Electronic Journal of Knowledge Management Volume 5 Issue 4 2007 (373-386)
5.2 Stage 2: Building the researcher’s knowledge about Refor’s business and its operation. During this stage the researchers work towards gaining a general understanding of the organisation and its business using different means including: Document analysis, Observation and informally meeting the staff during lunchtimes and coffee breaks, and Attending some of the group meetings where no confidential information is being provided. During the implementation of this phase of our project the researchers had access to documents and online information, attended informal meetings held in different departments and a general meeting. By the end of February 2007 we had acquired a significant level of understanding of Refor and its business –including organisational structure, goals, research projects and tools being developed, etc. We had also gained a level of trust that would facilitate the data collection process.
5.3 Stage 3: Data collection. The data collection process is the main stage of the methodology. For the conditions of Refor this process is based on semi-structured interviews and questionnaires. Such methods are held in two main stages including key players within the organisation, from the chief executive officer (CEO) and chief knowledge officer (CKO) to team leaders and certain knowledge workers. The first stage is concerned with identifying and locating tacit knowledge-based resources. The second phase aims to determine the importance of previously identified knowledge resources with relation to organisational goals. Both steps are complementary in the process of providing a snapshot of the tacit knowledge resources available within the organisational boundaries.
5.3.1 Phase 1. Discovery of tacit knowledge-based resources. A series of interviews of key organisational actors from the highest to the lowest organisational level is expected to have, at that stage, a double effect: it should provide new insights into tacit-knowledge stocks, tacit-knowledge flows and enablers/inhibitors to knowledge work within the organisation, as well as validating what has been previously found. A synthesis of the questionnaire leading the interviews can be found in appendix A. Ideally before each interview the potential interviewee will be provided with an overview letter outlining the topics to be discussed and expectations of the researcher from the interview. While doing research at Refor we used the email to arrange interviews. An overview letter was also sent to the interviewee two days in advance providing some details of our expectations from the interview. Interview with the top management board. The aim of this interview is to capture the understanding of the top management board about the organisational tacit-knowledge base. Topics for exploration include the tacit competencies of the organisation and those of every one of the organisational units. This analysis is based on the understanding that the management board may have of the position of the organisation in its sector, as well as its abilities to compete in any sector related to its business. Interviews are to be guided towards analysis of stocks and flows of tacit knowledge at organisational level, as well as the enablers and inhibitors to intra-organisational knowledge work. Interview with the middle-level management board. Middle-level managers and heads of selected organisational units are interviewed with the aim of capturing their understanding about issues previously identified by the management board. Interviewees at this stage have the opportunity to validate the general picture of the organisational tacit knowledge base provided by the top management board, as well as to contribute to such a general background. These aims are expected to be achieved by exploring the following issues: 1. To what extent and how the departments/units contribute to organisational competitiveness in areas that have been previously identified, 2. Other stocks and flows of tacit competencies present within the departments/units and that have been missed by top managers. These interviews also provide a picture of the departments/units being studied, their operation, structure and other enablers/inhibitors to knowledge work.
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