Mapping the Field: Knowledge Management

Abstract

Knowledge Management labours under the weight of research orientations and practical applications that proceed under its banner but do little to help clarify the nature of KM or the solutions it offers. A thematic analysis of relevant literatures verifies dominance of KM by Information Technology (IT) approaches and helps account for the field's popularity. However, questions are raised about the role of non-IT disciplines and literatures to sustain KM in light of the IT downturn, and the maturation of the field generally. Further bibliometric analysis is conducted to identify core and secondary KM literatures informing the field. Ideas and models from the complexity sciences are used to help conceptualize KM, and these too are probed in the literature for bibliometric evidence of relevance.Résumé : La Gestion des connaissances (GC) comporte des orientations de recherche et des applications pratiques qui se rattachent à elle, mais celles-ci n'aident guère à clarifier la nature de la GC ou les solutions qu'elle propose. Une analyse thématique de la littérature pertinente confirme que les approches en Technologie de l'information (TI) prédominent en GC et aident à expliquer sa popularité. On peut cependant se demander si des domaines et écrits non reliés à la TI seraient propices à appuyer la GC dans le contexte de la baisse de la TI et de la maturation générale de la GC. En outre, dans cet article, une analyse bibliomé-trique identifie des littératures primaires et secondaires se rapportant à la GC. Des idées et des modèles provenant des sciences de la complexité aident à conceptualiser la GC, et ceux-ci sont examinés au moyen de la bibliométrie afin d'en déterminer la pertinence.

Role of Information Professionals in Knowledge Management Programs : Empirical Evidence from Canada

“…This assertion was partly corroborated by a bibliometric analysis of the field of knowledge ma nagement that showed that the field's popularity was largely due to the dominance of information technology applications (Wolfe, 2003). However, of late, there has been increased interest in knowledge management activities by information professionals.…”

Meta-analysis of scientometric research of knowledge management: discovering the identity of the discipline

“…(3) knowledge communication, transfer, and replication; (4) situated learning and communities of practice; (5) practice of KM; (6) innovation and change; (7) philosophy of knowledge; and (8) organizational learning and learning organizations. The contribution of IS researchers to the KM field was not recognized Wolfe (2003) The first KM works appeared in the early 1980s, and the volume of publications has been continuously growing since 1995. There is an emphasis on IT, computer science, artificial intelligence, and expert systems.…”

Una mirada cr�tica a la formaci�n en gesti�n del conocimiento en los estudios de Informaci�n y Docu

“…In most organizations, the key professionals involved in knowledge management activities are human resource managers, process & product developers, and information technologists (Taylor, 2001). This assertion was partly corroborated by a bibliome tric analysis of the field of knowledge management that showed that the field's popularity was largely due to the dominance of information technology applications (Wolfe, 2003). However, of late, there has been increased interest in knowledge management activities by information professionals.…”