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The article provides the basis of employing knowledge management (KM) principles in solving organizational performance problems. It discusses the techniques used in balancing the three fundamental organizational system components, which include technology, organizational and people and processes and practices, to achieve healthy and effective organizational change. It suggested that KM must be integrated into the management structure and business strategies of the government and commercial organizations. more...

This paper aims to diagnose the information culture of the university administration. Although university administrative work is commonly associated with bureaucracy, it is a bureaucracy of people in which employees demonstrate a set of competitive group information behavior focused on knowledge sharing and information use in day-to-day tasks. A group of 345 respondents, representing office staff from three institutions in Poland, answered the survey related to information culture. The research framework included 16 information behaviors, grouped by four levels of information and knowledge management and four types of information culture. The results were examined using statistical packages to perform the Kruskal-Wallis H test, Spearman's rank correlation coefficient, and ordinal/linear regression analysis. Professional Bureaucracy culture is the dominant characteristic of the information behavior of university administrations, but its functioning is supported by three parallel information cultures included in the research model. The main limitation of the study is that it covers only lower-level employees' information practices. The applied scale, based on professional stratification within the university administration, is highly sensitive regarding different institutional contexts covered in the information culture diagnosis. To support the development of Professional Bureaucracy, it is necessary to support internal openness of behavior (socialization), internalization of knowledge, and external networking. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR] more...

International development policies inevitably encounter a conflict in their implementation, representing the gap between universal goals and grass-roots practice. The aim of this study was to explore and understand the significance of this gap, and to apply knowledge management principles as a lens to suggest bridging solutions. The research focuses on non-governmental organisations, which are a sub-section of the civil society. The study was unique as it took a Southern perspective-the views and experiences of policy-makers, practitioners and beneficiaries in Kenya form the basis of the empirical research. Consequently, the research and its findings provide some answers as to how systems of knowledge can be aligned with the core values of organisational and societal culture in order to positively influence international stability. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR] more...

Abstract: There are various methods available for dealing with IT governance. These methods are diversified, and in some cases lengthy and complicated. This paper is concerned with providing a unified simple approach for IT governance assessment. The approach is developed and tested through the following three main steps: (1) highlighting the basic requirements of IT governance considering key available methods; (2) designing the target approach that integrates these requirements and uses knowledge management principles; and (3) illustrating the use of the approach through a typical illustrative application. The approach uses the “STOPE: Strategy, Technology, Organization, People and Environment” view to integrate the issues involved, the knowledge management principles as an added value, and the six-sigma phases as a cyclic improvement process. The work provides “fifty” main IT governance controls; and these enable finding key strengths and weaknesses of IT governance in organizations from which development directions can be derived. It should be noted that considering knowledge management, and people as a main domain in the integration view, illustrate special emphasis of the human factor in IT governance. [Copyright &y& Elsevier] more...

The article presents a study on the use of knowledge management framework in re-structuring the information technology infrastructure library (ITIL) implementation. It provides reinforcement for the implementation process of ITIL V 2.0 through knowledge management principles that are embedded in enterprise management-engineering framework (EMEF). An overview of the ITIL framework mechanism and implementation in information technology services management (ITSM) is offered. It notes that there are strong indications that the implementation of ITIL by following the system-thinking approach may add and sustain competitive advantage. more...

Purpose: This article aims to investigate the necessity and importance of using technology – artificial intelligence in modern management forms, such as information management, innovation management, project management, knowledge management, quality management, and HR management. Design/methodology/approach: The research method used in the article is an analysis scientific works, which describe the features of various forms of management in organizations. The research procedure included a review of world scientific literature, methodological analysis, identification of consistent connections between the two main structural parts of the researched question, and deductive reasoning. Findings: The article examines the issue of the need to use artificial intelligence in management to increase the organization's effectiveness. The analysis of the characteristics of six modern forms of management in organizations showed how exactly artificial intelligence could improve the activity of the organizational system. The work describes the positive aspects and benefits of using key components of artificial intelligence in the manager's management activities. Research limitations/implications: Our proposals for future research are to conduct research in organizations with different degrees of technological development to identify the dependence on the efficiency of activities and the level of technology provision of organizations. Practical implications: Modern technological development requires every manager to implement technologies in the managed organization. Analysis of the need to use artificial intelligence in various management forms to improve the organization's efficiency is important for managers striving for high financial results in their activities. Social implications: Implementation and use of technologies in organizations ensure their stable development. Developed organizations form a strong economy that provides people with a high standard of living. Originality/value: The study results indicate the importance of studying issues related to implementing and developing technological processes in the organization. The analysis of the characteristics of the forms of management and their connection with the key components of artificial intelligence prove the necessity of its use in management to achieve the organization's financial stability. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR] more...

Knowledge management is an essential area of activity in organizations. It harnesses valuable information resources for the benefit of patrons and success of 21st century academic libraries. Academic libraries have important role in updating its practices in knowledge management which increases enviable technological devices and sophiscated system of storage and retrieval. Thus the paper highlights the concept of knowledge management, knowledge application management, knowledge dissemination management, knowledge management skills for information professionals, importance of knowledge management in academic libraries and knowledge management tools. Thus the paper posits that academic libraries adopt knowledge innovation management, in order to deliver library services through innovative library technology to ensure they remain relevant in the 21st century. It was recommended among others that knowledge management practices should be inculcated into academic libraries in the provision of library services and information dissemination to patrons. Also, information professionals should constantly update their skills and competencies in order to be key players in knowledge management phenomenon. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR] more...

Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to discuss the problem of information and knowledge management (IKM) in higher education institutions. The research aims to determine the way in which the knowledge resources of a higher education institution are managed. The author intends to define how the information system is shaped and how information and knowledge are used in the reporting processes and for decision-making efficiency. Design/methodology/approach: In total, 38 university administration employees from six higher education institutions in Poland participated in the study. Information barriers and benefits resulting from the implementation of the central reporting system "POL-on" were identified by using the sense-making technique. The purpose of the interviews was to determine the procedural and behavioural conditions of the reporting and decision-making processes in higher education institutions in Poland. Findings: This paper suggests four characteristics of IKM in higher education institutions. A link between the information culture of the institution, its size and structure as well as the adopted model of IKM is demonstrated. Originality/value: The main contribution of this paper is to introduce a framework for studying the IKM in higher education institutions from the perspective of information culture. Higher education institutions have developed different styles of striving for efficiency regarding decision making and reporting in administration. The IM and KM are now proved to be an integrated process in administrative activities of higher education institutions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR] more...

In an organization with a decentralized collection development structure, it can be difficult for selectors to find correct and detailed information at the point of need when engaging in collection development. Institutional knowledge is not always easily shared with others due to the lack of an effective conduit. Simply knowing what is happening and what has happened with purchases, licensing, vendor negotiations, budget planning, and policy creation can be a challenge for those who have not been directly involved. This presentation detailed the speaker's experience in a new collections role at Penn State University Libraries, where she methodically gathered the information that exists on shared drives, in file cabinets, in dark corners of the intranet, and in the brains of faculty and staff that have worked at the library for many years, and then made it available to selectors in a meaningful way. The presentation discussed projects such as compiling information about annual e-book packages and e-journal backfiles, as well as Penn State University Libraries' management of theses and dissertations. How those projects were identified and prioritized, as well as the process for compiling that information and making it available, was also discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR] more...

Purpose -- This paper aims to evaluate a range of best practice knowledge management (KM) ideas used to manage knowledge flows and enablers. In total, four KM toolkits and 23 KM tools were tested over a five-year period (2008-2013), as part of a large-scale longitudinal change project. Each tool was assessed against an evaluative framework designed to test criticisms of KM: strategy, implementation and performance. The results provide empirical evidence about what KM tools work and which do not and why, and outcomes for practitioners, researchers and consultants. Design/methodology/approach -- This paper presents a summary of the findings of a large Australian Research Council (ARC) Linkage Project grant in the period of2008-2013. The case study organisation (CSO) was a large public sector department, which faced the threat of lost capability caused by its ageing workforce and knowledge loss. The project aimed to solve this problem by minimising its impact via achieving learning organisation capacity. The CSO participating in the study was selected because it was a knowledge-intensive organisation, with an ageing workforce. All 150 engineering and technical staff at the CSO were invited to participate, including management and staff. An action research methodology was used. Findings -- The results provide empirical evidence that KM can be used to manage knowledge flows and enablers. The highest rating toolkit was knowledge preservation, followed by knowledge usage. The most value was created by using KM to provide "why context" to structural capital (e.g. reports, databases, policies) (meta-data) and to create opportunities to reflect on experience and share the learning outcomes (peer assists and after action reviews). The results tended to support criticism that KM is difficult to implement and identified the main barriers as participation located at the tactical action research level, i.e. why is this useful? Evidence that KM works was found in progress towards learning organisation capacity and in practical outcomes. Research limitations/implications -- The action research cycle and learning flows provide opportunities to examine barriers to KM implementation. The research also presents opportunities for further research to examine the findings in other organisational and industry settings, for example, the relationship between the KM toolkits and organisational change and performance, presents an important area for further research. Researchers might also consider some of the toolkits which rated poorly, e.g. knowledge sharing, and challenge these findings, perhaps selecting different KS tools for testing. The paper has limitations. It is based on a single case study organisation, offset, to some degree, by the longitudinal nature of the empirical evidence. It is ambitious and the findings may be controversial. However, the depth of the study and its findings provide rare longitudinal empirical evidence about KM and the results should be useful for practitioners, researchers and consultants. Practical implications -- For practitioners, the research findings provide management with an evaluative framework to use when making decisions regarding KM. The findings provide discussion of KM toolkits and tools that may be used to manage knowledge flows and enablers. In addition to the discussion of each tool, there is analysis of what works and what does not and why, barriers to implementation as well as explanation of their impact on organisational change and performance, and a scorecard to guide toolkit choices. This method should allow managers to make sensible decisions about KM. Originality/value -- The paper addresses criticisms of KM by examining the KM toolkits within the context of whether knowledge can be managed, implementation barriers may be addressed and improved organisational performance can be demonstrated. This approach allows generalisability of the findings to enable others to apply the research findings in their organisational contexts. The outcome is three sets of guidelines: strategy: which KM tools work; implementation: addressing barriers; and organisational performance: how to measure value. In doing so, the paper provides a systematic framework for evaluating KM tools. It also provides a rare opportunity to present empirical evidence gathered over a five-year longitudinal study. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR] more...

Software process improvement in software development organisations is a complex task that can be solved using knowledge management strategies. In this area, the definition and use of process patterns are a proven approach to apply knowledge management strategies in software engineering organisations. One of the main problems for the effective application of process patterns in the software industry is the difficulty of formalising the knowledge about the development process using these approaches. This study presents a framework to manage software project patterns. This framework (which is composed of a metamodel and a platform for patterns modelling and reuse) is able to formalise the knowledge on software development projects including software engineers' previous experience, development methodologies, references frameworks and lessons learnt. The authors carried out an empirical study at Carlos III University of Madrid, where junior software engineers used the project patterns defined in this research work. The evidences and findings obtained during the empirical study execution indicates that correctness of the pattern depends on relevance of the bibliographic references used to create it, implementation of a knowledge sharing strategy among the personnel involved and previous experience in the business areas related to the information systems being developed. The results obtained from the empirical study also envisage that the usefulness of an sdPP (Software Development Project Pattern) depends on the ease of identifying when and how to apply a specific sdPP in a software project. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR] more...

A knowledge map of digital library ( DL) research shows the semantic organization of DL research topics and also the evolution of the field. The research reported in this article aims to find the core topics and subtopics of DL research in order to build a knowledge map of the DL domain. The methodology is comprised of a four-step research process, and two knowledge organization methods (classification and thesaurus building) were used. A knowledge map covering 21 core topics and 1,015 subtopics of DL research was created and provides a systematic overview of DL research during the last two decades (1990-2010). We argue that the map can work as a knowledge platform to guide, evaluate, and improve the activities of DL research, education, and practices. Moreover, it can be transformed into a DL ontology for various applications. The research methodology can be used to map any human knowledge domain; it is a novel and scientific method for producing comprehensive and systematic knowledge maps based on literary warrant. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR] more...

The article examines the implementation of knowledge management from an absorptive capacity perspective. It uses a case study to illustrate how the framework developed in this study can be used to assess the importance of an organisation's familiarity with knowledge management principles, techniques, and strategic value. It is considered that managing knowledge requires a complex combination of new tools, infrastructures, processes, strategies, and their coexistence and integration with the existing ones. more...

The concept of sustainable development has been a key focus of academic research since the early 1990s. However, both the public and private tourism sectors have been criticised for their progress in applying the concept; with some authors noting that sustainability principles are not put into practice. The application of sustainable development concepts is a prime example of the difficulties associated with diffusing the body of knowledge generated through academic research to the tourism industry. Therefore, a study was undertaken to examine the transfer of academic knowledge regarding sustainability to tourism public sector practice. A two-phase qualitative research process was undertaken involving in-depth interviews with tourism destination stakeholders from five case study destinations in Queensland, Australia. The research results show that the vast body of knowledge on the topic has not been diffused effectively to the destination level where it is actually needed by those who plan and manage tourism activity. A knowledge management approach is suggested as being necessary to bridge this knowledge-practice gap. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR] more...

The article offers information on the effectiveness of Web 2.0 in information handling. It assesses the significance of the Web 2.0 phenomenon as well as blogs, Wikis and really simple syndication (RSS) to the enterprise Internet. These applications signify the democratization of the World Wide Web as it allows people to communicate with and reach to other people and contribute to shared spaces. Tim Berners-Lee stresses that Web 2.0 may be useful to various business enterprises but it also poses negative impact over the Internet. The author notes the need for the implementation and execution of proper information management systems and knowledge management in corporate enterprises. more...

Purpose - This paper aims to provide a review of recent trends in the open access (OA) movement, as well as to discuss the significance of those trends for information access in developing countries. Design/methodology/approach - An analysis of the recent literature was carried out, focusing on the benefits of a greater information access in developing countries. The paper also brings together the diverse experiences from the authors on OA publishing and archiving with institutions in a number of developing countries. Findings - Knowledge workers in developing countries are now getting access to scholarly and scientific publications and electronic resources at a level that is unmatched historically. This is highly significant, if developing countries are to meet the millennium development goals. The OA movement and the growing number of Open Archive Initiative-compliant institutional repositories promise to provide even greater access to resources and publications that were previously inaccessible. These low cost technology and interoperability standards are providing great opportunities for libraries and publishers in developing countries to disseminate local research and to bridge the south-north knowledge gap. Originality/value - This paper therefore provides recommendations for knowledge workers on how to actively participate in and contribute to the global knowledge commons. The results and recommendations contained in the paper should be of interest to authors, policy makers, funding agencies and information professionals in both developing and developed countries. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR] more...

Knowledge-Based Systems (KBS) have been used in industry to free experts from mundane and routine decision making, to produce comparable and consistent decisions, and to retain the expertise of knowledgeable employees who may, for many reasons, leave a company. KBS are also desired to have the capacity to transfer knowledge to less-expert users of such systems. In this paper, Adaptive Character of Thought-Rational (ACT-R) theory is used as a foundation for the design of KBS explanations for the explicit purpose of facilitating knowledge transfer to the user. ACT-R (Anderson 1993) is a theory of cognitive skill acquisition that suggests a learner must first obtain certain facts about a new learning situation (declarative memory pieces) and then convert a series of facts into a set of rules that will produce accurate problem-solving skills (procedural memory pieces). Prior research has examined pieces of the ACT theory in its earlier forms, but no comprehensive tests examining the simultaneous effect of the multiple components have previously been completed. The current study addresses three questions based on ACT-R theory: (1) Can declarative-knowledge-based explanations improve declarative knowledge transfer? (2) Can declarative-knowledge-based explanations improve procedural knowledge transfer? (3) Can procedural-knowledge-based explanations improve procedural knowledge transfer? An experiment employing eight KBS, differing by types of KBS explanation prompts, which were designed to stimulate declarative and/or procedural knowledge transfer, was conducted with 294 accounting information systems students. An analysis of the results provides some support for the use of declarative-based KBS explanations for declarative knowledge transfer, strong support for the use of declarative-based KBS explanations for procedural knowledge transfer, but a lack of support for the use of procedural-based KBS explanations for procedural knowledge transfer. The results suggest... [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR] more...

Focuses on a study which provided insight to understanding public health officials' needs and promote access to data repositories and communication tools for benchmarking. Methods; Results; Conclusions. more...

Companies are often unaware of the potential value of corporate information and extent of data held in their systems. It is increasingly argued that analysis of such data and information can be transformed into knowledge that in turn can be used to gain business benefits such as a competitive advantage, minimization of costs, improved quality, responsiveness, or improved service to customers. This paper investigates the benefits of a systematic and interdisciplinary approach to research in knowledge management, particularly in investigating technical (‘hard’), organizational (‘soft’), as well as philosophical (‘abstract’) aspects of the concept. It describes in detail the framework used in research undertaken by the Centre for Knowledge and Business Process Management at Brunel University. We argue that this framework is useful to researchers and practitioners alike as it contributes to a systematic and more effective knowledge management approach. Copyright © 2002 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR] more...