MG 865: Managing Innovation

MG 8763 - Summer 2010

Knowledge Management

Course Syllabus

Faculty: Harun Asad

Class room: Westchester Campus

Office room: Westchester Campus

Class time: Saturdays 8:30am - 12:45pm. Starts May 8 and ends June 26. No class 5/29.

Office hours: By appointment

Office phone (cell): 914-299-6193

E-Mail: [email protected]

Course Description Knowledge workers, who are primarily in professional and technical occupations, increasingly become an important segment of the labour force in the US. The success of innovative organizations today is often a result of the knowledge and skills applied by their professional and technical employees. Effective management of such a work force has become one of the most critical problems faced by organizations in both the private and public sectors. Reflecting this, the course addresses issues relating to the creation, sharing and application of knowledge in organizations. In the course, we examine knowledge management from various perspectives, focusing primarily on the organizational, managerial and technological perspectives

The main topics covered in the course are:  What is knowledge? What is Knowledge Management?  Knowledge as a strategic resource  Knowledge in organizations: sharing knowledge in the organization and between organization  Knowledge management processes  Knowledge management and technology: different approaches and solutions  Knowledge management assessment and evaluation  The course is based on a hands-on approach, using real-world case studies and examples, emphasizing experience, interaction and a combination of theory and practice. Course Materials Texts: The Complete Idiot’s Guide to Knowledge Management, Rumizen, Melissie Clemmons Ph.D. The Knowing Organization Second Edition (2006), Chun Wei Choo, Ph.D.

Case Studies: XEROX: building, sustaining and monetizing knowledge management (2003) INSEAD case. ECCH Reference 903-029-1

DaimlerChrysler Knowledge Management Strategy HBS ECCH Reference 9-702-412

Managing Knowledge and Learning at NASA and the Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) Reference No. 9-603-062; Teaching Note 5-603-095

Buckman Laboratories (A), Harvard Business Publishing, 2003. 800160-PDF-ENG

World Bank and Knowledge Management: The Case of The Urban Services Thematic Group, Harvard Business Publishing, 2001. 800160-PDF-ENG

American Management Systems: The Knowledge Centers, Harvard Business Publishing, 1998. 697068-PDF-ENG

Articles: Levinson, Meridith. Knowledge Management Definition and Solutions. CIO Magazine, 2007. March 07, 2007. pp. 1-4.

O'Dell, Carla and Leavitt, Paige. The Executive’s Role in Knowledge Management. Apr 2004. Chapter 1: pp. 11-28. (Available at Google books books.google.com)

DeBrun, Caroline. ABCs of Knowledge Management. NHS National Library for Health, United Kingdom. July 2005. pp. 3-11.

Crager, John; Lemons, Darcy; O’Dell, Carla and Hubert, Cidy. Measuring the Impact of Knowledge Management - Executive Summary, Consortium Learning Forum, Best-Practice Report, American Productivity & Quality Center (APQC), Executive Summary. 2003. pp. 6-18.

Wenger, Etienne; McDermott, Richard and Snyder, William M. Cultivating Communities of Practices: A Guide to Managing Knowledge – Seven Principles for Cultivating Communities of Practice Article. Harvard Business School, Working Knowledge, pp. 1-8. http://hbswk.hbs.edu/archive/2855.html

Hasanali, Farida; Hubert, Cindy; Lopez, Kimberly; Newhouse, Bob; O’Dell, Carla, Vestal, Wesley. APQC, Communities of Practice, A Guide For Your Journey To Knowledge Management Best Practices. 2002. Chapter 1. (Available at Google books books.google.com)

Haymes, Tom. The Three-E Strategy for Overcoming Resistance to Technological Change. Educate Quarterly. 2008, pp. 67-69.

Swap et al., Using Mentoring and Storytelling to Transfer Knowledge in the Workplace, Journal of Management Information Systems 18:1 (2001), pp. 95-114.

Leonard, D. and Sensiper, S., The Role of Tacit Knowledge in Group Innovation, California Management Review 40:3 (1998), pp. 112-132. Von Hippel, E., Sticky Information and the Locus of Problem Solving: Implications for Innovation, Management Science 40:4 (1994), pp. 429-439.

Hargadon, A. and R. Sutton (2000). ‘Building an Innovation Factory’. Harvard Business Review 78 (3) 157-166.

Assignments Class Participation Significant class participation is expected and accounts for a portion of final grade.

Case Studies The class will be divided into groups. Each team will be responsible for presenting case study summary, analysis and recommendations during class.

Exam The exam will be in the form of a case study and distributed during class. Students will be responsible for reading the case study and answering the questions provided.

Group Project Each group is responsible for developing a KM strategy and plan for a company familiar to the students (preferably an employer of one or more students). A group presentation is required during the final class session. Presentations should include an executive summary in addition to the full presentation, which should be approximately 20-30 minutes in length.

Class Schedule Session Assigned Due 5/8 Foundations of KM Course teams Readings: Complete Guide Group case studies Ch. 1, 3, 4, 5, 7 Final group project Levinson O’Dell and Leavitt DeBrun 5/15 Exam Case study during class Case study during class 5/22 KM and The Organization Case study during class Case study during class Readings: Complete Guide Ch. 15, 16, 17, 18 Knowing Organization Ch. 1, 4, 7 6/5 Strategy, Process, NA Group case study Measurement presentations Readings: Complete Guide Ch. 19, 20, 21, 22 Crager

6/12 KM Tools, Technologies NA Readings: and Communities of Practice Complete Guide Ch. 8, 11, 12, 13 KM platforms demos, U.S. Wenger Army (TBD) Hasanali Haymes

6/19 KM and Innovation NA Readings: Swap Strategic narratives workshop, Leonard Kaihan Consulting (TBD) Von Hippel Hargadon 6/26 Final group project NA Final group project presentations presentations

Grading

Classroom participation 50 points

Exam 150 points

Group case study presentation 150 points

Final group project 150 points

The following grade scale will be used to determine final grades:

Final Average Final Grade

450-500 A

400-450 B

300-400 C

300 or less F

Your Instructor

Harun Asad

Harun Asad has a deep business and technology background including roles with several well known companies. Asad is currently Chief Strategy & Innovation Officer for Lodestar Inc., a strategy and research firm headquartered in Princeton, New Jersey. Previously he held executive and management positions with Millward Brown, a WPP company, AOL and USA Today. Throughout his career, Asad has worked with a broad spectrum of leading organizations including Google, Dell, Microsoft, PepsiCo, McDonald’s, Target, Citibank, Roche and many others.

Mr. Asad serves as the Northeast Regional Director for the Computer Associates IT Case Competition and is actively involved in the nonprofit sector. Harun has taught or lectured at several leading universities including NYU Poly, NYU Stern, Fordham School of Business and the University of Connecticut School of Business. He holds an MBA with distinction from the George Mason University and a BS in Marketing from The Pennsylvania State University. Harun resides with his wife and two children in Westchester, New York.

NYU Poly Academic Integrity Code of Conduct

 NYU Poly places a great deal of emphasis on upholding the University Academic Integrity Code, which is an integral part of university life. On the application for admission, students sign a statement agreeing to conform to and uphold the Academic Integrity Code. Therefore, students are responsible for understanding the provisions of the code. In the spirit of the code, a student's word is a declaration of good faith acceptable as truth in all academic matters. Therefore, attempted cheating, plagiarism, lying, and stealing of academic work and related materials constitute Honor Code violations. To maintain an academic community according to these standards, students and faculty must report all alleged violations of the Academic Integrity Code to the appropriate Committee.

 Please refer to the Polytechnic Institute of NYU University Code of Conduct pages on Academic Integrity for further information.