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

Expert Knowledge: Does it Help or Hinder Idea Generation
and Creativity for Innovation?
Selvi Kannan
Victoria University, Melbourne, Australia
selvi.kannan@vu.edu.au
Abstract: Managing a diverse multigenerational workforce <strong>of</strong> ageing experts and young talented entrants is
becoming a challenge for organisations. Current research acknowledges that experience and expertise will walk
out <strong>the</strong> door with <strong>the</strong> retiring workforce and little replaced with new entrants coming into <strong>the</strong> organisations who
have little or no experience. This leaves organisations in a susceptible position. One key challenge facing
organisations today is to manage <strong>the</strong> knowledge and talent for sustained competitive performance and innovation
in this workforce shift. Innovation is crucial for economic performance globally. Drucker (1985) as quoted by
Tidd et al (2005) identified demographic change as one <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> common sources <strong>of</strong> opportunities in managing
innovation. Was Drucker (1985) really seeding waves <strong>of</strong> thinking that <strong>the</strong> new organisational order to continue to
sustain and innovate, an organisation has to manage knowledge towards innovation <strong>of</strong> a diverse workforce? Can
experts really help? Or do <strong>the</strong> novices consider <strong>the</strong>m to be a hindrance?. This paper focuses by questioning: Is
an expert's knowledge and expertise, especially those veteran experts, critical in idea generation and creativity
towards innovation or more <strong>of</strong> a hindrance? There is clearly a lack <strong>of</strong> scholarly and empirical work in linking
knowledge management and innovation. Fur<strong>the</strong>rmore <strong>the</strong>re is definitely lack <strong>of</strong> studies focussing on experts,
talents and experience contribution in <strong>the</strong> innovation process. This conceptual paper attempts to conceptualize a
knowledge exchange and barrier model within a typified innovation process. It takes <strong>the</strong> view that knowledge is
valued resource and <strong>the</strong> perspectives and experiences <strong>of</strong> young talents versus veteran experts on working
toge<strong>the</strong>r to generate creative ideas and ultimately start up innovative projects in an organisation can be
challenging. The expert's knowledge and experience in applying to an organisation's innovation process looks at
tacit exchange and barriers <strong>of</strong> a case organisation in Australia. This paper may benefit two primary groups -
researchers and academics who are interested in <strong>the</strong> link between innovation process and knowledge
management. Secondly it may benefit managers in an organisation to understand better as to how to manage
knowledge for idea generation and creativity and sustain innovation with a multigenerational workforce.
Keywords: Multigenerational workforce, creativity, knowledge management, innovation process, barriers
1. Introduction
Managing organisational knowledge <strong>of</strong> a multigenerational workforce comprising <strong>of</strong> veteran experts
and inexperienced young enterprising talents, is a balance that many organisations face and learn to
master in order to sustain performance and be competitive. Capturing <strong>the</strong> "know-what" <strong>of</strong> individuals
is seemingly becoming critical especially for organisations to compete with speed.
Evidence from this research has shown that it is seemingly difficult to have different generational
pr<strong>of</strong>essional groups to work toge<strong>the</strong>r on creative ideas and overcome resistance. Adding fur<strong>the</strong>r mix
to <strong>the</strong> complexity <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> generational make up, <strong>the</strong> innovation process in an organisation, to be
successful, must have its workers contend to <strong>the</strong> organisational vision and goals and sustainable
performance.
The key question this paper raises is whe<strong>the</strong>r an expert's knowledge and expertise helps or hinders
idea generation and creativity towards innovation. This question could pose fur<strong>the</strong>r discussions
amongst scholars as to how <strong>the</strong> expertise <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> retiring workforce be best tapped into for creative use
before organisational-knowledge loss situation arises. It may also raise questions <strong>of</strong> effective tacit
exchange between different generational groups and managing <strong>the</strong> multigenerational friction.
Innovation is birth <strong>of</strong> an idea and it can be a combination <strong>of</strong> new and old ideas. Old ideas can
challenge organisations where unique approaches and past knowledge where frames <strong>of</strong> reference
drawn from historical data, experiences and activities needs validation (Van de Ven, 1986), especially
in mature organisations. New ideas may face barriers.
Idea generation and creativity are critical processes in innovation. Studies in innovation have given
very little attention to <strong>the</strong> issues <strong>of</strong> experience and expertise knowledge within <strong>the</strong> innovation process.
Authors Drucker (1985); Griffiths and Biosot (2000); and Tidd, Bessant and Pavitt (2005) have
identified <strong>the</strong> routines, spaces and importance <strong>of</strong> knowledge and knowledge management for
innovation in <strong>the</strong>ir studies. There is however little explored on <strong>the</strong> assistance or hindrance <strong>of</strong> experts
knowledge contribution towards idea generation and creativity.
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