Table Of ContentKnowledge Management
Processes and Technologies
KNOWLEDGE MANAGEMENT
Processes and Technologies
HERWIG ROLLETT
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Springer Science+Business Media, LLC
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
KNOWLEDGE MANAGEMENT:
PROCESSES AND TECHNOLOGIES
Herwig Rollett
ISBN 978-1-4613-5031-6 ISBN 978-1-4615-0345-3 (eBook)
DOI 10.1007/978-1-4615-0345-3
A CLP. Catalogue record for this book is available
from the Library of Congress.
Copyright © 2003 by Springer Science+Business Media New York
Originally published by Kluwer Academic Publishers in 2003
Softcover reprint of the hardcover 1st edition 2003
All rights reserved. No part of this work may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval
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from the Publisher, with the exception of any material supplied specifically for the
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the purchaser of the work.
Permission for books published in Europe: permissions @ wkap.nl
Permissions for books published in the United States of America: permissions @ wkap.com
Printed on acid-free paper.
Contents
Foreword vii
Preface xi
Part I Background
1. Introduction 3
2. Two Complementary Views 9
3. Lessons Learned from Past Projects 19
Part II Processes
4. Knowledge Planning 35
5. Creating Know ledge 45
6. Integrating Knowledge 57
7. Organizing Knowledge 69
8. Transferring Knowledge 83
9. Maintaining Knowledge 97
10. Assessing Knowledge 107
VI KNOWLEDGE MANAGEMENT
Part III Technologies
11. Communication 119
12. Collaboration 129
13. Content Creation 139
14. Content Management 147
15. Adaptation 155
16. eLeaming 163
17. Personal Tools 173
18. Artificial Intelligence 181
19. Networking 189
20. Standards 195
21. Hardware 203
22. Summary 209
Bibliography 213
Index 225
About the Author 231
Foreword
The transitions to a knowledge society and a global knowledge economy will be
the most important social and economic changes in the twenty-first century. The
global knowledge economy with its high innovation speed and an increasing
demand of innovative and knowledge intensive products and services calls for
new management tools and methods. Since the primary key to growth in our
economy is innovation, which in turn is enabled through knowledge, efficient
knowledge management tools and methods have become imperative for almost
all types of organizations.
Talking about knowledge management raises the question of what "knowl
edge" is. Since Aristotle's essential distinction between "know-what" and
"know-how" humankind has been thinking about a definition for the term
"knowledge". But a definition on which everybody agrees does not exist yet
and will probably never exist. Still, the following sample of definitions for
knowledge try to offer you some guidance:
- Knowledge is identified, classified, and valid information.
- Knowledge is information in contextualized action.
- Knowledge is the mapping from reality, states, and activities onto the in
ternal model of the "real" world, which an individual or an organization
has. With this internal model an individual or an organization can make
statements about reality.
- Explicit knowledge is knowledge that can be formalized and codified. Tacit
knowledge is diffiCUlt to articulate in writing and is acquired through per
sonal experience.
viii KNOWLEDGE MANAGEMENT
With this in mind, knowledge management can be defined as follows.
Knowledge management deals with
- knowledge-friendly environments in which knowledge can develop andflour
ish to provide individuals, organizations, or regions with
- context-sensitive knowledge and
- the ability of knowledge workers to apply the knowledge for action.
Knowledge management can be addressed from two different perspectives.
The first perspective is more people-oriented as it focuses on people and organi
zations. The second perspective places the emphasis on information technolo
gies as enabling technologies. The difference between these two perspectives
is the level at which knowledge management is applied:
In people-oriented knowledge management, the focus is on the people, the
organization and the associated working and communication processes rather
than on the technology. People-oriented knowledge management seeks answers
to questions such as "How can we improve the knowledge creation and orga
nization?", "How can we adapt our communication culture to become more
knowledge-friendly?", "How can we manage our human capital more effi
ciently?", and "What methods and incentives exist to foster knowledge sharing
and transfer?"
The objective of technology-oriented knowledge management is to support
knowledge workers in companies at an operational level. That is, information
technologies are used as enabling technology to provide the knowledge some
body needs to perform a specific task as efficiently as possible. Often, this
requires a careful and smooth integration of knowledge management tools with
business process management tools.
This book reflects these different perspectives with two parts dealing with
knowledge management processes (part II) and the role of information tech
nologies to support these processes (part III).
Thanks to the sound experience the author, Herwig Rollett, has gained in
many knowledge management research and industry projects, you are offered
much support and advice if you plan to introduce knowledge management in
your organization. Of particular value is that the book does not only suggest
"what" methods can be introduced, but also "how" they can be introduced
which brings us back to Aristotle who argued that knowledge comprises both
the "know-what" and the "know-how". In this sense, this book is a huge treasure
of knowledge about knowledge management.
ix
So as you read this book, I suggest you keep the overall intention of knowl
edge management in mind: The provision of knowledge-friendly cultures and
working environments. If you follow this advice, this book will help continually
shaping your thinking in the way required for the success of your organization
in the new knowledge economy.
Klaus Tochtermann
CEO, Know-Center Graz
Preface
The first thing I discovered when I started out in knowledge management was
that it is not about technology. It is about people. People as individuals, people
as teams, people as communities, people as organizations.
The second thing I discovered was that technology, handled properly, can
make an important contribution. It can connect people with each other. It
can connect people to information they find useful. It can protect them from
irrelevant content. Sometimes, systems can even come up with something one
is tempted to call knowledge on their own.
The third thing I discovered was that there was no book providing a com
pact, comprehensive, balanced overview of both knowledge management and
the role technology could-or should-play. A book that would discuss knowl
edge management processes, point out the most important issues, and assess
the relevance of technologies to the various processes. Without going to un
necessary lengths. And in an easily accessible way.
I occupied myself with knowledge management in its various forms: With
a strategic focus and with an operational focus, with a people focus and with
a technology focus, with an organizational focus and with a personal focus.
Meanwhile, the hype around knowledge management grew, as did the jungle
of theories, models, methods, practices, and tools of knowledge management.
Books on the subject were springing up like mushrooms. Except, of course, the
kind of book I considered the most appropriate as a guide through that jungle.
At some point, I found myself writing the book I had been missing when I
first started out. You are holding the result in your hands. If you are taking
your first steps in knowledge management, it will provide you with a valuable
map of the territory. And even if you are already an expert, I am confident that
you will discover a few aspects which you have not yet considered in this light.
Books are written by authors. But authors would rarely write books if it
were not for the encouragement and support of many people. I am partic
ularly grateful to all my colleagues at the Know-Center and at the Institute
xii KNOWLEDGE MANAGEMENT
for Information Processing and Computer-Supported New Media at Graz Uni
versity of Technology, not only for supporting me in writing this book, but
also for providing a very pleasant working environment. Special thanks go to
Hermann Maurer, Klaus Tochtermann, Tobias Ley, Markus Strohmaier, Janez
Hrastnik, Andreas Ausserhofer, and Denis Helic. The Know-Center is a Com
petence Center funded within the Austrian K plus Competence Centers Program
(www.kplus.at) under the auspices of the Austrian Ministry of Transport, Inno
vation and Technology.
Many further people have directly or indirectly helped to make this book
possible: The members of Wissensmanagement Forum and its PhD circle;
people from the companies I have conducted projects with; the members of the
Forschung Austria taskforce on knowledge management; all the people with
whom I discussed knowledge management issues at conferences, workshops,
and informal meetings; and last but not least my friends and family. I would
particularly like to thank, in alphabetical order, Manfred Bornemann, Georg
Droschl, Marion Graggober, Karin Grasenick, Erich Hartlieb, Herbert Haubold,
Bernd Humpl, Thomas Jud, Iris Klein, Ulrike KrieBmann, Philipp Koronakis,
Karl-Heinz Leitner, Thomas Mikl, Fritz Ohler, Johann Ortner, Franz Pirker,
Maja Pivec, Michael Ploder, Arthur Primus, Karl Ritsch, Gunter Rollett, Martin
Sammer, Andreas Schibany, Gerald Steiner, Josef Tuppinger, Patrick Wehinger,
Reinhard Willfort, and Kurt wols. Finally, I would like to thank my publishers,
particularly Lance Wobus.
Ultimately, a book like this has to be judged by its usefulness to the reader.
Most of all, therefore, I hope that it will help you.
HERWIG ROLLETT
