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Whereas some organizations struggled and had to let staff due to the COVID-19 pandemic, others had to expand to keep their business running. In this case, new employees had to be onboarded remotely due to the governmental restrictions regarding physical appearance in the workplace. The newcomers needed interactions to learn about organizational rules and regulations (compliance) and develop personal mastery (Clarification). To adopt and internalize the organizational norms and values (culture) and to become part of the work community (connection) interactions with leaders and co-workers are important. In this paper, we focus on the onboarding process of newcomers during the COVID-19-pandemic and what we can learn from this after the COVID-19 pandemic. By building on Bauer's 6C framework for onboarding (compliance, clarification, culture, connection, confidence and checkback), we analyse the data from two countries: the Netherlands and Norway. Two main themes are elaborated from the study: uncertainty regarding the work to be done and sensemaking of the introductory courses and follow-ups. We discuss possible implications for a post-Covid onboarding processes. Our findings show that the newcomers experience uncertainty with little or no personal contact. At the same time, they claim that the e-learning is supporting their learning process and their introduction to the organization. The perception of information varies and some of the newcomers' experience solitude and the responsibility of actively seeking information is placed with them, whilst others perceive the team designated for their onboarding sufficient to becoming a full member of the organization. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Working in Communities of Practice (CoP) when developing student support in courses, may also have an impact on the academic learning. In CoP's scholars can meet up to discuss, solve issues and develop new solutions. It is an arena for reflection on action, retrospective reflection and for meta-learning. In this paper we will present how two lecturers have co-developed knowledge through knowledge sharing, discussions and projects with students. The two lecturers have different background regarding education teaches within the same main area; organizational theory and development, and Knowledge Management. By sharing tacit and explicit knowledge when co-developing support for students learning, their own reflections support our learning process. Through reflection before action when developing the initiatives that we want to test out on students, reflecting in action when we deploy the initiatives, reflect on action when we evaluate the initiatives and reflect retrospectively together longer after deploying the initiative, we learn and develop not only as academics but also as reflective practitioners. This is also what we want for our students. Through several years we have developed the courses in the study programme of Knowledge Management at the Inland Norway University of Applied Sciences, Norway. The development has exclusively been to support students learning outcome and work relevance of the different courses. The latest initiative is about video-feedback and how this can support the students enhanced learning outcome. We are investigating what the students claim will provide them with yet another tool for learning and that will improve their academic skills. Through the process of working with this project and utilizing our knowledge of the different ways of reflection, knowledge sharing, cooperation and collaboration, we have learned from the project and our process. Hence, our meta-learning may also benefit our students as we as reflective practitioners can help our students become reflective practitioners, too. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper we will focus on the interaction between innovation as a process and knowledge transfer and management. We use a model with three drivers of innovations, communication, competence and culture, and these drivers influence innovative behaviour which again kicks off the innovation. The empirical part of the paper builds on data collection at two aquaculture firms, one in Norway and one in Chile, where we have focused on the links between the innovation process and knowledge transfer and management, and how this can be built into the production and managerial system. First, we discuss what characterises knowledge flows and how this can be related to innovative initiatives, competence and culture. Second, we discuss how innovative ideas can transform into actual innovations. Third, we discuss how innovations are integrated in the production procedures and how this challenges knowledge management. We find, as do most studies, a link between successful knowledge management and innovations, but this link does not have the same structure in Norway and Chile. Differences in communication patterns, innovative behaviour and cultural characteristics are the most important factors to explain the differences. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Organizations may experience a knowledge gap and the most common way of covering the gap is to either hire the competence needed or educate the existing work force. In this paper, we present a case study of a training executive that experienced a knowledge gap regarding his own execution of his job. The case study shows how learning by doing, doing by learning, assimilating, developing and sharing knowledge in an organization can enhance and develop ones work and induce changes in ones workplace. This paper will present how this approach has contributed to develop routines for training new staff, and how it has enabled the co-workers to take part in developing these routines, and execute them. The result is a dramatic reduction in the time it takes new staff to be operable. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Projects provide opportunities for combining various types of knowledge bases and expertise. Sharing knowledge and best practices through projects can improve an organization's ability to make the learning organizational, and become a learning organization. Earlier research studies show that, though the positive effects of knowledge sharing are recognized, it is still challenging to implement inter-project knowledge sharing and harvest the desired benefits from it. There is increasing focus on leveraging learning and reusing knowledge across projects. The need to focus on learning and knowledge sharing is important for organizations in the public sector too. Several researchers indicate that progression of projectification of public policies, public organizations, and individuals working in public sphere has an impact on actions undertaken for delivery of public services. As social, economic, political and technological changes happen in a faster pace, there is a need for public sector organizations to become more effective and efficient in order to deal successfully with the changes and address the emerging challenges timely. The focus of this paper is on inter-project learning processes in public organizations. This paper is based on a brief literature study and a case study of two public organizations, concerning public sector project management and project knowledge management. The research question that we ask is: What characterizes processes of inter-project knowledge sharing in public organizations? The research is of preliminary character. It is our first attempt to address the issue of inter-project learning in public organizations in our collaborative endeavor - collaboration between researchers from Poland and Norway. Therefore, we illustrate our deliberations with limited data - a case study of two public organizations: Trondheim Municipality (Norway) and Municipality of Kraków (Poland). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

COVID-19 has contributed to a digitalization of communication, and in many cases to a distribution of an organization's workforce. Several organizations in Norway claim that they will adapt to a more flexible approach regarding allowing work from home (WFH) in a post-COVID-19 worklife and allow a more "hybrid" way of working. This paper describes how the long-term crisis has unfolded in a large governmental organization. The focus for the investigations have been on how the employees have experienced working from home, and how this will impact their post-COVID-19 worklife, all with a Knowledge Management (KM) perspective. Through qualitative interviews with managers' and employees' issues, like a lack of possibilities regarding informal communication and sharing of knowledge, have arisen. This implies that there is a need for addressing KM practices that secure a flow of information, learning conditions and job satisfaction in the post-COVID-19 workday. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper presents a study focusing on a newly established public organization - resulting from merging previous autonomous divisions into a unified entity. As new, the organization has been exploring and finding out ways to develop and structure its knowledge management initiatives and practices. In this regard, the organization primarily has started looking at knowledge databases. The organization has an idea for its knowledge systems and practices. In addition to reflect on its own practice, the organization wants to conduct a study on three other comparable organizations. The purpose is to gather these organizations' experiences and recommendations on knowledge management practices; specifically on knowledge databases. This study aims to provide guidance for the newly established organization to develop, use, maintain, and improve its own knowledge management efforts and solutions in the future. Thus, creation of an applicable and suitable database lay the foundation for evaluation and improvement. The organizations that this paper considers belong to the building construction and energy sectors. By adopting a model described by Duffield & Whitty (2015), the knowledge sharing and management practices in the four organizations are structured in two major categories: systems (structure) and people (culture). According to this study, organizational culture and integration of systems play an important role in promoting knowledge management and competence development. More specifically, this study suggests that an effective implementation and use of knowledge databases can be established by focusing on both (1) the structural aspects of knowledge management, such as evaluation meetings at the end of each phase of the project, and (2) the cultural aspects, such as Communities of Practice (CoP). Cultural mechanisms play a significant role in keeping the initiatives (for instance, knowledge database) "alive" for a long run, harvesting the intended benefits, and creating a positive learning culture. This paper is based on a qualitative study. Interviews were conducted, relevant documents from the organizations were looked at, and observation of one of the four organizations was carried out. The interviews are of semi-structured nature. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Practice-based research has established that ICTs are "open-ended" and that their users need to exercise considerable discretion in their appropriation. While there are many studies focusing on the appropriation of ICTs for organisational communication in general, few studies consider the specific appropriation of ICTs for knowledge sharing and knowledge construction. Drawing on a qualitative and longitudinal (2008-2013) case study of online managed networks of competence meetings within the Norwegian Labour Inspection Authority, I identify and discuss three strategies for knowledge construction which have been more or less successfully crafted online. These are: "creating a process narrative", "picturing a solution" and "doing a test". These three strategies illustrate how health and safety inspectors construct knowledge through the use of storytelling and of work-related artefacts, which are more or less available to them online. The paper discusses these practices from a social constructivist perspective, which stresses the role of symbolic resources for successful knowledge sharing. Finally, in the conclusion, I discuss this paper's contributions to existing theory and its implications for knowledge management initiatives, with respect to the ways in which appropriation of ICTs could be supported. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Online systems for sharing knowledge and for organizing communities of practice are increasing in numbers. In this paper, we claim that the system alone will not be sufficient regarding the knowledge sharing process, if fundamentals of creating and maintaining communities of practice are not attended to. This paper presents the experiences from two Norwegian organizations that have used an online system for sharing knowledge, for the purpose of building a community of practice within the organization. This is a pilot study of a larger project and the main focus has been on the role of the facilitator and on the key features of the facilitator role that supports the creation and maintenance of what is defined as Virtual Communities of Practice (VCoP). "Ordinary" Communities of Practice, as Lave and Wenger define it, are based on voluntary encounters between practitioners (Wenger, 1998a, Lave and Wenger, 1991). We investigate to what degree the Virtual Communities of Practice are voluntary, if at all. The research is mainly qualitative and data is collected through interviews. The respondents are users and administrators of the system. The system is called Noddlepod™ and is a Norwegian developed Knowledge Management System. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Projects are one-time activities that have a definite start and end. More and more organizations are applying project as their work form. Even though having this popularity, not all projects produce desired results. There are challenges and there is room for improvement. This paper focuses on a challenge: delays / unnecessary use of time. Most projects are open systems and they operate in an open environment. Hence, changes occur often. This paper looks at the connection between changes, knowledge transfer and time delays in projects. More precisely, this paper looks at how changes can cause delays / unnecessary use of time, if there is lack of knowledge transfer in the project. In this regard, the paper presents a framework / model and discusses it by describing 4 instances / situations in a case project. The discussion also suggests relevant means to deal effectively with the interrelation between changes, unnecessary use of time and lack of knowledge transfer in projects. This paper is based on a study that is of qualitative nature, and it focuses on the construction industry. A building construction project was studied as a source of information, and interviews were conducted in this regard. The interviews were semi-structured interviews, and they were done with various participants of the project; for instance, project manager, main contractor, construction site manager and architect. The paper is connected to a research project called "SpeedUp". This research project is funded by the Research Council of Norway. SINTEF (a research institution) and several firms in the construction industry in Norway participate in this project. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A marked increase in crises, uncertainties and perceived risks has impelled the government of Norway to reconsider its contingency plans and devolve its emergency management capacity to local authorities. It has become imperative that any effective emergency management require collaborative effort at the local level, with municipalities sharing strategic resources, including knowledge repositories. The municipalities' lack of necessary resources to provide emergency management services, as required of them by law, compel them to seek ways of cooperation and coordination with other municipalities in their proximity. Municipalities have come to a realization that efficiency in anticipating and handling crises is dependent on the way they collaborate with each other. To remain prepared municipalities must share the knowledge needed to plan, anticipate and handle emergencies. Participating municipalities are obliged to establish knowledge-sharing strategies in order to promote interactions between crisis management practitioners. This paper examines the emergence of communities of practice in a crisis management inter-organizational partnership in a county in Norway. The paper identifies factors that advance or inhibit knowledge sharing process in this partnership. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Rapid developments in new technologies and the explosion in digital connectivity have led to a growing recognition of the importance of knowledge management as a critical resource for competitive advantage. These developments present both opportunities and challenges for governments, who are compelled to adopt new management tools and techniques. As such improved knowledge management has become essential for public sector organizations at national, regional and local levels. The creation and transfer of knowledge has become a critical factor in the public sector organizations' quest for high quality decision-making, and service delivery. Communicating professional knowledge is a key ingredient in KM processes. This paper examines the key issues and communication challenges faced by small municipalities in their endeavour to implement knowledge management programs. It draws its material from a survey data collected from a small municipality in Norway. The paper highlights the role of adequate and inadequate communication behaviour patterns for knowledge transfer at local government levels. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The phenomenon of reinventing the wheel is a notable problem in project organisations. This paper looks at this phenomenon and the role of knowledge transfer in dealing with this phenomenon. In this regard, this paper considers four construction projects that are carried out by a public sector organisation in Norway. Primary focus of knowledge transfer that this paper considers is on the activities connected to dealing with and managing uncertainty in projects. The paper starts with presenting relevance and importance of studying the phenomenon of reinventing the wheel. After a brief discussion on methodological issues, this paper looks at how the organisation handles knowledge transfer in order to reduce or avoid reinvention of the wheel. Knowledge transfer in this regard is viewed both organisationally (for the whole organisation) and with respect to the four projects. This description points out current practices of the organisation with respect to knowledge transfer. Then, some possible causes for reinventing the wheel are described, followed by a presentation of two main areas in which occurrence of reinvention of the wheel was noticed. They are: Tools and processes connect to managing uncertainty in projects. Each project used tools and processes that they developed when it comes to managing uncertainty. But, there are similarities between the tools and between the processes. This paper points out that institutionalising knowledge is a major challenge in connection with knowledge transfer and reducing reinvention of the wheel. At individual and group levels, the extent of knowledge transfer seems to be good. Various arenas for transferring knowledge were used satisfactorily. But, when it comes to make the individual and group knowledge into organisational knowledge, and utilise the organisational knowledge at group and individual levels pose a challenge. This paper considers a theoretical model to address the issue of institutionalising knowledge. The theoretical model focuses on levels of learning (individual, group and organisational learning) and processes of learning (intuiting, attending, interpreting, experimenting, integrating and institutionalising). Following the theoretical discussion, suggestions for institutionalising knowledge are presented, first as a framework - an overall guideline - and then some concrete methods to support the framework are described. Though institutionalising knowledge can be seen as a positive effort, it can also hinder development of new knowledge. Hence, this paper points out the importance of considering the tension / balance between exploitation of existing knowledge and exploration of new knowledge. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]