Knowledge Management in Organizations is the most comprehensive and critical textbook on the subject. Encompassing a number of perspectives - including organizational behaviour, HRM, systems, and sociocultural factors - the text introduces the concept of knowledge before examining how it can be effectively managed within the organizations in which we work.
The international author team ensure the broad theoretical coverage is brought to life with practical illustrations and case studies exploring topics such as knowledge sharing via social media, knowledge transfer in different cultural contexts, and the interaction of leadership, culture, and knowledge management in Australian SMEs. Examples are diverse, international, and highly relevant to each chapter, showcasing the significance of knowledge management in all types of organizational settings.
'Time to Reflect' boxes, review and discussion questions, and a question or activity to accompany every illustration and case study ensure students are challenged to engage with the subject critically and reflectively. Despite the critical approach and depth of coverage, the text remains accessible through its widely praised writing style, coherent structure, in-chapter definition boxes, and manageable size.
This book is accompanied by a selection of online resources:
For students:
Extra online cases
Web links to additional resources and relevant websites
Extension questions
For lecturers:
Suggested exam questions
Suggested essay/coursework questions
Suggestions for classroom activities
Figures and tables from the book
1: The Contemporary Importance of Knowledge and Knowledge Management
Part 1: Epistemologies of Knowledge in the Knowledge Management Literature
2: The Objectivist Perspective on Knowledge
3: The Practice-Based Perspective on Knowledge
Part 2: An Introduction to Key Concepts
4: What is Knowledge Management?
5: Knowledge Intensive Firms and Knowledge Workers
6: Learning and Knowledge Management
Part 3: Innovation, Knowledge Creation and Unlearning
7: Innovation and Knowledge Processes
8: Unlearning, Knowledge Loss, of the Protection of Knowledge
Part 4: Introduction to ICTs and Knowledge Management
9: Objectivist Perspectives on ICTs and Knowledge Management
10: Practice-based Perspectives on ICTs and Knowledge Management
Part 5: Socio-Cultural Issues Related To Managing and Sharing Knowledge
11: The Influence of Socio-Cultural Factors in Motivating Workers to Participate in Knowledge Management Initiatives
12: Communities of Practice
13: Boundary-Spanning Knowledge Processes in Heterogeneous Collaborations
14: Power, Politics, Conflict, and Knowledge Processes
Part 6: The Management of Knowledge Work (and Workers)
15: Facilitating Knowledge Management via the Use of Human Resource Management Practices
16: Leadership, Organizational Culture Management, and Knowledge Management