Work Package 3: Managing the Knowledge System Life Cycle
The key issue at the heart of this proposal relates to the interaction between information, knowledge, learning and decision-making throughout the project life cycle. It is possible to distinguish between information and knowledge in that the latter is characterised as an act or a process rather than an artefact or a thing (Davenport and Prusak, 1997). Knowledge therefore cannot be separated from decision-making, which in turn cannot by separated from the capacity to learn. Research on product performance assessment has repeatedly demonstrated that capturing information is only part of the problem. Indeed, 'information overload' is becoming an increasing concern within modern organisations, often with a detrimental affect on the quality of decision-making (Larsen and Wactlar, 2003). Knowledge lies in the identification of relevant information and putting it to use. It is this combination of information and managerial action that provides the focus for WP3. The aim of WP3 is to investigate the dynamics of knowledge use throughout the life cycle of complex product-service systems, and to make recommendations for improved effectiveness.
There are three tasks in WP3 with the following objectives:
- to investigate the ways in which alternative inter-organisational governance structures for through-life performance-based procurement approaches encourage innovative responses from prime contractors and suppliers;
- to develop mechanisms to propagate high commitment management and effective organisational learning in support of product-service modes of working; and
- to evaluate the potential of alternative methods of decision-support in improving the quality of decision-making throughout the product life cycle.
The deliverables from this WP will comprise recommendations for appropriate governance structures, human resource management (HRM) strategies and decision-support models to encourage sustained organisational learning and innovation throughout the supply chain. The WP is predicated on the view that firms engaging with complex product-service systems require an innovation-based model of competitiveness. Indeed, within the context of the emerging product-service paradigm, an orientation towards innovation is vital for the continued competitiveness of the UK engineering and construction sectors.
