A wiki as intranet: a critical analysis using the Delone and McLean model
| Published date | 27 November 2009 |
| Pages | 1087-1102 |
| DOI | https://doi.org/10.1108/14684520911011025 |
| Date | 27 November 2009 |
| Author | Marina Trkman,Peter Trkman |
| Subject Matter | Information & knowledge management,Library & information science |
A wiki as intranet: a critical
analysis using the Delone and
McLean model
Marina Trkman
Faculty of Computer Engineering, University of Ljubljana, Ljubljana,
Slovenia, and
Peter Trkman
Faculty of Economics, University of Ljubljana, Ljubljana, Slovenia
Abstract
Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to analyse the benefits and challenges of using a wiki as an
intranet/content management system in a company.
Design/methodology/approach – Combined with elements of action research, a longitudinal case
study of implementing a wiki in a department of a Slovenian company was conducted. Interviews,
surveys and a log analysis were used for the data collection. The Delone and McLean information
systems success model was the underlying theoretical approach to explore the information, systems
and service quality.
Findings – While a wiki may bring important benefits and change to a company’s
information/knowledge management, the main challenges remain the same as with earlier
technological solutions. Additional problems arise due to cultural issues, the lack of control over
quality and the fact that service quality largely depends on the users.
Research limitations/implications – A single case study within one company was conducted.
Practical implications – The findings are important for any manager or developer intending to
implement a wiki as an intranet solution as they identify and classify potential challenges.
Originality/value – As one of the first longitudinal case studies of implementing a wiki, several new
challenges of Web 2.0 applications and of creating online environments for knowledge sharing are
identified, while well-studied problems concerning other projects seeking to develop information
systems also apply. A novel extension to the Delone and McLean model is proposed.
Keywords Intranet, Case studies,Information systems, Knowledgesharing, Intranets
Paper type Research paper
Introduction
Companies need efficient and reliable ways of communicating and transferring
information and knowledge among their employees. This is a major challenge for
many companies – as the popular saying goes, “if only we knew what we know”. The
use of new technologies and concepts brings both new opportunities and challenges.
Moreover, it has been claimed that the diffusion of internet-based information systems
(IS) throughout the workplace is changing the way employees work and how they
interact with their colleagues (Jones and Kochtanek, 2002). The focus of the paper is
therefore on the wiki, often regarded as one of the most interesting phenomena of the
Web 2.0 concept, which is claimed to have the ability to change the way the web is used
(Paterson et al., 2007).
The current issue and full text archive of this journal is available at
www.emeraldinsight.com/1468-4527.htm
A wiki as
intranet
1087
Refereed article received
25 November 2008
Approved for publication
14 June 2009
Online Information Review
Vol. 33 No. 6, 2009
pp. 1087-1102
qEmerald Group Publishing Limited
1468-4527
DOI 10.1108/14684520911011025
Several advantages and even more problems of using a wiki have been identified in
recent years (Gorman, 2005; Klobas, 2006; Majchrzak et al., 2006). However, most
analyses have chiefly centred on the information quality of the content. While this is
extremely important, a study of other aspects (e.g. system and service quality) is also
called for. Further, it seems that currently the use of wikis in open projects such as
Wikipedia on one hand and biology and bioinformatics (as shown by several papers
published in Nature and bioinformatics journals) on the other is attracting the greatest
attention. The challenges of implementing a wiki in a corporate setting have never
been analysed within a theoretical framework. Therefore a systematic approach to
identifying the potential problems of introducing and employing a wiki is missing.
The main focus of this paper is thus to identify the biggest challenges of
implementing a wiki as a content management system in an intranet environment by
employing three constructs from the Delone and McLean IS success model (Delone and
McLean, 1992, 2003), namely information, systems and service quality. The main
challenges of each of these three constructs have been identified and confirmed via a
case study of implementing a wiki in a department of a Slovenian software
development company. An extension of the Delone and McLean model is proposed –
the separation of the “use” construct into “active” and “passive” use, which may have
considerably different influences.
The wiki as an intranet concept
The wiki is a web-based collaboration technology designed to allow anyone to update
any information posted on a wiki-based website (Wagner and Majchrzak, 2006-2007).
At its heart the wiki is a tool which enables collaborative authoring. This means that
the power to edit and update information is ceded to users (Tredinnick, 2006). The
benefit of such technologies for corporate intranets therefore lies in their ability to build
on the knowledge and information within an organisation. It has recently been claimed
that the wiki is an appropriate software solution to support knowledge processes and it
is increasingly being used for decentralised collaborative knowledge management
(Mueller et al., 2008).
Previous studies have mentioned several important benefits. First, the wiki concept
enables the distribution of work and a focus on the particular skills of individuals. For
example, some users may add content, some will correct the style and grammar, some
will deal with external links, while others will be mediators in the case of a dispute
(Black, 2008). Responsibilities hence shift to individuals who become more autonomous
and empowered. Information and knowledge are democratised, leading to a shift in
responsibilities and power (Hasan and Pfaff, 2007). This can help save time and
improve efficiency due to the sharing of information and knowledge among co-workers
(Jones and Kochtanek, 2002). Second, the wiki has the advantage of being adaptable to
the business environment and being responsive to changing business information
needs (Tredinnick, 2006). Due to its flexible nature, it offers a wide variety of possible
uses: as a database for research and writing, a personal information manager, a
collaborative tool between teams to create and maintain documents, etc. (Sofia Pereira
and Soares, 2007).
Despite the apparent bene fits of using wikis, certain ch allenges in their
implementation have been identified (Chu, 2008). Firstly there is no control over
entries and no guarantee of their accuracy (Klobas, 2006). If a wiki does not operate in a
OIR
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