Knowledge is a broad and abstract notion that has defined epistemological debate in western philosophy since the classical Greek era. In the past few years, however, there has been a growing interest in treating knowledge as a significant organizational resource. Consistent with the interest in organizational knowledge and knowledge management (KM), IS researchers have begun promoting a class of information systems, referred to as knowledge management systems (KMS). The objective of KMS is to support creation, transfer, and application of knowledge in organizations. Knowledge and knowledge management are complex and multi-faceted concepts. Thus, effective development and implementation of KMS requires a foundation in several rich literatures.

/pdf/review-knowledge-management-and-knowledge-management-systems-1mpbigqrg8.pdf

Review: Knowledge management and knowledge management systems: conceptual foundations and research issues

The author systematically examines one of the important issues of information — establishing the market price. He introduces the concept of «search» — where a buyer wanting to get a better price, is forced to question sellers. The article deals with various aspects of finding the necessary information.

Economics of Information

Organizational learning II: Theory, method and practice

What makes organizations so similar? We contend that the engine of rationalization and bureaucratization has moved from the competitive marketplace to the state and the professions. Once a set of organizations emerges as a field, a paradox arises: rational actors make their organizations increasingly similar as they try to change them. We describe three isomorphic processes-coercive, mimetic, and normative—leading to this outcome. We then specify hypotheses about the impact of resource centralization and dependency, goal ambiguity and technical uncertainty, and professionalization and structuration on isomorphic change. Finally, we suggest implications for theories of organizations and social change.

The iron cage revisited: Institutional isomorphism and collective rationality in organizational fields (Chinese Translation)

The knowledge-based theory of the firm suggests that knowledge is the organizational asset that enables sustainable competitive advantage in hypercompetitive environments. The emphasis on knowledge in today’s organizations is based on the assumption that barriers to the transfer and replication of knowledge endow it with strategic importance. Many organizations are developing information systems designed specifically to facilitate the sharing and integration of knowledge. Such systems are referred to as Knowledge Management System (KMS). Because KMS are just beginning to appear in organizations, little research and field data exists to guide the development and implementation of such systems or to guide expectations of the potential benefits of such systems. This study provides an analysis of current practices and outcomes of KMS and the nature of KMS as they are evolving in fifty organizations. The findings suggest that interest in KMS across a variety of industries is very high, the technological foundations are varied, and the major

/pdf/knowledge-management-systems-issues-challenges-and-benefits-222tt92d4z.pdf

Knowledge management systems: issues, challenges, and benefits

Since the early 1970s, decision support systems (DSS) technology and applications have evolved significantly. Many technological and organizational developments have exerted an impact on this evolution. DSS once utilized more limited database, modeling, and user interface functionality, but technological innovations have enabled far more powerful DSS functionality. DSS once supported individual decision-makers, but later DSS technologies were applied to workgroups or teams, especially virtual teams. The advent of the Web has enabled inter-organizational decision support systems, and has given rise to numerous new applications of existing technology as well as many new decision support technologies themselves. It seems likely that mobile tools, mobile e-services, and wireless Internet protocols will mark the next major set of developments in DSS. This paper discusses the evolution of DSS technologies and issues related to DSS definition, application, and impact. It then presents four powerful decision support tools, including data warehouses, OLAP, data mining, and Web-based DSS. Issues in the field of collaborative support systems and virtual teams are presented. This paper also describes the state of the art of optimization-based decision support and active decision support for the next millennium. Finally, some implications for the future of the field are discussed.

Past, present, and future of decision support technology

research. Given this unique “generational” vantage point, we present the changes in and impact of DSS research as well as future considerations for decision support in the IS field. We argue that the DSS area has remained vital as technology has evolved and our understanding of decision-making processes has deepened. DSS work over the last several years has contributed both breadth and depth to decision-making research; the challenge now is to make sense of it all by placing it in an understandable context and by applying our analysis to the relevant issues looming in the future. One major outcome of this commentary is the identification of future trends in DSS research and what the users of these new DSS outlets can learn from the past. Trends include the increasing impact of social and mobile computing on DSS research, as well as knowledge management DSS and negotiation support systems that shift the focus to delivering more customer-centric and marketplace support.

/pdf/a-look-toward-the-future-decision-support-systems-research-6fko47ghh5.pdf

A Look Toward the Future: Decision Support Systems Research is Alive and Well

This paper explores the theoretical underpinning of data exchange research, specifically Electronic Data Interchange (EDI), over the period from 1993 to 2002. It identifies the underlying research paradigms applied to examination of data exchange, and determines conceptual and theoretical gaps in previous research on data exchange in interorganizational relationships (IORs). Sixty-eight articles are analyzed. Results suggest a predominant concern with the outcomes realized with EDI adoption and use. There appears to be a shift in emphasis from dyadic relationships to networks. As a majority of the studies are of the survey nature using single cross-sectional snapshots, the emphasis appears to be on short-term outcomes of EDI-enabled relationships. Implications of the findings are discussed.

Data exchange in interorganizational relationships: review through multiple conceptual lenses

A conceptual contingency model matching the characteristics of knowledge acquisition (KA) methodologies to several decision types is proposed KA methodologies are divided into three categories: knowledge engineer-driven, expert-driven, and machine-driven To evaluate current KA methodologies, a framework is proposed by addressing the nature of knowledge and problem domains Different methodologies in each category are described and evaluated for their ability to support various kinds of problem domain and the types of knowledge they are designed to elicit A contingency model mapping these methodologies to Mintzberg's managerial decision categories is developed Implications of the proposed model and future research directions are addressed

A survey of knowledge acquisition techniques and their relevance to managerial problem domains

"Inquiring Organizations: Moving from Knowledge Management to Wisdom' assembles into one volume a comprehensive collection of the key current thinking regarding the use of C. West Churchman's Design of Inquiring Systems as a basis for computer-based inquiring systems design and implementation. Inquiring systems are systems that go beyond knowledge management to actively inquire about their environment. While self-adaptive is an appropriate adjective for inquiring systems, they are critically different from self-adapting systems as they have evolved in the fields of computer science or artificial intelligence. Inquiring systems draw on epistemology to guide knowledge creation and organizational learning. As such, we can for the first time ever, begin to entertain the notion of support for "wise" decision-making. Readers of "Inquiring Organizations: Moving from Knowledge Management to Wisdom" will gain an appreciation for the role that epistemology can play in the design of the next generation of knowledge management systems, systems that focus on supporting wise decision-making processes.

James F. Courtney

Papers

Past, present, and future of decision support technology

A Look Toward the Future: Decision Support Systems Research is Alive and Well

Data exchange in interorganizational relationships: review through multiple conceptual lenses

A survey of knowledge acquisition techniques and their relevance to managerial problem domains

Inquiring Organizations: Moving From Knowledge Management To Wisdom