Designing Organizational Memory for Knowledge Management Support in Collaborative Learning

This chapter investigates the design of organizational memory (OM) which is targeted for knowledge management (KM) support tailored for collaboration among academic staff and students in a university environment. Specifically, we describe our KM initiatives to support organizational learning in terms of the knowledge processes evolving over selected knowledge domains for training and research purpose. The chapter also depicts our ideas on knowledge items regarding their meta-modeling, indexing, and ontological aspects. The overall design of our OM is then discussed in terms of its context for knowledge work. The paper concludes by re-iterating the challenges in knowledge sharing and depositing into the OM for its continuous growth and utilization.

Social and Cultural Barriers for Knowledge Databases in Professional Service Firms

Professional Service Firms (PSF), where professionals (consultants, lawyers, accountants, auditors, tax advisors, engineers ...) work, are interested in knowledge management, because their business is heavily dependent from the knowledge of their employees. Core asset is their ability to solve complex problems through creative and innovative solutions, the basis for this is their employees’ knowledge. Therefore, PSF are on the forefront of knowledge management. Experiences show that Information Technology (IT) is only one dimension of knowledge management, more important are social, cultural, and organizational dimensions.1

Strategically-Focused Enterprise Knowledge Management

This chapter describes the characteristics and types of strategically focused knowledge management systems and the key conditions affecting their development and success. The discussion, which is based around company examples, focuses on various strategic management uses of these systems. The knowledge management process is designed to increase profitability and competitive advantage in the marketplace.

Argumentation and Knowledge-Sharing

This paper discusses the conceptual basis for a social-technical system aimed at assisting geographically separate companies to use the Internet to achieve the economic benefits of clustering. The knowledge sharing literature, and the evolutionary economics literature, is used to focus on tacit knowledge sharing and learning through verbal interaction. The first section looks at the evidence for “structured talk,” which includes the role of argumentation systems on research, problem solving, communication and decision-making. The chapter goes on to argue that rural regions have the core competencies needed to cluster but not the interaction. Ensuring appropriate arguments between appropriate people may provide a policy around which to design Internet conferencing infrastructure aimed at enabling the benefits of clustering.

An Informational Perspective Towards Knowledge Work

This paper presents an informational orientation towards knowledge work and draws implications of such a perspective on the functionality offered by knowledge management technologies. Discussion ensues on the nature of organizational knowledge and its strong association with information. In light of this discussion, knowledge work is defined as the application of comprehended information and viewed as a set of knowledge creation, distribution, and use processes. Implications are drawn based on this perspective for knowledge management technologies to provide organizational participants with access to information content, the ability to communicate this information with others, and the means by which to utilize this information in work practice. It is argued that by doing so, these technologies can better support organizational knowledge work.

Client/Server and the Knowledge Directory

Developing and supporting knowledge management systems that seamlessly integrate with the existing information technology infrastructure is a major challenge. This development requires the functionality to locate and disseminate knowledge. An integral part of this requirement is the knowledge directory - a layered component accessible by any knowledge requester that can direct the knowledge requester to the location of the knowledge, in whichever format it may exist. This chapter discusses a client/server architecture that employs the knowledge directory to support the development and ongoing maintenance of knowledge management systems.

Facilitating Sensemaking in Knowledge Integration within Geographically Dispersed Cross-Functional Teams

This paper looks at knowledge management within geographically dispersed, cross-functional teams. In particular, it describes an electronic knowledge management system, LiveNet, that combines support for rational innovation processes with collaborative support mechanisms. These collaborative support mechanisms extend previously available group support systems by incorporating sensemaking tools.

Knowledge Mapping

Knowledge management is one of the fastest emerging fields in industry today. Unfortunately, however, most of the knowledge management endeavors do not seem to have rigorous and comprehensive knowledge management methodologies, tools, and techniques. One technique that can greatly aid the knowledge management field can be borrowed from the concept mapping community, namely the use of knowledge maps. This chapter will discuss the role of knowledge mapping for improving knowledge management projects, and the specific use of a tool called WisdomBuilder to aid in the creation of the knowledge maps.

A Research Model for Knowledge Management

Knowledge has been identified as the key issue to gaining competitive advantage in any business. A successful company is one that can create new knowledge, disseminate it through its organization, and embody it in its products and services. All this is possible by careful planning and building a culture for creating and sharing knowledge. In this chapter, a research model for KM is suggested. The various components of KM are described in detail so as to explain the process of KM. Then, using the research model as a reference, two case studies, one of Buckman’s laboratories and the other of the Nippon Steel- British Steel alliance, are analyzed to study the process of KM.

Knowledge Sharing Across Organizational Boundaries with Application to Distributed Engineering Processes

Collaborative engineering processes with more than one company involved raise the need for knowledge sharing across organizational boundaries. The problem is analyzed in general, but on the background of this real-world application domain encountered, e.g., in automotive industry. A solution concept called virtual project database is presented; deficits in the status quo of information technology are hinted at as well as directions of future work for implementing the solution concept.