Proceedings IFKAD 2018

PROCEEDINGS e-books

Proceedings IFKAD 2018

Societal Impact of Knowledge and Design

Delft, Netherlands 4-6 July 2018
ISBN: 978-88-96687-11-6
ISSN: 2280-787X

List of Included Articles:

Integrating the Fields of Organizational Culture Change and Unlearning

(293-305)

Regina Palmer, Adrian Klammer

Abstract

The purpose of this paper is to examine the role of organizational unlearning in changing organizational cultures. Although the importance of unlearning has been recognized in the field of organizational culture, this recognition has been limited to superficial descriptions or serendipitous findings. Only little has been done to integrate the fields of organizational culture change (OCC) and organizational unlearning. We believe that companies neglect to engage in the process of unlearning when initiating OCC and that this neglect is in part caused by the lack of academic attention to unlearning within the framework of cultural change in organizations. By systematically reviewing the existing literature, we identify links between the fields of OCC and organizational unlearning. Although there is only a limited number of papers that explicitly deal with or connect both concepts, we found recurring patterns and established further links in order to advance interdisciplinary research. The success rate of OCC efforts is low and organizational unlearning is – in spite of its almost 40-year-history – still a field that has not received much attention in other established research areas. Compatibility issues refer to (i) a lack of consistency in concepts and definitions, (ii) a limited or fragmented scope of organizational culture, and (iii) the complexity of measurement. We believe that the constraint of bringing both fields closer together can be resolved by agreeing on consistent language, expanding the scope of unlearning to comprise all dimensions of organizational culture, and identifying promising research approaches for generating profound empirical evidence. Theoretical and While some researchers have already hinted towards a relationship between organizational culture and unlearning, we believe that there is a green field in connecting both areas. The social view of unlearning as well as cultural change and organizational learning could serve as reference points for connecting organizational culture and unlearning. Organizational culture can serve as an important factor in gaining competitive advantage in today’s rapidly changing global environment. Nevertheless, many companies struggle with achieving sustainable OCC. This paper suggests including unlearning into practical OCC efforts in order to facilitate successful OCC outcomes.

The Role of PMOs as Knowledge Management Centers in Strategic Project Management

(306-321)

Lajos Szabó

Abstract

The paper aims to fill the gap of investigating the role of project management offices at organizations of different project management maturity levels and to introduce a model developed by the author that integrates strategic management, project management and knowledge management in order to set up the strategic project portfolio and to support the successful planning and realization of strategic projects. Nowadays we deal with projects in several areas of life. Large infrastructural investments – subway, bridge, railway, or highway reconstruction, building residential communities – are completed in projects. Large enterprises start projects to develop new products, services and to introduce them to the market. Project is also one of the often used terms regarding the planning, organizing and hosting of international sport and cultural events. The culture of projects is not only spreading rapidly in the last few years among small- and medium-sized enterprises and the public sector in the member states of the European Union, but the project management methods, techniques, and related knowledge used during the project life cycle are also of extreme importance. Nowadays, we are working and living among projects. These projects have become part of the organizational strategy, and project management is an integral part of strategic management. The purpose of strategic projects is to contribute to the realization of the organizational strategy and to help the implementation of strategic goals. The main question is on the one hand how these projects are selected in order to have the project portfolio that is aligned with the organizational strategy and on the other hand how knowledge management centers like Project Management Offices (PMOs) can support the management of selected projects. The relevance of the research is highlighted by the PM Solutions’ “State of the PMO” study (2014, 2016), according to which PMOs garner more attention at the executive level and their role in strategic functions increases. Besides, PMOs have been significantly engaging in portfolio management functions. The paper first gives an overview about the theories of single project management and the organizational project management, and introduces the modified and further developed model of Kessler and Winkelhofer (1997) called “project oriented strategy planning” (Szabó, 2012). This is followed by the analysis of organizational project management maturity models. Then the role of PMO in selecting strategic projects is introduced and discussed. In the practical part of the paper an empirical survey is presented. The role of PMOs are analyzed at organizations with different project management maturity levels.

Transforming Data into New B2B Business Opportunities

(322-335)

Tuija Rantala, Katariina Palomäki, Katri Valkokari

Abstract

Exploiting data is an increasingly important source of competitive advantage for companies. However, identifying the benefits of data utilization in new business creation may be difficult for B2B companies that are not familiar with the field and are only just establishing their data strategy. The main research question of this paper is: “What kind of different ways are there to transform data into new B2B business opportunities?” The data of the qualitative case study (Yin, 2003) was collected during 2017 – 2018 from 22 semi-structured theme interviews with seven different companies. The case companies were selected while they were in different stages of data strategy implementation (from beginners to advanced as data utilizers). The results of the interviews were discussed in three different workshops with company and researcher representatives. Current research about data utilization and strategies is often analytical in nature, focusing on e.g. algorithms and modelling techniques (Sivarajah et al., 2017). This paper describes practical benefits and presents six different ways to utilize data in new B2B business creation. The paper helps practitioners to benchmark other companies and to provide feedback to managers for establishing their data strategy and developing their data-driven business successfully in practice. It also helps researchers see the utilization of data in new business creation in a broader context including the B2B business and strategic decision-making viewpoints.

PMO and Project Success: The Importance of a Project Management Structure

(336-360)

Antonio Bassi, Silvia Vigato, Moreno Bonetti, Luca Buffoni, Gianni Lucia, Riccardo Vaccargiu

Abstract

The study starts in November 2017 to assessing the importance and the diffusion of a project management structure. The research will provide objectives and unambiguous results showing the importance of a central entity/office (PMO). The presence of this internal structure into a company makes the difference to the project’s success achievement and to the overall strategic management, resolving the very common lack of leadership and lack of clear business objective understanding. This article reports feedback from more than three hundred Swiss Companies; the study has been structured into 4 main areas with specific questions, in order to obtain a wide understanding of the maturity of the Swiss companies in the project management field. The 4 areas covered the following main topics: – project management; to have a preliminary indication of the project management methodology applied in the organization – project management corporate structure; to collect data about the organizational structure connected with project management – strategy management; to highlight any possible breach which might have an impact on project’ success – project success; to finally evaluate project’s results and the basis for their evaluation Thanks to the obtained results, you will be able to: – Know which is the cultural level as general overview in project management; – Know which are the most known/used PM tools; – Figure out the relationship between Projects success rate and PMO presence; – Understand which is the Companies propensity to lift up their knowledge and maturity. The study focused on the following objective: 1) project management. We want to understand if a particular project management methodology is used within the interviewee’s company. Some questions are focused on the various PM tools used by the company. 2) project management corporate structure. Collect data on the organizational structure related to the management of the project. 3) strategy management; to highlight any possible breach which might have an impact on project’ success. 4) project success; to evaluate project’s results and the basis for their evaluation. The obtained data have been statistically and critically analyzed, providing objective and unambiguous results showing the importance of a central entity/office (PMO). The presence of this internal structure into a company makes the difference to the project’s success achievement and to the overall strategic management, resolving the very common lack of leadership and lack of clear business objective understanding.

Implementing Project Portfolio Management – The Case of Hungarian Banking Sector

(361-371)

István Csendes

Abstract

The aim of the paper is to contribute to the general knowledge of Project Portfolio Management (PPM) by investigating the introduction to Hungary of this new management method. In the first part of the study, I briefly discuss the concept of PPM; then based on international surveys, I write about experiences gained in its operation. Then, in the second part of the study I describe the most important findings of an exploratory (qualitative) primary research regarding the practical implementation of the method in Hungarian Banking Sector. Actual findings concerning Hungarian Banking Sector: The support of top management is essential for the introduction of the PPM. The appearance of portfolio managers was preceded by the operation of the Project Management Office (PMO). The introduction of this method became necessary because of the increase in the number of IT projects. Information provided in the second part of the paper can be taken as a research report. In any case, the example of the six major Hungarian banks involved in the interviews can be considered as a kind of primary deeper country-wide experience. So it could be primary reference both for practical professionals and for organizational researchers.

Project Management Competence in Standards – a Comparative Analysis

(411-424)

Viktória Horváth

Abstract

In the last decades, there was an increasing need for understanding, recognising and accessing project management competence, which resulted in the development of different project management standards from the second half of the 1990s. These standards prescribed the requirements, which are inevitable for the effective project management performance, so the majority of them connects to certain certification processes. The most important critical remark about them was that they put the required knowledge and skills into the focus and less attention was devoted the personality characteristics and behaviours (Crawford, 2000). The purpose of this academic research paper is to draw comparison among the project management competence approaches in different, wildly known project competency standards. Altogether four standards were involved in the research: (1) the second edition of Project Manager Competency Development (PMCD) Framework (2007) issued by the Project Management Institute’s (PMI), (2) Version 4.0 of the Individual Competence Baseline for Project, Programme & Portfolio Management (2015) issued by the International Project Management Association (IPMA), (3) the Australian Institute of Project Management’s (AIPM) Professional Competency Standards for Project Management (2008), and (4) the Association for Project Management’s (APM) Competence Framework (2008). The paper focuses on the following questions: How do project management standards define project management competencies? What kind of structure do these project management competency standards follow? Which competency levels could be identified in them? What are the similarities in their structure? What are the most important content elements/knowledge areas in these standards? How could we group them? Bearing in mind the different approaches adopted by the different standards, comparison dimensions were identified, based on which differences amongst the approaches in standards could be highlighted. There is a major misunderstanding in practice and in the academy about the definition of project management competence, so this study introduces the different definitions, which could be connected to project management competency, and how do this terms relate to each other. The aim is to get a structured, multidimensional overview of the different project management competence approaches in the standards.

Structuring Knowledge Inside Organizations: Tools and Practices of Knowledge Management

(425-443)

Kellen Christina Peitl, Oswaldo Luis Agostinho

Abstract

To react to the current competitive scenario, organizations must be equipped to deal with the most valuable resource of the currently management: knowledge. It is a resource whose management and exploitation contribute directly to the success desired by the organization. Knowledge Structuring inside an organization is one of the preponderant assets to achieve its goal as well as to keep its leader position in the market. This work presents a framework including different management tools of knowledge management, currently applied inside organizations, and how each of them can be related to each phase of the Knowledge Spiral. It is presented a literature review about themes of this work and, then, a framework of structured knowledge is proposed. It includes Focus Methodology to correlate organizational strategies to knowledge management; the tools currently used by the organizations and the role of organizations in creating favourable environment for the generation and dissemination of knowledge. Secondly, it is presented a questionnaire sent to managers and researchers of Knowledge Management. It has the aim to cross the purpose of this work with the practices of organizations and with the view of researchers. The new management directions aim to incorporate knowledge in their business strategies. In this direction, this paper will elucidate how the factors of knowledge management can be positively present on the competitive strategies of organizations. Kunioshi , defines this new management model as a view based on resources and among the strategic resources, he highlights Knowledge as the most precise one. It will be shown a knowledge management framework considering organizational aspects, individual values and competitiveness. It will also be established a correlation between Organizational Strategies and Knowledge Management characteristics. All the interviewed researchers agreed that competitiveness attributes must be clearly defined inside organizations and that there must be strongly incentives to the knowledge creation and dissemination. The researcher’s view shows there must be a strong correlation between the role of the organization to provide conditions favourable to knowledge (creation and dissemination) and the following topics: Infrastructure of Informatics; Infrastructure to storage and disseminate the information; Politics of knowledge dissemination; Integration of Knowledge to the administrative practices The view of the researchers was not reflected on the actual practices of the evaluated organizations. Most of the results showed no convergence between the researchers view about organizational practices and the actual practices in organizations according to their own managers’ view. Summarizing there are plenty of information to help the organizations but there is still a considerable distance between the managerial theories and tool and what was seen in some organizations.

Controversy in Interorganisational Service Innovation Projects; a Literature Review

(444-455)

Hilde Groot, A. C. R. Riel, Vries

Abstract

The study sheds light on the role of controversy in co-creation processes in service innovation projects that are characterized by project team members from different organisations or from different disciplines. Controversy , in this study defined as different interpretations of information, and differences in opinions and interests among project members, is of essence in order to create new knowledge, but simultaneously controversial situations hamper the development process of new services. Although current literature contributes to our understanding of the development of new services, questions pertaining to successfully creating new services in highly complex collaboration processes are still little understood. The purpose of this study is to gain insights in the role of controversy within interorganisational service innovation projects by identifying different theoretical lenses and thereby creating a broader perspective in explaining success in new service development. This study provides a systematic literature review by combining insights from several literature streams. The search resulted in a set of most influential studies of equivocality, controversy, ambiguity and conflict in co-creation processes. We classified the studies into different perspectives of controversy in new service development. This research shows three perspectives of the role of controversy within interorganisational service innovation projects. The information processing view explains difficulties in combining different types of knowledge and acknowledges the importance of developing coordination mechanisms to overcome information processing challenges. Studies from a value-based perspective emphasise the fact that knowledge is based on personal and professional values. This research draws attention to emotions and motivation of project members and emphasise the role of collective sensemaking, reflexivity and responsibility as affective mechanisms in guiding co-creation processes. The stakeholder perspective deepens our understanding of interaction processes among different stakeholders, placing particular emphasis on the role of power and interdependencies as a source of controversy and conflict and, through this, influencing project success. This perspective draws attention to negotiation and defining common interest in the development of new services. This research shows the need for handling mechanisms in interorganisational service innovation projects to make controversy constructive and to cope with conflicting situations resulting from controversy.

The Impact of Social Relationships and Incentives on Small Groups’ Knowledge Sharing Dynamics

(456-466)

Steve Borgatti, Fabio Nonino, Giulia Palombi

Abstract

Empirical social network studies on small groups usually aim to identify structural properties that correlate with performance on specific tasks. In recent decades, behavioral economics have shown that, in certain circumstances, individuals can be, in a specific sense, irrational, behaving in predictable ways that don’t maximize their self-interest. One of these circumstances is high stakes – the presence of high level incentives. In fact, it has been demonstrated that in tasks requiring cognitive abilities, large rewards tend to reduce individuals’ performance. Our attention is particularly focused on groups’ cognitive tasks requiring efficient and effective knowledge sharing (KS). Specifically, our study explores how the network structure of groups affects the relationship between incentives and performance. To answer this question, we ran a laboratory experiment on 4-person groups constructed by the researcher on the basis of existing trust relations (both cognitive and affective trust) among 169 individuals who have known each other for some time. One type of group defined by the researcher was centralized (a sociometric star): all trust relations involved one central person. A second type of group was a sociometric clique: everyone trusted everyone. A third type of group was an empty graph: no trust ties within the group at all. The laboratory setting allowed us to randomly assign different incentive levels to the groups, and also allowed us to readily measure performance, both at the individual and at the group level. The results show that for a relatively simple cognitive task requiring KS, cliques were markedly less efficient, except in the presence of external incentives. Whereas other groups were unaffected by incentives, the clique structures benefitted considerably, bringing their efficiency levels in line with the other groups. This outcome constitutes not only a theoretical advancement in knowledge management discipline, but also a practical instrument that companies could use when dealing with human resources allocation for different tasks.

Assessment of the Impact of Foreign Credit Institutions on the Performance of Domestic Banks: Empirical Analysis Results

(372-395)

Arkady Trachuk, Natalia Linder

Abstract

Revealing of the major channels of distribution of knowledge spillover effects, as well as analysis of influence of knowledge spillover effects obtained because of operation of foreign banks We propose sequential approach including econometric analysis of influence of the number and share of foreign assets on efficiency indexes of the Russian credit organizations at the first stage. Qualitative stage of the analysis, we took an opinion poll of chief executives of the Russian credit organizations about the influence of foreign credit organizations on the efficiency of local banks. For the analysis of influence of knowledge spillover effects we evaluated the presence of foreign banks on the local ones, and applied two variables for that – the number of foreign banks (N_FB) and the share of assets of foreign credit organizations in the banking sector assets. In order to explore the influence of the presence of foreign banks on the efficiency of local banks, we applied a model described in Claessens etc. (2001). At qualitative stage we took an opinion poll of the Russian credit organizations with the aim of detecting the major knowledge and competence acquired by the Russian banks as a result of entering the market of foreign players. Regression analysis showed that foreign credit organizations exert pressure upon the key operating expenditure items of the Russian banks due to the growth of the level of competition in the banking sector accompanied with pursuit of perfection of the business processes and implementation of innovative control systems by the Russian banks. The performed regression analysis of the influence of foreign banks on the economic efficiency of the local credit institutions has revealed the existence of competitive pressure from the foreign participants. The effect indicates negative development of competition in the banking sector to a greater degree. However, the results of the second stage of the research have shown that the presence of foreign banks has positive effect on the Russian banking market expressed in qualitative changes in respect to products and services rendered by the banks, inner business processes, competence and administrative procedures. The main task of the Russian banks should become adoption of those key competences that could help them to secure a better foothold in the market characterized by considerable variability, increase compatibility constantly.

Strategic Factors of the Capital Structure of the Manufacture, Services and Communication Sector in Mexico

(396-410)

Juan Gaytán-Cortés, Antonio Jesús-Vizcaino, Juan Antonio Vargas-Barraza

Abstract

The absence of policies, rules and models in businesses that enable them to generate a siutable capital structur and build a solid competitive advantage, is what sustains this research, which consisted in reviewing and analyzing the theories, empirical studies, existing hypotheses and all the main postulates with the purpose of identifying the main strategic factors of the country and of the manufacturing, services and communication companies, to design their strategies by incorporating long-term debt into their capital structures. In the analysis, financial information of companies that quoted continuously to the Mexican Stock Exchange was used, in the periods of 2000-2012. The long-term debt was the dependent variable, and the panel data technique was applied with the E-Views 8.1 program in order to determine its mathematical relationship to main independent factors. The econometric model and the strategic factors used in this empirical study were identified and used in previous theories and research that were analyzed and commented on in the theoretical framework of this research. Studies on capital structure in Mexico are essential, and the lack of a solid model to explain and make the financial decisions of Mexican organizations justifies this investigation. This analysis offers a solid basis for addressing the problem, questions and objectives formulated. The results are of theoretical and practical interest, in addition to identifying and understanding the mathematical relationship of the main strategic factors of the country and the company that influence the inclusion of long-term debt in the capital structure, the results are also useful to generate standards and guidelines that facilitate decision-making and reduce uncertainty by incorporating long-term debt made by manufacturing, services and communication companies in Mexico in order to generate a solid competitive advantage.

Knowledge Transfer when the Plug is Disconnected

(467-476)

Giuseppe Cappiello, Raffaele Corrado, Antonio Daood

Abstract

Cluster initiatives are projects established by local or national governments to foster the competitiveness of organizations and territories through the facilitation of informal and formal ties among firms that may improve knowledge diffusion, innovation, and new product development. Such projects are managed by project managers, or sometimes by organizations, whose main objectives are a) ensuring network development through the facilitation of interfirm linkages and b) envisioning the path for cluster development. The paper represents an attempt to investigate what happens when the agglomeration project terminates and clustered organizations are not anymore subject to the stimuli toward knowledge transfer exerted by cluster managers. We study the knowledge network underlying an Italian high-tech cluster initiative through Social Network Analysis. We coded networks of formal and informal ties with a variety of contents, observed at two points in time, namely 2015 (when the cluster project was terminated) and 2017. We compare the observations of the network at the two points in time in order to assess the changes occurred after the cluster manager’s facilitation activity ceased, particularly focusing on whether clustered firms changed their networking behaviour when “the plug was disconnected”. The original element of this study lies in the analysis of the networking behaviour of the firms after the termination of the cluster initiative. While there exist abundant research and evidence about both geographical clusters and public policies aimed at fostering ties among clustered firms, far less is known about how lasting the effects of these policies are. This study contains evidence that clustered firms did not maintain the same relational behaviour two years after the termination of the facilitation activity of the cluster manager. When designing cluster initiatives due care should be had to ensure that cluster managers adequately support clustered firms in the development of the knowledge network, throughout the whole project life cycle. In this regard, our work suggests that the facilitation activity of cluster managers should be terminated only once cluster members have interiorized a networking attitude, in order for them to continue knowledge-transfer activities when the stimuli by cluster manager have ceased. The sharp interruption of the facilitation activity of the cluster manager is likely to nullify the beneficial effects of the cluster project.

The Accounting of Cultural Heritage Assets of Italian Universities’ Museums: Groking the Third Mission

(477-491)

Laura Corazza, Maurizio Cisi, Simone Domenico Scagnelli

Abstract

In Italy, recent normative changes towards accrual accounting have asked universities to measure and disclose their cultural heritage assets. The switch from “pure” financial accounting requirements cash-based, to a more mature accrual accounting system (Agasisti, Catalano, & Erbacci, 2017), posed the challenge of the intellectual capital accounting and measurement (Guthrie, Ricceri, & Dumay, 2012). The current lack of accounting principles to be used in preparing such disclosures have required universities to revaluate or impair their heritage book values (A. Barton, 2005). The study comments the role of accounting in shaping the reality within the context of Italian Public Universities. The paper is designed as an empirical paper that first aims at describing the state of the art of Italian universities’ museums using an accounting perspective. Secondarily, the paper shows through the application of multiple correlations the existence of links between the book value of cultural heritage assets and core features of universities. The sample includes the totality of Italian Public University recognized by MIUR in 2017 (n=67). We included in the analysis the composition of tangible assets and the book value of the amount disclosed in A) II.4 called Book heritage, artworks, antiquities and museum assets, of the scheme provided by the Italian Ministry of Education and Research (MIUR). The study herein reported shows the state of the art of universities’ museums using an accounting perspective. In particular, it evidences the fragmented framework of the Italian universities’ museums between micro and mega institutions, where universities manage an average of 4.6 museums each. Opposite to the logic of valorization of intellectual capital, the ministerial guideline supports the total impairment of “ordinary” books, while for book heritage, artworks, antiquities and museum assets, it supports the idea that such cultural heritage will not lose the value over time. Due to the lack of a clear accounting principles to apply, universities have adopted different behaviors, on one side an extreme revaluation of their heritage assets, on the other side great impairments. Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) are becoming more aware of the role they might play for the sustainable development and social value creation of societies and countries. The so-called third mission translates in actions the dialogue between universities and societies, and universities and stakeholders. This social value is expressed by teaching, research and third mission activities. The latter are pivotal for a knowledge society, and exogenous pressure are incentivizing the adoption of managerial duties and the institutionalization of performance measurement (Martin-Sardesai & Guthrie, 2018; Martin-Sardesai, Irvine, Tooley, & Guthrie, 2017; L. D. Parker, 2013). The adoption of accrual accounting method has forced universities to translate and give a value to their cultural heritage assets, that are heterogenous by definition and dependent from the historical roots of the university and the number of students. The book value of the heritage assets does not show adequately this “unexpressed” potential that can impact over public engagement and societal outreach.

(Re-)Evaluating the Artistic Value and Societal Impact of the Performing Arts

(492-502)

Leticia Labaronne

Abstract

In the past decades the literature in the nonprofit corner of the arts and cultural sector has proposed numerous approaches to define, measure, and assess the value of arts and cultural activities and its impact on society. Yet, research has been dominated by a strong positivist tradition and has remained prevalently normative and instrumental, rather than advancing the understanding of the specific artistic and broader contexts in which evaluation is practiced. This ongoing study contests the decontextualized approaches found within the positivist research paradigm and explores the evaluation practices embedded in the creative process of nonprofit performing arts organizations. Following the premise that artistic activities and their outcome/impact can only be evaluated within the contexts and processes that give rise to them, the scope of the empirical work focuses on how performance is enacted by the artists themselves, as experts, self-evaluators, and peer-evaluators. Hence, the originality of the research question lies in putting the artistic creative process at the core of the enquiry and considering the intrinsic aspects of the individual and collective experience and the role of human agency in the art production and consumption. I used an ethnographic study design that triangulated qualitative data from (non-)participant observation, semi-structured formal and informal interviews, and document analyses in the context of two in-depth case studies. The chosen methodology aims at capturing the unarticulated assumptions and values of creative processes. The emergent and preliminary findings, such as the value creation for the individual performer or the whole ensemble of working with a particular artist and in a particular piece, enhance the existing body of knowledge about artistic value and achievement in the performing arts. Further, they attempt to minimize the theory-praxis gap by offering a deeper understanding of the context-related uniqueness of (embedded) evaluation practices in the performing arts. Further, they advance the body of knowledge about evaluation and performance measurement in the nonprofit arts and cultural sector. In addition, considering that the arts as an extreme case of creative working environment have emerged as a promising research field for business, the study attempts to offer an alternative to mainstream approaches to (e-)valuation, assessment, and impact analysis that may allow relevant stakeholders to gain deeper insights in how to explore creative, knowledge, and experience-intensive processes.

The Outreach of Participatory Cultural Initiatives: The importance of Creating and Exchanging Knowledge

(503-518)

Lucia Biondi, Paola Demartini, Lucia Marchegiani, Michela Marchiori, Martin Piber

Abstract

This paper investigates Participatory Cultural Initiatves (PCIs) and patterns of learning and knowledge sharing among participating actors. We highlight Participatory Cultural Initiatives (PCIs) and their impact on communities, cities, and regions. PCIs create material and immaterial outcomes through the presence of cultural artefacts and the exchange of ideas, thoughts and feelings among participants. In particular, a participatory approach to cultural and creative initiatives entails civic engagement and strong support for creating and sharing cultural projects, highlighting the subjective relevance of individual contributions and strengthening the feeling of being socially connected among each other. Unfolding participation also activates knowledge sharing and learning processes. Hence, we address the following research questions: First: What role does the exchange of knowledge play in PCIs intended as collective learning organizations? Secondly, we look at the knowledge outcome of PCIs relating to individual and collective knowledge components. Both research questions contribute to a better understanding of the general phenomenon of participatory culture as well as the role of culture in society. Based on a sound literature review in the field of PCIs, we propose an inductive approach by conducting two connected case studies: Matera as a European Capital of Culture and Rome as a City of Film (within the UNESCO network of creatives cities). The cases were chosen, as both examples have similar selection criteria (referring to UNESCO programs). We selected primary data through personal semi-structured interviews with the key actors of each initiative, as well as secondary data through the analysis of relevant documents, press releases, websites, social media, etc. concerning the initiatives. More and more, citizens and cultural institutions collaborate to develop cultural projects through a participatory approach. This leads to the stratification of knowledge and of learning processes that further enrich the local communities. Notwithstanding a prolific body of knowledge on cultural initiatives, we need more insights on how PCIs as well as the resulting collective knowledge components can contribute to creating value for individuals and society. We propose a comprehensive framework to analyse these new phenomena, highlighting their impact on different stakeholders. The research fosters a deeper understanding of PCIs and their societal impact. It supports professionals, politicians, institutions and citizens who are involved in developing, funding, managing and measuring cultural and creative projects. Finally, this paper contributes to expanding the literature on knowledge generation and participatory culture.

Citizen Engagement as a Criterion to Select the European Capital of Culture. A Critical Appraisal

(519-537)

Paola Demartini, Michela Marchiori, Lucia Marchegiani

Abstract

The purpose of the paper is to scrutinise citizen participation in co-creating a culture initiative. The active involvement of citizens in the co-creation of public initiatives has been embraced by the European Commission as a relevant topic on its reform agenda. In this line, citizen engagement has become one of the criterion to select the city to be designated as the European Capital of Culture (ECoC) of the year. However, there are still only a few systematic studies aimed at investigating the challenges, problems and difficulties associated with the processes aiming to foster citizen participation and how to make it long lasting. Hence, in this paper, focusing on Matera ECoC 2019, we aim to increase the understanding on what dynamics of participation unfold in the context of the development of an ECoC program. In particular, we address the following research questions: What are the conditions for developing a participatory process in cultural projects? Who is really involved in the decision-making process? What mechanisms are used by the official actors to foster citizen engagement? We propose an exploratory approach by adopting a case study method of analysis (Yin, 1993, 2009) of the Matera ECoC 2019. Data have been collected through both primary (interview with a key actor of the initiative) and secondary (official documents, social media, websites and press releases) sources of evidence. Generally speaking, participation involvement has been deeply scrutinised in political science and public administration literature, but how citizens become participants in a process of co-creation of culture, who benefits from this participation and why it is rarely discussed. Moreover, to our knowledge, this topic has never been investigated by scholars in the field of management and organizational studies. The present paper aims to enrich the literature on the ECoC literature by investigating the case of Matera ECoC 2019. Our study contributes to the debate on ECoC as an opportunity for economic and social development and the renewal of local communities. It can offer suggestions and insights for the EU Legislator to design new rules to make citizen participation more effective and for the regional public administration to define new cultural policies able to engage the local community.

The Relationship between Architecture and Democracy: the Example of Imre Makovecz’s Work within the Faluhazák Project during the 1970s and 1980s. The Value of the Contribution of Architecture to Cohesion and Social Engagement.

(538-552)

Pierluigi Catalfo, Martina Giustra

Abstract

The aim of this research work is investigate, evaluate and represent the social, cultural and economic values generated by the oeuvre of Imre Makovecz and the group of specialists who collaborated with him – Pál Béke, Tamás Varga and Ferenc Peterfi -, within the faluhazák1 project carried out for local communities, living in small villages disseminated all around Hungary, during the 1970s and 1980s. The research work focuses the Hungarian Organic Architecture of the architect Imre Makovecz and in particular concentrates the analysis on the the Cultural Houses and Village Centres, built, with a specific multidisciplinary approach, in the Hungarian villages of Sárospatak (1972 – 1976), Bak (1985) and Kakasd (1986). The research is based on the multiple case study approach. The research and analysis work concerned architectural data, the investigation of urban and social contexts in which the buildings insist, the governance of buildings. Data have been collected through direct observations, semi-structured interviews, archive research and user-centered perspective surveys. Valuable benchmark data and qualitative data were collected showing as these architectures represent virtuous examples for their peculiar history, architecture and governance. Also, the collected data are an important reference for further studies to investigate architecture which constitutes a fundamental element, in the public building sector, for social purposes and policy development. Furthermore, the uniqueness of contexts, data collected and analysis results within the selected study cases aim to contribute to the theorization, experimentation, verification for future applications of Social Return on Investment to the built environment. The design approach together with specific building governance devoted to social engagement may help to solve conflicts within the communities or contribute to determine virtuous attitudes and it may contribute to creation of good policy based on communities intangible assets/resources. The outcomes of the application of the SROI methodology on the research study cases may show us the effects and tangible evidences of a certain good practices and multidisciplinary approach in architecture, aiming at improving social and spiritual relations amongst people, and between people and places.

Creating Satisfying Visitors’ Experience in Cultural Organizations

(553-563)

M. Irene Prete, Pamela Palmi, Luigi Piper, Gianluigi Guido

Abstract

Cultural organizations seek to attract and retain a broad range of audiences by offering them emotional, cognitive, and memorable experiences, able to satisfy their expectations and desires. To understand cultural organizations’ audiences, it is crucial to investigate why many people never visit, why other people visit occasionally, and why still others visit regularly cultural goods; specifically, the process whereby visitors (and potential visitors) take decisions on how to spend their leisure time. The aim of this paper is to investigate both the antecedents of visitors’ fruition experience and the latent dimensions of their satisfaction, so to understand how to design novel and engaging cultural offerings. A qualitative/quantitative study has been carried out to evaluate both the fruition process and satisfaction of a cultural goods, the Carlo V castle, located in Lecce, a baroque city in Southern Italy. In the exploratory phase a pilot open-ended questionnaire was directed to obtain the items able to evaluate the antecedents of the intention to visit the heritage, and the items able to evaluate visitors’ satisfaction of the entire fruition experience. As regards the intention to visit cultural goods, an extended version of the Ajzen’s (1991) Theory of planned behaviour (hereafter TPB) was used, according to which the Intention is a decision influenced by Attitude, Subjective norms, Perceived behavioural control, and Past behaviour. As regards the measurement of visitors’ satisfaction, the evaluation of consumers’ expectancies –expectations and desires– has been carried out in the entire fruition experience, which includes the following phases: i) need recognition; ii) information search; iii) evaluation of alternatives; iv) fruition decision; and v) post-fruition evaluation. This approach goes beyond the traditional evaluation of satisfaction, as the post-fruition evaluation of the experience, to consider not only the “objective quality” (“rational factors”) but also the emotional, motivational aspects of fruition – expectations and desires. Furthermore, the satisfaction paradigm has been re-examined by considering the entire fruition experience, which include also pre-fruition and post-fruition phases. Results of this study could favour the management and the policy makers, thus allowing their offerings of unique and distinctive activities and experiences, with the purpose of attracting new visitors, create a greater engagement, thus developing the identity and symbolic capital and strengthening the social capital of the local territory.

Distance Learning in Italian Universities: State of the Art and Future Perspectives

(564-575)

Chiara Fantauzzi, Rocco Frondizi, Nathalie Colasanti, Gloria Fiorani

Abstract

The purpose of this paper is to analyse the state of the art about distance learning in Italian universities, in order to understand how higher education institutions are reacting to the change that occurred in the education market. Distance learning represents an upgraded version of lifelong learning, defined as each activity that starts in any moment of life in order to improve knowledge, skills, and competences in a personal, civic, social, and/or employment perspective (European Commission, 2001). Higher education institutions are called to satisfy the needs of their students also after the end of their educational path, updating their supply by providing “massive open online courses” (MOOCs). Given the presence of new online universities, starting with an analysis of the behaviour adopted by all Italian traditional higher education institutions, we will try to answer the following research question: How do traditional universities effectively face the challenge of lifelong learning, especially in terms of distance learning? We propose an approach based on the following steps. We will start by reviewing the literature on the concept of lifelong learning and its evolution in terms of distance learning. We will proceed with a documentary analysis based on the official statements provided by the Italian National Agency for the Evaluation of the University and Research Systems (ANVUR) and by the Italian higher education institutions investigated. Collected data will be analysed through a qualitative method, in order to identify changes in the traditional universities’ supply, by answering to the recent emergence of distance learning. Lastly, we will interpret the findings in order to make considerations in terms of future perspectives. This methodology puts in evidence the importance of ensuring lifelong learning experiences, according to the needs of learners. The aim is to describe the current situation in Italy and the behaviour adopted by traditional universities in order to accept this unavoidable revolution. The outcome of the application of this work is represented by the possibility of generating a new field of interest about the institutionalization of MOOCs in Italy. This is a preliminary study: in a future perspective, the aim will be to define a new strategy for traditional universities, that will help them in order to combine distance learning opportunities and high quality in terms of education offered.

New Way of Using ICT so the Students of the University of Guadalajara, Mexico Achieves Competitive Skills in the Workplace with the B-Learning Modality

(621-627)

Araceli Duran-Hernandez, Juan Antonio Flores-Mora, Juan Gaytan-Cortes

Abstract

In this research, it is very important to show how the global learning of the students has evolved due to the IT (Information Technologies and Communication Technology) in the higher degrees. These problems are addressed through a comprehensive and systematic strategy regarding the management of education and training methods for teachers, in such a way that the different modalities of the use of ICTs are incorporated. (UNESCO, 2008). The proposal of the Unesco was for 2015, and actually is already applied. This research is focused on the new modality of curriculum of the University of Guadalajara in the higher degree that is to have the B-learning, as an alternative to the face to face or classroom modality. In the University of Guadalajara exists the Virtual modality, but the results are not the expected to achieve competitiveness in the workplace, deficiencies were detected and this motivated the design of the B-learning plan and to carry out this investigation to analyze if the results have been positives. The objective of this modality was designed so that the graduates achieves competitive skills in the work environment with the B-learning modality. Based on the antecedents of the desertion of the students in the University center due to economic reasons and to avoid the desertion, this modality was developed. This has resulted in some students of the face-to-face can make their change to B-learning due to lack of financial resources and not to drop out and can look for a job at the same time they study and work. The methodology is a quantitative and qualitative research. An exploratory investigation, Hernández et al. (2010) is to examine the problem considering the type of phenomenon investigated, an exploratory approach, phenomenology, correlation of variance and prospective according to Bernal (2010). A correlation analysis of variance is performed through the Analysis of Variance model (ANOVA). With data collection from 2015 to 2017.