Organizational Knowledge Management Systems Research Articles

The review of approaches to knowledge management system studies

PurposeThis paper reviews the current literature of knowledge management systems (KMS) studies in organizations. The authors systematically review the literature according to the principle of innovation studies approach, i.e. variance and process approaches. The purpose of this paper is to identify the current state of KMS studies in organizations. By doing this, the way is paved for the authors to find the research gaps, which would facilatively suggest the direction for future research. The authors hope that this review will be regarded as a source for those who share mutual interests in KMS research and could stimulate further research being conducted in the area with different approaches in the future.Design/methodology/approachJournal articles published within the period 2003‐2013 were collected. The articles were sourced mainly from Emerald, Science Direct, IEEE,MIS Quarterly, as well as some other academic databases. The search was conducted using such keywords as “knowledge management system” “knowledge repository” “knowledge management tools” “system for knowledge management” and “knowledge‐based system”.FindingsIt was found that the majority of KMS studies primarily pertain to adoption, diffusion, usage, and implementation, which are fundamentally based on a variance approach. The studies based on a process approach, however, are found to be scarce and still lacking. The authors highlight the findings and provide a critical review of the current approach, as well as commenting on the traditional theories that have been applied, unified, and modified for the studies of KMS in organizations. The authors also suggest some appropriate approaches to studying KMS in organizations and future directions for further research in this field.Research limitations/implicationsThe paper has produced a certain result of review studies from the existing literature during the period 2003‐2013. However, the review mainly focused on different approaches that looked into the classification of study schemes and theories being applied for research, while not focusing on other aspects that may be relevant to the area of studies.Originality/valueThe result of this review highlights some gaps in the literature in terms of findings and critical observation of the theoretical and methodological approaches to the research of KMS studies in organizations. Directions for future research are suggested.

Knowledge seekers’ and contributors’ reactions to recommendation mechanisms in knowledge management systems

We examined the behavior of knowledge seekers and contributors to an internal Knowledge Management System (KMS) in a multinational organization. The system has two selection mechanisms, based on semantic algorithms and user ratings. The first utilizes an algorithm to ‘measure’ the quality of knowledge contributions and ranks them accordingly, while the second averages the ratings that knowledge items receive from KMS users. Building on appraisal theory, we found that knowledge seekers and contributors reacted differently to the two mechanisms. The rating-based rankings positively influenced knowledge seekers’ tendency to access, comment on, and spread the knowledge shared in the KMS, while the algorithm-based ranking positively influenced knowledge contributors’ to continue sharing knowledge via the system. Moreover, shorter (or longer) time delay between the time that the knowledge was shared and the time when knowledge contributors received their first comments seemed to positively (or negatively) influence the contributors’ tendency to continue sharing knowledge via the KMS. Our study adds to the existing KMS literature by investigating knowledge seekers’ and contributors’ reactions to the two different knowledge recommendation mechanisms, and recommends that managers understand the importance of implementing algorithm-based rankings in their KMS as well as the simpler and more commonly adopted rating-based ranking.

Online Studio in the Industrial Design Education: The Implications of Kibis as the Organizational Communication and Knowledge Management System

In order to explore the potentials of Computer Supported Collaborative Learning and Collaborative Design systems for industrial design education curriculum, the Department of Industrial Design at the Middle East Technical University has developed an online design studio called KIBIS. This paper will present the findings of a study in which KIBIS has been implemented within the context of a first year design studio project. In this process, questionnaires with students and semi -structured interviews with tutors have been conducted to understand contributions and limitations of the KIBIS in the design education, and to develop the KIBIS regarding the findings and insights.

Beyond Expertise Seeking: A Field Study of the Informal Knowledge Practices of Healthcare IT Teams

CSCW has long been concerned with formal and informal knowledge practices in organizations, examining both the social and technical aspects of how knowledge is sought, shared, and used. In this study, we are interested in examining the set of activities that occur when co-located knowledge workers manage and resolve issues by seeking, sharing, and applying their informal knowledge. Informal knowledge seeking involves more than identifying the expert who has the knowledge or accessing the knowledge through physical artifacts. It also involves working with that expert to identify and apply the appropriate knowledge to the particular situation. However, our understandings of how people collaboratively work together to find, share and apply this knowledge are less well understood. To investigate this phenomenon, we conducted a field study of how professionals in three IT teams of a regional hospital managed and resolved IT issues. These knowledge workers used various collaborative practices such as creation of ad-hoc teams and the use of email to identify, share, and use informal knowledge to resolve IT issues. In addition, particular team practices such as how issues are assigned affected these knowledge activities. Our findings highlight how informal knowledge activities are affected by a variety of implicit and sometimes subtle features of the organization and that organizational knowledge management systems should support informal knowledge seeking activities and collaboration amongst the knowledge sharers.

The Role of Information Technology Systems in Knowledge Management

The Role of Information Technology Systems in Knowledge ManagementPresented article describes the research on organizational IT knowledge management system model. Research was started with the analysis of current scientific knowledge status on knowledge management as well as supporting the process with Information Technology. Methods of knowledge management systems were analyzed and a system suitable for a case study was selected. Case study results allowed to build a knowledge management system and the model was verified on the basis of knowledge management system prototype research.

Managing Kowledge at Multiple Organizational Levels Using Faceted Ontologies

Despite the relative maturity of knowledge management the problem of facilitating knowledge creation and sharing at multiple levels (personal, team, organizational and inter-organizational) in a uniform way is still crucial. Moreover, managing knowledge at each organizational level implies a number of critical heterogeneities (representational, semantic, etc) which current solutions cannot address successfully. In this paper we present a faceted ontology which addresses the content, context, community, domain and business issues of knowledge management. We describe the ontology, its applicability and its benefits in knowledge management situations using three Knowledge Management Systems (KMSs) that we have developed: Know-Net, an intranet-based organizational KMS; SPONGE, a personal and team KMS; and INKASS, an inter-organizational KMS.

Mapping the Complexity of Knowledge Management Thought in Technology Management: A Critical Review of Information Systems Studies

Knowledge management has increasingly been regarded as an important research theme in information systems studies, with a substantial accumulated stock of empirical research. The purpose of this paper is to compare and contrast theoretical and methodological approaches to knowledge management in extant information systems studies. In so doing, the author builds a new typology and discusses relevant research questions and fundamental ontological and epistemological assumptions about the nature and study of social sciences, and the nature and scope of organizational knowledge. Previous typologies have tangled together basic assumptions about the nature and study of social sciences and the “transformative” nature and scope of organizational knowledge. The present typology acknowledges that these two dimensions need to be untangled to be able to discriminate and analyze fundamental assumptions that researchers, explicitly or implicitly, adopt in the study of knowledge management and information systems in organizations. This distinction is necessary because the implementation and use of information systems has the potential to enhance, or hinder, the transformative attributes or characteristics of organizational processes. This new typology is used to conceptualize, categorize, and criticize a sample of selected research articles, and to suggest new directions for research.

A Delphi study of knowledge management systems: Scope and requirements

We empirically explored the roles and scope of knowledge management systems in organizations. Building on a knowledge-based view of the firm, we hypothesized and empirically tested our belief that more integration is needed between technologies intended to support knowledge and those supporting business operations. Findings from a Delphi study and in-depth interviews illustrated this and led us to suggest a revised approach to developing organizational knowledge management systems.

Does knowledge reuse make a creative person more creative?

This paper examines the effect of the most common type of organizational knowledge management system, that is, an intranet-based knowledge repository, on the level of creative performance of an individual. An experiment was conducted on more than a hundred individuals to investigate the quantitative and qualitative levels of creativity outcomes on an open-ended business task. Their levels of baseline creativity skills were also measured in order to inspect its interaction with knowledge reuse. The results suggest that knowledge reuse resulting from this repository type of knowledge management system actually inhibits the creative performance of individuals, especially on the qualitative dimension.

Three approaches to knowledge management in the course of transformation of a modern economy

The authors analyze the Western, resource-based, and Japanese approaches to knowledge management, based on the management of knowledge generation and utilization, and present an approach of their own, which they deem adequate to Russian conditions and which allows for the high degree of self-organization existing in research groups. The development of organizational knowledge management systems requires new forms of interaction between companies and business schools. This paper looks at various stages of this interaction, including individual training of owners, preparation of manager teams, corporate universities, consultancy, as well as their place in organizational knowledge management.

Using knowledge management principles to solve organizational performance problems

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to provide a practical framework for employing knowledge management (KM) principles to improve organizational performance.Design/methodology/approachTo combine the disciplines of soft systems analysis and organizational development and provide tailored KM solutions to performance deficiencies.FindingsMost of the literature on KM focuses on what it is but not on how to do it. It is almost as if KM just happens. In practice, the installation of a viable KM capability must be integrated into an organization's management structure and business strategyResearch limitations/implicationsUse of this framework and its related diagnostic techniques have been successfully used by KM practitioners in more than 70 government and commercial organizations. However, more rigorous business case techniques are needed to fully validate the methodology.Originality/valueThere is little written on how to build and implement an organizational KM system. This paper describes how the three fundamental organizational system components can be balanced to achieve good organizational health and effect organization‐wide change.

Bridging communities of practice with information technology in pursuit of global knowledge sharing

This paper explores the use of information technology to support knowledge sharing within and between communities of practice. In so doing, it presents a case of a multi-national organization's efforts to implement an organizational knowledge management (KM) system. The case traces both the technological solutions and the KM strategy of the organization as it met with various challenges along a several year period of establishing KM as organizational practice. The study highlights several lessons, including the possibility of a flexible KM strategy, the necessity for multiple channels of knowledge sharing, the desirability of expanding communities of practice, and the evolution of the role played by information technology as KM strategies evolve.

A Meta-Analysis of Emerging Infomediary Knowledge Management Systems: An Expert Systems Application in the E-Tailing Environment

Infomediaries provide online retailers or e-tailers with knowledge management systems (KMS), thus serving industry groups rather than the KMS needs of one organization. Of the three main organizational KMS activities, codification is the primary activity of the infomediary. The infomediary also provides expert system capability that uses real time data to learn and to dynamically modify recommendations. Infomediaries are an important new research area. This paper provides an analysis of what is known about infomediary functions: data collection, predicting consumer behavior, and customization of the web site. Then, the infomediary so described is placed within the research domain of KMSs with expert system components. Further research opportunities are identified.

A resource‐based view of organizational knowledge management systems

With the advent of knowledge management, intellectual capital is gaining increasing recognition as the only true strategic asset. This has led to a proliferation of organizational knowledge management systems (OKMS), for managing intellectual capital. This article addresses the question: “Are OKMS strategic assets within the context of the resource‐based view?” Two views of OKMS emerge – the technical and the socio‐technical view. An analysis of OKMS from each perspective is presented and their resultant implications on the competitive position of the firm explained. The findings indicate that, for a firm to reap long‐term strategic benefit from OKMS, it should adapt the broader socio‐technical view when developing, implementing and managing its OKMS. This suggests that firms need to consider not only the technology but also the organizational infrastructure, the organizational culture and the people who form the OKMS, and the knowledge that is to be processed by these OKMS.