Innovator’s Strategy on The Market

Olga Girstlová

GiTy, a.s. Mariánské nám. 1, 617 00 Brno, Czech Republic

1 Introduction

In today’s dynamic and technologically accelerating environment the innovation

process in the field of information technologies and telecommunications keeps to be

ever more demanding.

The enterprise needs renovation of young, innovation ´sparkling´ that initiates, on

regular basis, the creation of new products, services, customized solutions, and also

the creation of new corporate processes. New innovations should ´permeate´ quickly

through the entire enterprise, all its departments and on each management level, in

combination with the key processes in the enterprise.

The enterprise whose ambition is to become a ´factory producing innovations´ cannot

depend on an individual or a small group of corporate experts. Enterprise strategy

should be impressed in corporate organism using the corporate Knowledge portfolio,

this knowledge of individual employees in the key processes that initiate and support

strategies of relevant parts of the enterprise and business units throughout the GiTy

Group.

The enterprise as an efficient ´factory producing innovations´ should interconnect

organically the Strategic Targets and the C-I-P-F indicators in the field of Business

Marketing Studies (BMS) that should be controlled and evaluated on regular basis.

No individual can be successful in processing a great volume of strategic information.

If the corporate strategic management is separated from the corporate implementation

environment, it cannot mobilize knowledge and innovative efforts of individual em-

ployees; a delay of several months may threaten the enterprise and put it on a side

track.

On the contrary, taking into account the corporate knowledge internal networks the

innovation potential of individual employees and business units is extended. Informa-

tion flows of knowledge in the internal knowledge network should be coordinated

and controlled. The so-called Knowledge Hub is a convenient tool to create and share

information and knowledge that is necessary for further development of the business

in its innovation efforts.

2 Environment for Innovation and Knowledge Management

By creation of the Knowledge Exchange Hub (system environment enabling business

innovation and knowledge management) a system tool is formed, which in essence is

Girstlová O. (2007).

Innovator’s Strategy on The Market.

In Proceedings of the 1st International Workshop on Human Resource Information Systems, pages 149-154

DOI: 10.5220/0002427201490154

 SciTePress

the corporate intranet page to search, evaluate and disseminate information and

knowledge.

Main functions of the Knowledge Exchange Hub (KEH) are as follows:

− analyses of competitors and competitive strength

− technological intelligence

− customer intelligence

− creation of new knowledge

− supplier intelligence

− impulsive mapping

In any of the above fields, the flow of information and knowledge should be coordi-

nated by a skilled coordinator, who may be either an individual or an exactly defined

group of people. It is coordinator’s role to be a switch or signal point interconnecting

key nodes of the growing network of internal innovations and information intelli-

gence emanating from the corporate knowledge strategy.

According to access rules, factory employees have the same access to KEH as suppli-

ers, customers, and users of corporate information and knowledge intelligence. Thus

a vast majority of links is bidirectional. KEH is supported by external ´partners´ ena-

bling activities of the corporate information network (e.g. libraries, universities, con-

sultants, international databases, etc.). The KEH nodes are individuals or groups

either working in such network (e.g. customers) or contributing to such network (e.g.

suppliers) or both at the same time. Suppliers provide facts, their observations, ex-

perience, opinion, analyses.

Customers (of the corporate internal network) benefit on information and knowledge

provided by the corporate internal network. Customers of such network may search in

it or deliver their specific requirements to the KEH coordinator. KEH provides infor-

mation, short summaries, and executive summaries.

KEH maintains four major sections:

− Discussion lists (exchange of opinion concerning a specific subject)

− Live documents (representing existing co-operation in the development of ´hot´

subjects)

− Archives (stored finished reports)

− A list of experts (in various positions and fields)

The KEH coordinator should send correct information to proper sites to proper peo-

ple at proper time. KEH is the core of corporate innovation efforts, being simultane-

ously the driving force of the corporate innovation and knowledge strategy.

3 Knowledge Management in Corporation

Corporate strategy should reflect the level of knowledge in the particular enterprise,

because the two items are the necessary prerequisites for further success in business.

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Knowledge – or exactly the knowledge portfolio - is the most important form of cor-

porate wealth and therefore is should be well cared of, continuously created and rated.

Knowledge accounts in corporation, business units and those of key employees

are cornerstones of successful and efficient knowledge management in any corpora-

tion. Any information concerning educational activities in the corporation for indi-

vidual employees – may it be internal information (training, educational programs) or

external information (internships, participation in conferences, scholarships and study

tours abroad, educational activities) should be well recorded and documented in short

executive summaries – with final recommendation or measures added – and attached

to the corporate knowledge management system.

Creation of corporate knowledge is closely related to establishment of the Knowl-

edge Exchange Hub (KEH). Everything is integrated in the corporate cycle of knowl-

edge creation and management. Possible cycle of knowledge creation is shown in the

following chart.

Fig. 1. Knowledge’s creation.

Knowledge accounts are based on comparison of the Debit – Credit sides (i.e. the

volume of expended funds that have been invested in the particular employee; by

regular follow-up, evaluation and rating there is found the volume of added value that

has been created by the particular employee, at the same time entering into his knowl-

edge account the volume of his knowledge). Through regular valuation interviews the

HR department and immediate superiors have better chance to set up the report on

personal growth and also new job opportunities can be prepared for the particular

employee.

Defining employee’s role and position in the corporation is another important

point how employee’s knowledge account can be used to the benefit of corporation

and general knowledge cycle. Somebody becomes expert, know-how holder, internal

instructor, coach or head of a new project team that creates new innovation strategies

and business opportunities for the corporation. Everything is based on proper and

continuous knowledge management in the corporation using knowledge accounts that

Sales and marketing strategy = Sales plan = existing knowledge/missing knowledge

planning knowledge account

reporting know-how holders

controlling internal instructors

personal accounts knowledge of

of individuals individuals

knowledge accounts

of individuals

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are attached to employee’s personal economic account and show the added value

created by the particular employee in terms of economic indicators.

Links between the two accounts – employee’s personal economic account and his

knowledge account – allow to obtain higher efficiency in qualitative terms that is

used to assess corporate performance as regards the creation of added value.

Examination of individual’s personal contribution is a very important point of

regular assessment of knowledge accounts as regards:

- Enterprise management

- Development of innovations and new business opportunities

- Development of new solutions for customers

- Development of key value-creating processes in corporation, etc.

It is integral and fully interconnected system of continuous rating that is the purpose

of knowledge management in the corporation. The system serves as a tool for control

of individuals, work groups or specific business units, at the same time becoming a

highly motivating program of personal growth, when individuals may control - in

accordance with strategic knowledge requirements and objectives of the corporation –

their own career growth using various existing forms of education and self-study.

Sharing of corporate knowledge via the corporate knowledge internal network is

another important point of further growth of corporation resulting in creation of the

corporate knowledge portfolio. For better understanding, let us introduce one possible

form of depicting the corporate knowledge portfolio, namely using knowledge ´hub´

of the corporate knowledge internal network.

On the basis of the above facts and circumstances, quality can be said to be the

result of knowledge in the entire corporation. Good quality of offers made to custom-

ers is the result of high-quality knowledge of individual employees in the corporation,

and high-quality corporate processes and successful management of the corporation

as it follows especially from the properly set up and applied corporate management

system.

Rating of corporate performance considering the corporate added value, the business

unit added value and that regarding the individuals, is the best benchmark of quality.

Knowledge accounts

–

conten

s of knowledge

Personal + knowledge acc

Value added financial

Total value added

Sharing of knowledge

GiTy school

Objective : Sharing

of knowledge

Initiation of new opportunities

KEH

Value added of knowledge

Personal accounts

–

financial conten

Fig. 2. Knowledge’s HUB.

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4 Knowledge Accounts and Their Significance in Corporate

Practice

It is the corporate knowledge internal network that is an efficient tool enabling to

share knowledge in the corporation. It unleashes the creative potential of people and

enables knowledge to be efficiently created and shared. In terms of its performance,

the corporate knowledge internal network is examined using the knowledge accounts.

Investment in corporate knowledge or in knowledge of individual employees should

result in creation of added value not only as regards the individuals, but the whole

corporation. The added value is examined using personal knowledge accounts of each

employee. Knowledge accounts of employees are closely linked with their personal

economic accounts that tell us which added value has been created by each employee

in economic respect.

Knowledge creation within the corporate internal network is closely related with

sharing of knowledge within the corporate internal network and with knowledge

accounts in that particular network. Therefore for implementation of the corporate

knowledge internal network it is highly necessary to set up a convenient methodology

enabling us to depict the need of knowledge as it follows from the corporate strategic

documents, in which the level of knowledge needed to meet the specific corporate

strategy is defined (see the process cycle called ´Creation of Knowledge´).

5 IT Environment

All above mentioned systems has to be supported by SCI – Supported communication

infrastructure realized into company network. In the GiTy company exist communica-

tion infrastructure which make possible to use data, voice and video communication.

Knowledge management system and knowledge measuring is supported by following

software products:

− E-synergy environment for creation, sharing a communication of knowledge both

– individual and company (knowledge base).

− Microsoft products – environment for evaluation and presentation of knowledge

and global company knowledge map

Knowledge map is a common tool depicting and describing company knowledge.

Map contains information about knowledge, describing link between knowledge and

its bearers.

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Fig. 3. Knowledges base – Using the E-synergy enviroment.

Knowledge Map

Product area Product Supplier Skills SPU Present Offer Learn Realized Sales chanel

Product area 1

Product 1/1

Company X Present, offer

Product area 2

Product 2/1 Company Y Present, offer

Product area 3 Product 3/1 Company A Present, offer, learn

Company B Present, offer, learn

Product 3/2 Company A

Present, offer, learn

Product 3/3

Company A Present, offer, learn

Company B

Present, offer, learn, realized

Company C Present, offer, learn, realized

Company D Present, offer, learn, realized

Product 3/4 Company A

Present, offer, learn, realized

Company C Present, offer, learn, realized

Company D Present, offer, learn, realized

Fig. 4. Knowledge map – Example of a form.

MAPA ZNALOSTÍ - ICT (30.5.05)

Problematika Odbornost Výrobce Forma odbornosti Divize Prezentace Nabídka Školení Realizace

Inteligentní budova

BAS,BMS

Delta Controls Prezentovat, nabízet ICT Pospíšil, Růža Pospíšil, Růža

Strukturovaná

kabeláž

cat.7

Siemon Prezentovat, nabízet ICT Pospíšil, Růža Pospíšil, Růža

LAN

Bezdrát

Cisco Prezentovat, nabízet,

realizovat, školit

ICT Hudec,Musil Hudec,Musil Hudec,Musil Gistr,Jankovský,Mi

chalíček,Mlejnek,P

rocházka,Svoboda

,Vohradský,Vyhlíd

Enterasys Prezentovat,

nabízet,realizovat

ICT Surovec Surovec Procházka

Převodník

Allied Telesyn Prezentovat, nabízet,

realizovat, školit

ICT Musil Musil Musil Gistr,Vohradský

Switch

Allied Telesyn Prezentovat, nabízet,

realizovat, školit

ICT Musil Musil Musil Gistr,Vohradský

3com Prezentovat, nabízet,

realizovat, školit

ICT Juránek Juránek Juránek Mlejnek

Enterasys Prezentovat,

nabízet,realizovat

ICT Surovec,Juránek Surovec,Juránek Procházka

Cisco Prezentovat, nabízet,

realizovat, školit

ICT Hudec, Musil Hudec, Musil Hudec,Musil Gistr,Jankovský,

Michalíček,

Mlejnek,

Procházka,

Svoboda,Vohradsk

ý,Vyhlídal

IP Telefonie

Cisco Prezentovat, nabízet,

realizovat, školit

ICT Hudec, Musil Hudec, Musil Hudec, Musil Michalíček,

Svoboda

Router

Cisco Prezentovat, nabízet,

realizovat, školit

ICT Hudec, Musil Hudec, Musil Hudec, Musil Gistr,Vohradský

Enterasys Prezentovat, nabízet¨,

realizovat

ICT Surovec,

Juránek

Surovec,Juránek Procházka

Fig. 5. Knowledges map – Example of map used in ICT business.

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