Healthcare systems are complex adaptive systems, requiring a change in leadership style, from the traditional model to collaborative, values-driven leadership (VDL). Family physicians are well positioned to facilitate integration and coordination between levels of care, across specialties and within teams, in partnership with local and district management team members. This short report describes a leadership innovation experience in a rural South African district, where a VDL course was introduced in a district health context to build on a strong tradition of relationship-centred outreach and support aimed at creating a learning health system. The authors reflect on the contribution of family physicians to strengthen team-based capacity building, care coordination and a learning culture aimed at quality improvement from the perspectives of the regional and district hospital environments. A values-based leadership style will enable family physicians to strengthen team-relationships and create organisational environments, which support shared learning and quality improvement approaches. Ultimately this approach should lead to improved health systems.

RESUMO Esta pesquisa objetivou verificar o tipo e a intensidade das relações existentes entre as práticas de gestão estratégica do conhecimento, o desempenho inovador e o desempenho organizacional, preenchendo lacunas evidenciadas pela literatura no que tange ao estudo sistêmico das relações entre esses construtos em países emergentes. Analisou-se uma amostra de 127 empresas do estado brasileiro de Santa Catarina e utilizou-se PLS-SEM para testar as hipóteses teóricas. Constatou-se que as práticas de gestão estratégica do conhecimento influenciam o desempenho inovador e o desempenho organizacional, e identificou-se o grau de eficiência e uso de cada prática. Evidenciou-se também que as empresas brasileiras focam sua gestão no conhecimento explícito, e que existem oportunidades de melhoria no seu desempenho quando elas focarem também na gestão do conhecimento tácito. A identificação das práticas prioritárias e as sugestões para gerenciar conhecimento tácito constituem contribuições relevantes para que os gestores das empresas brasileiras possam alocar seus recursos de forma eficiente para melhorar sua inovação e desempenho.

ABSTRACT This paper identifies the type and intensity of relationships that exist between strategic knowledge management (SKM) practices, innovation performance and organizational Performance. By doing so, it covers theoretical gaps about the analysis of these relationships in emerging countries. Data was collected from a sample composed by 127 Southern Brazilian firms and PLS-SEM was used for testing the hypotheses. The relevance of SKM practices for innovation and organizational performance is supported. The research has also shown the level of efficiency and use of each SKM practice. The findings allow Brazilian practitioners to identify those actions which stronger influence on innovativeness and performance. The results also have shown that Brazilian firms are focused on management of explicit knowledge, and there are some opportunities for improving performance if they focus more on tacit knowledge. The suggestions about priority practices and managing of tacit knowledge are relevant contributions to support managerial decisions for resource allocation oriented to improve innovation and performance.