Readers' Corner - Knowledge Management

Daniel Southwick
HRSDC / Service Canada Library
Source: Workplace Bulletin, July 29, 2011

Knowledge Management

Knowledge management is a blanket term used by organizations and refers to various technologies and practices that involve creating, disseminating, and utilizing knowledge data. Started in the early 1990s, the field rose to prominence when several large corporations, such as IBM, began to successfully use it to reshape their business. Today, knowledge management is a heavily researched field drawing from such areas as business administration, information systems, computer science, and public policy.

Dalkir, Kimiz
Knowledge Management in Theory and Practice, 2nd edition
Cambridge, MA: MIT Press, 2011
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Knowledge management is a multifaceted topic drawing from the subject areas such as sociology, cognitive science, organizational behaviour and information science. Due to this complexity, many organizations have ignored this growing field. Seeking to remedy this problem, Dalkir explains the theories and practices that drive knowledge management on the individual, community, and organizational levels. These explanations are not only thorough, but they are also engaging and easy to understand. Moreover, the author routinely provides insight into how several organizations have successfully used knowledge management to improve their business.

Land, Stacy E.
Managing Knowledge-Based Initiatives: Strategies for Successful Deployment
Boston: Elsevier, 2008
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Implementing knowledge-based initiatives is stressful for any organization. Not only do they require a fundamental shift in business practices, but there is also no guaranteed way to ensure that the initiative succeeds. Understandably, many organizations have developed a fear of knowledge management. Land seeks to put these fears to rest in this book. In addition to highlighting the many pitfalls that potentially await organizations, she also identifies the areas that companies should be most concerned with if their knowledge-based initiative is to be successful. As well, she examines the challenges faced when the scale shifts from small to large, whether regional, national or global.

Martin, Roger L.
The Design of Business: Why Design Thinking Is the Next Competitive Advantage
Boston: Harvard Business Press, 2009
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Explaining how knowledge management relates to the business world can be challenging. The field is rich in theories and case studies, but these often lack real world context. In this book, Martin moves away from an academic approach to knowledge management and puts it in a more business friendly perspective. Of particular note is his examination of the effect that knowledge management has on productivity and cost. Simply by improving access to information, organizations are able to reduce their costs and improve productivity. In addition, the final chapter provides a more individual perspective of knowledge management, and makes several suggestions to the reader on how to develop their skills.

McInerney, Claire R. and Michael E.D. Koenig
Knowledge Management Process in Organizations: Theoretical Foundations and Practice
New York: Morgan & Claypool, 2011
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The concept of knowledge management is a relatively recent phenomenon. In this work, McInerney and Koening trace its evolution and summarize some of the most influential research and literature in the field. In doing so, they highlight the core concepts that drive knowledge management and how it can be effectively used by organizations. The authors have also included a section that focuses on the relationship between knowledge management and social networking. Despite the fact that social networking has its origins outside of business, the authors stress that it should be a vital component in any organization's knowledge management strategy.

O'Dell, Carla S. and Cindy Hubert
The New Edge in Knowledge: How Knowledge Management Is Changing the Way We Do Business
Hoboken, NJ: Wiley, 2011
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Skipping the theories of knowledge management, O'Dell and Hubert focus immediately on its impact on business. One section particularly worth noting details how an organization can best identify which areas of its portfolio would most benefit from the practices of knowledge management. Overall, this book serves as a highly effective “how-to” manual for anyone interested in introducing the ideas of knowledge management into their organization.