KM and culture

Citation

Stankosky, M. (2010), "KM and culture", VINE, Vol. 40 No. 3/4. https://doi.org/10.1108/vine.2010.28740caa.001

KM and culture

Article Type: Guest editorial 1 From: VINE: The journal of information and knowledge management systems, Volume 40, Issue 3/4

I recently was on international travel, and had to fill out a form, which asked for my “race.” I wrote down: “human race.” I have wanted to do that for sometime now. In the world of knowledge management, knowledge has no race, no frontiers, no passport: does not pollute; is sustaining; is an infinite resource; has mobility and can virtualize like no other asset. In summary: knowledge is the raw material that drives the human race and her global wealth. How we leverage that knowledge for competitive advantage, whether it is national, organizational, or personal, is what knowledge management is all about. The “how” we leverage that knowledge, however, is dependent on many variables, principal among these is culture, both geographical and organizational. This special edition treats several aspects of this variable, with the hope that they will provide invaluable insights to those whose work revolves around leveraging knowledge assets.

Culture has many definitions, but one that transcends many is the value or belief system that drives behavior. Thomas Friedman wrote a book several years ago, titled The World is Flat. By that, he meant to indicate that it is no longer one country versus another, as much as it is just the world. It begs the question: does that mean we just have one culture then? This is our dilemma: the world has become smaller and integrated, but group cultures still thrive; and perhaps have enlarged or polarized more than at any other time in our history. How does the knowledge manager of the twenty-first century treat this phenomenon? Is it treatable? What are some answers? Richard Lewis wrote a book titled When Cultures Collide: Leading across Cultures. It is hailed by The Wall Street Journal as a road-map to navigate the world’s economy. This Third edition has 600 pages worth of material, and yet I am convinced that even if read, let alone understood them all, cultural issues still remain a major issue. I know, for I have lived in both Occidental and Oriental countries for several years of my life, as well as worked in Arabia. I wish I had a secret recipe. The only one I can say with conviction is to respect another culture as you would want yours to be respected, which implies a degree of knowing, understanding, and accepting it.

This special issue of VINE is to provide an additional resource to knowing and understanding cultures, both across the world, and in organizational settings within the same country or region. The authors hail from a variety of backgrounds and work experiences themselves. The common denominator is their intense involvement in the knowledge management arena, trying to develop principles and practices to leverage knowledge assets under their cognizance. I tried to classify them in some order or fashion, perhaps by geography or organizational structure. In the end, I decided to just list them alphabetically by author. Sometimes the solution in such a complex world is the simple one, understood or accepted by a majority. My wish is that the reader will take away a better appreciation of humankind, and how we all attempt to live and function in a shared world.

I also want to acknowledge my co-editor, Dr Francesco Calabrese. Francesco has been in the middle our research on KM and culture. A native of Italy, a world traveler, and now a US citizen, he is truly a citizen of the world. He understands the dynamics that culture brings to any endeavor.

A special thanks to the co-editors of VINE: Professors Frada Burstein and Rongbin W.B. Lee, and the Publisher, Lizzie Scott, for giving us this unique opportunity. They continue to bring to our table a rich feast of knowledge.

Finally, I want to pay tribute to one of our dearest colleagues, who recently passed away: William D. Schulte, Jr PhD. Bill was a Professor at the School of Business, Shenandoah University. Those of us who knew and worked closely with him cannot but be forever changed by him. He was a singular individual, who always had a moment for anyone. His intelligence, wit, and whole persona would make any culture be proud to lay claim to him.

He helped so many new doctors in KM and culture research. Indeed, the riches he leaves behind are those that will never fade, and always be his living legacy.

It should be noted that these papers were not subject to peer review, but were selected by myself as worthy of publication, given the topics and stature of the authors.

Michael StankoskyThe George Washington University, Washington, DC, USA