Knowledge Management: An Introduction

Citation

Cooke, L. (2012), "Knowledge Management: An Introduction", Journal of Documentation, Vol. 68 No. 6, pp. 884-885. https://doi.org/10.1108/00220411211277109

The authors of this comprehensive introductory textbook have a wealth of “real‐world” experience and academic knowledge that they bring to their writing in this useful addition to the knowledge management (KM) literature. The text is broad in scope and goes well beyond the “introduction” to the topic implied by the title. The book is divided into three main sections: the first part covers core theoretical concepts in an accessible and reader friendly manner; part two puts these concepts into context via exploration of some of the key critical activities involved in the KM lifecycle (knowledge creation, organisation, transfer and application); and part three illustrates the strategic application of KM in organisations. The case study vignettes, comprehensive glossary and discussion questions at the end of each chapter all make this a useful text to support an academic course in KM and enable students to make the theory‐into‐practice links that can sometimes be quite hard to develop.

Throughout the book, points are illustrated using a good choice of case studies mostly drawn from the public sector. The content is mostly very up‐to‐date, which is important in a fast‐moving field such as KM. In particular, there is a strong focus on aspects such as knowledge organisation, knowledge sharing and competitive intelligence – all relevant to KM programmes at both the undergraduate and postgraduate levels, making this a versatile and flexible addition to the literature. Chapter recaps and graphic illustrations or tables are also used to good effect resulting in a user‐friendly and comprehensible text.

However, it should be noted that the text evidences a significant US‐orientation, and the case studies are mostly drawn from the US – not surprising given the authors' background, but a more global perspective would have been welcome. In addition, many of the case studies are reproduced from existing literature, rather than from the authors' own experience. Nevertheless, they are used to good effect to illustrate key points, and their reproduction here is useful and timely. There are also a lot of examples drawn from a library context: useful for some, but I am not sure that all readers will appreciate this. The book suffers from the editorial style adopted by Facet, with very small print and at £49.95 for a paperback edition is not cheap. However, given the breadth and depth of content it still provides value for money, and is a useful text that I have already recommended to students and have used in my own teaching.