scholarly journals Devising Enabling Spaces and Affordances for Personal Knowledge Management System Design

10.28945/3744 ◽  
2017 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ulrich Schmitt
Keyword(s):  
Knowledge Management ◽  
Personal Growth ◽  
Design Science ◽  
Rapid Development ◽  
Science Research ◽  
Personal Knowledge ◽  
Prototype System ◽  
Development Platform ◽  
Personal Knowledge Management ◽  
Nosql Database

[This Proceedings paper was revised and published in Informing Science: the International Journal of an Emerging Transdiscipline (InfoSci)] Aim/Purpose: Personal Knowledge Management (PKM) has been envisaged as a crucial tool for the growing creative class of knowledge workers, but adequate technological solutions have not been forthcoming. Background: Based on former affordance-related publications (primarily concerned with communication, community-building, collaboration, and social knowledge sharing), the common and differing narratives in relation to PKM are investigated in order to suggest further PKM capabilities and affordances in need to be conferred. Methodology: The paper follows up on a series of the author’s PKM-related publications, firmly rooted in design science research (DSR) methods and aimed at creating an innovative PKM concept and prototype system. Contribution: The affordances presented offer PKM system users the means to retain and build upon knowledge acquired in order to sustain personal growth and facilitate productive collaborations between fellow learners and/or professional acquaintances. Findings: The results call for an extension of Nonaka’s SECI model and ‘ba’ concept and provide arguments for and evidence supporting the claims that the PKM concept and system is able to facilitate better knowledge traceability and KM practices. Recommendations and Impact on Society: Together with the prior publications, the paper points to current KM shortcomings and presents a novel trans-disciplinary approach offering appealing opportunities for stakeholders engaged in the context of curation, education, research, development, business, and entrepreneurship. Its potential to tackle opportunity divides has been addressed via a PKM for Development (PKM4D) Framework. Future: DSR Activities After completing the test phase of the prototype, its transformation into a viable PKM system and cloud-based server based on a rapid development platform and a noSQL-database is estimated to take 12 months.

scholarly journals Devising Enabling Spaces and Affordances for Personal Knowledge Management System Design

10.28945/3743 ◽  
2017 ◽  
Vol 20 ◽  
pp. 063-082 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ulrich Schmitt
Keyword(s):  
Knowledge Management ◽  
Personal Growth ◽  
Design Science ◽  
Rapid Development ◽  
Science Research ◽  
Personal Knowledge ◽  
Prototype System ◽  
Development Platform ◽  
Personal Knowledge Management ◽  
Nosql Database

Aim/Purpose: Personal Knowledge Management (PKM) has been envisaged as a crucial tool for the growing creative class of knowledge workers, but adequate technological solutions have not been forthcoming. Background: Based on former affordance-related publications (primarily concerned with communication, community-building, collaboration, and social knowledge sharing), the common and differing narratives in relation to PKM are investigated in order to suggest further PKM capabilities and affordances in need to be conferred. Methodology: The paper follows up on a series of the author’s PKM-related publications, firmly rooted in design science research (DSR) methods and aimed at creating an innovative PKM concept and prototype system. Contribution: The affordances presented offer PKM system users the means to retain and build upon knowledge acquired in order to sustain personal growth and facilitate productive collaborations between fellow learners and/or professional acquaintances. Findings: The results call for an extension of Nonaka’s SECI model and ‘ba’ concept and provide arguments for and evidence supporting the claims that the PKM concept and system is able to facilitate better knowledge traceability and KM practices. Recommendations and Impact on Society: Together with the prior publications, the paper points to current KM shortcomings and presents a novel trans-disciplinary approach offering appealing opportunities for stakeholders engaged in the context of curation, education, research, development, business, and entrepreneurship. Its potential to tackle opportunity divides has been addressed via a PKM for Development (PKM4D) Framework. Future DSR Activities: After completing the test phase of the prototype, its transformation into a viable PKM system and cloud-based server based on a rapid development platform and a noSQL-database is estimated to take 12 months.

scholarly journals From Ignorance Map to Informing PKM4E Framework: Personal Knowledge Management for Empowerment

10.28945/3984 ◽  
2018 ◽  
Keyword(s):  
Knowledge Management ◽  
Design Science ◽  
Knowledge Workers ◽  
Rapid Development ◽  
Science Research ◽  
Knowledge Bases ◽  
Personal Knowledge ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Development Platform ◽  
Personal Knowledge Management

Aim/Purpose: [This Proceedings paper was revised and published in the 2018 issue of the journal Issues in Informing Science and Information Technology, Volume 15] The proposed Personal Knowledge Management (PKM) for Empowerment (PKM4E) Framework expands on the notions of the Ignorance Map and Matrix for further supporting the educational concept of a PKM system-in-progress. Background: The accelerating information abundance is depleting the very attention our cognitive capabilities are able to master, one key cause of individual and collective opportunity divides. Support is urgently needed to benefit Knowledge Workers independent of space (developed/developing countries), time (study or career phase), discipline (natural or social science), or role (student, professional, leader). Methodology: The Design Science Research (DSR) project introducing the novel PKM System (PKMS) aims to support a scenario of a ‘Decentralizing KM Revolution’ giving more power and autonomy to individuals and self-organized groups. Contribution: The portrayal of potential better solutions cannot be accommodated by one-dimensional linear text alone but necessitates the utilization of visuals, charts, and blueprints for the concept as well as the use of colors, icons, and catchy acronyms to successfully inform a diverse portfolio of audiences and potential beneficiaries. Findings: see Recommendation for Researchers Recommendations for Practitioners: The PKM4E learning cycles and workflows apply ‘cumulative synthesis’, a concept which convincingly couples the activities of researchers and entrepreneurs, and assists users to advance their capability endowments via applied learning. Recommendation for Researchers: In substituting document-centric with meme-based knowledge bases, the PKMS approach merges distinctive voluntarily shared knowledge objects/assets of diverse disciplines into a single unified digital knowledge repository and provides the means for advancing current metrics and reputation systems. Impact on Society: The PKMS features provide the means to tackle the widening opportunity divides by affording knowledge workers with continuous life-long support from trainee, student, novice, or mentee towards professional, expert, mentor, or leader. Future Research: After completing the test phase of the PKMS prototype, its transformation into a viable PKM system and cloud-based server based on a rapid development platform and a noSQL-database is estimated to take 12 months.

scholarly journals From Ignorance Map to Informing PKM4E Framework: Personal Knowledge Management for Empowerment

10.28945/4017 ◽  
2018 ◽  
Vol 15 ◽  
pp. 125-144
Author(s):  
Ulrich Schmitt
Keyword(s):  
Knowledge Management ◽  
Design Science ◽  
Knowledge Workers ◽  
Rapid Development ◽  
Science Research ◽  
Knowledge Bases ◽  
Personal Knowledge ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Development Platform ◽  
Personal Knowledge Management

Aim/Purpose: The proposed Personal Knowledge Management (PKM) for Empowerment (PKM4E) Framework expands on the notions of the Ignorance Map and Matrix to support the educational and informing concept of a PKM system-in-progress. Background: The accelerating information abundance is depleting the very attention our cognitive capabilities are able to master, contributing to widening individual and collective opportunity divides. Support is urgently needed to benefit Knowledge Workers irrespective of space (developed/developing countries), time (study or career phase), discipline (natural or social science), or role (student, professional, leader). Methodology: The Design Science Research (DSR) project conceptualizing the PKM System (PKMS) aims to support a scenario of a ‘Decentralizing KM Revolution’ giving more power and autonomy to individuals and self-organized groups. Contribution: The informing-science-related approach synthesizes and visualizes concepts related to ignorance and entropy, learning and innovation, chance discovery and abduction to inform diverse audiences and potential beneficiaries. Findings: see Recommendation for Researchers Recommendations for Practitioners: The PKM4E learning cycles and workflows apply ‘cumulative synthesis’, a concept which convincingly couples the activities of researchers and entrepreneurs and assists users to advance their capability endowments via applied learning. Recommendation for Researchers: In substituting document-centric with meme-based knowledge bases, the PKMS approach merges distinctive voluntarily shared knowledge objects/assets of diverse disciplines into a single unified digital knowledge repository and provides the means for advancing current metrics and reputation systems. Impact on Society: The PKMS features provide the means to tackle the widening opportunity divides by affording knowledge workers with continuous life-long support from trainee, student, novice, or mentee towards professional, expert, mentor, or leader. Future Research: After completing the test phase of the PKMS prototype, its transformation into a viable PKM system and cloud-based server based on a rapid development platform and a noSQL-database is estimated to take 12 months.

Supporting the Sustainable Growth of SMEs with Content- and Collaboration-based Personal Knowledge Management Systems

2018 ◽  
Vol 4 (1) ◽  
pp. 1-21 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ulrich Schmitt
Keyword(s):  
Knowledge Management ◽  
Professional Growth ◽  
Firm Growth ◽  
Design Science ◽  
Science Research ◽  
Sustainable Growth ◽  
Personal Knowledge ◽  
Prototype System ◽  
Personal Knowledge Management ◽  
The Impact

Personal knowledge management (PKM) has been envisaged as a decentralising revolution and as the most important educational concern. Its root objective aims for highly knowledgeable individuals acting competently in their daily lives, as part of the workforce, and as public citizens. However, such a promising state of knowledge management (KM) has not emerged yet. Over the past four years, the ongoing development of a PKM concept and prototype system has been accompanied by over 30 multidisciplinary peer-reviewed publications. To verify the undertaking, dedicated articles have applied accepted general design science research (DSR) guidelines aimed at creating innovative IT artefacts (that extend human and social capabilities and meet desired outcomes), at validating design processes (as evidence of their relevance, utility, rigor, resonance and publishability) and at ensuring theory effectiveness (a matter of purposeful utility, content, communication and presentation). Based on the formation of individuals’ autonomous PKM capacities and personal devices nourished by networked creative conversations, the novel PKM approach, on the one hand, aims at advancing lifelong PKM support and academic and professional growth benefiting individuals as contributors and beneficiaries of institutional and societal performance. On the other hand, the scope of anticipated outcomes also offers appealing opportunities for further stakeholders engaged in the context of curation, education, research, development and business. In the latter context, prior papers have looked at the impact for large enterprises in regard to organizational knowledge management (OKM) system generations, the potential of a fruitful OKM–PKM–Co-evolution, and the promises for strengthening organisational capabilities of innovativeness and leadership. The focus of this article shifts to the collaborative and growth-related challenges of small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs). It pinpoints the entrepreneurial barriers of organisational development, and how the PKM concept and its technological and educational devices are able—as any SME moves through its dynamic stages of growth, predicaments or decline—to guide and rectify the associated tasks and problems. These demands necessitate performing effectively under growing pressures and communicating with rising numbers of internal and external stakeholders, as affirmed in Garnsey’s resource-based notion of new firm growth, Greiner’s evolution–revolution-based stage-growth model, and Levie’s and Lichtenstein’s dynamic states approach to entrepreneurship.

scholarly journals Design Science Research Championing Personal Knowledge Management System Development

10.28945/3410 ◽  
2016 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ulrich Schmitt
Keyword(s):  
Knowledge Management ◽  
Professional Growth ◽  
Design Science ◽  
Science Research ◽  
Design Science Research ◽  
Personal Knowledge ◽  
Personal Knowledge Management ◽  
Research Perspectives ◽  
Systems Research ◽  
Wide Range

Knowledge Management (KM) is governed by an ill-structured mishmash of complementing as well as conflicting interdisciplinary methodologies and based on physical and social technologies, which too often struggle to achieve their stakeholders’ objectives due to diverse scholarly contributions, repetitive polemic discourses, and misguided organizational KM system generations. A novel Personal Knowledge Management (PKM) Concept and Prototype System currently under development take a fresh look and aim to support individuals’ academic and professional growth as well as their roles as contributors and beneficiaries of institutional and societal performance. A PKM System (PKMS), hence, is meant to aid life-long-learning, resourcefulness, creativity, and teamwork of knowledge workers. Such a scope offers appealing and viable opportunities for stakeholders in the educational, professional, and developmental context. A recent article employed the systems thinking techniques of the transdiscipline of Informing Science (IS) to align and validate the more specific models and methodologies central to the PKMS concept. In line with the interdisciplinary nature of the concept, further conference papers and journal articles have been disseminated and received feedback from a wide range of disciplines. This follow-up article turns to the creative process at the heart of the concept and application introduced in the prior publications. Similar to the IS-benchmarking approach, the design thinking is validated against accepted general design science research guidelines. These guidelines are meant to supplement the reactive behavioral (natural) science paradigm with the proactive design science paradigm in order to support information technology (IT) researchers in creating innovative IT artefacts that extend human and social capabilities and meet desired outcomes. Rather than to justify the research paradigm of the PKMS project in an ad hoc and fragmented manner with each new paper, the objective is a dedicated article which presents the design science research perspectives comprehensively as evidence of their relevance, utility, rigor, and publishability in Information Systems research outlets. The URL links to all prior publications facilitate a kind of ‘Long Discussion Case’ to potentially assist IT researchers and entrepreneurs engaged in similar projects.

scholarly journals Design Science Research For Personal Knowledge Management System Development - Revisited

10.28945/3566 ◽  
2016 ◽  
Vol 19 ◽  
pp. 345-379 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ulrich Schmitt
Keyword(s):  
Knowledge Management ◽  
Design Science ◽  
System Development ◽  
Knowledge Worker ◽  
Science Research ◽  
Design Science Research ◽  
Personal Knowledge ◽  
Wicked Problem ◽  
Digital Ecosystems ◽  
Personal Knowledge Management

The article presents Personal Knowledge Management (PKM) as an overdue individualized as well as a collaborative approach for knowledge workers. Designing a PKM-supporting system, however, resembles a so-called “wicked” problem (ill-defined; incomplete, contradictory, changing requirements, complex interdependencies) where the information needed to understand the challenges depends on upon one’s idea for solving them. Accordingly, three main areas are attended to. Firstly, in dealing with a range of growing complexities, the notion of Popper’s Worlds is applied as three distinct spheres of reality and further expanded into six digital ecosystems (technologies, extelligence, society, knowledge worker, institutions, and ideosphere) that not only form the basis for the PKM System Concept named ‘Knowcations’ but also form a closely related Personal Knowledge Management for Development (PKM4D) framework detailed in a separate dedicated paper. Reflecting back on a United Nations scenario of knowledge mass production (KMP) over time, the complexities closely related to the digital ecosystems and the inherent risks of today’s accelerating attention-consuming over-abundance of redundant information are scrutinized, concluding in a chain of meta-arguments favoring the idea of the PKM concept and system put forward. Secondly, in light of the digital ecosystems and complexities introduced, the findings of a prior article are further refined in order to assess the PKM concept and system as a potential General-Purpose-Technology. Thirdly, the development process and resulting prototype are verified against accepted general design science research (DSR) guidelines. DSR aims at creating innovative IT artifacts (that extend human and social capabilities and meet desired outcomes) and at validating design processes (as evidence of their relevance, utility, rigor, resonance, and publishability). Together with the incorporated references to around thirty prior publications covering technical and methodological details, a kind of ‘Long Discussion Case’ emerges aiming to potentially assist IT researchers and entrepreneurs engaged in similar projects.

scholarly journals Putting Personal Knowledge Management under the Macroscope of Informing Science

10.28945/2146 ◽  
2015 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ulrich Schmitt
Keyword(s):  
Knowledge Management ◽  
First Century ◽  
Personal Knowledge ◽  
Prototype System ◽  
Developmental Context ◽  
Personal Knowledge Management ◽  
Life Long Learning ◽  
Self Organized ◽  
Science Framework ◽  
Systems Thinking Approach

The paper introduces a novel Personal Knowledge Management (PKM) Concept and prototype system. Their objective is to aid life-long-learning, resourcefulness, creativity, and teamwork of individuals throughout their academic and professional life and as contributors and beneficiaries of organizational and societal performance. Such a scope offers appealing and viable opportunities for stakeholders in the educational, professional, and developmental context. In order to emphasize the profound differences of the proposed meme-based PKM System compared to its traditional organizational counterparts as well as its inherent complementing synergies, a systems thinking approach has been adopted by putting the PKM concept and design under the macroscope of the Informing Science Framework and the Complexity Framework for Design Tasks. As a result, the paper shows how the system is closing in on Vannevar Bush’s still unfulfilled vison of the ‘Memex’, an as-close-as-it-gets imaginary ancestor celebrating its 70th anniversary as an inspiring idea never realized, and how it concurs with a scenario recently put forward by Levy: “Just as computer science underwent a revolution in the 1980s with the widespread use of personal computers, it is possible that Knowledge Management (KM) will in the twenty-first century experience a decentralizing revolution that gives more power and autonomy to individuals and self-organized groups.” A revised version of this paper was published in the journal Informing Science: the International Journal of an Emerging Transdiscipline, Volume 18, 2015

Designing decentralized knowledge management systems to effectuate individual and collective generative capacities

Kybernetes ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 49 (1) ◽  
pp. 22-46 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ulrich Schmitt
Keyword(s):  
Knowledge Management ◽  
Design Science ◽  
Science Research ◽  
Disruptive Innovation ◽  
Management Systems ◽  
Prototype System ◽  
Knowledge Management Systems ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Prototype Development ◽  
Wide Range

Purpose In addressing the future trajectory of knowledge management systems, this paper uses the psycho-social notion of generativity which recently stimulated contributions in technology and innovation for a holistic systemic knowledge management (KM) review. The purpose of this study is to identify current shortcomings and fixations together with their ramifying affordances, all enveloped within a novel KM concept and prototype-system-under-development. Design/methodology/approach It follows up on prior publications using design science research (DSR) methodologies in compliance with theory effectiveness, a principle expecting system designs to be purposeful in terms of utility and communication. The KM perspective taken prioritizes a decentralizing agenda benefiting knowledge workers while also aiming to foster a fruitful co-evolution with traditional organizational KM approaches. Findings The notions of generative fit and capacities in their technical, informational and social interpretations prove able to accommodate diverse KM models and to cumulatively synthesize a wide range of related concepts and perspectives. In the process, Nonaka’s renowned socialize, externalize, combine, internalize and Ba model is repurposed and extended to suggest a corresponding complementing seize, imbed, collate, encompass, effectuate workflow embedded in distinct digital ecosystems fully aligned to the diversity of the generative attributes introduced. Research limitations/implications Although the prototype development is still in progress, the study conforms to the DSR practice to report on early visions of technology impact on users, organizations and society and also refers to and reflects on aspects of feasibility, suitability, acceptability and the system’s prospect as a general-purpose technology or disruptive innovation. Originality/value The paper transdisciplinarily integrates the well-established psychological notions of generativity into its newer digital and systemic KM dimensions. The resulting new insights transparently inform the concept and prototype design, present a holistic framework for individuals and organizations and suggest avenues for new KM applications and KM research directions inspired by the adopted and adapted novel generativity contexts.

scholarly journals Putting Personal Knowledge Management under the Macroscope of Informing Science

10.28945/2161 ◽  
2015 ◽  
Vol 18 ◽  
pp. 145-175 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ulrich Schmitt
Keyword(s):  
Knowledge Management ◽  
Task Complexity ◽  
Three Dimensions ◽  
Personal Knowledge ◽  
Prototype System ◽  
Developmental Context ◽  
Personal Knowledge Management ◽  
Life Long Learning ◽  
Self Organized ◽  
Diamond Model

The paper introduces a novel Personal Knowledge Management (PKM) concept and prototype system. The system’s objective is to aid life-long-learning, resourcefulness, creativity, and teamwork of individuals throughout their academic and professional life and as contributors and beneficiaries of organizational and societal performance. Such a scope offers appealing and viable opportunities for stakeholders in the educational, professional, and developmental context. To further validate the underlying PKM application design, the systems thinking techniques of the transdiscipline of Informing Science (IS) are employed. By applying Cohen’s IS-Framework, Leavitt’s Diamond Model, the IS-Meta Approach, and Gill’s and Murphy’s Three Dimensions of Design Task Complexity, the more specific KM models and methodologies central to the PKMS concept are aligned, introduced, and visualized. The extent of this introduction offers an essential overview, which can be deepened and broadened by using the cited URL and DOI links pointing to the available resources of the author’s prior publications. The paper emphasizes the differences of the proposed meme-based PKM System compared to its traditional organizational document-centric counterparts as well as its inherent complementing synergies. As a result, it shows how the system is closing in on Vannevar Bush’s still unfulfilled vison of the ‘Memex’, an as-close-as-it-gets imaginary ancestor celebrating its 70th anniversary as an inspiring idea never realized. It also addresses the scenario recently put forward by Levy which foresees a decentralizing revolution of knowledge management that gives more power and autonomy to individuals and self-organized groups. Accordingly, it also touches on the PKM potential in terms of Kuhn’s Scientific Revolutions and Disruptive Innovations.

Semantic Desktop for the End-UserSemantic Desktop für Anwender

i-com ◽  
2009 ◽  
Vol 8 (3) ◽  
pp. 25-32 ◽  
Author(s):  
Gunnar Aastrand Grimnes ◽  
Benjamin Adrian ◽  
Sven Schwarz ◽  
Heiko Maus ◽  
Kinga Schumacher ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Knowledge Management ◽  
Knowledge Work ◽  
Personal Knowledge ◽  
Term Study ◽  
The Core ◽  
Personal Knowledge Management ◽  
Long Term Study ◽  
Core Components

AbstractThis article describes the Semantic Desktop. We give insights into the core services that aim to improve personal knowledge management on the desktop. We describe these core components of our Semantic Desktop system and give evaluation results. Results of a long-term study reveal effects of using the Semantic Desktop on personal knowledge work.

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