An Introduction to Knowledge Utilization Capability and its Autopoietic Epistemological Domain

Abstract

In this paper, we strive to define the knowledge utilization capability (KUC) by delving into the epistemological foundations of knowledge management in an organization. To introduce the conceptualization of KUC, a review of three epistemological foundations as reported by Christensen and Bang (Journal of Knowledge Management 7(3):116–128, 2003) namely, artifact oriented, process oriented, and autopoietic oriented (Maturana and Varela 1980, 1987) is presented. The artifact-oriented epistemology is characterized by knowledge management focused on collecting and sharing formal data and information. The process-oriented knowledge management describes the different stages of knowledge conversion within an organization. The autopoietic view is rooted in the theory of neurobiology that comprises structures of social, self-organized systems. This view is embraced to enable a definition of KUC as a capability that results in new knowledge or modifications in the existing system of knowledge via the interactions among the various sub-systems or parts of the knowledge flow system. Thus the KUC is defined as the capability of an organization to synthesize new knowledge and reconfigure it from both the existing and new knowledge via the inter-organizational linkages. Thus, KUC is explicated as a capability with the potential for influencing future action supporting our research emphasis on this as a dynamic aspect of knowledge management theory in an organization.