Knowledge management, organizational memory and organizational learning

Abstract

The research domain framed by the concepts of knowledge, memory and learning as they relate to organizations appears to be growing. Last year, this mini-track reviewed 14 papers and accepted nine for publication. This year, the number of papers submitted grew to 26, with 12 being accepted. The lower acceptance rate does not imply that quality has decreased, but was the result of constraints on how many papers could be presented during the conference. The profile of accepted papers reflects the breadth and diversity of the research domain that this mini-track supports. An examination of the topic areas of the papers shows that the emphasis is on Knowledge Management (9 papers address it in some form), but that Organizational Memory (3 papers) and Organizational Learning (4 papers) are also key topics of interest. Four papers address two of these subject areas concurrently. From the standpoint of methodology, seven papers are empirical and five are non-empirical. The empirical papers report case studies that are aimed at building theories, or describe implementation of KM systems. The non-empirical papers express either conceptual issues or developmental frameworks. Finally, from the standpoint of location, authors come from eight countries on three continents. Including papers not accepted, we received papers from authors in 11 countries on three continents. The accepted papers are organized into four sessions.The first session contains three papers that address conceptual issues of knowledge management. The second session contains two papers that introduce frameworks for knowledge management, and one empirical paper that focus on organizational learning. The third session contains three papers that describe systems for providing knowledge management and organizational learning. The fourth and final session contains two papers reporting case studies that explore knowledge management concepts, and one framework for organizational learning and memory.Session 1: Dianne Hall and David Paradice use an organizational learning perspective to propose the design of a knowledge management system. Jacky Swan, Sue Newell, and Harry Scarborough make the assumption that innovation is the goal of KM, and use a case study analysis to show how different KM practices are required for different innovation episodes. Vincent Homburg and Albert Meijer use property rights theory to show why individuals would be motivated to contribute to knowledge repositories, and use a case study and expert consultation to gather empirical data to establish their propositions.Session 2: Ronald Maier and Ulrich Remus devise a 6-dimensional framework for classifying KM strategies. K.D. Joshi develops a framework that classifies constructs for studying KM behaviors that affect decision-making, and outlines a set of propositions to be examined. Dana Edberg and Lorne Olfman explore the construct of software enhancement from the perspective of organizational learning using case studies of work groups.Session 3: Steve Sonka, Donna Fisher and Randall Westgren describe and evaluate a system designed to enhance learning and decision-making in agricultural firms. Mikael Wiberg presents and evaluates a system called RoamWare, which is used to enhance KM through mobile computer supported cooperative work. Rikard Lindgren details the development of a KM system for a consultancy that is used for visualizing the management of competence, and describes a system evaluation.Session 4: Kaj Koskinen presents a model and cases to show how tacit knowledge can be used in organizations. Rob Baltrusch outlines factors influencing organizational learning and use of organizational memory in virtual organizations. Martin Eppler closes the mini-track with a paper that describes knowledge maps, an instrument for organizational KM. He uses real world examples to define a set of five criteria for implementing knowledge maps on an intranet. As always, we appreciate the efforts of all our colleagues who submitted papers for publication, served as referees for the submitted papers, and attended (or will attend) the conference sessions. Through their efforts, we continue to see the interrelated research domains grow and flourish.