Summary


Organisational structures have changed over the past couple of decades, largely in response to external pressures. Whereas in the past, organisational success has been influenced by factors such as size, role clarity, specialisation and control, success today hinges on speed, flexibility, integration and innovation.

However, many business leaders believe that in order to compete in the global economy organisations need to combine the best characteristics of both big and small companies. They need to be able to capitalize on the economies of scale, the resources and the talent available within the large corporation but at the same time benefit from the flexibility and autonomy often present within small organisations.

However, whatever the size and scale of an organisation, one thing is crucial, organisations need to consider their needs for knowledge creation, re-use and transfer in their discussions and decisions about organisational design. This can mean, as we have seen in this chapter, creating new roles, as well as changing the responsibilities associated with existing roles. This includes the changing role of HR. What is also important is to ensure that everyone in the organisation plays their part in developing, sharing and utilising knowledge, and does not leave it to a select few. The next chapter looks at the specific role of HR in building a knowledge-centric culture.




Managing the Knowledge - HR's Strategic Role
Managing for Knowledge: HRs Strategic Role
ISBN: 0750655666
EAN: 2147483647
Year: 2003
Pages: 175

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