Evaluating the role and effectiveness of an intranet in facilitating knowledge management: a case study at Surrey County Council

Abstract

The research study discussed here examined the role and effectiveness of intranet technology in the process of creating and managing knowledge for the Social Services Department of Surrey County Council, which is one of the largest local authorities in the UK. Based on an analysis of the literature in the field, we devised an intranet evaluation model (IEM) using both technical (hard) and human (soft) factors. It made use of an epistemological framework to elicit user mental models from across an organisation via a survey. The model was able to identify gaps, mismatches and failings in the knowledge management efforts. These were summarised in an easily understandable diagrammatic form, using knowledge evaluation maps; these showed the gap between the current and desired intranet roles for the different user groups within the council. The paper concludes by demonstrating how factors, such as the different mental models of the user groups can determine the effectiveness (or otherwise) of an intranet in managing organisational knowledge. It also contains recommendations of services that need attention in the council operations and suggests how the IEM could be used as a consulting tool for organisations seeking to evaluate their own knowledge management work on a continuous basis.