Ebook: Knowledge Management in the SocioTechnical World: The Graffiti Continues

From the reviews:

Knowledge Management in the SocioTechnical World: the Graffiti Continues
Elayne Coakes, Dianne Willis, Steve Clarke
Star Rating ¬¬¬¬¬

Traditional information systems approaches tend to view knowledge management (KM) as a purely technical problem to be solved by appropriate methodologies and tools.

Consequently, many projects fail because they do not take into account the social contexts in which knowledge is created and managed in organisations. This book is recommended for anyone interested in understanding the social dimension to KM and how to make KM more effective.

It notes that the sociotechnical approach puts people and groups in organisations at the heart of KM, showing that in realising that knowledge resides in the people as well as in artefacts, more effective use can be made of KM methods to reach organisational 'goals. Thus, what appears to be a radical break with traditional approaches actually enhances their effectiveness.

This well written and integrated collection of papers provides a rounded introduction to sociotechnical knowledge management. The sociological, psychological, and organisational background material is succinct and accessible to those of a technical bent. The overall emphasis is very practical and there are well developed accounts of real case studies.

It is well suited to supporting continuing professional development and for advanced use.

Greg Michaelson MBCS
Senior lecturer, Heriot-Watt University

The Computer Bulletin, November 2003

"Traditional Information systems approaches tend to view knowledge management (KM) as a purely technical problem to be solved by appropriate methodologies and tools. … This book is recommended for anyone interested in understanding the social dimension to KM, and how to make KM more effective. … This well written and integrated collection of papers provides a rounded introduction to sociotechnical knowledge management. … The overall emphasis is very practical and there are well developed accounts of real case studies." (Greg Michaelson, Computer Bulletin, November, 2003)

"I enjoyed this book; if you are interested in knowledge management, you probably will too. … Overall, there is plenty of material here for both academics and practitioners interested in knowledge management. The book will also serve as useful source material to support knowledge management teaching. One unusual stylistic feature is the highlighting of key points in speech bubble call-outs from the main text." (J. Edwards, Journal of the Operational Research Society, Issue 54, 2003)

"The book … is about knowledge management from the socio-technical perspective. If you are interested in looking at the critical factors for the success of knowledge management systems in organizations from socio-technical perspective, this book will be of great use for you. This book gives a good collection of case studies and observations based on the individual and organizational experiences. … The best part of the book is looking at the real application of social aspects of knowledge management in this domain." (Bhavani Sridharan, Educational Technology and Society, Vol. 3 (5), 2002)

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This book follows on from Elayne Coakes'previous book in the CSCW series, The New SocioTech (published April 2000). Whereas that book gave a broad introduction to the re-emerging area of sociotechnical design, this one applies these principles specifically to the area of Knowledge Management (KM). KM has been a key tool in ensuring that people and technology work together to optimum effect within organisations for many years, but recent studies have called for a more systemic approach to the topic. This book examines that problem via sociotechnical principles which have recently re-emerged as one of the most widely used approaches to information systems and organisational design. Including contributions from academics and practitioners, this book looks at key aspects of the field such as:
- Knowledge management strategy formulation
- Knowledge requirements
- Case studies from corporate learning environments and industry
It will be of interest to practitioners, researchers, and managers who are involved in any aspect of information systems/sociotechnical design or knowledge management. It will also useful for advanced students on information systems or related courses.

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This book follows on from Elayne Coakes'previous book in the CSCW series, The New SocioTech (published April 2000). Whereas that book gave a broad introduction to the re-emerging area of sociotechnical design, this one applies these principles specifically to the area of Knowledge Management (KM). KM has been a key tool in ensuring that people and technology work together to optimum effect within organisations for many years, but recent studies have called for a more systemic approach to the topic. This book examines that problem via sociotechnical principles which have recently re-emerged as one of the most widely used approaches to information systems and organisational design. Including contributions from academics and practitioners, this book looks at key aspects of the field such as:
- Knowledge management strategy formulation
- Knowledge requirements
- Case studies from corporate learning environments and industry
It will be of interest to practitioners, researchers, and managers who are involved in any aspect of information systems/sociotechnical design or knowledge management. It will also useful for advanced students on information systems or related courses.

Content:
Front Matter....Pages i-x
Introduction....Pages 1-3
Knowledge Management: A Sociotechnical Perspective....Pages 4-14
Front Matter....Pages 15-15
The Knowledge Management Spectrum: The Human Factor....Pages 17-29
Organisational Ability: Constituents and Congruencies....Pages 30-42
Managing Knowledge in a Knowledge Business....Pages 43-51
Knowledge Dynamics in Organisations....Pages 52-64
Front Matter....Pages 65-65
Personality Type and the Development of Knowledge Evolution....Pages 67-76
The Importance of Individual Knowledge in Developing the Knowledge-Centric Organisation....Pages 77-89
Front Matter....Pages 91-91
Managing Customer Knowledge: A Social Construction Perspective....Pages 93-104
Facilitating Learning and Knowledge Creation in Community of Practice: A Case Study in a Corporate Learning Environment....Pages 105-120
Information Technology and Knowledge Acquisition in Manufacturing Companies: A Scandinavian Perspective....Pages 121-135
Front Matter....Pages 137-137
Methods for Knowledge Management Strategy Formulation: A Case Study....Pages 139-152
Knowledge Creation and Management: The Case of Fortum Engineering Ltd....Pages 153-169
Knowledge Requirement System (KRS): An Approach to Improving and Understanding Requirements....Pages 170-184
Managing Tacit Knowledge in Knowledge-Intensive Firms: is There a Role for Technology?....Pages 185-197
Conclusion....Pages 198-206
Back Matter....Pages 207-221

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This book follows on from Elayne Coakes'previous book in the CSCW series, The New SocioTech (published April 2000). Whereas that book gave a broad introduction to the re-emerging area of sociotechnical design, this one applies these principles specifically to the area of Knowledge Management (KM). KM has been a key tool in ensuring that people and technology work together to optimum effect within organisations for many years, but recent studies have called for a more systemic approach to the topic. This book examines that problem via sociotechnical principles which have recently re-emerged as one of the most widely used approaches to information systems and organisational design. Including contributions from academics and practitioners, this book looks at key aspects of the field such as:
- Knowledge management strategy formulation
- Knowledge requirements
- Case studies from corporate learning environments and industry
It will be of interest to practitioners, researchers, and managers who are involved in any aspect of information systems/sociotechnical design or knowledge management. It will also useful for advanced students on information systems or related courses.

Content:
Front Matter....Pages i-x
Introduction....Pages 1-3
Knowledge Management: A Sociotechnical Perspective....Pages 4-14
Front Matter....Pages 15-15
The Knowledge Management Spectrum: The Human Factor....Pages 17-29
Organisational Ability: Constituents and Congruencies....Pages 30-42
Managing Knowledge in a Knowledge Business....Pages 43-51
Knowledge Dynamics in Organisations....Pages 52-64
Front Matter....Pages 65-65
Personality Type and the Development of Knowledge Evolution....Pages 67-76
The Importance of Individual Knowledge in Developing the Knowledge-Centric Organisation....Pages 77-89
Front Matter....Pages 91-91
Managing Customer Knowledge: A Social Construction Perspective....Pages 93-104
Facilitating Learning and Knowledge Creation in Community of Practice: A Case Study in a Corporate Learning Environment....Pages 105-120
Information Technology and Knowledge Acquisition in Manufacturing Companies: A Scandinavian Perspective....Pages 121-135
Front Matter....Pages 137-137
Methods for Knowledge Management Strategy Formulation: A Case Study....Pages 139-152
Knowledge Creation and Management: The Case of Fortum Engineering Ltd....Pages 153-169
Knowledge Requirement System (KRS): An Approach to Improving and Understanding Requirements....Pages 170-184
Managing Tacit Knowledge in Knowledge-Intensive Firms: is There a Role for Technology?....Pages 185-197
Conclusion....Pages 198-206
Back Matter....Pages 207-221
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