The roles and values of personal knowledge management: an exploratory study
| Date | 18 May 2010 |
| DOI | https://doi.org/10.1108/03055721011050686 |
| Pages | 204-227 |
| Published date | 18 May 2010 |
| Author | Ricky K.F. Cheong,Eric Tsui |
| Subject Matter | Information & knowledge management |
The roles and values of personal
knowledge management:
an exploratory study
Ricky K.F. Cheong
Southern Cross University, Lismore, Australia, and
Eric Tsui
The Hong Kong Polytechnic University, Hong Kong SAR, China
Abstract
Purpose – This paper aims to describe the roles and values of personal knowledge management
(PKM). It seeks to investigate the roles of PKM in the KM process cycle and assess the values for
improving the competences of both individuals and organizations.
Design/methodology/approach – A research model was developed based on a critical review of
KM and the PKM literature, followed by a survey of the KM participants in KM associations/interest
groups/societies. The results and conclusions were made based on the quantitative analysis approach.
Findings – The results indicate that PKM is playing important roles in the KM process and both
individuals and organizations are benefitting by PKM in improving their competences. The roles of
PKM are positively correlated to the values of PKM for individuals and organizations. It is also found
that the values of PKM for individuals are correlated to the values of PKM for the organization.
Research limitations/implications – This study is intended as a starting point for exploring the
roles and values of PKM. It aims to provide a generalized model of PKM, with further research
required for specific contexts.
Originality/value – The conceptual model of PKM 2.0 was developed based on the research findings
which provide a better understanding in the area of PKM. This model also sets the foundation for
future research and draws the attention of both academics and business executives in this
under-explored area. Up to now, there is no PKM framework or model that leverages on the Web 2.0
concepts. This paper provides the first examination of such aspects.
Keywords Knowledge management, Explicit knowledge, Tacit knowledge
Paper type Research paper
Introduction
The topic of personal knowledge management (PKM) has only seen growth recently
although PKM is not new, as our ancestors sought ways to learn better and to improve
their knowledge. This research aims to investigate this under-explored area and to
unlock understanding of the roles and values of PKM. The paper provides a critical
literature review of KM and PKM, and describes the competences required for
individuals and organizations. A research model was developed after successfully
surveying 206 KM participants in 44 different countries/locations. The results are
encouraging in that PKM is playing important roles in the KM process, and the values
found were of benefit both to individuals and organizations. A conceptual model
namely PKM 2.0 was developed which set the directions for future research in this
area.
The current issue and full text archive of this journal is available at
www.emeraldinsight.com/0305-5728.htm
VINE
40,2
204
Received 23 February 2010
Revised 2 March 2010
Accepted 12 March 2010
VINE: The journal of information and
knowledge management systems
Vol. 40 No. 2, 2010
pp. 204-227
qEmerald Group Publishing Limited
0305-5728
DOI 10.1108/03055721011050686
Literature review
The literature review provides a critical evaluation of previous literature on KM, KM
conversion, KM process, PKM, individuals’ competences and organizations
competences.
Knowledge management
There is no single agreed definition of knowledge. Grant (2000) mentioned that we have
had a philosophical debates about what knowledge is. The philosopher, Plato, has
defined knowledge as perception and true judgement. Knowledge in the Oxford English
Dictionary is:
.information and skills acquired through experience or education;
.the sum of what is known;
.awareness or familiarity gained by experience of a fact or situation.
Stewart (2000) argued that knowledge is a conclusion drawn from data and
information. This knowledge hierarchy can be traced back in the poem The Rock by
Eliot in 1934 (Sharma, 2008). It is a Data, Information, Knowledge and Wisdom (DIKW)
hierarchy. Russell Ackoff (1989) added another layer of “understanding” between
knowledge and wisdom in the knowledge hierarchy. Understanding requires diagnosis
and prescription. In Ackoff’s view, the first four layers are related to the past, i.e. to
deal with what has been known, and only wisdom deals with the future because it is
incorporated with the vision and design (Ahsan and Shan, 2006).
Knowledge is commonly viewed in the two dimensions of “Explicit” and “Tacit”.
Explicit knowledge is deeply ingrained in the traditions of Western management, from
Frederick Taylor to Herbert Simon (Nonaka and Takeuchi, 1995); it is in the form of
words, numbers and can easily be communicated and shared in the form of hard data,
scientific formulae, codified procedures, or universal principles (Nonaka and Takeuchi,
1995). Polanyi (1996) termed Tacit knowledge based on the logic that “we know more
than we can tell”. It is something not easily visible and expressible; it is highly personal
and hard to formalize, making it difficult to communicate or to share with others;
subjective insights, intuitions and hunches are classified as tacit knowledge (Nonaka
and Takeuchi, 1995).
New knowledge always begins with the individual and making personal knowledge
available to others is the central activity for knowledge creation (Nonaka, 1991). It is a
continuous cycle of externalization, internalization, combination and socialization to
deal with the knowledge transformation in the form of Tacit and Explicit knowledge
between individuals (Nonaka and Takeuchi, 1995).
Knowledge conversion
Nonaka and Takeuchi (1995) proposed the SECI knowledge conversion spiral model as
illustrated in Figure 1. In the SECI model, there are four modes of knowledge
conversion namely Socialization, Externalization, Internalization and Combination.
Socialization is converting tacit knowledge to tacit knowledge by face-to-face
communication or shared experience. Externalization is converting the tacit knowledge
to explicit knowledge by developing concepts to embed the combined tacit knowledge.
Internalization is con verting the explicit kn owledge to tacit knowle dge and
The roles and
values of PKM
205
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