Knowledge management can be a powerful tool if successfully implemented into an organizational structure. Uncovering the latest methods, tools, trends, and strategies in organizational knowledge management should be a priority for individuals working in a variety of industries. Knowledge Management Practice in Organizations: The View from Inside brings together industry experts to discuss the realities of knowledge management work in organizations. Examining the challenges associated with operational knowledge management, this work provides insight into the day-to-day practice of knowledge management in real-life settings. Organizational leaders and professionals, librarians, students, and researchers will find this publication to be an essential tool in understanding knowledge management implementation.

Annotation Twenty essays present current research on knowledge management as related to effective design of new organization forms. The first section of the book covers frameworks, models, analyses, case studies and research on the integration of knowledge management within virtual organizations, virtual teams and virtual communities of practice. Themes covered in this section include business model innovation; design of virtual organization forms; net-based models; techniques for enabling knowledge capture, sharing and transfer; and collaboration and competition at intra- and inter-organizational levels. The focus of the second half is on key success factors that are important for realizing virtual models of business transformation. Topics include the role of organizational control systems, the role of internal and external employees and customers in creation of organizational knowledge, and information quality issues. Annotation c. Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com).

Today's marketplace is fueled by knowledge. Yet organizing systematically to leverage knowledge remains a challenge. Leading companies have discovered that technology is not enough, and that cultivating communities of practice is the keystone of an effective knowledge strategy. Communities of practice come together around common interests and expertise- whether they consist of first-line managers or customer service representatives, neurosurgeons or software programmers, city managers or home-improvement amateurs. They create, share, and apply knowledge within and across the boundaries of teams, business units, and even entire companies-providing a concrete path toward creating a true knowledge organization. In Cultivating Communities of Practice, Etienne Wenger, Richard McDermott, and William M. Snyder argue that while communities form naturally, organizations need to become more proactive and systematic about developing and integrating them into their strategy. This book provides practical models and methods for stewarding these communities to reach their full potential-without squelching the inner drive that makes them so valuable. Through in-depth cases from firms such as DaimlerChrysler, McKinsey & Company, Shell, and the World Bank, the authors demonstrate how communities of practice can be leveraged to drive overall company strategy, generate new business opportunities, tie personal development to corporate goals, transfer best practices, and recruit and retain top talent. They define the unique features of these communities and outline principles for nurturing their essential elements. They provide guidelines to support communities of practice through their major stages of development, address the potential downsides of communities, and discuss the specific challenges of distributed communities. And they show how to recognize the value created by communities of practice and how to build a corporate knowledge strategy around them. Essential reading for any leader in today's knowledge economy, this is the definitive guide to developing communities of practice for the benefit-and long-term success-of organizations and the individuals who work in them. Etienne Wenger is a renowned expert and consultant on knowledge management and communities of practice in San Juan, California. Richard McDermott is a leading expert of organization and community development in Boulder, Colorado. William M. Snyder is a founding partner of Social Capital Group, in Cambridge, Massachusetts.

The application of emerging multimedia innovations can significantly benefit organizations across different sectors. These tools aid in increasing competitive advantage and optimizing knowledge management. Evaluating Media Richness in Organizational Learning is an essential reference source for the latest scholarly research on the application of computational tools for knowledge management frameworks and strategies in organizations. Featuring a broad range of coverage on topics and perspectives such as web semantics, product innovation, and knowledge sharing, this book is ideally designed for researchers, consultants, practitioners, professionals, and upper-level students seeking current information on ways to facilitate business innovation and achieve competitive advantage.

This handbook aims to be an integral text for students of library and information science and a ready-reference for information professional practitioners. The chapters provide a construct through which any information professional may learn abut the major challenges facing them in the early part of the 21st century.

In this edited collection, the authors pick up the communities of practice (CoP) approach of sharing practice in their reflection on the experience of taking their CoP vision from a dream to reality. Their stories articulate the vision, the passion and the challenge of working within and/or changing existing institutional culture and practice. The book discusses strategies that worked and considers the lessons learnt to inspire future dreamers and schemers. The multiple perspectives provided in the case studies will assist higher education leaders, as well as academic and professional staff, in establishing or assessing CoPs. The book offers insights into implementation strategies, practical guidelines and ideas on how CoP theoretical underpinnings can be tailored to the higher education context.

This introductory level textbook critically reviews and analyses the key themes underpinning knowledge management in organisations. It presents the key debates in this area, including coverage of epistemologies of knowledge, managing and sharing knowledge, and learning and innovation.

Cross-cultural knowledge management, an elusive yet consequential phenomenon, is becoming an increasingly essential factor in organizational practice and policy in the era of globalization. In order to overcome culturally shaped blind spots in conducting research in different settings, this volume highlights how the structuring of roles, interests, and power among different organizational elements, such as teams, departments, and management hierarchies (each comprised of members from different intellectual and professional backgrounds), generates various paradoxes and tensions that bring into play a set of dynamics that have an impact on learning processes. In this context, such questions often arise: How is knowledge shared in the multicultural organization? What problems and issues emerge? How do different mentalities affect people’s responses to new knowledge and new ideas? How can knowledge-sharing processes be improved? Under which conditions do ideas generated by units or groups of different cultural traditions have a chance of being heard and implemented? Such questions translate into an investigation of potential managerial dilemmas that occur when different but equally valid choices create tensions in decision making. The authors draw from experiences working with a wide variety of organizations, and insights from such fields as sociology and psychology, to shed new light on the dynamics of knowledge management in the multicultural enterprise. In so doing, they help to identify both obstacles to successful communication and opportunities to inspire creativity and foster collaboration. The authors note that in order to enable organizations to transfer knowledge effectively, mechanisms for dispute settlement, mediation of cultural conflict, and enforcing agreements need to be in place.