Knowledge management and information technology: can they work in perfect harmony?

Abstract

Purpose -Aims to impart new insights into the role of information technology (IT) in knowledge extraction, capture, distribution and personalization. The paper seeks to pin-point the strengths and weaknesses of IT in the domain of knowledge management (KM) and to explain why the technology promise remains unfulfilled, as seen by many KM practitioners.Design/methodology/approach -The discussion in this paper is fundamentally based on Stankosky's four KM pillars conceptual framework. Within this framework the authors attempted to shed some light on the IT role and the hidden reasons that make knowledge prominently unreachable via IT.Findings -IT assimilation and representation of knowledge intangibility, dynamism, experience and other humanistic cognitive dimensions remain debatable. The current technology is immature to resolve such problems. For IT to be effective for KM it must shred its bivalent logic and instead learn to operate within an authentic continuum.Originality/value -Knowledge managers need to understand that a KM initiative that considers IT as a Utopian panacea will fail. Equally, the KM initiative that undervalues IT will follow suit. Owing to IT immaturity in the area of cognitive behavior, the situation is still perplexing. This elusiveness imposes some obstacles to sufficiently represent the context of tacit knowledge. Hence, codifying knowledge with the poser of the existing IT and without the support from socio-cultural inputs, will result in de-contextualization, i.e. ''knowledge dilution.'' Hence, special considerations should be given to applications that offer some behavioral context and human cognitive dimensions.

Cultural, Technological and Informational Based Knowledge Management

“…Each individual person has their own unique set of habits and norms that makes them different from everyone else. How an individual solves a problem using their intuition or habits which is that individual's tacit knowledge, tacit knowledge is not written down, nor can it be verbalized [3]. As team are formed each member will have their own unique tacit habits, but for the teams to be successful each team member will have to find a method of articulating their expertise, by turning their Tacit information into Explicit information.…”

Impact of Information and Communication Technology (ICT) on construction projects

“…They argue that self and organisational learning develops performance and ICT is indirect to this learning development (Ruiz-Mercader et al, 2005). Mohamed et al (2006) identify that ICT alone is not sufficient as human and organisational aspects are important parts of communication (and collaboration). The ICT within the workplace observed did not appear to have any organisational issues but the organisation of the team using the ICT displayed problems such as the reliance upon the information input and electronic transfer.…”

Challenges to large-scale digital organization: the case of Uber

“…In such an environment, workers and other shareholders can get information from both enterprise tools like ERP systems, Slack, or Yammer and external social media including Blind (Blind: anonymous work talk app by Teamblind Inc 2017), Glassdoor, and LinkedIn. In many instances, bureaucratic norms and behaviors impede information flow (Mohamed et al 2006), making the organization vulnerable to changes in the external environment.…”