Title: Keynote paper: knowledge management: a systems perspective

Authors: William R. King

Addresses: Katz Graduate School of Business, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA, USA

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.

Keywords: knowledge management systems; KMS; knowledge management; KM strategies; KM processes; KM goals; knowledge culture; systems architecture; organisational knowledge.

DOI: 10.1504/IJBSR.2007.014764

International Journal of Business and Systems Research, 2007 Vol.1 No.1, pp.5 - 28

Published online: 08 Aug 2007 *

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