The Duality of Knowledge

Paul Hildreth and Chris Kimble ()
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Paul Hildreth: CS-YORK - Department of Computer Science [York] - University of York [York, UK]

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Abstract: Knowledge Management (KM) is a field that has attracted much attention both in academic and practitioner circles. Most KM projects appear to be primarily concerned with knowledge that can be quantified and can be captured, codified and stored - an approach more deserving of the label Information Management. Recently there has been recognition that some knowledge cannot be quantified and cannot be captured, codified or stored. However, the predominant approach to the management of this knowledge remains to try to convert it to a form that can be handled using the 'traditional' approach. In this paper, we argue that this approach is flawed and some knowledge simply cannot be captured. A method is needed which recognises that knowledge resides in people: not in machines or documents. We will argue that KM is essentially about people and the earlier technology driven approaches, which failed to consider this, were bound to be limited in their success. One possible way forward is offered by Communities of Practice, which provide an environment for people to develop knowledge through interaction with others in an environment where knowledge is created nurtured and sustained.

Keywords: knowledge management; community of practice; communities of practice; knowledge; tacit; soft; explicit; hard; duality; participation; reification; wenger; lave; nonaka; polanyi; information; boundary; constructionist; representational (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2002-10-15
Note: View the original document on HAL open archive server: https://shs.hal.science/halshs-00492437v1
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Citations: View citations in EconPapers (28)

Published in Information Research, 2002, 8 (1), paper 142

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