Abstract
Designing approaches to support knowledge intensive work has been documented to be critical and costly. Research has shown that knowledge workers frequently evaluate such efforts as missing the mark. They are too often left without the help they need for constructing knowledge-based solutions. Knowledge workers point to failures not so much in accessing topically-perfect-information but rather to communication gaps, such as practices and knowledge interactions that do not address work demands and knowing needs in complex, changing, and sometimes elusive situations. This research used an interviewing approach informed by Dervin's Sense-Making Methodology. The aim was to allow digging deeply to understand hidden depths of knowing practices that rarely have come to light in user studies. The ultimate aim is to design knowledge interactions and practices that support complex knowledge creation anchored to knowledge worker’s knowing practices and to the situationality of these practices. The purpose of this paper is to present an exemplar study focusing on the challenges of doing user research in such a way that it usefully informs the design of knowledge supportive practices and interactions intended for use in complex knowledge creation work in the for-profit context. Dervin’s Sense-Making Methodology is presented as an alternative and more powerful approach to studying knowledge creation work in organizational contexts.
Highlights
The design of support for knowledge creation worki whose primary activity is to create complex knowledge to ground strategies of internal and/or external customers is critical activity
The purpose of this paper is to present an exemplar study focusing on the challenges of doing user research in such a way that it usefully informs the design of knowledge supportive practices and interactions intended for use in complex knowledge creation work in the forprofit context
To highlight a Designing for knowledge creation work: an exemplar application of sense-making methodology very few of the themes that emerged that illustrate the strengths of the interviewing approachix
Summary
The design of support for knowledge creation worki whose primary activity is to create complex knowledge to ground strategies of internal and/or external customers (e.g. consultants, business analysts, market and competitive intelligence analysts) is critical activity. Designs need to guarantee that the knowing workers invest minimum effort (e.g. cognitive, emotional, time) in finding existing knowledge that can help them meet their knowing needs in order to create knowledge-based solutions and products. Designs should ideally allow the knowing workers to focus primarily on combining, interpreting, using, and analyzing existing knowledge, and in applying the results to their customers‟ needs. These needs range from creating suitable and effective knowledge-based analyses, strategies, studies, plans, or recommendations. Knowledge-intensive organizations (e.g. focusing on management, biopharmaceutics, marketing, and competitive intelligence) operate in intensely complex, dynamic, and competitive environments Their core source of differentiation is based on the knowledge-based solutions and products created by their knowledge workers. Decisions may be based on incomplete or erroneous information, with severe consequences for the company”
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