The dynamics of alliance knowledge management : synergistic knowledge sharing between international airlines in Thailand

Sirisrisornchai, Thitarree (2009) The dynamics of alliance knowledge management : synergistic knowledge sharing between international airlines in Thailand. Doctoral thesis, Northumbria University.

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Abstract

The use of knowledge between organisations in alliance networks has been the critical source of collectively creating and sustaining core competences. The awareness of the possible dynamic factors that influence, support, and outline the sharing of knowledge between organisations is necessary for the management of knowledge. This study explores the issues of the dynamics in alliance knowledge management. The investigation is focused on the areas that alliance partners can learn, the ways they learn, and the ways the learning happens in order to understand the characteristics of the dynamics, their roles in alliance knowledge systems and relationships between them. Relating to the research aim, the primary research investigates the case of knowledge sharing within airline alliance networks in Thailand. The investigation, which is based on the concept of social constructionism, employs muti-method research strategies. It is divided into three stages (qualitative, quantitative, and qualitative phases). From the three phases of the investigation, the empirical research has been done with participants from aviation related government organisations, the operational international airlines in Thailand, and the airline alliance networks in Thailand. The main findings of the study highlight the critical values to the alliance, the utilised leadership styles and the structure of alliance knowledge flow as the distinct characteristics of learning within alliances. The developed framework of the alliance learning system explains the existences of the dynamics and their possible roles. Moreover, the elaborations from the respondents enable the author to configure the structures of airline alliance knowledge flow in Thailand. In terms of roles and relationships of the dynamics, the outcomes indicate the critical dynamics frame and direct the knowledge interactions in alliance networks. These dynamics influence, screen and support other knowledge sharing factors such as individuals, the production of knowledge materials, and knowledge sharing channels. They are also challenged by other factors such as knowledge sharing reasons and stability, as well as the compatibility of the communication infrastructures between alliance partners. Besides, to synthesise the empirical evidence with Stonehouse and Pemberton (1999)' organisational learning framework, it shows that the natures of the critical dynamics are the main differences between intra and inter-organisational learning. Nevertheless, the results also suggest the similarities between intra and inter-organisational learning in terms of learning input and output factors, the formats of knowledge conversions in the learning process, and some characteristics of knowledge creation.

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