Keynote paper: knowledge management: a systems perspective

Abstract

Using a systems perspective, this paper synthesises many of the most important concepts in Knowledge Management (KM) and provides a fresh viewpoint on many of them. It represents a coherent and unified systems view of KM that uses the accepted terminology of the field and, unlike many KM papers, is not idiosyncratic. This paper adopts a systems perspective at three levels: (1) the level of specific Knowledge Management Systems (KMS) that support KM activities and processes; (2) 'the' KM system that includes KM goals, processes, strategies, culture and the manner in which KM is organised and (3) the overall organisational system of knowledge-related activities. The approach taken is rather comprehensive in that it deals with KM from the microlevel (e.g. what is knowledge?) to the macrolevel of how KM should be organised and the systems architecture of knowledge-related organisational functions.