Creating the Discipline of Knowledge Management: The Latest in University Research by Michael Stankosky

Product Description

In this book Dr. Michael Stankosky, founder of the first doctoral program in knowledge management, sets out to provide a rationale and solid research basis for establishing Knowledge Management (KM) as an academic discipline. While it is widely known that Knowledge is the driver of our knowledge economy, Knowledge Management does not yet have the legitimacy that only rigorous academic research can provide. This book lays out the argument for KM as a separate academic discipline, with its own body of knowledge (theoretical constructs), guiding principles, and professional society.


In creating an academic discipline, there has to be a widely accepted theoretical construct, arrived at by undergoing scholarly scientific investigation and accompanying rigor. This construct becomes the basis for an academic curriculum, and proven methodologies for practice. Thus, the chapters in this book bridge theory and practice, providing guiding principles to those embarking on or evaluating the merits of a KM program.

As a methodology itself for undertaking the development of a body of knowledge, a KM Research Map was developed to guide scholars, researchers, and practitioners. This book presents this map, and showcases cutting-edge scholarship already performed in this nascent field by including the dissertation results of eleven KM scholar/practitioners.

*First book to provide cutting-edge research from new scholars in Knowledge Management
*Provides a rationale and research base for establishing knowledge management as an academic discipline
*Research from the first doctoral program in knowledge management in North America, at George Washington University
Product Details
Amazon Sales Rank: #783362 in Books
Published on: 2005-02-14
Number of items: 1
Binding: Paperback
256 pages
Editorial Reviews

Download Description
In this book Dr. Michael Stankosky, founder of the first doctoral program in knowledge management, sets out to provide a rationale and solid research basis for establishing Knowledge Management (KM) as an academic discipline. While it is widely known that Knowledge is the driver of our knowledge economy, Knowledge Management does not yet have the legitimacy that only rigorous academic research can provide. This book lays out the argument for KM as a separate academic discipline, with its own body of knowledge (theoretical constructs), guiding principles, and professional society.

Review
"Michael Stankosky has been, and continues to be, the single strongest driving force behind the evolution and development of knowledge management as a legitimate and respected academic discipline and pursuit. For years to come, this collection will be viewed as a seminal work of knowledge management scholarship."
--Hugh McKellar, Editor-in-Chief, KMWorld Magazine

"This well crafted manuscript is like a gyroscope grounded in values of the Knowledge Economy moving toward a vision of more sustainable
enterprises, nation and world. It is a timely, refreshing and fundamental gift to the knowledge profession. With compelling doctoral research,
Stankosky provides a solid foundation for the principles, practices and policies for real-time knowledge innovation the management competence of
the decade.
- Debra M. Amidon, Founder and CEO of ENTOVATION International Ltd and author of The Innovation SuperHighway

"An important collection of research findings that will act as a catalyst in the process of moving doctrine into concepts for practical application."
- Dave Britt, VP/GM, Knowledge Solutions Business Sector

"Creating the Discipline of Knowledge Management is an excellent reference for the KM practitioner, reflecting the diversity, both in depth and breadth, of this emerging discipline. The diversity revealed within the book supports the ongoing need for a unified KM ontology to frame this critical discipline. The research results additionally provide academic legitimacy for the successes we have been able to achieve with knowledge awareness at General Motors."
-- Steven Wieneke, GM Technical Fellow
Global Technical Memory, General Motors Corporation

"The core principles of Knowledge Management are an integral part of every corporate culture. Daily we perform aspects of knowledge management without realizing the source, benefits, or fully
understanding the underlying process. With this book, Michael illustrates an easy to use framework to link elements from multiple sources into a cohesive and workable enterprise strategy.
-- Wil Vargas, Director of Knowledge Management,
United Way of America

"This grouping of dissertations surrounding the important KM concepts promulgated by George Washington University, and in particular Professor
Michael Stankosky, captures and illuminates the early academic connections as the field emerged, and continues to emerge. This book is the first work
of its kind, and as such professionals who take the time to navigate its academic approach will discover worthwhile nuggets that point to the
continuing growth and importance of the field. I salute these brave architects of a new discipline!"
-- Alex Bennet, Co-Founder, Mountain Quest Institute; Former Chief Knowledge Officer for the US Department of Navy

"Inside the knowledge box - Dr Stankosky and his team help us understand the main dimensions of the knowledge construct and the need to manage critical
relationships to ensure the success of the KM enterprise and maximize business value."
-- Bruno A. Laporte, Manager, Knowledge and Operations, WorldBank

"Knowledge has always been the primary driving force of business and government. Today the speed of business demands that knowledge be managed as a vital resource in our highly-networked, global economy.
In this book Dr. Stankosky has assembled a dozen important research works that advance the scientific underpinning of Knowledge Management,
and argue forcefully for its treatment as a discipline that fuses technical and management sciences. An outstanding contribution to this
critical field!"
--Dave Chesebrough, President, AFEI

Download Description
In this book Dr. Michael Stankosky, founder of the first doctoral program in knowledge management, sets out to provide a rationale and solid research basis for establishing Knowledge Management (KM) as an academic discipline. While it is widely known that Knowledge is the driver of our knowledge economy, Knowledge Management does not yet have the legitimacy that only rigorous academic research can provide. This book lays out the argument for KM as a separate academic discipline, with its own body of knowledge (theoretical constructs), guiding principles, and professional society.

The Executive's Role in Knowledge Management by Carla O'Dell

Product Description

The absolute, most critical success factor in knowledge management (KM) success is senior-level support. The Executive's Role in Knowledge Management can help senior managers set sensible, yet aggressive, expectations and goals for a KM initiative and help KM practitioners who must establish a compelling business case to gain senior-level support.

For those who grasp the potential of their organizations' knowledge assets and want to develop strategies for leveraging them, this book can act as a guidebook. For those who are actively involved in crafting their organization's knowledge-based business strategy, this book offers the perspectives of leaders who have faced this challenge and succeeded. For those who want to use knowledge and learning to support existing core competencies, as well as create new ones, this book offers excellent examples. Most importantly, this book is for senior managers who lead by example and want to adapt successful approaches that will result in significant gains.

With examples from Ford Motor Co., the World Bank, IBM Corp., Caterpillar Inc., NASA, Best Buy Co. Inc., Schlumberger Ltd., Air Products and Chemicals Inc., Millennium Pharmaceuticals Inc., Xerox Corp., and more, this book draws on APQC's years of research and pares down the information to the core KM principles and proven practices, with an unwavering focus on the bottom line.

What others are saying about The Executive's Role in Knowledge Management:

Nobody has more knowledge than Carla O'Dell and APQC about how to make knowledge management pay off. If knowledge is important to your business--and isn't that true everywhere?--you can't afford not to manage it. This book goes well beyond theory, with tangible measures, real-world examples of financial gains, and a frank discussion of what elements of KM implementation will cost.--Thomas H. Davenport, president's distinguished professor, Babson College, and Accenture Fellow

As you move down the path from knowledge sharing to being knowledge-driven as an organization, the lessons learned by APQC in their research of best practices in more than 300 organizations are invaluable in providing guideposts for executives to lead their organizations forward. You could not have a better guide to the future. --Robert H. Buckman, former president of Buckman Laboratories International Inc.
Product Details
Amazon Sales Rank: #404842 in Books
Published on: 2004-04-28
Binding: Paperback
129 pages
Editorial Reviews

Thomas H. Davenport, president's distinguished professor, Babson College, and Accenture Fellow
This book goes well beyond theory, with tangible measures and a frank discussion of what KM implementation will cost.

Bob Paladino, senior vice president of global performance, Crown Castle International Corp.
A practical approach to translate intangible, knowledge-based assets into tangible outcomes for shareholders, customers, operations, and people.

Robert H. Buckman, former president of Buckman Laboratories International Inc.
You could not have a better guide to the future.
Customer Reviews

An Invaluable Source of Information and Wisdom

In a previous book, If Only We Knew What We Know, Carla O'Dell and C. Jackson Grayson focus on what they call "beds of knowledge" that are "hidden resources of intelligence that exist in almost every organization, relatively untapped and unmined." They suggest all manner of effective strategies to "tap into this hidden asset, capturing it, organizing it, transferring it, and using it to create customer value, operational excellence, and product innovation -- all the while increasing profits and effectiveness." In this volume, O'Dell explains how to devise and then sustain a systematic process of connecting people to people and people to the knowledge they need to act effectively and create new knowledge. Her observations and recommendations are based on several decades of research conducted by the American Productivity & Quality Center (APQC) of which she continues to serve as president, and, on her own direct association and involvement with knowledge management initiatives at all manner of organizations.

O'Dell's focus is on knowledge management (KM) leadership and that includes but by no means is limited to C-level executives. She correctly insists that effective KM must be achieved and then sustained at all levels and in all areas of the given enterprise. Of greatest interest to me is what she has to say about communities of practice (CoP). With rigor and eloquence, she examines several examples (e.g. Caterpillar's Knowledge Network, Ford Motor Company's CoPs, best practices transfer, and After-Action Review, Halliburton's Energy Services Group, and IBM's CoP that focuses on expertise, content, collaboration, and learning), all of which illustrate these common components:

1. The skill of the community leader rather than senior management is the most critical success factor.

2. The CoP reflects a necessary and natural grouping of people to create and share knowledge.

3. Because supply-driven efforts are rarely successful, their CoP creates and maintains its content, rather than having content created for it by other sources.

4. Those involved recognize as well as experience the value of collaborative interaction between and among them.

5. Local community knowledge transcends the local context and personal experience of contributors, thereby creating critical knowledge for "the global community."

Although O'Dell's exemplary organizations are all major corporations, it is important to keep in mind that any organization (regardless of size and nature) can establish and then sustain a CoP, one that has an effective content management system. O'Dell explains how to devise, implement, and then maintain one.

In the final chapter, she responds to a question several of her readers may ask: "Where do I go from here?" She recommends a nine-step process that begins with "getting smart" by understanding knowledge-sharing behaviors and support systems. "Read. Benchmark. Get feedback." The last step is to sustain improvements while planning to "scale up" by extending as well as enhancing them.

I highly recommend this book and the aforementioned If Only We Knew What We Know as well as the APQC resources identified on Pages 127-129. Also Thomas H. Davenport's Competing on Analytics: The New Science of Winning (co-authored with Jeanne G. Harris) and Thinking for a Living: How to Get Better Performances and Results from Knowledge Workers; Stephen Denning's The Springboard: How Storytelling Ignites Action in Knowledge-Era Organizations and The Leader's Guide to Storytelling: Mastering the Art and Discipline of Business Narrative; Peter Senge's The Fifth Discipline: The Art & Practice of The Learning Organization and The Dance of Change: The Challenges to Sustaining Momentum in Learning Organizations (co-authored with Art Kleiner, Charlotte Roberts, and George Roth); Dean R. Spitzer's Transforming Performance Measurement: Rethinking the Way We Measure and Drive Organizational Success; Deborah Ancona and Henrik Bresman's X-teams: How to Build Teams That Lead, Innovate and Succeed; James P. Andrew's Payback: Reaping the Rewards of Innovation; and Richard Ogle's Smart World: Breakthrough Creativity and the New Science of Ideas.