Skip to main content

Reinventing the Firm: Organisational Implications of Knowledge Management

  • Conference paper
BIS 2000
  • 73 Accesses

Abstract

In recent years knowledge management has emerged as a significant business strategy that has been driven by a diversity of factors. The dominant factor is the move to an information economy that has been facilitated by the convergence of communications and information technology. Organisational response to this changing environment has been to focus on the ability of the organisation to operate globally and to add value to the increasing volumes and diversity of data and information that the organisation handles. In this paper I examines the significant factors that have influenced the established approaches to knowledge management and critically reviews these developments. This overview provides the basis for an alternative approach to knowledge management. The paper proposes task-based knowledge management that focuses on work practices, with their communities of practice, highlighting the role of learning in the production of knowledge. The significance of the proposed approach is the need for the organisation to adopt reflective practice which requires considerable change in the organisational structures, work practices and the social and cultural environment of the organisation.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this chapter

Subscribe and save

Springer+ Basic
$34.99 /Month
  • Get 10 units per month
  • Download Article/Chapter or eBook
  • 1 Unit = 1 Article or 1 Chapter
  • Cancel anytime
Subscribe now

Buy Now

Chapter
USD 29.95
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
eBook
USD 84.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
Softcover Book
USD 109.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Compact, lightweight edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info

Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout

Purchases are for personal use only

Institutional subscriptions

Preview

Unable to display preview. Download preview PDF.

Unable to display preview. Download preview PDF.

Similar content being viewed by others

Reference

  1. Ackerman M.S., Mandel E. Memory in the Small: An Application to Provide Task- based Organisational Memory for a Scientific Community. Proceedings of the 28th Hawaii International Conference on Systems Science, 1995

    Google Scholar 

  2. Amin A. Post-Fordism: a reader. Oxford, Blackwell, 1994

    Book  Google Scholar 

  3. Argyris C., Schon D.A. Organisational Learning: A Theory of Action Perspective. Addison-Wesley, Reading, MA, 1978

    Google Scholar 

  4. Becker G.S . Human capital: a theoretical and empirical analysis. (2nd ed.) Columbia University Press, New York, 1975

    Google Scholar 

  5. Blackler F. Knowledge, knowledge work and organizations: An overview and interpretation. Organizations Studies, 1995; 16: 6

    Google Scholar 

  6. Brown J.S., Duguid P. Organizational learning and communities-of-practice: Toward a unified view of working, learning, and innovation. Organization Science, 1991; 2: 1

    Google Scholar 

  7. Clayton J., Linger H. The Role of Methods in Strategy Development and Implementation: A Finance Industry Case Study. Proceedings of 7th International Conference on Information Systems Development, ISD’98, Bled, Slovenia, 1998

    Google Scholar 

  8. Davenport T., Prusak L. Working Knowledge: How Organizations Manage What They Know. Harvard Business School Press, Boston, 1998

    Google Scholar 

  9. Davies R. The creation of new knowledge by information retrieval and classification. The Journal of Documentation, 1989; 45: 4

    Article  Google Scholar 

  10. Drucker P.F. Practice of management. Butterworth-Heinemann, Oxford, 1955

    Google Scholar 

  11. Hammer M., Champy J. Reengineering the corporation: a manifesto for business revolution. Nicholas Brealey Publishing, London, 1993

    Google Scholar 

  12. Iivari J., Linger H. Knowledge work as collaborative work: A situated activity theory view. Proceedings of the 32nd Hawaiian International Conference on Systems Science, 1999

    Google Scholar 

  13. Iivari J., Linger H. What is knowledge work: initial thoughts. Proceedings of the Australian Workshop on Intelligent Decision Support, IDS’97, Monash University, 1997

    Google Scholar 

  14. Kuhn T. The Structure of Scientific Revolution. University of Chigago Press, Chigago, 1970

    Google Scholar 

  15. Kuutti K. Debates in IS and CSCW Research: Anticipating System Design for Post- Fordist Work. In: Orlikovski, Walsham, Jones, DeGross (eds) Information Technology and Change in Organisational Work, IFIP WG 8.2. 1996

    Google Scholar 

  16. Levitt B., March J.G. Organisational Learning. Annual Review of Sociology, 1988; 14: 319 - 340

    Article  Google Scholar 

  17. Linger H., Burstein F., Zaslavsky A., Aitkin C., Crofts N. An innovative organisational tool for epidemiological research. European Journal of Epidemiology, 1998; 14: 587–593

    Google Scholar 

  18. Linger H., Burstein F. Learning in Organisational Memory Systems: An Intelligent Decision Support Perspective. Proceedings of the 31st Hawaiian International Conference on Systems Science, 1998

    Google Scholar 

  19. Linger H., Burstein F. Intelligent Decision Support in the Context of the Modern Organisation. Proceedings of the 5th ISDSS International Conference, Laussane, 1997

    Google Scholar 

  20. Minzberg H . The Nature of Managerial Work, Harper & Row, 1973

    Google Scholar 

  21. Nardi B.A . (ed) Contexts and Consciousness, Activity Theory and Human-Computer Interaction. The MIT Press, Cambridge, MA, 1996

    Google Scholar 

  22. Nonaka I., Takeuchi H. The Knowledge Creating Company. Oxford University Press, New York, 1995

    Google Scholar 

  23. Porter M. The Competitive Advantage of Nations. Free Press, New York, 1990

    Google Scholar 

  24. Robertson G. The impact of knowledge management on Australian law firms. Proceedings of KNOW’99 Deciphering Knowledge Management, UTS Sydney, 1999

    Google Scholar 

  25. Schatz B.R. Building an Electronic Community System. Journal of Management Information Systems, 1992; 8: 3

    Google Scholar 

  26. Schon D.A . The Reflective Practitioner: How Professionals Think in Action. Arena Ashgate Publishing Ltd. Aldershot, UK, 1991

    Google Scholar 

  27. Schmidt K., Bannon L. Taking CSCW seriously, Supporting articulation work. Computer Supported Cooperative Work, vol 1, 1992

    Google Scholar 

  28. Schultze U. A Confessional Account of an Ethnography about Knowledge Work. MISQ1999

    Google Scholar 

  29. Spender J.C. Organisational Knowledge, Learning and Memory: three concepts in search of a theory. Journal of Organisational Change Management, 1996; 9, 1

    Article  Google Scholar 

  30. Stein E.W., Zwass V. Actualizing Organisational Memory with Information Systems. Information Systems Research, 1995; 6: 2

    Article  Google Scholar 

  31. Sveiby K . The new organisational wealth: managing and measuring knowledge-based assets. Berrett-Koehler Publishers, San Francisco, 1997

    Google Scholar 

  32. Walsh J.P., Ungson G.R. Organisational Memory. Academy of Management Review, 1991; 16: 1

    Google Scholar 

  33. Wenger E. Communities of Practice: Learning, Meaning and Identity. Cambridge University Press, 1998

    Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

Authors

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

Copyright information

© 2000 Springer Verlag London Limited

About this paper

Cite this paper

Linger, H. (2000). Reinventing the Firm: Organisational Implications of Knowledge Management. In: Abramowicz, W., Orlowska, M.E. (eds) BIS 2000. Springer, London. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4471-0761-3_4

Download citation

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4471-0761-3_4

  • Publisher Name: Springer, London

  • Print ISBN: 978-1-85233-282-2

  • Online ISBN: 978-1-4471-0761-3

  • eBook Packages: Springer Book Archive

Publish with us

Policies and ethics