Annotated Bibliography

Annotated Bibliography

By
James Jung
(363183)

Trinity Western University

MBA 570: Business Information
Instructor: Frank Ezinga
July 28, 2015

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Assegaff, S. & Hussin, A. (2012). Review of Knowledge Management Systems as socialtechnical system. University Technology Malaysia: Malaysia.
The article written by Assegaff and Hussin explains the importance of Knowledge
Management in the organization as it contributes in sustainable competitive advantages for
organization. The authors developed framework based on studies have been done by other
researchers that can be used by manager and practitioner as a guidance in developing and
implementing Knowledge Management under social-technical system. Moreover, the authors
claim that there are three general perspectives derive from a different point of view in
understanding what the KM is. First perspective focuses on databases, information systems,
knowledge structure, and the development and KM based on universal and standardized rules.
Second perspective emphasizes the flow of information among self-managing groups that
considers a team as the primary holder of information. The third perspective approaches
knowledge management as the interaction between physical resources, and social and
organizational processes. The authors specifically explains the process of Knowledge Manage
implementation with using technology in order to help companies to make numerous
contribution such as reducing time, cost, support better services for customers with showing
figures and models. Unfortunately, the authors do not explain how successfully the framework
that they development for implementation of KM under social technology, but the study is
relevant because it provides an effective guideline to managers for developing and implementing
the Knowledge Manage System.

Derek, B. (2001). The Knowledge Management Spectrum- understanding the KM

landscape, Journal of Knowledge Management 5(1): 33-44. Retrieved from
www.bellanet.org/km
Brinney provides a framework of all the existing KM options, applications and
technologies available in his article in order to support organizations in understanding the range
available to them. The frame work, entitled the KM spectrum, has a two-fold aim: firstly to
minimize confusion in the field, and secondly, to provide a quick checklist for organizational
assessments. The KM spectrum is consist of six categories or elements, each of which captures
a particular aspect of the KM field. The author suggests that all current KM applications can be
fitted into one of these six categories, as illustrated in the KM spectrum table below (Table 1).
The first three elements (comprising transactional, analytical and asset management KM
applications) are mostly used by technologists seeking to gather and systematize existing
information. The last three elements (comprising process, developmental and innovation/creation
KM applications) are mostly used by those KM consultants focused on organizational
management and processes. Brinney concludes by urging organizations to use the KM spectrum
as a tool to choose KM applications from a wider range than they might normally tend to use.

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Table 1. KM applications mapped to the six elements of the KM spectrum (Source: Derek,
2001:35)

Yogesh, M. (2001). Organizational controls as enablers and constraints in successful

knowledge management systems implementation. Knowledge Management and Business
Model Innovation. Idea Group Publishing: Hershey, PA, USA.
The author discusses the role of organizational controls and procedures in relation to
knowledge management, and brings up the question of whether organizational controls enable
knowledge sharing and knowledge generation, or whether they constrain them. The point of his
argument is that knowledge management can be seen as a way to control the knowledge sharing
behaviour of the organizations staff. When this happens, effective knowledge management is
severely constrained. Constraining knowledge procedures are usually presented with pre-decided
goals, blueprint recipes for achieving these goals, and recipe guidelines for employees to follow.
The procedures tend to reinforce organizational stability.
The author, Malhortra, also suggests that the most successful knowledge management
systems are the systems that encourage the autonomy and self-control of organization members,
instead of attempting to impose procedures that aim to modify or constrain their behaviour. He
argues that knowledge management procedures should be designed based on the principles of
semi-confusing information systems which attempt to draw not only on past experiences, but
also on expectations of future experiences. The approach takes into account the fact that
knowledge in an organization is not fixed but is continuously changing, and therefore past
experiences are not always a reliable guide to how to plan for future experiences. Staff become
more able to deal own judgements, and take decisive action to capture increasingly shorter
windows of opportunity,

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Ikujiro, N. (2000). The knowledge-creating company: how Japanese companies create the
dynamics of innovation. Oxford University Press: New York and Oxford
Nonaka, who is a Japanese business expert, has become famous in the West because of
his analysis of knowledge creating strategies. The author discusses that the competitive
advantage of Japanese firms can be based on four modes of knowledge creation, which are
externalization, combination, internalization, and socialization. Moreover, he also
developed seven guidelines for companies wishing to adopt the knowledge-creating model:
1. Create a knowledge vision: According to the author, he states that top management will
be evaluated not only by economic performance but also by the quality of their
knowledge vision and their ability to communicate and share it with employees and other
managers in the organization. The managers should have clear knowledge vision in order
to provide direction for staff so that they can develop the proper knowledge. Meanwhile,
it should allow employees have enough time to interpret it to fit with their working
environment.
2. Develop a knowledge crew: It is impossible to create knowledge without the
involvement of individual employees. Therefore, a knowledge creating organization
needs to have a diverse range of talents.
3. Build a high-density field of interaction at the front line: A high-density field means
that there is intense and frequent interaction between staff members. Facilitating
environments can be constructed or created through three ways: physical layout (e.g.
open-plan offices), regular events (e.g. weekly update meetings), or organizational
structure (e.g. cross-functional or new product teams).
4. Piggyback on the new-product development process: The author argues that how
well a company manages the new-product development process becomes the critical
determinant of how successfully organizational knowledge creation can be carried out
(p. 231). New-product development can be improved by sustaining a flexible
organizational approach to trial and error.
5. Adopt middle-up-down management: While top management of an organization
outline a vision of what ought to be, front line staff experience what really is. The
author recommends that the middle managers can narrow the tension between reality and
vision. Their job can be summarized as making explicit the tacit knowledge of both top
management and front line staff.
6. Switch to a hypertext organization: A hypertext organizational structure is a structure
that combines the flexibility of a task force with the efficiency of a
hierarchy/bureaucracy. These two modes of operating can be seen as a complementary
rather than mutually exclusive.
7. Construct a knowledge network with the outside world: one of the most difficult tasks
of an organization can be to tap into and mobilize the tacit knowledge held by its outside
stakeholders. Stakeholders have needs, demands and valuable knowledge, but frequently
do not explicitly articulate this.

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Saade, R., Nebebe, F., Mak, T. (2011). Knowledge management systems development:
theory and practice. Interdisciplinary Journal of information, knowledge, and
management.
The authors, who are the research professor at Concordia University, studied the
implementation and development knowledge management in online education industry. The
authors discuss that crafting of online educational systems lie within three principal activities:
Design of the system, implementation, and proper post-implementation assessment. Moreover,
currently, there is not enough knowledge or experience in online educational system industry.
The authors also argue that the implementation of online education systems is significantly
different from other technology adoption. Many researchers agree that knowledge management
is difficult due to the inherent nature of knowledge, which is highly dependent on the two
primary variables: the human element and the social context. The authors also emphasize the
importance of development of knowledge management system in the education because
education will become the center of the knowledge society, and the school its key institution.
The implementation of an online educational system should be designed based on established
pedagogical principles, and once developed the assessment of students behavior should be
monitored using management information systems methodology. Furthermore, the authors
present the design of an online education system, and the experience of the students using the
system. While they are explaining how to design an online education system, they show the
knowledge architecture that is important model for the accurate transmission and reception of
knowledge as the figure below. I think the paper was very solid and well-explained how the
knowledge management system can be used in education and improve the learning process of
students.

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Figure 1. Knowledge Architecture in the Online Educational Subsystems.