Article Analysis

A. Introduction

1. The article

Title : "Review: Knowledge Management and Knowledge Management Systems: Conceptual Foundations and Research Issues"

Writer : Maryam Alavi (John and Lucy Cook Chair of Information Technology, Goizueta Business School, Emory University)

Dorothy E. Leidner (Texas Christian University)

Journal : MIS Quarterly Vol. 25 No 1, pp. 107-136/March 2001

Special note : this article is considered as Review articles survey, conceptualize, and synthesize prior MIS research and set directions for future research

2. The purpose of the article

The writers indicate the purpose of the article is to synthesize the relevant and knowledge-centered work from multiple disciplines, whereby contribute to and shape the understanding of Knowledge Management ("KM") and Knowledge Management Systems ("KMS") in organizations.

The authors are also having aim that the ideas, discussion, and research issues being revealed by the paper will stimulate interest and future work in the knowledge management area by IS researchers.

3. The research questions, the interesting point and the importance

The article does not explicitly state its research question, but we can draw based on the body of article, whereas the research questions are :

a. How we can define the terminology of knowledge? Its taxonomy? And to what extent the definition give impact to the KMS?

b. What are the processes of Organizational Knowledge? How can the processes to be managed effectively to achieve the organization's target? And to what extent the information system can help to manage the processes of knowledge?

c. What are the issues in the research in KM?

The interesting points of those research questions are that this research is trying to make comprehensive review on KM and KMS, plus the role of IT. Although IT is believed to be most supportive to almost all aspect of human's life, the research will still interesting because it will describe in more detail how IT will give impact in any step of KM and KMS.

Therefore, the result of this research will become guidance for other researches, particularly in the area of KM, KMS and IT. The practical implication also will be significance, because the research will describe the features of IT which will be needed in KM and KMS.

4. Overall impression

The writers have tried to describe a comprehensive explanation of knowledge, KM and the role of information technology to promote good KM in an organization. The article consists of:

a. A review of the management literature on knowledge and the firm, which provide provides a comprehensive summary of alternative views of knowledge and knowledge taxonomies and their implications for KM.

b. The explanation of process view of KM and describe this view with emphasize in identifying the role of information technologies in the various stages of the KM process.

c. A view of several important research themes that emerge from the review of literature in order to have a broader organizational perspective on KM research

The article has succeed to appraise, conceptualized and synthesize prior relevant researches in knowledge, KM and KMS to establish a compass for future research

B. Body or Analysis

1. Method and design of study

This is an explorative study, using intensive literature research. Since the objective is only to synthesize the concept of the KM and KMS from various references and multidiscipline, then the empirical research is not required.

However the author has succeed to organize systematic discussion and explanation of KM, KMS and the role of information technology, (1) begin with comprehensive summary of views of knowledge and knowledge taxonomies and their implications for KM (2) describe the process view of KM and presents this view in the potential role of IT in KM process (3) discuss important research themes that emerge from the review of the literature (4) a summary and presents the discussion of general conclusions of the work.

2. Summary or articles

a. Knowledge and the firm: An Overview and basic concept

The philosophy of knowledge is useful to consider the manifold views of knowledge as discussed in the information technology (IT), strategic management, and organizational theory literature. This will enable us to uncover some assumptions about knowledge that underlie organizational KM processes and KMS.

1) Definition of knowledge

Knowledge is the result of cognitive processing triggered by the inflow of new stimuli. The information is converted to knowledge once it is processed in the mind of individuals and knowledge becomes information once it is articulated and presented in the form of text, graphics, words, or other symbolic forms. This view brings some implication whereby (i) For individuals to arrive at the same understanding of data or information, they must share a certain knowledge base (ii) the systems designed to support knowledge in organizations will be geared toward enabling users to assign meaning to information and to capture some of their knowledge in information and/or data.

There some other perspective about knowledge, as describe on the table:

All those various perspectives suggest a different strategy for managing knowledge and the role of system in support KM as well.

2) Taxonomies of knowledge

The tacit-explicit knowledge classification is widely cited, although sundry other knowledge classifications exist. The two, tacit-explicit, are not dichotomous states of knowledge, but mutually dependent and reinforcing qualities of knowledge. Tacit knowledge forms the background necessary for assigning the structure to develop and interpret explicit knowledge. The inextricable linkage of tacit and explicit knowledge suggests that only individuals with a requisite level of shared knowledge can truly exchange knowledge.

The importance of comprehension of the concept of knowledge and knowledge taxonomies