The KM phoenix

Every so often a new technological wave breaks over the business world. Accompanying such watershed moments, there is invariably a follow‐on, or ripple‐effect, that has implications for the discipline called knowledge management (KM). The latest technology wave is that of Web 2.0, and all the changes it heralds, both to one's social and to one's working life, are already being forecast and discussed in organizations across the world. The purpose of this paper is to address the following questions. Does Web 2.0 hold any major implications for KM, and is there a new KM 2.0 waiting to evolve and accompany Web 2.0 into its brave new technology world?

The paper presents an analysis of why KM has not been applied successfully so far in many business organizations, and how new technology may enable that situation to change.

The success of many KM initiatives over the last 15 years was predicated on the successful use of a KM‐style technology. However, for most of that time the technology was not a good fit for the way that people involved in KM actually work. Now, a new wave of technology tools is available: tools that are a much better fit for KM practitioners and the organizations in which they work.

The paper highlights that, with the new wave of technology tools available, there is a significant opportunity for KM to evolve and establish itself as a more mainstream business activity.