Ikujiro Nonaka - Management Gurus - Management Hall Of Fame - World's Top Managers and Management Thinkers

Management Hall of Fame: Leading Management Gurus

Ikujiro Nonaka (1935 - Present) - The Knowledge-creating Company.

Key Work

Graduates from Waseda University
Joined Hirotaka Takeuchi in Publishing of "The Knowledge-creating Company: How Japanese Companies Create the Dynamics of Innovation". They argue that the success of Japanese companies is due to their skill and expertise in organizational knowledge creation and continuous business innovation.
Becomes dean of the school of knowledge science at Japan Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (JAIST).

According to Nonaka, knowledge-creation is a core source of competitive advantage for the organization

Explicit And Implicit Knowledge & SECI process:
Successful Japanese companies are able to convert and "amplify" implicit knowledge to explicit knowledge, so that knowledge acquired by individuals becomes organizational knowledge shared among colleagues. There are four methods of knowledge conversion known as the SECI process:

Socialization : Physical face-to-face experiences
Externalization: Where individuals' mental models and skills are converted into common terms and concepts
Combination: Interaction & exchange in the virtual world of cyberspace and intranets
Internalization: Training with senior mentors and colleagues

Middle-up-Down Management Style

Nonaka and Takeuchi argue that the two traditional Western management styles, "top-down" and "bottom-up," fail to foster the dynamic interaction necessary to create organizational knowledge.

The role of the middle management is important to the success of companies . They are "knowledge engineers" of the knowledge-creating. They are the knowledge transfer agent in both directions taking the top management vision of "what should be" and the frontline employees' realistic sense of "what is," and facilitate and bridge between them

The ideal organization structure for innovation and knowledge creation is called the A "hypertext" organization consisting of interconnected layers an example of such organizations are Kao and Sharp

To become knowledge-creating companies. Management should :

Create a knowledge vision
Develop a knowledge teams
Build Collaboration fields
Adopt middle-up-down management
Switch to hypertext organization
Construct external knowledge network with the outside world (stakeholders partners and customers).

Books & References:

Monaka, Ikujiro, with Hirotaka Takeuchi. The Knowledge-Creating Company: How Japanese Companies Create the Dynamics of Innovation. New York: Oxford University Press, 1995.

IIM Management Education

IIM experts research, develop and disseminate management-best-practices and learned-lessons from the leading management gurus. For advanced executive education and training opportunities, please refer to IIM Management Training Courses


		Management Hall of Fame: Leading Management Gurus Ikujiro Nonaka (1935 - Present) - The Knowledge-creating Company. Key Work Graduates from Waseda University Joined Hirotaka Takeuchi in Publishing of "The Knowledge-creating Company: How Japanese Companies Create the Dynamics of Innovation". They argue that the success of Japanese companies is due to their skill and expertise in organizational knowledge creation and continuous business innovation. Becomes dean of the school of knowledge science at Japan Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (JAIST). According to Nonaka, knowledge-creation is a core source of competitive advantage for the organization Explicit And Implicit Knowledge & SECI process: Successful Japanese companies are able to convert and "amplify" implicit knowledge to explicit knowledge, so that knowledge acquired by individuals becomes organizational knowledge shared among colleagues. There are four methods of knowledge conversion known as the SECI process: Socialization : Physical face-to-face experiences Externalization: Where individuals' mental models and skills are converted into common terms and concepts Combination: Interaction & exchange in the virtual world of cyberspace and intranets Internalization: Training with senior mentors and colleagues Middle-up-Down Management Style Nonaka and Takeuchi argue that the two traditional Western management styles, "top-down" and "bottom-up," fail to foster the dynamic interaction necessary to create organizational knowledge. The role of the middle management is important to the success of companies . They are "knowledge engineers" of the knowledge-creating. They are the knowledge transfer agent in both directions taking the top management vision of "what should be" and the frontline employees' realistic sense of "what is," and facilitate and bridge between them The ideal organization structure for innovation and knowledge creation is called the A "hypertext" organization consisting of interconnected layers an example of such organizations are Kao and Sharp To become knowledge-creating companies. Management should : Create a knowledge vision Develop a knowledge teams Build Collaboration fields Adopt middle-up-down management Switch to hypertext organization Construct external knowledge network with the outside world (stakeholders partners and customers). Books & References: Monaka, Ikujiro, with Hirotaka Takeuchi. The Knowledge-Creating Company: How Japanese Companies Create the Dynamics of Innovation. New York: Oxford University Press, 1995. IIM Management Education IIM experts research, develop and disseminate management-best-practices and learned-lessons from the leading management gurus. For advanced executive education and training opportunities, please refer to IIM Management Training Courses

Management Best Practices Society
::: Management Best Practices Society ::: CEO Club ::: Annual Management Conference ::: Management A-List ::: Executive Seminars ::: Management Insights ::: Contact Us :::

Management Best Practices Society

Management
Best Practices
Society