str<strong>on</strong>g>of</str<strong>on</strong>g> explicating tacit knowledge. <strong>Knowledge</strong> also in Japan<br />

and China is created in “communities <str<strong>on</strong>g>of</str<strong>on</strong>g> practice” and exists in tacit forms and cannot be formalised<br />

without loss <str<strong>on</strong>g>of</str<strong>on</strong>g> au<str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g>nticity.<br />

Andreeva and Ikhilchik (2010) menti<strong>on</strong>ed that <str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g> Russian culture is similar to Japan’s culture in terms<br />

<str<strong>on</strong>g>of</str<strong>on</strong>g> usage <str<strong>on</strong>g>of</str<strong>on</strong>g> metaphors, analogies and models in explanati<strong>on</strong>s as mechanisms <str<strong>on</strong>g>of</str<strong>on</strong>g> externalisati<strong>on</strong>.<br />

However, <str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g>y are different in terms <str<strong>on</strong>g>of</str<strong>on</strong>g> <str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g> group orientati<strong>on</strong>, as Russia is more individualistic than<br />

Japan. Russians tend to be collectivistic <str<strong>on</strong>g>of</str<strong>on</strong>g> <str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g> level <str<strong>on</strong>g>of</str<strong>on</strong>g> small groups, while as so<strong>on</strong> as <str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g>y exit <str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g>ir<br />

“inner circle”, <str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g>y can dem<strong>on</strong>strate more individualistic behaviour (H<str<strong>on</strong>g>of</str<strong>on</strong>g>stede and H<str<strong>on</strong>g>of</str<strong>on</strong>g>stede, 2005).<br />

C<strong>on</strong>cerning H<str<strong>on</strong>g>of</str<strong>on</strong>g>stede’s two key dimensi<strong>on</strong>s menti<strong>on</strong>ed above, Haag et al. (2010) opined that <str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g>re<br />

are not substantial differences in knowledge c<strong>on</strong>versi<strong>on</strong> from <str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g> perspective <str<strong>on</strong>g>of</str<strong>on</strong>g> individualismcollectivism<br />

and power distance.<br />

3.3 Combinati<strong>on</strong><br />

At this stage <str<strong>on</strong>g>of</str<strong>on</strong>g> SECI process, <str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g> tacit knowledge that has been explicated in <str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g> previous mode <str<strong>on</strong>g>of</str<strong>on</strong>g><br />

<str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g> model is now <str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g> subject <str<strong>on</strong>g>of</str<strong>on</strong>g> sorting, combinati<strong>on</strong> and categorizati<strong>on</strong> (N<strong>on</strong>aka and Takeuchi,<br />

1995). The whole process <str<strong>on</strong>g>of</str<strong>on</strong>g> c<strong>on</strong>tinuously and holistically combining knowledge from all employees<br />

throughout <str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g> organizati<strong>on</strong> has powerful roots in distinctive Japanese management practices.<br />

Combinati<strong>on</strong> is supported by some typically Japanese practices, such as <str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g> lack <str<strong>on</strong>g>of</str<strong>on</strong>g> interdepartmental<br />

rivalry, c<strong>on</strong>sultative decisi<strong>on</strong>-making, purposeful overlap <str<strong>on</strong>g>of</str<strong>on</strong>g> functi<strong>on</strong>al resp<strong>on</strong>sibilities and <str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g> more<br />

secure c<strong>on</strong>text for free and open access to organisati<strong>on</strong>al informati<strong>on</strong> due to high pers<strong>on</strong>al<br />

commitment and relatively permanent occupati<strong>on</strong> (N<strong>on</strong>aka and Takeuchi 1995; Glisby and Holden<br />

2003). In comparis<strong>on</strong> to western values, Glisby and Holden (2003) argued that <str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g> general absence<br />

<str<strong>on</strong>g>of</str<strong>on</strong>g> inter-departmental rivalry and c<strong>on</strong>sequences <str<strong>on</strong>g>of</str<strong>on</strong>g> loss <str<strong>on</strong>g>of</str<strong>on</strong>g> face in Japan make combinati<strong>on</strong> more<br />

straightforward than in Western organisati<strong>on</strong>s.<br />

Weir and Hutchings (2005) c<strong>on</strong>cur with Glisby and Holden (2003) that combining knowledge from all<br />

employees throughout <str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g> organisati<strong>on</strong> has powerful roots in distinctive Japanese management<br />

practices and this may not apply universally. They argued that both Arabic and Chinese worlds are<br />

characterised by much more c<strong>on</strong>centrated authority and decisi<strong>on</strong>-making in comparis<strong>on</strong> to Japan.<br />

Combinati<strong>on</strong> may play a ra<str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g>r different role in Arab business organisati<strong>on</strong>s for <str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g> evident reas<strong>on</strong><br />

that <str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g> business organizati<strong>on</strong> as such is usually structured in terms <str<strong>on</strong>g>of</str<strong>on</strong>g> unfamiliar structures and <str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g><br />

discourse <str<strong>on</strong>g>of</str<strong>on</strong>g> <str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g> family and its internal and external relati<strong>on</strong>s is readily applied. Thus it is accepted<br />

that power and authority are c<strong>on</strong>centrated and that, n<strong>on</strong>e<str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g>less, <str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g> testim<strong>on</strong>y <str<strong>on</strong>g>of</str<strong>on</strong>g> junior members is<br />

likely to c<strong>on</strong>tain valuable elements. So <str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g> good leader has to be both authoritative and c<strong>on</strong>sultative.<br />

This c<strong>on</strong>cludes that <str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g> Arab world is authoritarian but also c<strong>on</strong>sultative, so knowledge translated is<br />

more complex than that described by N<strong>on</strong>aka and Takeuchi. In China, in c<strong>on</strong>trast to Japan’s<br />

participative style <str<strong>on</strong>g>of</str<strong>on</strong>g> management, employees are certainly keen to save face and avoid c<strong>on</strong>flict.<br />

There, <str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g> authority and seniority are highly respected and managers do not feel comfortable in<br />

receiving advice or informati<strong>on</strong> from people below <str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g>m in <str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g> hierarchy. So, employees are reluctant<br />

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