Purpose: The purpose of the paper is to review the characteristics of systems that combine P2P technology with explicit ontologies and assess the benefits of these technologies for inter-organizational knowledge management. Design/methodology/approach: We characterize existing technologies with respect to a number of aspects that are relevant to…

This paper reports on an empirical study of how structure, culture, and message content affected communications between principals and teachers in one Swedish school. The study revealed that communication within this school merely transmitted the information necessary for conducting daily work, which resulted in predictable behaviors, rather than…

Despite the widespread discussion of organisational learning, there is little scholarly contribution on promoting learning through the practical application of management tools. This is especially true in a complex internal supply chain context of an organisation. This paper seeks to address this gap by exploring and analysing the capability of…

The Australian Government established the Office for Youth (the Office) in September 2008 in an effort to engage with the young people of Australia. The Office will work with other government agencies to help young people reach their full potential; make effective transitions to adulthood as they continue to learn, start work, make decisions that…

Current approaches to workplace learning emphasize designing communities of practice that are intended to support both formal and informal knowledge acquisition. This article presents the design and research of a knowledge-based community of practice for Subaru, based on principles outlined by Scardamalia (2002) and Zhang, Scardamalia, Lamon,…

This study explores a collaborative project between high school youth and adult educators (graduate students in education) to create public service announcements. How do young people and educators talk about media, politics, power, and social change? Based on my observations of participant interaction, I argue that power is not dichotomous, with…

This paper describes ethical considerations in the use of strategic ambiguity in organizational communication. Ambiguity is defined as "experienced ambiguity" and is distinct from uncertainty and equivocality which are properties of a stimulus. Strategic ambiguity is the use of "calculated ambiguity" in organizations to achieve…

This book brings together 35 of David P. Campbell's essays originally published as a regular column in a quarterly publication called "Issues and Observations." The articles deal with topics ranging from leadership issues such as risk-taking, executive motivation, decision making, and corporate taboos, to more general concerns such as…

A survey was conducted of the personnel directors in the "Fortune" 500 listing of top American corporations to determine their current communication policies and practices. A follow-up survey focused on the 98 companies that had indicated that they employed a communication director. Among the major findings of the survey are the…

The activities of the Great Lakes Inter-tribal Council Education Committee, organized in 1970, are discussed. (NQ)

A study examined the impact of structure and organizational ideology on organizational communication and the efficacy of that communication behavior with reporters. To do this, a model was formulated and tested. A random sample of articles focusing on non-elective organizations was drawn from seven Maryland, Delaware, and District of Columbia…

Studies have shown that managers work at a frenetic pace, rapidly moving from one concern to another, coping with tremendous amounts of information picked up largely through face-to-face or telephonic oral communication. Managers somehow process this information in their minds and then make decisions. Despite the overwhelming quantity of…

A study examined the communicative behavior of mavericks as they relate to innovation in organizations and the impact of such non-conforming behavior on organizational change. Two approaches were used: (1) studying organizational life from the cultural perspective and (2) collecting both qualitative and quantitative data. Subjects, 32 employees of…

Two ways of communication in the problem solving process of evaluation are described. In Model I, the theory-in-use is governed by "win, de-emphasize negative feelings, and be rational." This leads to strategies of protect yourself, protect others, and control the situation and the task. These strategies result in mistrust,…

The obligations of public relations firms to their clients are emphasized in this paper. A sampling of the attitudes of public relations personnel regarding meeting client expectations is presented, and the effect that a public relations budget has on a company's level of influence on public opinion is discussed. Also stressed is the need for…