CALL FOR CHAPTERS

Proposal Submission Deadline: October 15, 2012

Knowledge Management for Competitive Advantage: Issues and Potential Solutions

A book to be published by IGI Global, edited by

Michael A. Chilton and

James M. Bloodgood

Kansas State University

Introduction

Knowledge is the one of the most critical organizational resources.  The creation, acquisition, transfer, use, and protection of knowledge provide opportunities for organizations to create and sustain competitive advantage. To do so, organizations must be able to build and sustain knowledge within their core businesses, yet protect much of that knowledge from discovery by competitors.  This book will present papers that will help knowledge management researchers as well as practitioners as they seek to distinguish themselves from the competition through the effective use of knowledge.  For example, this book will provide researchers with ways to better integrate knowledge management practices with theories such as the resource-based view and institutional theory, thereby advancing the ability of these theories to make a greater contribution to the literature.  The book is intended to answer questions such as:

1.      To what degree should organizations attempt to protect various types of knowledge they create or possess?

2.      What ways of protecting organizational knowledge are most effective?

3.      Are there specific types of knowledge that are more vulnerable than others, and if so, how can they be better protected?

4.      Can an organization prevent loss of knowledge through employee turnover/retirement?  If so, how?

Objective of the Book

This book will advance the current scope of research in support of knowledge management by primarily focusing on how knowledge can be used to create competitive advantages and sustain them. We challenge potential authors to use theoretically-based logic to conceptualize new theory, integrate existing theory, develop new models, or empirically test data associated with knowledge management and competitive advantage.  A variety of theories can be used to meet this challenge.  For example, institutional theory suggests that in environments with a high degree of uncertainty there is an increased likelihood for firms to imitate other firms.  Although this can help a firm achieve parity, it hinders the firm in achieving competitive advantage.  New and updated models may be able to explain the process whereby firms can combine imitation and innovation to achieve competitive advantage.

Target Audience

The potential audience of this book will come primarily from the information systems and management disciplines. In addition, there is a significant amount of research into knowledge management and competitive advantage in marketing. This compendium will target those who work and/or perform research in the areas of knowledge management, strategic management, and competitive assessment and advantage. In addition, the proposed book will assist the prospective audience (e.g. professors, students, researchers, practitioners) in guiding their work toward more productive additions to the literature and to the practice of management.

A wide range of topics will be included in this book.  The main emphasis will be on the intersection of knowledge management and achieving sustainable competitive advantage.  Particular areas of interest are at the strategic, managerial, and individual levels of the firm.  Recommended topics include, but are not limited to the following:

Management of Knowledge Types & Quality

·         Are there different types of knowledge that need protection (e.g., tacit & explicit; strategic vs. tactical)?  If so, what is the impact on competitiveness if knowledge leaks occur?

·         Management of employees’ exposure  to different knowledge types

·         Different methods of managing different knowledge types

·         The effects of knowledge quality on competitive advantage:

o   Deep vs. surface

o   General vs. domain specific

o   Verbal vs. pictorial

Knowledge Management and Sustainable Competitive Advantage

·         Creating knowledge that can be protected

·         Knowledge protection practices

·         Importance of protection for particular types of knowledge

Individuals and Knowledge Management

·         Matching of organizational members and knowledge types

·         Work processes associated with building knowledge for competitive advantage

·         Employee turnover and knowledge management

·         Employee retirements and knowledge management

Knowledge Management and Relationships

·         Knowledge and its effects on external relationships with vendors

·         Knowledge and its effects on external relationships with customers

·         Knowledge and its effects on internal relationships across divisions/groups/departments

Knowledge Networks

·         The formation and management of knowledge networks

·         Protection of knowledge networks

Submission Procedure

Researchers and practitioners are invited to submit on or before October 15, 2012, a 2-3 page chapter proposal clearly explaining the mission and concerns of the proposed chapter. Authors of accepted proposals will be notified by December 15, 2012 about the status of their proposals and sent chapter guidelines. Full chapters are expected to be submitted by February 15, 2013.  We welcome theoretical and empirical pieces as well as papers that demonstrate best practices using a case study approach.  Practitioners with experience in any of the above listed areas and who have work related examples to help illustrate the concepts are particularly encouraged to submit a proposal.

All submitted chapters will be reviewed on a double-blind review basis. Contributors may also be requested to serve as reviewers for this project.

Publisher

This book is scheduled to be published by IGI Global (formerly Idea Group Inc.), publisher of the “Information Science Reference” (formerly Idea Group Reference), “Medical Information Science Reference,” “Business Science Reference,” and “Engineering Science Reference” imprints. For additional information regarding the publisher, please visit www.igi-global.com. This book is anticipated to be released in 2013.

Important Dates

        October 15, 2012:     Proposal Submission Deadline

     December 15, 2012:    Notification of Acceptance

      February 15, 2013:     Full Chapter Submission

             April 15, 2013:     Review Results Returned

               May 15, 2013:     Revised Chapter Submission

 

Inquiries and submissions can be forwarded electronically (Word document) to:

Dr. Michael A. Chilton

mchilton@ksu.edu

(785) 532-4357

 

Dr. James M. Bloodgood

jblood@ksu.edu

(785) 532-3711