1. Views upon knowledge and its implications for
studying learning in organizational networks
Frank Cornelissen, Tjip de Jong and Joseph Kessels
Paper presentation for the EAPRII 2009 conference in Trier, Germany
2. -> Some structure …
I Warming up: yes or no answers
II Knowledge: what are we talking about?
III Are you a structuralist or a connectionist?
IV Performance versus social homogeneity
VI Framing the perspectives into a quadrant
V Discussing the different frames
VII Discussion
Paper presentation for the EAPRII 2009 conference in Trier, Germany
3. Knowledge: yes or no?
Paper presentation for the EAPRII 2009 conference in Trier, Germany
16. Knowledge: what are we talking about?
Curious questions from educational/organizational practice
-Talking about knowledge: ‘Do we mean the same?’
-Studying learning and knowledge: ‘Which perspective is appropriate?’
-Making policy: ‘Which perspective is fruitful?’
Research questions
-Dominant viewpoints in studying knowledge in fields of HRD and OD?
-Dominant perspectives in studying networks in fields of HRD and OD?
-Relation between different viewpoints on knowledge and different
network perspectives?
Paper presentation for the EAPRIL 2009 conference in Trier, Germany
17. Viewpoints on knowledge
Organizational Development(Von Krogh & Roos, 1995; Sveiby, 2001)
-Cognitivist -‘objective out-there-reality’and 1 truth
-Connectionist -‘objective out-there-reality’ and experts define truth
-Autopoietic -‘subjective socially created reality’ and truth is what individual
people believe is true at a certain moment in time
Human Resource Development(Harrison & Kessels, 2004)
Knowledge as: - Control - acquire knowledge and apply generally
-Intelligence - acquire knowledge and experts help apply
- Commodity - create knowledge interactively and transfer
- Relationships - create knowledge socially and no transfer
Paper presentation for the EAPRIL 2009 conference in Trier, Germany
18. Categories of knowledge
Some categories
-Explicit (Nonaka& Takeuchi, 1995) :Expressed in formal systematic language
-Encoded (Zuboff, 1988) : Residing in databanks
-Procedural (Zander&Kogut, 1995) : Knowledge about processes
-Tacit (Polanyi, 1967) : Personal knowledge, hard to formalize and express
-Embodied (Nonaka& Takeuchi, 1995) : Roots from experience and physical presence
-Embrained(Argyris&Schön, 1978) : Cognitive abilities to recognize underlying patterns
-Embedded (Venzin, Von Krogh &Roos, 1998): Knowledge embedded in contextual factors
-Not yet embodied (Schärmer, 2001) : Tacit knowledge not yet embodied in day-to-day
practice (e.g. intuition, inspiration)
Paper presentation for the EAPRIL 2009 conference in Trier, Germany
20. -> Explanatory mechanism: Are you a structuralist
or connectionist?
Networks
as roads
Networks
as traffic
Paper presentation for the EAPRII 2009 conference in Trier, Germany
21. -> Are you a structuralist or connectionist?
Networks
as roads
Paper presentation for the EAPRII 2009 conference in Trier, Germany
22. -> Are you a structuralist or connectionist?
Networks
as traffic
Paper presentation for the EAPRII 2009 conference in Trier, Germany
23. -> Outcomes: Do you favor performance
variation or social homogeneity?
Performance Social
variation homogeneity
Paper presentation for the EAPRII 2009 conference in Trier, Germany
24. -> Do you favor performance variation or
social homogeneity?
Performance
variation
Paper presentation for the EAPRII 2009 conference in Trier, Germany
25. -> Do you favor performance variation or
social homogeneity?
Social
homogeneity
Paper presentation for the EAPRII 2009 conference in Trier, Germany
26. Studying knowledge in networks
Performance variation Social homogeneity
Structuralist - Structural capital studies - Environmental shaping studies
(‘roads’) - Individuals exploit network positions - Comparable structures evoke
similar behaviour
-Cognitivistic viewpoint of knowledge - Autopoietic viewpoint
explicit and encoded knowledge embodied and embrained
knowledge
- Learning through knowledge transfer - Learning through socialization
Connectionist - Social resource access studies - Contagion studies
(‘traffic’) - Access and use of social relations - Networks is self-creating and co-
evolving
- Connectionist viewpoint of - Autopoietic viewpoint
knowledge Tacit knowledge, embrained and
Explicit, encoded and procedural Embodied knowledge
knowledge - Learning is based on intrinsic
- Learning is about engagement drivers and is relational
Paper presentation for the EAPRII 2009 conference in Trier, Germany
27. Discussion
Talking about knowledge: ‘Do we mean the same?’
Studying learning and knowledge:‘Which perspective is appropriate?’
Making policy for education: ‘Which perspective is fruitful?’
Paper presentation for the EAPRII 2009 conference in Trier, Germany
