Lefebvre Julien - MA KM
Information Communication Technologies in Knowledge Management strategies. Can Knowledge actually be managed?
In the so-called 'knowledge economy', the strategic and operational importance of information management and knowledge management (KM) is no longer questioned. Knowledge is the primary resource for economic development; and while land, labour and capital, the economist’s traditional factors of production do not disappear, they have become secondary (Drucker, 1994).
As we step into the digital era, new technologies are the driving force behind the globalised economy. Large investments are being made in information communication technologies (ICT), information systems and collaboration solutions to support KM. Solutions such as “Lotus Notes”, ”The internet and the World Wide Web” have offered new means to store and organize various pockets of information into organizational 'knowledge repositories’. Modern methods and techniques have enhanced an organisation’s communicative abilities and new tools are constantly introduced daily within small or large organisations.
A review of mainstream scholarly and academic publications affirms the centrality of ICTs they are the key ‘enabler’ in order to sustain and gain competitive advantage (Maglitta, 1995). It now appears that the survival of an enterprise in the age of knowledge-based economies depends on how strong their technological capability is, how powerful their data analysis is and how “hi-tech” their communication mediums and information repositories are.
However, despite advanced information systems that support “rich” and intense information exchange and collaboration within the members of groups, communities or organisations, many current uses of ICT based ...