organizational social context

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Organizational Social Context

Albert Simard President, Integrated Knowledge ServicesPresented to:

SIKM, Oct 18, 2016 [email protected]

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Organizational Structures

Context

Interactions

ManagementResearch

Governance

Network

Servers Desktops

Security

Content

Flow Services

Interfaces

Knowledge

Social

Business

Technology

Organizational Outputs

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Social Interaction Framework

Interests

Mutual

Autonomous

Work Group Community Network

Conversation Posting Publication

Purchasing Contracts Merger

Sports Business Military

GoalsCompatible Conflicting

Collaborationpeer production partnership approach high trust diverse, synergistic

Sharingleverage knowledge passive approach some trust benign, supportive

Negotiationmutual agreement adversarial approach some trust structured, formal

Competitiondefence or victory aggressive approach no trust secretive, hostile

Unclear

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18 Primary Social Science Authors Reviewed*• Individual trust: Mayer, et. al. (1995); Stoyko (2013) • Organizational trust: Covey (2006); Kimmel (2014)• Societal trust: Schneier (2012)• Engagement: Pink (2009); Stoyko (2010); Gebauer and Lowman (2008)• Communities of Practice: Wegner et. al. (2002); St. Onge and Wallace (2003)• Social interaction: Simard, (2013)• Knowledge management: Dalkir (2005); Simard and Jourdeuil (2013)• Emotional intelligence: Cooper and Sawaf (1996); Cherniss and Goleman (2001)• Organizational culture: Kotter and Heskett (1992); Kotter (2002); Cox (1993)• Leadership: Zand (1997)

* Total of 75 authors referenced

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Literature Survey Results• 1,200 terms and phrases found

• 90% used only once; 5% used twice

• Only a handful used 5 times or more

• Little consensus in the literature

• Little holistic understanding

• Little help for describing KM social context

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Organizational Social Context Landscape

trustcu

lture

attitude

control

enable

ethi

csinterest

conflict

values

actions

behave

safe

tyleader

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Organizing Process• Create lists of terms by author• Find related terms (similar, contrasting, sequential)• Classify terms (attributes, indicators, actions)• Organize into named groups • Add terms to small groups• Split and rename large groups • Organize into framework

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Definitions• Criteria: Name of a group of terms that captures the essence of what

makes the group a whole.• Attribute: Characteristic of a criteria that is normally not observable or

manageable. • Indicator: Characteristic of a criteria that is normally observable and

manageable. • Action: Executing a management decision to undertake an activity that

affects an indicator.

Individual criteria are not defined (what they are). They are described (what they look like) through the set of terms that are associated with the criteria.

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Social Context Framework Summary

• Situation 1 Component; 7 Criteria

• Scale 3 Components; 18 Criteria

• Interaction 4 Components; 18 Criteria

• Trust 6 components; 34 Criteria

Totals 14 Components; 77 Criteria; 1900 terms used (overlap)

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Organizational Social Context Framework

Organization

Group

Individual

Tru

st

Factors

Situati

on

Inter

actio

n

Scale

Manag

eabilit

y

Criteria

Indicators

Management

Leadership

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Prioritizing Decision Model Holistic approach, one criteria at a time

Flow through

Action ?

Yes

No

Legend

Start

End

Ind. Mgt.

Ind.

Ind.

Mgt.

Mgt.

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Interaction Context Components

Previous Factor

Negotiation

Collaboration

Sharing

Next Factor

Competition

3 criteria

6 criteria

5 criteria

4 criteria

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Sharing Context Prioritization

Next Component

Sharing Situation Actions

Sharing Environment Actions

Sharing Motivation Actions

ManagementSharing Situation Indicators

Sharing Environment Indicators

Sharing Motivation Indicators

IndicatorCriteriaSharing Situation

Sharing Environment

Sharing Motivation

low

lowhigh

highlow

high

Previous Component

Priority

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Sharing Indicators & ManagementCriteria Indicators* Management*

Sharing Situation

Content transactionsAutonomous participantsSimilar interestsOne-to-one / One-to-manyProvider / UserAuthor / RequestorSource / DestinationSharing / ExchangeExplicit / Tacit

Implement sharing methods Train individuals on using methodsCommunicate sharing goals Provide opportunities for sharing Support, facilitate, promote sharing Provide sharing sites, places Develop reciprocity marketsFacilitate finding expertise, sources

Sharing Environment

Sharing cultureLevel of trustSafe sharing environment Individual privacyContent securityAuthor recognition

Provide a safe environment Implement sharing guidelinesEstablish sharing normsDemonstrate sharing benefitsRecognize authors, sourcesRespect intellectual property rights

Sharing Motivation

Sharing incentivesSharing, exchange activityPromote content use Control, hoarding Reciprocity mechanisms Internal markets

Provide sharing incentivesPromote, encourage sharingLeaders practice good sharing Reward good sharing behavior Discourage poor sharing behavior Censure, sanction hoarding

* (/) indicates contrasting terms; (,) indicates similar terms; (-) indicates sequential terms .

Scale Context Components

Previous Factor

Individuals

Groups

Organization

Next Factor

7 criteria

5 criteria

6 criteria

Organizational Scale Context Prioritization

Organizational Culture Actions

Controlling Culture Actions

Enabling Culture ActionsCulture Change Actions

ManagementOrganizational Culture Indicators

Controlling Culture Indicators

Enabling Culture Indicators

Culture Change Indicators

Indicator

Culture Change

CriteriaOrganizational Culture

Controlling Culture

Enabling Culture

Next Component

low

lowhigh

high

highlow

low

high

Previous Component

Priority

Employee Practices

Cultural Leadership

Cultural Leadership Indicators

Cultural Leadership Actions

low

low

Employee Practice Indicators

Employee Practice Actions

high

high

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Organizational Scale Attributes, Indicators & Management (1)Criteria / Attributes Indicators* Management*

Organizational CultureShared values, norms, attitudesShared vision, ideology, beliefs Shared assumptions, models Shared principles, practicesOrganizational memory, essence Common directionDiversity, differencesSocial environment, contextSymbols have meaningPerceptionsSocial differentiation

Social behavior Rituals, artifactsTransmitted through stories Social practices, pressureCorporate understandingSymbolic actionsLeaders provide cuesDecisions communicate valuesLeaders telegraph valuesRewards send messagesPraise / criticism show values

Reward desired behavior Practice espoused values Promote shared values Promote desired behaviorMatch words and practicesModel values and behaviorIncrease cultural awarenessIncrease understandingCommunicate valuesRecognize accomplishmentsMentor new employees

Controlling CultureAuthoritative hierarchyResistant to change Laws, rules, policies Inflexible structure InstitutionsMoralityIntergroup conflictPrejudice, ethnocentricityCommon responsibilityOrganizational structureCentral goalsStability, orderInstitutional bias

Command, controlCompliance, enforcementSecurity Pluralism / monolithicBureaucracyMercenaryFragmented ArroganceInsular, intoleranceDiscrimination, stereotypingSocial contract, moral pressureInstitutional pressure Loopholes, interpretation

Implement rules, codesMatch strategy to cultureDevelop policies, GuidelinesBalance pressuresApply proportional penaltiesClarify expectationsRequire complianceIssue regulationsPrevention, coercion DetectionInterventionRecoveryPunish, penalize wrongdoing

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Enabling CultureResponsible autonomy Adaptive, agile Values, ethics Social responsibilityEnvironmental responsibilityContinuous learningSocial developmentSense-making mechanismBinds the organizationStable but not staticCulture evolves naturallyGood corporate citizenship

Delegated decisionsNegotiated agreementsCreative, innovativeHolistic perspectiveMulticultural, diverseNetwork structureConsensus buildingFreely shared informationFrequent input, feedbackCollaborative workInformal integration

Be environmentally responsible Provide guidelines Have mutual goals, expectationsManage with empathy, honestyPromote sharing, collaborationCreate safe-fail environmentEncourage innovationStress employee ownershipMatch work to passionsEarn trust continuouslySeek feedback, listen to ideasAsk for help & advice

Culture ChangeChange weakens culturePassed between generationsGenerational differencesCross-generation transferInterdependence Culture perpetuates itselfSocial interactions over timeUnderlying driversLengthy processEvolution, cultural driftChanging environment

Leadership is keyChange is hard, difficultNo pain, no changeCulture linked to powerPower is requiredMust change everything ManagementOrganizational readinessPositive role modelsResistance to change

Create sense of urgency Communicate need for changeAnalyze need, researchEstablish guiding coalitionSolicit political sponsorshipCreate vision, strategyEmpower, involve employeesShort-term winsConsolidate, reinforce gains, integrate in systemsAnchor, institutionalize change

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Employee PracticesWorker relationships, attitudesDiversityDemographics, trendsRetention Work experienceOrganizational knowledge Work-life balanceEmployee well-beingDesire to learn

Worker interactions Insight to attitudesHiring, staffingWork environmentOrganizational awarenessInvolvementWork assignmentsCareer advancement

Know demographics & trends Gather employee inputMeasure diversity, interactionsEmployee retention practicesEngage employeesMatch employees to cultureMatch work to proficiencyBe interested in employees Value, appreciate employees

Cultural LeadershipEmotional intelligence Charisma, presence Leadership styleAccountability, responsibilityOrganizational roleSituational pressureBroad view, visionLeading, managingUnderstanding, expertiseConfidence, trustRisk tolerancePrevious experienceBelief systemSelf-interestPower, agenda

Decision making Goal-settingApprovingEndorsing, promotingGuidingLeadingSupporting, enablingChallengingDictating, directingOrdering, controlling CommandingConsultingConcurringEnforcingReviewing

Approve, endorse behavior Lead by example, guidancePromote desired behaviorSeek counsel, collaborateConsider expert adviceChampion ongoing educationPersonally interact with workersEmphasize growth opportunitiesProvide a safe-fail environmentTreat people with respectCommunicate honestly, oftenGive people freedomBe fair with everyoneInspire employeesProvide incentives

Trust Context Components

Previous Factor

Positive Individual Trust Context

Negative Individual Trust Context

Group Trust Context

Positive Organizational Trust Context

Negative Organizational Trust Context

Trust Leadership Context

Next Factor

4 criteria 4 criteria

4 criteria

7 criteria 8 criteria

7 criteria

Positive Individual Trust Context Prioritization

Next Component

Similarity Actions

Positive Perception Actions

Positive Reputation Actions

Positive Trust Behavior Actions

Management

Similarity Indicators

Positive Perception Indicators

Positive Reputation Indicators

Positive Trust Behavior Indicators

IndicatorCriteria

Similarity

Positive Perception

Positive Reputation

Positive Trust Behavior

Previous Component

low

low

high

high

highlow

low

high

Priority

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Criteria Indicators* Management*Similarity Shared values

Shared mental modelsShared assumptions Convergent interestsConsensus, agreementSolidarity, cohesion

Create mutual agenda Balance similarity / diversityPromote teamwork, cooperationEnsure participant equalityEncourage meritocracy of ideasValidate models, assumptions

Positive Perception Perceived safety Willingness to trustTrustor / trustee views Different perceptions

Provide a safe environment Recognize different propensitiesAdapt to different relationships

Positive Reputation Good reputationIntegrity, honesty ReliableHigh confidenceIntegrity, trustworthinessAccomplishments High productivity Competence, ability

Demonstrate respect Establish feedback process Recognize - act on feedbackRight wrongsDeliver results, keep commitmentsPractice accountability Confront reality

Positive Trust Behavior Openness, honesty, candorParticipation, commitment Dialogue, conversationLoyalty, fidelityCompassion, caring, Benevolence, forgivingJudgment Dialogue, conversation

Be transparent, be open Be honest, full disclosureNo hidden agenda, talk straightBe caringDon’t disclose private information Show loyaltyListen firstReward good trust behavior

Positive Individual Trust Indicators & Management

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Using the Framework To Identify Priority Issues

• Consider the whole, one criteria at a time

• Senior group may eliminate unimportant groups and criteria

• Host a workshop to prioritize criteria

• Divide the criteria into multiple teams

• Each team prioritizes their criteria

• Teams report their priorities and reasons

• Workshop selects one to three top criteria

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To Summarize • Terminology is highly diverse

• Holistic understanding is limited

• Social context is complex

• Social context can be structured

• Key issues can be identified

Framework is only a beginning; much work is needed