Knowledge Management: Systems and Processes Has the Depth and Frameworks to Provide This Foundation of Terms and Ideas
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KNOWLEDGE MANAGEMENT SYSTEMS AND PROCESSES KNOWLEDGE MANAGEMENT SYSTEMS AND PROCESSES IRMA BECERRA-FERNANDEZ AND RAJIV SABHERWAL FOREWORD BY CYRUS F. GIBSON M.E.Sharpe Armonk, New York London, England Copyright © 2010 by M.E. Sharpe, Inc. All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in any form without written permission from the publisher, M.E. Sharpe, Inc., 80 Business Park Drive, Armonk, New York 10504. Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Becerra-Fernandez, Irma, 1960– Knowledge management : systems and processes / by Irma Becerra-Fernandez and Rajiv Sabherwal. p. cm. Includes bibliographical references and index. ISBN 978-0-7656-2351-5 (cloth : alk. paper) 1. Knowledge management. 2. Information technology. I. Sabherwal, Rajiv. II. Title. HD30.2.B438 2010 658.4’038—dc22 2009018627 Printed in the United States of America The paper used in this publication meets the minimum requirements of American National Standard for Information Sciences Permanence of Paper for Printed Library Materials, ANSI Z 39.48-1984. ~ CW (c) 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 Contents FOREWORD xi PRE F ACE AND ACKNOWLEDGMENTS xiii 1. Introducing Knowledge Management 3 What Is Knowledge Management? 4 Forces Driving Knowledge Management 5 Knowledge Management Systems 8 Issues in Knowledge Management 9 Text Overview 10 Summary 12 Key Terms 12 Review 12 Application Exercises 13 Note 13 References 13 PART I. PRINCIPLES OF KNOWLEDGE MANAGEMENT 2. The Nature of Knowledge 17 What Is Knowledge? 17 Alternative Views of Knowledge 22 Different Types of Knowledge 24 Locations of Knowledge 31 Summary 35 Key Terms 35 Review 36 Application Exercises 36 References 37 3. Knowledge Management Foundations: Infrastructure, Mechanisms, and Technologies 39 Knowledge Management 39 Knowledge Management Solutions and Foundations 41 Knowledge Management Infrastructure 42 v vi CONTENTS Knowledge Management Mechanisms 49 Knowledge Management Technologies 49 Management of Knowledge Management Foundations (Infrastructure, Mechanisms, and Technologies) 51 Summary 53 Key Terms 53 Review 53 Application Exercises 54 References 54 4. Knowledge Management Solutions: Processes and Systems 56 Knowledge Management Processes 56 Knowledge Management Systems 62 Managing Knowledge Management Solutions 65 Summary 68 Key Terms 68 Review 69 Application Exercises 69 References 70 5. Organizational Impacts of Knowledge Management 71 Impact on People 71 Impact on Processes 75 Impact on Products 79 Impact on Organizational Performance 81 Summary 83 Key Terms 84 Review 85 Application Exercises 85 Notes 86 References 86 PART II. KNOWLEDGE MANAGEMENT TECHNOLOGIES AND SYSTEMS 6. Knowledge Application Systems: Systems that Utilize Knowledge 91 Technologies for Applying Knowledge 92 Developing Knowledge Application Systems 97 Types of Knowledge Application Systems 99 Case Studies 101 Limitations of Knowledge Application Systems 119 Summary 120 Key Terms 120 Review 121 CONTENTS vii Application Exercises 121 Notes 121 References 121 7. Knowledge Capture Systems: Systems that Preserve and Formalize Knowledge 124 What Are Knowledge Capture Systems? 124 Knowledge Management Mechanisms to Capture Tacit Knowledge: Using Organization Stories 126 Techniques for Organizing and Using Stories in the Organization 130 Designing the Knowledge Capture System 130 Concept Maps 131 Context-Based Reasoning 136 Barriers to the Use of Knowledge Capture Systems 142 Research Trends 143 Summary 146 Key Terms 147 Review 147 Application Exercises 147 Notes 148 References 148 8. Knowledge Sharing Systems: Systems that Organize and Distribute Knowledge 151 What Are Knowledge Sharing Systems? 152 The Computer as a Medium for Sharing Knowledge 156 Designing The Knowledge Sharing System 157 Barriers to The Use of Knowledge Sharing Systems 158 Specific Types of Knowledge Sharing Systems 159 Lessons Learned Systems 161 Expertise Locator Knowledge Sharing Systems 165 The Role of Ontologies and Knowledge Taxonomies in the Development of Expertise Locator Systems 168 Case Studies 172 Shortcomings of Knowledge Sharing Systems 183 Knowledge Management Systems that Share Tacit Knowledge 185 Summary 189 Key Terms 189 Review 189 Application Exercises 189 Notes 190 References 190 9. Knowledge Discovery Systems: Systems that Create Knowledge 193 Mechanisms to Discover Knowledge: Using Socialization to Create New Tacit Knowledge 194 viii CONTENTS Technologies to Discover Knowledge: Using Data Mining to Create New Explicit Knowledge 197 Designing the Knowledge Discovery System 203 Guidelines for Employing Data Mining Techniques 208 Discovering Knowledge on the Web 215 Data Mining and Customer Relationship Management 219 Barriers to the Use of Knowledge Discovery Systems 221 Case Studies 223 Summary 229 Key Terms 231 Review 231 Application Exercises 231 Notes 232 References 232 PART III. MANAGEMENT AND THE FUTURE OF KNOWLEDGE MANAGEMENT 10. Emergent Knowledge Management Practices 237 Web 2.0 237 Social Networking 240 Wikis and Blogs 243 Open Source Development 245 Virtual Worlds 249 The Three Worlds of Information Technology: Does IT Really Matter? 253 Summary 254 Key Terms 255 Review 255 Application Exercises 255 Notes 255 References 256 11. Factors Influencing Knowledge Management 258 A Contingency View of Knowledge Management 258 The Effects of Task Characteristics 259 The Effects of Knowledge Characteristics 263 The Effects of Organizational and Environmental Characteristics 265 Identification of Appropriate Knowledge Management Solutions 268 Illustrative Example 272 Summary 275 Key Terms 276 Review 276 Application Exercises 276 Note 277 References 277 CONTENTS ix 12. Leadership and Assessment of Knowledge Management 279 Leadership of Knowledge Management 279 Importance of Knowledge Management Assessment 281 Types of Knowledge Management Assessment 284 Assessment of Knowledge Management Solutions 287 Assessment of Knowledge 289 Assessment of Impacts 291 Conclusions About Knowledge Management Assessment 293 Summary 299 Key Terms 299 Review 300 Application Exercises 300 Notes 301 References 301 13. The Future of Knowledge Management 303 Using Knowledge Management as a Decision-Making Paradigm to Address Wicked Problems 303 Promoting Knowledge Sharing While Protecting Intellectual Property 305 Involving Internal and External Knowledge Creators 308 Addressing Barriers to Knowledge Sharing and Creation 308 Concluding Remarks 312 Key Terms 313 Review 313 Application Exercises 313 Note 314 References 314 GLOSSARY 316 ABOUT THE AUTHORS 337 INDEX 339 Foreword The phrase “Knowledge Management” (KM) has faced severe competition over the last decade, and particularly since the publication of the first edition of this book in 2004. We hear “Business Intelligence” and “Collective Intelligence” that are close to KM in definition and implications. But now “Web 2.0,” “Enterprise 2.0,” and “Collaboration” are adding new ingredients to the KM pot, namely end- user social computing. With the hype cycles competing and vendors, consultants, and academics often pushing their particular phrases, it is important to have a foundation of terms and ideas that are durable and will enable us to adopt into KM what is good about new approaches while rejecting what is rehashed under a new name. Knowledge Management: Systems and Processes has the depth and frameworks to provide this foundation of terms and ideas. For one important thing, it recognizes that organizational culture, behavior, and work processes must be made integral with the technical for an effective system to result. For another, it provides a clear set of definitions and frameworks, which, once shared among suppliers and users of infor- mation, will make the building, use, and adaptation of KM systems more efficient and effective. It will be most interesting to see what happens over the next few years as organi- zations confront, adopt, resist, and adapt the new Web 2.0 technologies. The use and business value of wikis, blogs, Twitter, and the like is catching on for many individual advocates. It is truly a bottoms-up, generational thing. It is being questioned, exam- ined, and experimented with by many organizations. It seems clear that social computing and Web 2.0 is a big thing, perhaps comparable to the PC and the introduction of Web 1.0. I suppose one could argue that the emerging Web 2.0 tools and their adoption and adaptation going forward could really change the meaning and nature of KM. What may not be clear is how much organizations will have to change for these technologies and work practices to be beneficial. We can be sure that disciplined thinking and experimentation, guided by the terminology and ideas of KM, will be necessary to ride and exploit the benefits of this wave. A lot of work is reflected in this. Knowledge Management: Systems and Processes is a comprehensive coverage of KM, including the explication and connection of the human and the technical side of the discipline so necessary for success now and in the future. The book is rich in xi xii FOREWORD information and detail, and is very clearly written with many good examples and illustrations. Congratulations to the authors! Cyrus F. (Chuck) Gibson Massachusetts Institute of Technology Sloan School of Management Center for Information Systems Research Preface Knowledge Management: Systems and Processes is for students and managers who seek detailed insights into contemporary knowledge management (KM). It explains the concepts, theories, and technologies that provide the foundation for KM; the sys- tems and structures