| 07.08.2019

Doctoral thesis: New way of managing knowledge related risks

How do you assess stakeholder risks in organisations? A new study discusses the crucial role of knowledge and the lack of it regarding organisational risk management, by applying ISO 31000 risk standard.

In his doctoral thesis Hannu Ritvanen explores how you can understand and manage intellectual capital-related risks. Intellectual capital (IC) is used as a framework to understand knowledge related risks in the organisational context.
Knowledge related risks are present in all what we do, directly or indirectly. A direct risk could be for example pressing the wrong button due to inadequate instructions or training. Indirect risks include design or implementation faults in devices or processes, which appear only in real use.

“The problem is how to identify and locate these knowledge related risks within an organisation, says Hannu Ritvanen.” The ICRM framework that I have developed provides means to identify, locate and assess these knowledge related risks. It is a comprehensive and practical framework for decision makers in management and in operations”, continues Ritvanen.

The ICRM framework developed in Ritvanen’s thesis can be used to establish the context including the essential knowledge elements which may contain risks and to assess stakeholder risks. It also shows how to organise the management of knowledge related risk information.

“My research also gives examples on how to identify and assess critical spots between various decision makers where information and knowledge sharing concerning risks is crucial”, Ritvanen comments.

The assessment method is based on context related questions the assessor or decision maker have to answer. The answers depend on the specific context, whether top management’s view of the business or shop floor position in the middle of production process.

You can read the whole thesis here Opens in new window .

Hannu Ritvanen will defend his doctoral thesis on the subject on Wednesday, August 14, at 12 pm. The field is Management and Organisation.

Venue: Auditorium Maximum, Hanken, Arkadiagatan 22, Helsinki
Opponent: Professor Jan Mouritsen, Copenhagen Business School
Custos: Professor Karl-Erik Sveiby, Hanken

More information:
Hannu Ritvanen,
+358 50 522 6837
hannu.ritvanen@hanken.fi