Applying wikis to managing knowledge—A socio‐technical approach

Abstract

As organizations are increasingly moving towards geographically dispersed and virtual forms of collaboration, knowledge sharing through social software such as wikis is widely acknowledged as an important area of research and practice. However, social software remains an underinvestigated issue in the literature on knowledge management (KM), and there is a lack of studies demonstrating how organizations can successfully incorporate these technologies into their everyday operations. To bridge this gap, our paper examines a case of successful wiki implementation. We claim that understanding the implementation of wikis requires a sociotechnical perspective focusing on the organizational context and activity system in which they are implemented rather than on their technological proficiency. Furthermore, we claim that their implementation brings about change in existing social systems, and results in new kinds of social constellations, interactions, and identities, which are manageable and controllable only to a limited extent.

The Not-So-Open Wikis: Structures of Collaboration At Work

“…[5,12,8]), our findings suggest that knowledge collaboration and sharing using open and social technologies such as a wiki is not free of structures. The use of a wiki in an organizational setting is governed by both emergent and reflected social structures.…”

“…For instance, wikis can be used as conversational knowledge management tools where by which individuals and groups create and share knowledge through collaborative dialogues and conversations [6]. Kosonen & Kianto [12] maintained that due to their easiness and flexibility, wikis enable fluid patterns of collaboration that support the free exchange of knowledge. Accordingly, many scholars argued (e.g.…”

“…Accordingly, many scholars argued (e.g. [9,12,8]) that the use of wikis is driving more flatter, democratic and horizontal structures in organizations as users become more free and engaged. For instance, Faraj et al [5] argued that knowledge collaboration, that involves creating, sharing, transferring, and accumulating knowledge, in online communities can occur without the traditional structures often associated with this kind of collaboration such as stable membership, interdependence among group members, etc.…”

Wiki-based community collaboration in organizations

“…Many scholars (e.g. [11], [20], [29], [10], [28], [16]) discussed several possibilities of using wikis within organizational settings. For instance, Majchrzak et al [17] conducted a survey focusing on the corporate use of wikis.…”

“…A wiki as a conversational knowledge management tool represents an end-user developed approach that is based on collaboration and conversation ( [10], [29]). In the same vein, Kosonen & Kianto [16] argued that wikis represent a socio-technical approach to managing knowledge that enables a multitude of knowledge-work processes, combines communication and personal information management, and makes knowledge work more visible. However, Danis & Singer [8] argued that the open nature of the wiki might introduce difficulties for organizations, for instance, to manage their content, which may result chaos, inconsistency, and difficult navigation.…”