Investigating Knowledge Management

Citation

Scarborough, H. and Carter, C. (2001), "Investigating Knowledge Management", Industrial and Commercial Training, Vol. 33 No. 5, pp. 178-186. https://doi.org/10.1108/ict.2001.33.5.178.4

The Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development (CIPD) identified knowledge management (KM) in 1998 as an issue which personnel and development professionals need to address and not leave to the technophiles.

CIPD have committed resources to this topic and Investigating Knowledge Management is their latest addition, following a literature review (1999) and a set of case studies (1999).

This 80‐page booklet looks at the academic research published about KM. It acknowledges that this topic is practice‐led and is being “developed in the context of use”. It also explores the relationship between KM and human resource management (HRM), and makes the point that there is difficulty in pinning down KM (some of us think the same about HRM).

Substantial proprietary expertise in KM is identified within consultancies, some of which, the authors say, can be gleaned from their Web sites. The booklet gives details of many resources to follow up.

Knowledge management is tackled from a number of perspectives.

• •

  Past CIPD research projects are reviewed to draw out implications in the context of KM.

• •

  Research institutions for KM are identified with names and key publications spanning the UK, North America, Europe and Australasia.

• •

  Nine important writers on KM are also identified and a summary of each presented.

Four disciplines of academic researchers are identified as:

1. 1.

   (1) strategic managemen;

2. 2.

   (2) information systems;

3. 3.

   (3) organisation studies; and

4. 4.

   (4) human resource management.

(As an HRD professional myself, I take it that the authors include me within HRM, but that is an ongoing debate for CIPD.)

A survey of academic KM researchers is reported where 45 of 350 potential respondents replied. The responses are analysed in terms of the researchers’ disciplines and within that by findings and major concerns facing the area.

The UK‐based Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC) research programme in KM is particularly prominent and the early stages of much research given as the reason for the limited publication of academic research.

Many of these projects are reported to have identified HRM implications. However, the authors conclude that most research is directed at the use of IT for knowledge management rather than looking at HRM issues.

From the published work, five perspectives on possible HRM contribution were identified:

1. 1.

   (1) best practice;

2. 2.

   (2) attracting, rewarding and retaining knowledge workers;

3. 3.

   (3) matching KM and HRM practices to business strategy;

4. 4.

   (4) human/social capital;

5. 5.

   (5) developing and sustaining organisational and community of practice learning.

We wonder who is the intended reader of this document. It provides many pointers to published resources, possible providers of KM services and areas of academic research interest.

Someone already convinced that KM had something to offer might find it useful for identifying places to provide help if they link with codification of knowledge rather than personalisation. It may also be helpful for those looking for areas to research and where they might get support. It does show that HR (HRM) issues have a low profile in KM, which is all about what people have in their heads and what they are prepared to share.