Soft interactions, solid results. Nucleation of calcite on organic monolayers and knowledge creation in a university research institute

Abstract

While knowledge creation lies at the heart of scientific research, the role of knowledge typically remains implicit in studies of the practices and the management of that research. This paper examines which critical success factors (CSF's) define successful research. Based on Nonaka's knowledge spiral, it examines how processes of knowledge creation contribute to the existence or absence of success as indicated by these CSF's. It presents the outcomes of an in-depth exploration of the workings of the knowledge spiral in a university research institute. The research shows the outstanding but undervalued importance of socialization processes, whereas the most widely recognized tokens of success in academic research, given its focus on output, lie in externalization. It also shows that, while research success is typically defined at the interplay of the individual, group and institutional level, in the case organization none of the four knowledge creation processes (socialization, externalization, combination and internalization) appears to run smoothly at the institutional level