Knowledge Management for the Information Professional

Citation

Yeates, R. (2002), "Knowledge Management for the Information Professional", Program: electronic library and information systems, Vol. 36 No. 2, pp. 136-138. https://doi.org/10.1108/prog.2002.36.2.136.7

The title of this large textbook makes no attempt to clarify what knowledge management (KM) is. Not so the content. In many ways this tome is about perspectives on KM from a number of contributors whose appendixed biographies run to some 12 pages. Is KM for global corporations, medical and legal professions, or information professionals in general? What is new about it? How did it evolve and what concepts can be somehow made a part of the KM world view?

There is much talk in this work of unfolding, emerging and realisation, and the opening chapters give a fine sense for experienced information professionals and novices alike of how the concept of KM might guide activities designed to help organisations innovate, survive or relate to others.

The book is divided into five areas: overview of KM; background and issues in KM; KM – creating the culture of learning and knowledge sharing in the organisation; KM – the tools; and KM – the application. The introduction claims that the book looks at KM “in a broader transorganisational context” than other works that are often about firms looking to gain competitive advantage. In fact much here is also written from that point of view, and the structure and thematic progression are clearer in that context. As if the editors realised that a collection of essays such as this risks lacking coherence, they have included not only an initial overview, but also introductory notes to each section.

The initial overview introduces, through facet analysis, topics much mentioned later, such as explicit and tacit knowledge assets, both internal and external, and technology infrastructures relating to online systems, measurement, intranets, collaborative groupware, benchmarking and information technologies. It also usefully includes a diagram and commentary including a list of “buzzword” systems of the last decade or more, and how these evolved to include newer concepts such as intellectual and social capital, to achieve knowledge management itself. Thus KM makes organisations more productive, effective and successful, providing responses to an awareness of increasing environmental complexity and information overload.

Probably the best part of the whole book is the first section, containing attempts to synthesise the history of KM and its antecedents. The chapter on the evolution of KM, for example, demonstrates in‐depth professional information experience. It also shows a healthy recognition that much of the terminology, such as intellectual capital and KM itself, has been popularised mainly by the large global management consultants that have tried to make the influence of their work ever more pervasive. These early chapters extract relevance from a huge (mainly US) literature of business management. This approach gives readers who may be unfamiliar with general management theory a strong introduction to the context in which library and information services will surely be working now and in the future. For anyone in doubt as to where information professionals might fit in future businesses, Judith Albert of Ernst and Young LLP has a thought‐provoking chapter on “Is knowledge management really the future for information professionals?” She makes the excellent point that much of the professional literature tends to suggest how information professionals will need to change their profession rather than addressing “what knowledge management means below the corporate level, which concentrates on professionalizing what we already do in the context of knowledge management”.

Unfortunately, not all of this book contains such interesting material for debate. It tries to do too much. There are sections explaining many facets of KM, but excluding many interesting perspectives and being largely biased towards major US or global corporations. Topics covered range from examples of cost‐benefit analysis and econometric calculations that demonstrate a need for change, to an extraordinary chapter by David P. Schmidt on ethics for KM that begins: “This chapter argues that ethics is first a matter of vision or discernment, not decision making about particular dilemmas”. We review the importance of Captain Jean‐Luc Picard of the Federation Starship Enterprise and his encounter with Dathan, captain of a Tamarian spaceship, before moving to a section on “normative ethical theory as a decision tool”. This is a tour de force chapter reminiscent of the best undergraduate tutorials, which equally left one wondering if it was all worth it for the final conclusion: “Knowledge managers will most ably advance the state of their ethics by remembering to include the knowledge of those whom they serve”.

Such a chapter only serves to make the following ones on learning organisations and moving from knowledge as a possession to knowledge through participation seem rather bland, although they display considerable erudition, insights and thematic organisation. Looking at tools begins to seem downright mundane and pedestrian by the time we reach them on page 235. How many students will require the admittedly pithy descriptions of the Internet, World Wide Web, File Transfer Protocol, Electronic Mail and so on? Can’t we just search the Web for an overview of what a LAN or WAN is (if we actually need to know)? The section on search engines does not even include Google for some reason (probably its lack of age). Is it appropriate to include a primer on controlled vocabularies, including a full scheme for a KM thesaurus?

Part V has an eclectic selection of topical essays. They are intended as strategies and examples, ranging from health, Swedish corporation and law office case studies to a discussion of KM in developing countries. A piece on “knowledge counselling” seems to describe the traditional reference interview in the commercial context. Little of this part illuminates the earlier discussions.

The introduction and appendices as well as sections such as this indicate that the book is perhaps designed as a core text for a KM course for those without much formal information training but with perhaps some management experience. It also seems to be trying to sell itself to those who might run such a course. As such, it starts well, and includes some relevant case studies, as well as extensive reading lists, references, an index and even a course syllabus. Overall, though, it is too repetitive, with authors mentioning tacit knowledge again and again without progressive thoughts, and a lack of coherent advice or overall analysis outside the opening chapters. There are some great chapters here for teaching purposes, some useful ones for practitioners, and the whole would be a good general guide to the topic for anyone to dip into. I would recommend experienced professionals to stop reading after the first two parts.