0540 Knowledge Management 2

Knowledge ManagementAn Introduction Kevin C. Desouza Scott Paquette Neal-Schuman Publishers New York London Suite 2004 New York.48-1992. in whole or in part. The paper used in this publication meets the minimum requirements of American National Standard for Information Sciences—Permanence of Paper for Printed Library Materials. Includes bibliographical references and index. Paquette. II. without written permission of the publisher. is prohibited. Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Desouza. Inc. 100 William St. Reproduction of this book. 1979Knowledge management : an introduction / Kevin C. p. All rights reserved. Inc. HD30. Desouza. ISBN 978-1-55570-720-0 (alk. Knowledge management. Scott. cm. paper) 1.Published by Neal-Schuman Publishers.. Kevin C. Scott Paquette. Title. NY 10038 Copyright © 2011 Neal-Schuman Publishers. I. ANSI Z39.4'038—dc23 2011017262 . Printed and bound in the United States of America.2D469 2011 658.. . . . . . KP2T: Knowledge. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Organizational Learning . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Contents List of Illustrations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Conclusion . . . . . . . . Cases of Knowledge Management Use (or Nonuse) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Critical Reasons Driving the Need for Knowledge Management . . . . . . . . People. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 35 Peter Baloh with Kevin C. iii 35 35 36 39 41 44 47 56 61 67 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Kevin C. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Desouza and Scott Paquette Objectives . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . The Structure of the Book . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Intelligence. . . . . . . . . . . . . Dimensions of Knowledge . . . 3 3 3 4 7 13 20 25 30 32 32 Chapter 2. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . The Artifacts: Data. . . . . . . . . . . . Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . Knowledge Management: An Interdisciplinary Pursuit . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Introduction . . . . Knowledge. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Preface . . . . . An Introduction to Knowledge Management . . . . . . . . and Technology . . . . . . Defining Knowledge Management . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Information. . . . . . . Philosophical Views of Knowledge . . . The Concept of Knowledge . . . . vii ix xv PART I: THE BASICS Chapter 1. . . . . . . . . . . . . . Acknowledgments . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Discussion Questions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Processes. . . . . . . . . . . . Economic and Social Traits of Knowledge . . . . . . . . . . . . . . and Wisdom . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Knowledge Processing in Organizations . References . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Desouza Objectives . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Volume and Volatility of Knowledge . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Suggested Readings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . The Concept of Management . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . On Organizing Knowledge . . . . . . Toward a Definition of Management . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Evolution of Knowledge Organization . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Discussion Questions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Organizing Knowledge as Markets . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . References . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . The Classic Components of Management . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Technology-Supported Knowledge Creation . . . . . . . . Discussion Questions . . 99 Scott Paquette and Kevin C. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Current Trends in Management . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Managing Knowledge in Projects . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 139 Scott Paquette Objectives . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Desouza Objectives . Dimensions and Methodologies for Organizing Knowledge . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 99 99 101 107 112 116 124 129 133 135 136 136 Chapter 5. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Conclusion . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 73 73 75 75 86 88 92 92 93 PART II: PROCESSES OF KNOWLEDGE MANAGEMENT Chapter 4. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 73 Jongmin T. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Knowledge Creation to Support Innovation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Desouza Objectives . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Managers . . .iv KNOWLEDGE MANAGEMENT Discussion Questions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . References . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Individual and Organizational Knowledge Creation . . . . . . . . . Models of Knowledge Creation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 139 139 141 142 147 154 157 165 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 68 69 Chapter 3. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . References . . . Knowledge Organization . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Knowledge Creation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Conclusion . . . Theoretical Aspects of Organizing Knowledge . Moon with Kevin C. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Barriers to Knowledge Creation . . Knowledge Discovery from Databases . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Knowledge Transfer . . . . . Suggested Readings . . . . . . . . . How Knowledge Is Applied . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 247 The Effects of Globalization . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . The Challenges of Knowledge Reuse . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Technology-Enabled Knowledge Application: Self-Service Technologies . . . . . . . . . Knowledge Transfer Issues and Challenges . . . . . . . Knowledge Application and the Measurement of Value . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . References . . Knowledge Transfer over Boundaries . Desouza Objectives . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . References . 247 Kevin C. . . . . . . Knowledge Transfer through Technology . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Discussion Questions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Knowledge Application . . . . . 179 179 181 194 198 205 209 210 210 211 Chapter 7. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Building Global Knowledge Management Systems . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 179 Scott Paquette and Kevin C. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Conclusion . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 247 Introduction . . . . Risks of Knowledge Application . . . . . . . . . . . . Competitive Intelligence . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Discussion Questions . Human-Knowledge Application . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Conclusion . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Notes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Conclusion . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 173 175 176 177 177 Chapter 6. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 213 Chen Ye with Kevin C. . . . Discussion Questions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Desouza and Chris Rivinus Objectives . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . The Knowledge Transfer Cycle . . . . . . . 249 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Desouza and Scott Paquette Objectives . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 213 213 215 224 225 228 229 230 237 240 240 242 242 PART III: BUILDING KNOWLEDGE MANAGEMENT PROGRAMS Chapter 8. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . References . . . . . . . . . . . .CONTENTS v The Future of Knowledge Organization . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Use of External Knowledge . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . The Project Management Office .vi KNOWLEDGE MANAGEMENT Culture . . 337 About the Authors and Contributors . . . . . . . . Discussion Questions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . References . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . References . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Desouza Objectives . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Remaining Relevant in the Knowledge Management Field . . . . . . . . . . Discussion Questions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Managing Knowledge across Borders . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Conclusion . . . . . . . . Constructing the Business Case . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Note . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 254 263 264 270 272 275 276 277 277 Chapter 9. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 281 Kevin C. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . From Local to Global: Systems of Knowledge . 329 Index . . . Note . . . . . . . . . . . References . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . From Funding to the Execution of the Business Case . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Conclusion . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Conclusion . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Notes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Key Challenges for Knowledge Managers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Desouza Objectives . . . . . . . . . . . . Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Suggested Reading . . . . . . . . Discussion Questions . . . 349 . . . . . . . . . . . . 281 281 283 284 304 307 308 309 309 309 Chapter 10. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 311 311 312 315 317 322 324 326 327 327 327 Glossary . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Building the Business Case for Knowledge Management . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 311 Scott Paquette and Kevin C. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Managing Knowledge for Organizational Value . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Establishing Knowledge Management Leadership . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Distance . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . What Is a Business Case? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Managing Knowledge across the Extended Enterprise . . . . . . . . . . . . . KM Professionals as Organizational Consultants . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Table 3. . . . . Figure 2. . . . . . . . . . The Relationship between Knowledge Variation and Information-Based Selection . 88 Summary of Knowledge Creation Frameworks . . . . . . . . . . Figure 2. . . . . . . . . . Peer-to-Peer Approach to Knowledge Management Systems . . . . . . . . . . . . Figure 4. . . . .1. . . . . . . . . . Table 4. . Special Characteristics of Knowledge . . . . . Figure 2. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Knowledge Management in Organizations . . . Figure 5. . . . . . . .1. . . . . . . . . 111 vii . . . . Table 2. . . . The SECI Model . . . Theory-Driven Generation of Knowledge . . . . . . Table 3. . 8 37 38 39 62 64 102 104 107 117 159 161 162 182 291 TABLES Table 1. . Figure 4. . . . . . Hybrid Approach to Knowledge Management Systems . Figure 2. . . . . . . . . . . . . . Figure 5. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Linking Outcomes . . . Critical Reasons for Knowledge Management . . . . . . . . . . .5. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Figure 2. . . . The Knowledge Transfer Process . . . . . . . Figure 4. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .List of Illustrations FIGURES Figure 1. . . . . . . 45 Components of Management . . . . . . . . . . Knowledge Management Steps: The Curious Student . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .2. . . .1. . .2. . . . .1. . . . . . . . Figure 5. . . . . . . . . . .3. . . . . . Client-Server Approach to Knowledge Management Systems .4. . . . .1. . . . .2. .1.1. . Figure 4. . Figure 9. . Table 1. . . . . . . . . . . . .2. . The Data-Information-Knowledge-Wisdom Continuum . Data-Driven Generation of Knowledge . . . . The Evolutionary Information Processing Theory . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1. . . . . .2. .3. . .1. . . . . . . . . . . .1. . Knowledge Discovery from Databases . . . Figure 6.4. . . . . . .3. . . . . . . . . . . . . Organizational Knowledge Creation . . . . . . . .2. . . 76 Current Trends in Management . . . . 11 26 42 Organizational Learning: The Steps in Building and Refreshing Organizational Memory . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Table 2. . . . . Individual Knowledge Creation . . . . . An Introductory List of Knowledge Management Resources . .1. . . . . . . . . . . Table 8. . Key Components of a Financial Analysis . .2. . Table 9. . .viii KNOWLEDGE MANAGEMENT Table 5. . . Summary of Viewpoints on Globalization . . . . . Characteristics of Classification Methods . . . . . . . . . . . . . Summary of Obstacles to Knowledge Transfer . . . . . . Table 6. . . . . . . .3. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Dimensions of Culture . . .2. . . Key Components of a Needs Analysis . . Types of Project-Related Knowledge . . . . . . . . . . . . . Table 7. . . . . . . Factors Contributing to Knowledge Use and Reuse . . . .4. . . Table 9. . . . . Strengths and Weaknesses of Human and Machine Agents . . . . . . . Five Forms of “Common Knowledge” Transfers . . . Table 6. . . . . . . . Evaluating Alternatives in Terms of Risks and Rewards .3. . . . . . . . Three Boundaries That Prevent Knowledge Transfer . . . . . . . . . . . . Table 7. . . . . .5. . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1. . . .4. . Key Components of a Risk Assessment . . . . . Table 7. Table 6. . .2. . . . . . . . . . . . . 148 157 166 189 199 208 216 221 225 233 249 256 260 265 268 287 290 295 297 302 325 . . .1. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .2. . . . . . . . . . . . Table 9. . . .3. . . . . Table 8. . . Table 9. Examples of Integrated Human-Machine Strategies . . . . . Table 5. . . .4. . . . . . Table 8. . . Table 10. . . . . . . . . . . . . Types of Knowledge Markets . . . . . . . . . . . . .1. Factors Shaping Organizational Culture . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Table 8. . . . Measures of Business Value Created through Technologies . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Key Components of a Strategic Assessment .3. . Table 9. Table 8. .3. . Table 5.2. . . . . . . . .1. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Table 7. Design Strategies for Knowledge Management Systems . . . .1. . . . . . . .5. . . . . . Design Strategies for Global Organizations . . Even individuals. and even ix . After all. hire the smartest people. expertise. and build robust. The only factor that does change is the nature of knowledge one must manage. and innovative. Our goal is to help you appreciate the art and science of knowledge management through multiple lenses. nonprofits. Similarly. business processes. which is a deeply human experience. and even safety can be traced to the ability of the nation to leverage its knowledge assets in innovative ways. and leverage it toward attaining organizational objectives. one must take a broad view of the concept and learn how to adapt practices and techniques found in a multitude of environments. Simply put. and skills toward productive purposes. connect disparate pieces of knowledge. Even noncompetitive organizations (e. from students to budding entrepreneurs or information professionals. we are concerned with the management of knowledge. albeit with some minor tweaking. organizations. all organizations strive to acquire the most advanced technology assets (within their budgetary constraints). their midsts. successful organizations will be able to leverage knowledge in.Preface Knowledge management is getting the right information in front of the right people at the right time. In each of these efforts. economic prosperity. We will share practices for enabling knowledge creation and transfer that can be applied in large or small organizations. Much of the interest in the field results from the simple reality that organizations compete on their knowledge-based assets. —Gordon Petrash The discipline of knowledge management has matured over the past decade. where indicators such as standard of living. are assessed and rewarded on how they put their knowledge. We will share examples from corporations. government agencies. government or nonprofit. and even from lone rangers (such as individual entrepreneurs). nonprofits and governmental departments) thrive or wither based on their ability to leverage their knowledge-based assets.g. we take a discipline-agnostic view of knowledge management. at the end of the day. Consider the case of nation-states. To truly appreciate knowledge management. The fundamentals presented in Knowledge Management: An Introduction hold equally applicable to all types of organizations: from hospitals to government agencies to Fortune 500 companies. libraries.. In this book. and much can be learned from studying how diverse professionals. nonprofits of all kinds compete for grants and funding based on their ability to show stakeholders that they are best equipped to use their knowledge toward social good. and around. sidebars illustrate a multitude of examples of how knowledge management concepts play out in practice. the crafting of organizational innovations. creating. it is not possible to teach a course on knowledge management that is specific to a given discipline. . we have been involved in knowledge management projects. Therefore. Since 2000. to the behavioral challenges associated with crafting incentives for knowledge transfer and consumption and the strategic realm which has looked at. Questions for discussions appear at the end of each chapter and can be used as springboards for constructive dialogue. Chapter 1 frames the concept of knowledge management within the larger agendas of information management and organizational innovation. Illustrations come from our consulting and research experience. which consists of three chapters. we have written a book that students across a wide range of disciplines and lines of inquiries can appreciate and gain from. In each chapter. a concluding sidebar highlights the top ten critical issues that knowledge management professionals need to pay attention to.x KNOWLEDGE MANAGEMENT individuals engage in the acts of discovering. to public policy and administration. This book will draw heavily on both our research and practice experiences. management. we share some personal stories and experiences to help the reader digest the intricacies of critical issues. Finally. These experiences have profoundly impacted our views of what knowledge management is and how to do it right. industrial engineering). among other issues. which we hope will be engaging for the reader. and applying knowledge. ROAD MAP OF THE BOOK The book is divided into three main sections. Part I. We do not assume the reader to have any specific background or experience. The primary audience for the book is upper-level undergraduate and graduate students who are interested in the concept of knowledge management. This effort will bring together practice-driven knowledge which is synthesized with knowledge arrived at from rigorous scientific inquiry. we aim to present actionable and foundational knowledge for the next generation of knowledge managers and workers. In the pages that follow. due to the multifaceted nature of managing knowledge and the parallels one can draw from examining practices across a range of disciplines. each chapter’s reference list may be consulted for deeper coverage on critical issues or used by instructors to assign additional reading. and even engineering (e. When discussing concepts. In addition. Knowledge management courses are found in a wide assortment of academic disciplines from information and library science. The only prerequisite for reading and comprehending this text is an open and inquisitive mind.. covers the foundational concepts and introduces the reader to the key elements of knowledge management. The book is written in a conversational tone. These projects have run the gamut of knowledge management efforts: from the technical domain of knowledge discovery from databases.g. Knowledge management courses are interdisciplinary in their orientation. As noted. We will attempt to share as much of our experiences as possible in the pages that follow. transferring. g. Here an exploratory approach might be better suited. The manner in which knowledge is discovered in organizations will depend on different circumstances. machinery).g. land. the chapter will discuss the concept of tagging. It answers key questions including: What do we mean by knowledge? How do we differentiate knowledge from information or data? Is knowledge the same as intelligence (or wisdom)? Are there different types of knowledge? Who owns or controls knowledge (individuals. For example. For example.. This chapter is not intended to serve as a replacement for a management textbook or course. groups. organizing.. source. control. The chapter concludes with a set of guidelines for the management of knowledge (and information) assets. In addition to traditional organization methods (e. databases and information records) through automated mechanisms (e. Rather. Tagging.g. and contributes to. Top-down and bottom-up (emergent) methods of organizing knowledge will be covered. Part II consists of four chapters that explore critical activities of knowledge management. interorganizational networks. and the generation of tacit knowledge are covered here. in its many variants. or form). optimized business processes) or even strategic gains (e. organizations. The concept of knowledge management draws on. How do we organize knowledge? This chapter takes as it starting point the various dimensions of knowledge (covered in Chapter 2) and then explores the organization problem.g. the mechanics by which knowledge is drawn from information. when an organization encounters a problem. competitive advantages). Chapter 2 explores the concept of knowledge.g. and directing.. This may occur when an organization realizes value from knowledge management in terms of operational and tactical efficiencies (e. capital. broad-range thinking to chart its future course. Both the discovery of knowledge from explicit information sources (e. Chapter 3 concentrates on the concept of management. and raises many questions: How should organizations manage tagging of knowledge objects? Who should tag knowledge objects (producers or consumers. The goal of this chapter is help students who do not have a background in management to gain an initial understanding of its various elements—planning. an emergent organization mechanism. the focus of this chapter will be on exploring how the management of an intangible asset. the information management and innovation agendas of organization.. This effort has distinct mechanics when compared to the case where an organization needs to engage in blue-sky.g. differs from the management of a tangible asset (e. such as knowledge.. or society)? The goal of this chapter is to help the reader understand the multifaceted nature of knowledge and how the lens through which it is viewed impacts the management of knowledge. machine learning or statistical analyses). by type of knowledge. Chapter 4 focuses on knowledge creation. knowledge discovery might occur when a solution is crafted by exploiting its reservoir of knowledge. The process by which knowledge might be discovered here will be of a different nature. experts or novices)? How is tagging of information objects different than tagging of knowledge objects? While the .PREFACE xi The focus of this chapter is that an organization must gain value from its efforts in knowledge management. is a popular concept today. Chapter 5 focuses on knowledge organization.. this chapter will explore nontraditional classification schemes (such as by value proposition or risk). today it is commonplace for an intranet (i. and why the criticality of managing knowledge will be as important as ever. For example.. . spanning multiple cultures. In addition. An organization certainly gains value from knowledge management efforts if it can systematically use. such as the design of push and pull mechanisms. when taking into consideration that there are many more Chinese students learning English than there are American or British students learning Mandarin. valuable. objectives. and reuse. think about customer service and other self-service technologies: these artifacts are coded with knowledge and act as interfaces for us to get work accomplished. due attention is given to the organizational challenges surrounding knowledge of a tacit nature. This chapter centers on the knowledge transfer problem and the issues that arise when trying to transfer knowledge across contexts (e. an internal information space) to be constructed in the English language. These chapters take a strategic view of knowledge management in organizations. The purpose of Chapter 7 is to explore the manner in which knowledge is applied to meet organizational goals. countries.g.. The third and final part of the book contains three chapters.xii KNOWLEDGE MANAGEMENT majority of the chapter focuses on the organization of explicit knowledge artifacts. human to machine. Organizations must be flexible enough to tap into knowledge resources anywhere on the globe and then to leverage them. it proposes guidelines for professionals who are about to embark into knowledge management jobs. Chapter 10 provides a summary of the key issues explored in the book. One of the reasons is their failure to capture the true value of the effort in terms that matter to the organization stakeholders. You will be provided with guidelines of how to tie knowledge management efforts to an organization’s goals. Today. and key indicators (e. When organizations do not devote the necessary resources to knowledge management efforts. business case. it is often not due to a lack of resources. It concludes with a look at how the future of organizations will undergo radical changes in the next few years. knowledge to further its goals and objectives. The questions of how these technologies should be designed and managed (e. we must manage both how humans use knowledge and how to build technologies that automate the application of knowledge.e.. Today organizations spread across continents. or vice versa). and customer retention). Chapter 8 covers salient issues surrounding the design of global knowledge management systems. systems maintained) are non-trivial issues that require due consideration. Chapter 6 explores the design and management of knowledge transfer and sharing. but rather because mangers have not made an appealing business case. In our experience.g. For example.g. and time zones. profit. human to human. knowledge be updated. and defensible. This chapter will provide an overview of some of the pragmatic issues involved in building global knowledge management programs. what language should be used? Chapter 9 looks at the process a manager uses in building a business case for a knowledge management effort. Yet. It addresses design considerations for knowledge service. revenue. The chapter also covers newer technologies such as web services and social media. This chapter provides actionable guidelines on how to craft a solid. knowledge managers and information professionals are some of the least adept at making a business case for their efforts.. and ends with. Knowledge management is a critical capability for organizations to master if they are to compete. 5. and even simply survive. Please do not hesitate to contact either of us. Technology plays an essential.PREFACE xiii CONCLUDING THOUGHTS As you begin to read this book. Today. organizations have to build knowledge management programs that are relevant in a global context. 2. Happy reading! . The science stems from the fact that organizations of all kinds must engage in certain general principles and practices and do so in a systematic manner if they are to manage knowledge. The art comes from the fact that knowledge management practices need to be innovative in order for them to deliver differential value to the organization. 4. here are five critical things to bear in mind: 1. and suggestions. role in enabling organizations to manage knowledge effectively and efficiently. in their environments. feedback. Managing knowledge begins. albeit supporting. We welcome comments. empowering humans within and across the organization. We do our best to respond to the e-mails that we receive and we will gladly incorporate feedback into future editions of the book. Knowledge management is an art and a science. 3.