Daniel Adriaenssen

Problem: We don’t know how tacit knowledge, organizational learning and innovation are linked. Research question: What is the relation between tacit knowledge, organizational learning and innovation? Methodology: Conceptual generalizing. Purpose: To create a link between tacit knowledge, organizational learning and innovation.
Contribution:
1. The authors develop a typology for tacit knowledge and organizational learning that may help us to understand the interaction between different types of tacit knowledge, organizational learning and innovation.
2. The research of the authors shows that tacit knowledge may be said to have three faces: one conservative that limits the continuous improvement process, a second that guards an organization against imitation, and a third that promotes innovation.
3. The authors develop a theory, i.e., a system of propositions related to how do different types of tacit knowledge and organizational learning influence innovation?

Keywords: tacit knowledge, organizational learning, innovation.
JEL Classification: M10

Organizations often experience problems and challenges due to the development of rigid bureaucratic rules and procedures, which may represent obstacles to creativity and innovation. In a global knowledge economy, innovation is an important competitive parameter. Consequently, anything that may stimulate innovation in an organization’s creative energy fields is valuable. This paper addresses one question: What management roles of an innovation leader may enhance the development of innovation in an organization’s creative energy fields? Methodology used is conceptual generalization.
The article suggests, clarifies and discusses four roles of an innovation leader’s that may have a positive impact on an organization’s innovation performance in creative energy fields. The roles are conceptualized as “the innovation leader as an expert”, “the innovation leader as a reputation builder”, “the innovation leader as a relationship builder”, and the “innovation leader as a creative change force”. The article argues how these four roles are important in promoting innovation in organizations. By doing this, the article contributes to the extant knowledge on how four different roles of an innovation leader’s may enhance an organization’s innovation performance in creative energy fields.

Keywords: the knowledge society, innovation in organizations, creative energy fields, innovation leaders, roles of an innovation leader.
JEL Classification: O31, O33, D83

The phenomenon under investigation is the transition from an industrial society to a society that is based to a larger extent on knowledge resources. The question the authors are investigating is: What are the key value creation processes in a knowledge-based organization? The objective of the article is to understand and explain the social mechanisms that influence the development of knowledge-based organizations. The method used is conceptual generalization. The findings are linked to a new emphasis on information structure (infostructure), and a new way of organizing (front line focus), the modulization of work processes, and global competence clusters.