Knowledge Management Strategies: A Handbook of Applied Technologies

Citation

Schutte, M. (2008), "Knowledge Management Strategies: A Handbook of Applied Technologies", Online Information Review, Vol. 32 No. 6, pp. 868-869. https://doi.org/10.1108/14684520810923999

This title is the fifth book in the Knowledge and Learning Society Book Series and consists of 13 chapters by 30 contributors from Europe, South America and the United States. This handbook may revitalise many knowledge management (KM) practitioners and academics who have been wearied by the large number of applications marketed as “knowledge management solutions” and “knowledge management products”, which often over‐promise and under‐deliver in terms of value creation.

The editors acknowledge KM as a complex socio‐technical phenomenon that requires social constructs, such as individuals, teams and organisations, with crucial support provided by information and communications technologies. The editors identify the objective of the handbook as attending to two critical concerns faced by many organisations, namely:

1. 1.

   the appropriate technology to use for specific KM problems

2. 2.

   the matching strategy that can guide the implementation of KM.

The first chapter is a comprehensive, systematic literature review of knowledge‐based strategies and systems and the crossovers between these two research agendas. The authors establish some very useful frameworks with high application value, based on this investigation. Chapter 2 discusses intellectual capital measurement and reporting – a tool that systematises the measuring and reporting of intellectual capital. This chapter has some significant practical guidelines for undertaking such a survey, as well as weaknesses and errors to look out for.

Chapters 3 and 4 explore modelling techniques for KM and the classification of KM maps respectively. These techniques and tools are carefully compared and evaluated, and recommendations concerning suitable application are made. The fifth chapter suggests an approach to construct knowledge engines for critical decision support. The architecture of such a platform, as well as future trends are highlights of this chapter.

Chapter 6 presents several techniques for Web 2.0 integration into or complete replacement of existing infrastructure. Some of the most popular Web 2.0 tools are concisely assessed, followed by some excellent suggestions. Chapter 7 looks at technology tools, resource utilisers and communication tools necessary to ensure organisational security. The authors of Chapter 8 follow an ontology‐driven approach to determine the key factors for KM in emergent organisations.

Chapter 9 provides the theoretical background of communities of practice (CoP), then outlines an actionable plan‐do‐check‐act framework for CoP implementation and concludes with a discussion on the future trends in CoP development. In Chapter 10 the author explores the potential unintended consequences of knowledge management systems on organisational routines. In particular the risks of behavioural bias towards proximal search, rigid persistence and declining radical innovation are examined, followed by practical ideas on how to alleviate these problems.

Chapter 11 probes the problem of pragmatic minimisation and encourages the use of simulated praxis and more pragmatic artificial intelligence to solve this problem. Chapter 12 is an empirical assessment of the integration of knowledge management in the banking sector. The last chapter considers the challenges faced by interorganisational knowledge management networks. Subsequently, examples of organisations overcoming the challenges are discussed. An eight‐page index is provided, and this could have been more extensive and better structured.

Most chapters are substantially complemented by illustrations and tables. Furthermore, the volume is structured to encourage interested readers to delve deeper into topics with the help of value‐adding sections such as case studies, useful links, further readings and internet sessions (with assignments) at the end of many chapters. This feature facilitates the teaching orientation of the book and makes it a useful resource for academics and senior students.

Overall, this is an outstanding handbook addressing numerous contemporary challenges. KM practitioners, academics and senior students could only benefit from the well‐researched theory and practical guidelines offered.