Process Improvement and Organizational Learning: The Role of Collaboration Technologies [Paperback]

Ned F. Kock (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: January 1999 | ISBN-10: 1878289586 | ISBN-13: 978-1878289582

Process improvement, a key element of the most influential management movements in the 1980s and 1990s, can itself be considerably improved by the use of information technology. Distributed and asynchronous group support systems, such as e-mail, computer conferencing and the World Wide Web are like to play a major role in this improvement. In addition, process improvement affects organizational learning, and the use of information technology can boost this influence by increasing the breadth and speed of knowledge dissemination in organizations.

This book analyzes the relationship between collaborative technologies, process improvement and organizational learning. It is based on the author's experiences in numerous process-focused organizational development projects and a three-year project where over 38 process improvement groups were aided by the support of collaborative technologies. This book will help managers prepare their organizations to survive and thrive in the information era. Only the fittest organizations will master the art of efficient and effective acquisition and the use of data, information and knowledge.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Ned Kock is a professor of management information systems in the Department of Computer and Information Sciences at Temple University, Philadelphia PA. In addition, he has worked as a systems analyst and management consultant since 1987, having been involved in projects at global organizations, such as Price Waterhouse, Johnson & Johnson, Rio de Janeiro State Construction Company, Westaflex, and the New Zealand Ministry of Agriculture and Fisheries.

Product Details

• Paperback: 198 pages
• Publisher: IGI Global (January 1999)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1878289586
• ISBN-13: 978-1878289582
• Product Dimensions: 9.7 x 7 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 11.4 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (7 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #705,186 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Information is Power -- this is one Powerful Read, March 18, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Process Improvement and Organizational Learning: The Role of Collaboration Technologies (Paperback)

"Process Improvement" provides an insightful look into the quiet technological shift that is literally changing the way we do business globally.

In Ned Kock's book, the case is made for the role of technology as a Transformer of the way work is performed. Though references to business fads of the past (Reengineering, TQM) are plentiful, Kock's book steers away from labels, instead analyzing relationships, between collaborative technologies, process improvement and organizational learning.

Throughout, "Process Improvement" touches on themes profiled in Davis & Meyer's "Blur" and Fradette & Michaud's "Corporate Kinetics", yet Kock's book takes a decidedly more academic view. Rather than try to predict trends, Kock's work gets to how organizations are changing, regardless of industry, profit orientation or management style. Kock advocates the position of managers as having unprecedented knowledge and therefore, power, available to them. The implication is that a manager armed with timely guidance on how to capitalize on this relationship can take a leadership position. Kock's book provides just that guidance, concisely and with clear support.

Cases cited are perhaps the greatest and most original portion of the text. Each of these provides actionable insights into recurring challenges and customized solutions that readers can undoubtedly apply to their own business situations.

All of this is serious business, and if the book falls down in any area, it may be in its consistently "intense" tone. One could argue that there is room for humor, for use of graphics (beyond diagrams), and generally for warmth, in even the most serious of business works.

Even the book's "packaging" suggests a low key, serious read, with a decidedly intellectual focus. Light beach reading, this is not. But for those students of process, and for managers seeking guidance and a serious "secret weapon", "Process Improvement" delivers beyond expectations.

4 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars It actually tells you something new!, September 7, 2000

By A Customer

This review is from: Process Improvement and Organizational Learning: The Role of Collaboration Technologies (Paperback)

I must admit that I felt a bit uneasy when I found out that this book, which was recommended to me by a friend, had been written by someone with a PhD. In my experience, books written by PhDs are often very academic, difficult to read, and end up telling me what I already know in a very convoluted way.

This book, however, dares to enter "dangerous academic territory" by, for example, defining "knowledge" and measuring it in different instances of business communication. Even in doing so, its ideas make sense and are logically consistent. It also wraps everything up nicely by proposing a methodology (MetaProi) to put the ideas in the book into practice and showing the results of the use of that methodology.

I think this book might get a "thumbs down" from academic ivory tower dwellers. From me (what do I know?), it gets two thumbs up!

4 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars I used his nine-step system with 4 groups, October 19, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Process Improvement and Organizational Learning: The Role of Collaboration Technologies (Paperback)

Ned's book is great! I used his nine-step system (MetaProi) to facilitate four Business Process Improvement Teams in a local audio visual supply company. All four teams modeled, redesigned, and developed an implementation plan for at least one business process. Three of the four teams went on to successful implementation of their plans. One dynamo team solved several problems. Other than the kickoff, there were no face-to-face meetings. The widely distributed teams used collaborative technologies for nearly all interactions, resulting in minimal impact to daily operations. Participants were excited about growing with new methodologies and technologies.

Phoenixville, PA