Call for Papers: Value Creation in Knowledge Intensive Institutions: Priorities for Governance and Public Affairs

The Journal of Public Affairs invites researchers to contribute to the special issue "Value Creation in Knowledge Intensive Institutions: Priorities for Governance and Public Affairs". Deadline for the submission is the 1st October 2016.

What is the special issue about?

This Special Issue focuses on the key characteristics and values of knowledge intensive institutions, how public affairs can contribute to their impact, and how governance and ethical behavior can increase their value by supporting creativity, entrepreneurship and innovation. 

Knowledge intensive services (KIS), knowledge organisation (KIOs), knowledge transfer industries and the nexus in which they interact are increasingly important and regularly referred to by politicians as a key facilitator of prosperity and growth. This is accompanied by the realization that people’s knowledge, experience and creativity form the backbone of many organisations’ success; optimizing the use of their knowledge to achieve the organisation’s aims and objectives is of key importance, as is the retention of skilled practitioners’ knowledge over time.

The rising importance of intangibles in economies worldwide further highlights the crucial role of knowledge intensive and creative communication industries in current and future wealth generation. The recognition of this trend has led to intense competition in these industries. In an environment where various knowledge intensive organisations are struggling to find the optimum management approach and develop robust and responsive cultures, issues of ethics and effectiveness are important both for those in the organisations and for society as whole (as in the case of the culture developed in banks).

The topic of this Special Issue combines attention to the values of KIOs with attention to the value they create, and seeks contributions that address the ethics and governance underpinning these. The Special Issue is open both to papers covering value creation in knowledge intensive services and institutions, such as educational institutions in general, and those covering aspects of values, ethics and public affairs. A variety of routes seems open to research Public Affairs’ role in creating or supporting value creation. Our ambition for this Special Issue is that it will further insights into values, processes, functions and governance in KIOs such as universities, other centers of research and knowledge intensive institutions, as well as drawing implications from research in knowledge intensive institutions, for the development and management of sound, ethical and effective knowledge activities in general.

Possible topics:

• New applications of theories of both value creation and innovation as they apply to knowledge-intensive organisational environments in general and PA in particular. 
• Stimulation of and leadership for widespread innovation, Knowledge Cities, “silicon” hubs, clusters, critical mass.
• How knowledge intensive and innovative organisations provide ‘balance’ in economies and underpin desirable values in society.
• How to challenge and facilitate creative potential in knowledge intensive organisations and services.
• Fostering entrepreneurship and innovation management in strategically important KIOs.
• Creative use of talent, and tacit knowledge as sources of strength and competitive advantage for the knowledge intensive sector.
• KIO responses to social imperatives such as diversity, social inclusion, promotion of science & technology. Organisational and institutional responses to knowledge gaps and national research agendas – in the larger environment and internally.
• Conditions for success of state and private aid and preferment regimes addressed to the activities of KIOs.
• Strategies for being (national) champion and leading in value creation in knowledge intensive sectors. Information asymmetry as an opportunity and an (ethical) challenge for KIOs.
• Knowledge hoarding, patent trolling and open research.
• Identifying and combating knowledge corruption within KI organisations and in knowledge intensive sectors Effectiveness and systemic impact of KIO recruitment and retention strategies for key knowledge workers.
• Impact of KIOs on migration, brain drain and cultural globalization.
• Public Affairs as a knowledge intensive industry.
• Integrity in KIOs and in Public Affairs in particular.

Submission:

We are seeking both conceptual and empirical papers offering new insights into topics such as those below; all should be focused on creativity, entrepreneurship and value creation within and by knowledge intensive / professional services as defined above; in view of the limited research in the field, explicit coverage of/application to the professional conduct of Public Affairs is not required but would be appreciated. 

We welcome the submission of original full papers and policy papers, case studies and experience pieces to include contributions based on robust empirical investigation(s), with solid theoretical underpinnings, building on a comprehensive body of literature, setting the agenda for future research. All proposals will be reviewed by members of the editorial board and judged according to rigour and relevance as well as their ability to enhance JPAs reputation. All manuscripts will be double-blind reviewed. Papers are submitted with the understanding o that they are original, unpublished works and that they are not being submitted elsewhere.

Please submit your papers to aircsi@ashridge.org.uk with "JPA2" in the email heading.

For further information please contact Prof. Carla C.J.M. Millar PhD  carla.millar@ashridge.hult.edu.