Fueling Community-Based Knowledge Management: Matching Peer-to-Peer Technology and the Social Architecture of Knowledge

Abstract

Earlier research has shown the interdependence of knowledge management systems (KMS) and organizational factors. This study explores how peer-to-peer (P2P)-based KMS are perceived by users and whether those perceptions have impact on user acceptance and system usage. By employing a case study approach we bring together the overlapping disciplines and practices of information system architectures, knowledge management, and organizational behavior by exploring structural analogies between the social architecture of knowledge and the technical architecture of decentralized KMS. Our case analysis suggests a range of potential beneJits: saved time in making knowledge available, higher levels of reciprocity and transparency, as well as faster knowledge creation.Keyword: knowledge management, knowledge management systems, peer-to-peer, social architecture, technical architecture, organizational behavior INTRODUCTIONInitiated by the hype surrounding the music file sharing application Napster, the peer-to-peer (P2P) paradigm has attracted increasing attention from information systems (IS) and knowledge management (KM) researchers. Nevertheless, the underlying concepts and promises still remain ill-defined and unrealized. In this paper, we present a unifying model that links P2P systems and KM concepts through correspondences like "autonomy", "self-organization", "mutual interaction", and "mutual trust". We extend the structural analogy approach beyond tasktechnology fit (Goodhue & Thompson, 1995) by including organizational factors dealing with people and culture which are crucial for successful KM implementations (Ruggles, 1998). According to Alavi & Leidner (2001), KMS are "a class of information systems applied to managing organizational knowledge.[They] create an infrastructure and environment that contribute to organizational KM by actualizing, supporting, augmenting, and reinforcing