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The purpose of this book is to collect and to present the results of theoretical and empirical research
into various aspects of Knowledge Management (KM), innovation and, especially, the conjunction of
KM and innovation. To this end, chapters are included from both academics and practitioners, and the
contributions represent diverse views and versions of KM and innovation. It is this richness and diversity
that makes the topics so fascinating and, it can be contended, so important to the future work of
academics and practitioners in a variety of fields alike. It is possible to conclude that both topics—KM
and innovation—are different aspects of the same phenomenon, which is the use of “human capital” to
generate new ideas and to promote creativity. It is axiomatic that advances and innovations in science,
technology, industry, education, and the arts all begin at one source: the knowledge of the people on
whom businesses and organizations of all sorts rely for their new products, services, technologies, and
systems. The potential audience for this book is therefore very broad. The term “Knowledge Management”
(KM) is most frequently used to describe the range of practices and activities that are used in a variety
of organizations to identify, create, represent, store, disseminate, and encourage the adoption of relevant
human insights and experiences. Such insights and experiences (i.e. the knowledge) may be embodied
in individuals’ minds or embedded in a group’s or an organization’s artifacts, processes, and practices.
KM research has for some time embraced the fields of business administration and management, information
systems and technology, learning and psychology, and library and information sciences (Alavi
& Leidner, 1999). More recently, other contributions to KM research have included applications of KM
in public health and public policy. Most large commercial companies and many non-profit organizations
have dedicated considerable efforts and resources to KM, often as a part of their business strategies, IT
strategies, or even human resource management (HRM) strategies (Addicott et al. 2006). Consulting
companies have grown up to provide advice and expertise on KM to these organizations at strategic
and operational levels. KM efforts to date have typically focused on organizational objectives such as
improved performance, competitive advantage, innovation, and quality improvement. KM initiatives
often overlap with existing directions with organizations such as organizational learning (OL), Total Quality
Management (TQM), and even Business Process Re-engineering (BPR). KM may be distinguished
from these disciplines (and others) by a greater focus on managing knowledge as a strategic asset and
on enabling the sharing of knowledge. KM efforts can therefore help individual workers and groups to
share valuable organizational learnings, to reduce redundant work (e.g. avoiding reinventing the wheel),
to reduce training time for new employees, to retain intellectual capital when employees leave and to
adapt continually to changing environments (Thompson & Walsham, 2004). |