Expertise visualization: An implementation and study based on cognitive fit theory

Abstract

Expertise management systems are being widely adopted in organizations to manage tacit knowledge. These systems have successfully applied many information technologies developed for document management to support collection, processing, and distribution of expertise information. In this paper, we report a study on the potential of applying visualization techniques to support more effective and efficient exploration of the expertise information space. We implemented two widely applied dimensionality reduction visualization techniques, the self-organizing map (SOM) and multidimensional scaling (MDS), to generate compact but distorted (due to the dimensionality reduction) map visualizations for an expertise data set. We tested cognitive fit theory in our context by comparing the SOM and MDS displays with a standard table display for five tasks selected from a low-level, domain-independent visual task taxonomy. The experimental results based on a survey data set of research expertise of the business school professors suggested that using both SOM and MDS visualizations is more efficient than using the table display for the associate, compare, distinguish, and cluster tasks, but not the rank task. Users generally achieved comparable effectiveness for all tasks using the tabular and map displays in our study.

Tourist shopping villages: exploring success and failure.

“…The four-dimensional solution also had a very high R-square (r = 0.92), well above the minimal acceptance level (r = 0.6) indicating a very good solution (Fodness and Murray, 1998). Huang et al (2006) suggest a number of steps in the interpretation of the expert perceptual map. These steps include the following actions: (i) associating and distinguishing, in which relationships between objects are mapped and this space is explored by looking at underlying attributes; (ii) clustering and comparing, which is focused on examining the groups of objects that are close together in the space; and (iii) ranking, which involves finding and examining the extremes.…”

“…However, Delphi's value for eliciting tacit knowledge has been challenged (see Rowe and Wright, 1999;Rowe et al, 2005). As an alternative, Huang et al (2006) argue for the use of statistical procedures to generate expert perceptual maps. These procedures typically are based around some form of multidimensional scaling analysis.…”

“…The present study's procedure follows Grinstein and Goldman (2006) and critically assesses and incorporates ideas from Huang et al (2006). Grinstein and Goldman (2006) use a panel of five experts to judge 26 cases on 24 measures derived from their literature review.…”

“…The present study applies these new approaches to develop a conceptual framework which could guide further research into the success of tourist shopping villages. In particular the researchers were assisted by the procedures established by Huang et al (2006) and Derous et al (2003) in human resource management, as well as by Grinstein and Goldman's (2006) study of technology firms. In all three examples, the research combines two sources of expert knowledge -the more traditional academic source of the existing literature and then some form of tacit knowledge elicitation from a small group of experts.…”

“…In particular this study uses an expert knowledge elicitation protocol and mapping exercise to develop a conceptual framework explaining success in TSVs and through the framework guide the development of a research agenda in this area. While expert knowledge elicitation is a major component of developing knowledge management systems and procedures within business practice and the topic of a substantial amount of academic literature, this method has not been used very much to inform the development of academic research agendas (Huang et al, 2006). Yet according to Mak et al (1996), accessing expert knowledge has the potential to make significant contributions to theory development.…”