Knowledge Management in Organizations: A critical introduction

by Donald Hislop, Rachelle Bosua, Remko Helms

Knowledge Management in Organizations is the most comprehensive and critical textbook on the subject. Encompassing a number of perspectives - including organizational behaviour, HRM, systems, and sociocultural factors - the text introduces the concept of knowledge before examining how it can be effectively managed within the organizations in which we work.

The international author team ensure the broad theoretical coverage is brought to life with practical illustrations and case studies exploring topics such as knowledge sharing via social media, knowledge transfer in different cultural contexts, and the interaction of leadership, culture, and knowledge management in Australian SMEs. Examples are diverse, international, and highly relevant to each chapter, showcasing the significance of knowledge management in all types of organizational settings.

'Time to Reflect' boxes, review and discussion questions, and a question or activity to accompany every illustration and case study ensure students are challenged to engage with the subject critically and reflectively. Despite the critical approach and depth of coverage, the text remains accessible through its widely praised writing style, coherent structure, in-chapter definition boxes, and manageable size.

This book is accompanied by a selection of online resources:

For students:
Extra online cases
Web links to additional resources and relevant websites
Extension questions

For lecturers:
Suggested exam questions
Suggested essay/coursework questions
Suggestions for classroom activities
Figures and tables from the book

Genres: Nonfiction, Management, Business

344 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2005

Reviews

[Lisa · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book gives a clear overview of knowledge management and the issues surrounding it. It is a great literature review that gives a lot of general information and provides sources for the topics you want to explore in more detail.

[Robert · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is an excellent introductory book with a broad view of the topic. It gives information on such essential ideas like tacit knowledge, codified knowledge, objectivist perspective, some problems of knowledge sharing like the willingness of knowledge workers to participate in knowledge processes and on the term 'social capital' ("p83: "Social capital relates to the networks of personal relationships that people possess and are embedded within and the resources people can draw on and utilize through such networks. The social capital theory is typically predicated on the assumption that the resources available to people through such networks can aid action" - although he forgets to mention what the maintenance of such network costs). I expressly can't entirely agree about the authors view on knowledge work and ambiguity. Cross community knowledge processes cover a whole chapter. And he also gives some ideas on 'ICT-enabled KM from an objectivist perspective (p.222, ICT-Information and Communication Technologies): "..., whose knowledge management system was, in essence, a searchable repository of employee expertise and know-how;" (p.223). All in all, I enjoyed reading this book.

[Lauren Albert · Rating 4 out of 5]

A solid introductory KM textbook.

[Joël Cox · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good and thorough introduction to the field.

[Nawarerk]

Many examples to study. Summary of the important points is the advantage of this book.

[Martin Olesen · Rating 3 out of 5]

A comprehensive overview of Knowledge Management academic litterateur. Multiple links to the work of others on every page makes it a bit hard to read. Part 4 on socio-culture issues related to Management and knowledge management is by far the most interesting and useful from an agile leadership perspective.