Education and training in the knowledge‐based economy
| DOI | https://doi.org/10.1108/03055720610667390 |
| Published date | 01 January 2006 |
| Date | 01 January 2006 |
| Pages | 85-96 |
| Author | John Psarras |
| Subject Matter | Information & knowledge management |
Education and training in the
knowledge-based economy
John Psarras
School of Electrical and Computer Engineering,
National Technical University of Athens, Athens, Greece
Abstract
Purpose – Knowledge management (KM) has recently received considerable attention in the
computer information systems community and is continually gaining interest by industry, enterprises
and academia. As one moves into an era of “knowledge capitalism”, KM in combination with
information management, will play a fundamental role in the success of transforming individual
knowledge into organisational knowledge. The increasing economic importance of knowledge, which
nowadays redefines the links among education, work and learning, makes the role of KM quite crucial.
The main purpose of this paper is to propose new ways of using KM for the development of modern
education and training.
Design/methodology/approach – The paper presents the basic issues related to KM, by reviewing
key contributions to the field. It then discusses the applicability of KM concepts and principles to
education and training, presents real and successful examples and proposes innovative ways in order
to apply KM techniques in this field.
Findings – The main finding is that KM can successfully contribute to the development of education
and training in the context of the new knowledge-based economy.
Practical implications – The main implication is the need to explore how companies and
organisations can efficiently and effectively adopt such KM approaches for education and training.
Originality/value – The distinguishing feature of this study is that it shows that the key concepts of
KM can be used for education and training purposes, something that in turn can help companies to
leverage the skills and expertise of its members and consequently to maintain and enhance their
knowledge capital.
Keywords Knowledge management, Education, Training,Knowledge economy
Paper type Research paper
1. Introduction
Society is entering into an era where the future essentially will be determined by
people’s ability to wisely use knowledge, a precious global resource that is the
embodiment of human intellectual capital and technology. The knowledge-based
economy places great importance on the diffusion and use of information and
knowledge, as well as its creation. In this new economy, individuals and companies are
obliged to focus on maintaining and enhancing their knowledge capital in order to
innovate, and their ability to learn, adapt and change becomes a core competency for
survival.
In the last decade knowledge management (KM) has started to emerge as an area of
interest in academia and organisational practice. The literature reveals a rapidly
increasing body of knowledge relating to KM that covers many different disciplines
and areas of interest to academics and practitioners (Nonaka, 1991; Wiig, 1993;
Metaxiotis et al., 2002; Quintas et al., 1997; Davenport et al., 1998; Leonard, 1999).
Although there is a recognition that knowledge is a key business asset, organisations
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Education and
training
85
VINE: The journal of information and
knowledge management systems
Vol. 36 No. 1, 2006
pp. 85-96
qEmerald Group Publishing Limited
0305-5728
DOI 10.1108/03055720610667390
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