1. Knowledge Creation in Oulu Game LAB 9th International Workshop on Knowledge Management Vysoká škola manažmentu / City University of Seattle, Bratislava, Teppo Räisänen Kari-Pekka Heikkinen Blair Stevenson Oulu University of Applied Sciences

2. Kari-Pekka Heikkinen ”K-P” - my career
M.Sc in E.E. 1998, University of Oulu - Electronics power design
+15 yrs in Nokia Mobile Phones - left 3 yrs ago.
2 yrs ago to Oulu University of Applied Sciences, OUAS
LAB-learning model piloting - Oulu Game LAB and Oulu Cloud LAB
I’m here as a PhD student - my area is Leadership
This is my first research workshop - my first paper & presentation

3. Background City of Oulu - capital of Northern Scandinavia
Population students
Two Universities - Science and Applied Science
High Technology research & products - important export
600 ICT companies - employing :
4000+ unemployed ICT-professionals - Nokia and it’s subcontractors
1.1% increase of unemployment rate MEur tax income decrease
Growth and Scalable business - Game Industry and Cloud Services
Re-education needed - and fast

4. 6 pilots done – LAB concept developed
6 pilots done – LAB concept developed
Feedback from students - data for LAB-research
OUAS is committed – new LABs to be established
LifeLAB, EduLAB, EnviLAB, AutoLAB 2017

5. Multidisciplinary Projects - Problem Based Learning
What is LAB-model?
Multidisciplinary Projects - Problem Based Learning
Focus area - Scalable Business
Networking - Companies & Organisations
Multi Experienced students yrs
Master-Apprentice - Coaching and Tutoring
Entrepreneurship - Mindset

6. Students for LAB

7. 4 Months Demo LAB
IDEAS

8. LAB Paths

10. Premises

11. Coaching in LABs

12. Multidisciplinary Game Industry

13. LAB’s as a network, example
Also negotiations ongoing to Netherlands, Lithuania, Great Britain, Malta, Brazil, China and Middle East.

14. 9 Startups established - 7 still alive today
So far, in 2 years
9 Startups established - 7 still alive today
10 published products - 40 million downloads
25 game and service demos - talented teams
88 game and service concepts – ready for take-off
180 fresh professionals - done with their biggest mistakes
6000+ credits - value for the University
Model research – just started

15. Summary of LAB student feedback 2014

16. Knowledge Management
Alavi and Leidner have identified four socially enacted knowledge processes in organizations
Knowledge creation
Knowledge storage/retrieval
Knowledge transfer
Knowledge application
The focus on this paper is on team level learning, i.e. knowledge creation

17. Identified Aspects based on the literature

18. Socialisation (Tacit-Tacit)
Students work in joint office spaces together with more experienced industry experts and coaches. Sharing the common values of the LAB-model creates and maintains mental models. The practices and experiences of the game development and business are discussed and shared in formal and non-formal ways. Students visit game companies and they establish networks with and between the other professionals and disciplines in the weekly events, industry seminars and conferences.

19. Externalisation, (Tacit-Explicit)
During the period of Concept Development (LEAD-part) the tacit knowledge of game development is transformed into explicit knowledge. The joint office space is organised into a relaxed office environment. In addition no NDA's are signed between companies and the students. All this, in addition to a trusted, open and relaxed atmosphere, is essential for having debate and creativity to produce new ideas for game concept development.

20. Combination, (Explicit-Explicit)
The LAB-model is looking for the student need of creating new knowledge. The teams and individuals are served with new information mostly on their need basis. After there's a need for explicit knowledge coaches are there to give guidance. The new knowledge is created to support progress of the game project. Also working closely together the students are reflecting their existing knowledge and experience against more experienced students or coaches.

21. Internalisation, (Explicit-Tacit)
The combination of more experienced and younger professionals to work toward a common practical goal creates the Master-Apprentice team set-up and enables tacit knowledge transfer.
Also the "Learning by doing" pedagogical method enhances the transfer of young professionals’ explicit knowledge to tacit knowledge.

22. Fluctuation and creative chaos
The LAB-model simulates the establishment of a small company or start-up by its operation. The students define the premises rules and they modify the premises according the project needs. The routines and mandatory events are minimal, still there are different kinds of happenings just in the next door to the premises. The fluctuation is coming from the constant need of making better solutions and the supportive climate of change.
Justifying concepts
LAB-model includes the close co-operation with the industry. In practice giving ideas to be developed or problems to be solved, their participation to the coaching of the teams and judging student teams developed concepts do this. The concept justification is done in events, which are selecting the projects with most opportunity to be done to demos.
Cross-leveling knowledge
After the Concept Development (LEAD) part the selected concepts and project teams move to Demo Development (LAB) part. This changes the scope of the knowledge to be needed. The more solution focused knowledge. Repeat LAB on a different role. BA
LAB's are established around a context, game industry. This selection of context has effect to the LAB-model and the spaces. The context is also the key motivation to perform, "passion for the context".

23. Summary of findings
The LAB-model offers support to a number of key aspects related to knowledge creation.
Learning-by-doing seems to fit really well both the SECI- model and others aspects related to knowledge creation.
It is a challenge to find suitable locations for the LABs.
The role of teacher is changing to a coach & facilitator.

24. Limitations
Work in progress, preliminary findings so far.
In this paper we have no data from the LAB participants, so we have made conceptual analysis
Student Feedback collected for 2 years, but not analysed yet.
Pilots done & developed on the run for the last 2 years, not yet a stable environment to measure

25. Future
Research
SECI-model concentration, remaking the feedback questionnaire based on the theory
Study of how LAB model effects to the students understanding of their own and team leadership
LAB learning model development
5 new LABs for different areas of industry
Ideal environment for research, e.g. for usability, entrepreneurship, communication

26. LABland Developing Professionals by Innovative Way for New Era
Kari-Pekka Heikkinen