Gate-keeping or Gap-keeping? Exploring the Internal Quality Management Lecturer's Role of Information Gatekeeper

有效的資訊守門？組織內部品質管理講師資訊守門人角色之研究

10.6220/joq.2013.20(5).04

蘇登呼(Teng-Hu Su)；盧淵源(Iuan-Yuan Lu)

品質管理 ； 內部品質管理講師 ； 知識取得 ； 組織跨界人 ； 資訊守門人 ； quality management ； internal quality management lecturer ； knowledge acquisition ； organizational boundary spanner ； information gatekeeper

品質學報

20卷5期（2013 / 10 / 31）

535 - 549

英文

除了訓練員與知識專家的角色，內部品質管理講師也扮演「資訊守門人」，協助組織取得外部品管知識以提升組織的知識能耐，但該角色為過往研究所忽視。本研究旨在瞭解內部品管講師如何從事資訊守門工作，對臺灣公私立組織內部品管講師進行問卷調查，共取得205份有效問卷。研究發現，講師傾向從專業資訊來源取得品管資訊，重視資訊轉換，篩選外部品管資訊時考量自身需求更甚於組織需求，此將導致取得之資訊無法有效滿足組織需求的「資訊落差」問題。本研究主張組織應正視並設法解決此問題，也應關注講師的資訊守門能力。

Except for trainer and knowledge expert, internal quality management (QM) lecturers also play the role of information gatekeeper who helps organizations to acquire external QM information to enhance organizations' knowledge competence. However, this role has been ignored by previous studies. This study aims to explore how internal QM lecturers do the work of information-gatekeeping for organizations' QM knowledge acquisition. A questionnaire was developed and distributed to internal QM lecturers in Taiwan. Data of 205 usable samples were finally analyzed. The results reveal that internal QM lecturers intend to acquire external QM information from professional sources and emphasize the transformation of information. An ”information gap” between the information that organizations need and the one that organizations acquire is identified as internal QM lecturers considered their own needs more than the organization's needs while selecting external QM information. This study argues that organizations need to confront the ”information gap” problem and pay much attention to the internal QM lecturer's capabilities of information-gatekeeping.

1. Abrahamson, E.,Fairchild, G.(1999).Management fashion: lifecycles, triggers, and collective learning process.Administrative Science Quarterly,44(4),708-740.
2. Aldrich, H.,Herker, D.(1977).Boundary spanning roles and organizational structure.Academy of Management Review,2(2),217-230.
3. Assimakopoulos, D.,Yan, J.(2006).Sources of knowledge acquisition for Chinese software engineers.R&D Management,36(1),97-106.
4. Camisón, C.,Forés, B.(2010).Knowledge absorptive capacity: new insights for its conceptualization and measurement.Journal of Business Research,63(7),707-715.
5. Coffey, J. W.,Cañas, A. J.,Hill, G.,Carff, R.,Reichherzer, T.,Suri, N.(2003).Knowledge modeling and the creation of El-Tech: a performance support and training system for electronic technicians.Expert Systems with Applications,25(4),483-492.
6. Cohen, W. M.,Levinthal, D. A.(1990).Absorptive capacity: a new perspective on learning and innovation.Administratively Science Quarterly,35(1),128-152.
7. Friedman, R. A.,Podolny, J.(1992).Differentiation of boundary spanning roles: labor negotiations and implications for role conflicts.Administrative Science Quarterly,37(1),28-47.
8. Geisler, C. D.,Justus, R.(1998).Training: a strategic tool for ISO and QS-9000 implementation.IIE Solutions,30(4),24-27.
9. Guler, I.,Guillèn, M. F.,Macpherson, J. M.(2002).Global competition, institutions, and the diffusion of organizational practices: the international spread of ISO 9000 quality certificates.Administrative Science Quarterly,47(2),207-232.
10. Gupta, A. K.,Govindarajan, V.(2000).Knowledge management's social dimension: lessons from Nucor Steel.Sloan Management Review,42(1),71-80.
11. Hames, R. D.(1991).Dynamic learning: a quality approach to quality training.Total Quality Management & Business Excellence,2(1),39-44.
12. Hazy, J. K.,Tivnan, B. F.,Schwandt, D. R.(2003).The impact of boundary spanning on organizational learning: computational exploration.Emergence,5(4),86-123.
13. Holsapple, C. W.,Raj, V.,Wagner, W. P.(2008).An experimental investigation of the impact of domain complexity on knowledge acquisition (KA) methods.Expert Systems with Applications,35(3),1084-1094.
14. Holsapple, C. W.,Singh, M.(2001).The knowledge chain model: activities for competitiveness.Expert Systems with Applications,20(1),77-98.
15. Kanji, G. K.(1991).Education, training, research and consultancy: the way forwards for Total Quality Management.Total Quality Management,2(3),207-212.
16. Khamalah, J. N.,Lingaraj, B. P.(2007).TQM in the service sector: a survey of small businesses.Total Quality Management & Business Excellence,18(9),973-982.
17. Leifer, R.,Delbecq, A.(1978).Organizational/environmental interchange: a model of boundary spanning activity.Academy of Management Review,3(1),40-50.
18. Levina, N.,Vaast, E.(2005).The emergence of boundary spanning competence in practice: implications for implementation and use of information systems.MIS Quarterly,29(2),335-363.
19. Li, J.-M.,Yang, J.-S.,Wu, H.-H.(2008).Improving service quality and organization performance through human resource practices: a case study.Total Quality Management & Business Excellence,19(9),969-985.
20. Lu, I.-Y.,Su, T.-H.,Huang, I.-C.(2010).Consulting knowledge and organisation's absorptive capacity: a communication chain perspective.Service Industries Journal,30(12),2007-2022.
21. Lubit, R.(2001).Tacit knowledge and knowledge management: the key to sustainable competitive advantage.Organizational Dynamics,29(4),164-178.
22. Motwani, J.(2006).Knowledge acquisition behavior of U.S. and Indian service managers: an empirical analysis.Journal of Services Research,6(Special issue),27-43.
23. Nanda, V.(2009).An innovative method and tool for role-specific quality-training evaluation.Total Quality Management & Business Excellence,20(10),1029-1039.
24. Oakland, J. S.(1993).Total Quality Management: The Route to Improving Performance.Oxford, UK:Butterworth-Heinemann.
25. Oakland, J. S.,Waterworth, R. D.(1995).Total quality management training: a review and suggested framework.Total Quality Management,6(4),299-316.
26. Pan, J. N.,Jang, G. T.(2004).A comparative study on total quality management and six sigma program implementation in Taiwan.Journal of Quality,11(3),175-192.
27. Rusten, G.,Gammelsæter, H.,Bryson, J. R.(2004).Combinational and dislocated knowledge and the Norwegian client-consultant relationship.Service Industries Journal,24(1),155-170.
28. Sammalisto, K.,Brorson, T.(2008).Training and communication in the implementation of environmental management systems (ISO 14001): a case study at the University of Gävle, Sweden.Journal of Cleaner Production,16(3),299-309.
29. Simatupang, T. M.,White, A. J.(1998).A policy resolution model for knowledge acquisition in quality management.Total Quality Management,9(8),767-779.
30. Strang, D.,Macy, M. W.(2001).In search of excellence: fads, success stories, and adaptive emulation.American Journal of Sociology,107(1),147-182.
31. Tushman, M. L.,Katz, R.(1980).External communication and project performance: an investigation into the role of gatekeepers.Management Science,26(11),1071-1085.
32. Tushman, M. L.,Scanlan, T. J.(1981).Boundary spanning individuals: their role in information transfer and their antecedents.Academy of Management Journal,24(2),289-305.
33. Williams, P.(2002).The competent boundary spanner.Public Administration,80(1),103-124.