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Abstract Executives and strategists have long recognized the value of knowledge as a primary driving source for a firm's sustainable competitive advantage - hence the creation by many firms of a position called the chief knowledge officer (CKO). However, many people have proposed differing perspectives and models relating to the concept of knowledge management. In this paper differing knowledge management viewpoints are examined, by examining and integrating theories relating to the diffusion of innovations and change agents. The roles of change agents, innovators, and opinion leaders, such as CKOs, are explored in terms of effective knowledge management strategies and techniques. A model and strategies are proposed that can serve as a framework for CKOs and other knowledge management change agents to effectively facilitate the acquisition and use of knowledge in the firm by effectively using an organizational memory system.
Keywords Cheif executives, Change, Knowledge management, Open systems, Organizational learning
Abstract This paper reports the results of a qualitative study of motivation and barriers to employee participation in virtual knowledge-sharing communities of practice at Caterpillar Inc., a Fortune 100, multinational corporation. The study indicates that, when employees view knowledge as a public good belonging to the whole organization, knowledge flows easily. However, even when individuals give the highest priority to the interests of the organization and of their community, they tend to shy away from contributing knowledge for a variety of reasons. Specifically, employees hesitate to contribute out of fear of criticism, or of misleading the community members (not being sure that their contributions are important, or completely accurate, or relevant to a specific discussion). To remove the identified barriers, there is a need for developing various types of trust, ranging from the knowledge-based to the institution-- based trust. Future research directions and implications for KM practitioners are formulated.
Keywords Communities of practice, Knowledge management, Trust
Introduction
The development of the chief knowledge officer (CKO) function suggests a growing recognition that for many an organization, intellectual capital - the knowledge, experience, and ideas of people at every level of the firm - impacts a firm's products, services, processes, and customers. Moreover, as Stuller (1998) notes, these positions send an important signal to the organization that knowledge is an asset to be managed...