Five Ws and one H in knowledge management education
| Published date | 13 November 2017 |
| DOI | https://doi.org/10.1108/VJIKMS-12-2016-0075 |
| Pages | 438-453 |
| Date | 13 November 2017 |
| Author | Meliha Handzic,John S. Edwards,Sandra Moffett,Alexeis Garcia-Perez,Aino Kianto,Ettore Bolisani |
| Subject Matter | Information & knowledge management,Knowledge management,Knowledge management systems |
Five Ws and one H in knowledge
management education
Meliha Handzic
Department of Information Technologies, International Burch University,
Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina
John S. Edwards
Aston Business School, Aston University, Birmingham, UK
Sandra Moffett
School of Computing and Intelligent Systems, University of Ulster, Londonderry,
UK, and International Association for Knowledge Management,
University of Padua, Vicenza, Italy
Alexeis Garcia-Perez
Centre for Business in Society, Coventry University, Coventry, UK and
International Association for Knowledge Management,
University of Padua, Vicenza, Italy
Aino Kianto
School of Business and Management, Lappeenranta University of Technology,
Lappeenranta, Finland, and
Ettore Bolisani
DTG - Department of Management and Engineering, University of Padova,
Vicenza, Italy and International Association for Knowledge Management,
University of Padua, Vicenza, Italy
Abstract
Purpose –The purpose of thispaper is to discuss key aspects of knowledge management (KM) educationin
response to challenges posedby the necessity to improve KM as a discipline and an established professional
field.
Design/methodology/approach –The paper is based on a systematic review of the currentliterature.
This review was used as input in a recent panel held at the 2016 International Conference on Knowledge
Management (ICKM). The paper brings together current literature with thought-provoking panelists’
presentationsand subsequent debates with the audience.
Findings –KM education from the “why, what, who, where and when”perspectives were first
addressed and analyzed, and the end result was a reflection on “how”to approach KM education in the
future.
Research limitations/implications –This paper effectively underlines that, KM being a relatively
new phenomenon, there is no clear consensus about roles that KM employees should play in an
organization, what KM competencies and skills are needed, and where and when these should be
obtained. Broad guidelines on how to approach KM education in the future may serve as a basis for
further research.
Practical implications –The study providessuggestions on how to place KM in adult education.
VJIKMS
47,4
438
Received23 December 2016
Revised22 April 2017
Accepted4 May 2017
VINEJournal of Information and
KnowledgeManagement Systems
Vol.47 No. 4, 2017
pp. 438-453
© Emerald Publishing Limited
2059-5891
DOI 10.1108/VJIKMS-12-2016-0075
The current issue and full text archive of this journal is available on Emerald Insight at:
www.emeraldinsight.com/2059-5891.htm
Originality/value –The paper tackles the research questions through an innovative combination of a
systematic literature review and a panel discussion on the topic of KM and education. Overall, the paper
provides a fresh view of the state of the art of knowledge and research on the topic and also shows the
common visionof a group of KM researchersand educators.
Keywords Education, Knowledge management, Knowledge workers
Paper type Research paper
1. Introduction
The twenty-first century economy, with the increasing importance of innovations for
economic growth and competitive advantage, suggests the need for better knowledge
management (KM) of modern workers. Among many expectations facing these new-age
knowledge workers, Handzic (2007) identified the following: being skilled at creating,
acquiring and transferring knowledge and modifying their behavior accordingly; being
capable of continually expanding one’s capacity to create desired results, nurture new
thinking patterns, set free collective aspirations and learn how to learn together; and
inventing new knowledge as a way of behaving or being. In addition, there is also an
upsurge of KM-related issues that companies increasingly need to master, regardless of
whether they have formal KM programs or not; for example, how to use ICT applications
and KM-based approaches to analyze and exploit big data and to build up a competitive
intelligence (Liebowitz, 2006); how to set appropriate mechanisms of knowledge exchange
and protection (Bolisani et al.,2013); and how to include KM-related approaches in human
resource managementand capability building (Brewer and Brewer, 2010).
Organizations’increasing demand for new skills and capabilitiesfor modern knowledge
workers necessitates a corresponding response from the training and education sector. In
general, this demand has not been adequately met. Major criticisms are directedat training
content that does not reflectthe cross-disciplinary nature of the field of practice, has no base
in reality, and does not cultivate creativity and problem-solving skills. According to
Srikantaiah (2007), consulting firms’training programs are centered around three themes:
learning organization, information repositories and technology, while the academic
programs vary widely depending on the school that administers them. In addition,
instructional methods largely impart knowledge rather than allow constructing it through
experience.
Recognizing the existing problem, the current paper aims to address the issue of KM
education through a mixed approach that combines a review of literature and an
authoritative panel discussionof the essential questions (why, what, who, where, when and
how) on the topic. The key objective is to make a step toward building an educational
system for KM that can best meet therequirements of the knowledge economy and find the
consensus of KM researchers or practitioners. The basic idea is to highlight the essential
elements of a possible agenda for educators that can serve as points of discussion and
guidelines for educators and institutions that are engaged in building a KM educational
program.
The paper is structured as follows. Afterthis brief introductory Section (1), a systematic
analysis of the available literature on the topic of knowledgemanagement and education is
presented in Section 2, with the purpose to identify the current state of the art and the
existing gaps in the literature. Then, a report from the recentpanel on KM education held at
the 2016 International Conference on Knowledge Management is presented in Section 3, to
allow for the most recent peoples perspectiveon the issue. The paper ends with a concluding
Section (4) that highlightsmain current contributions and plausiblefuture directions.
Knowledge
management
education
439
To continue reading
Request your trial