Knowledge Management: An Integrated Approach

Citation

Rowley, J. (2006), "Knowledge Management: An Integrated Approach", Journal of Documentation, Vol. 62 No. 6, pp. 773-774. https://doi.org/10.1108/00220410610714994

The author starts this book with the statement:

The stimulus for this book came from the fact that I wanted a single knowledge management text for my postgraduate and doctoral students… I could not find a single book that covered the breadth and range of material in knowledge management. Some of the scholarly offerings came from a human resource perspective, some from practitioner orientations, while others came from strong information systems directions (p. xi).

This exactly echoes my experience when seeking a textbook for postgraduate students on a module in knowledge management, except that I would add that there are also two other challenges. First many works in this field are conceptually complex, and insufficiently clear about their point of departure or contextual assumptions. Secondly, many of them are readers or collections of contributions offering a range of different perspectives. Now whilst the nature of knowledge management as a discipline is that it is evolving and its essence and boundaries remain contested, and engaging with this complexity presses students to think about the nature of knowledge and its management, in general we all need, students, teachers, managers, and knowledge professionals alike, a core notion of the essence of knowledge management from which to start the debate. In other words we need a textbook, and there is a distinct paucity of textbooks in knowledge management. Fortunately for my students and many others Jashapara has written a book that makes an admirable contribution to filling the void.

The book has the following chapters:

1. 1.

   Introduction to knowledge management.

2. 2.

   Philosophical perspectives on knowledge.

3. 3.

   Organizational learning.

4. 4.

   Knowledge management tools: component technologies.

5. 5.

   Knowledge management systems.

6. 6.

   Strategic management perspective.

7. 7.

   Knowledge management and culture.

8. 8.

   Change management.

9. 9.

   Knowledge management and the learning organization.

10. 10.

    Intellectual capital.

Case studies, and various pause for thought points are scattered throughout the text. Each chapter opens with an opening vignette, and closes with a summary, questions for further thought, further reading and references. There is a companion web site that also provides links to other relevant sites.

This book has a number of strengths, not the least of which is its success on drawing on the various disciplines that have contributed to knowledge management and creating a coherent story from these diverse literatures. Accordingly, the reader stands to learn not only about knowledge management, but also about organizational learning and cultures, change management, and strategic management. This compilation is a tour‐de‐force that was essential for the developing discipline of knowledge management, and an endeavour that few authors have attempted let alone succeeded in. In addition, the book is clearly structured, attractively, but not over elaborately presented and illustrated, and readable. And, all of this is packed into a modest 324 pages, which means that unlike too many management and information systems books these days, it can be carried and read at the reader's convenience.

There are perhaps a couple of things that I would do differently. I see organizational learning, culture and the learning organisation to be tightly coupled and am uncomfortable with their scatter in this book. Also, the chapter on knowledge management tools is quite dense in places and really does need a little more explanation and details; I wonder whether there are really two chapters packed in here. Finally, for the next edition, the notion of wisdom might be accorded a little more attention.

By now it should be obvious that I am very positive about this book – I wish I had written it! It is a great introduction to knowledge management for students, managers and information professionals alike. Its great merit is the balanced and integrated representation of the many aspects of knowledge management with evident links to other disciplines. It should not be the end of any journey to understand knowledge management, its processes and impacts, but it is a very useful beginning.