A taxonomy of knowledge management software tools: origins and applications

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Abstract

A large number of tools have been deemed to be knowledge management tools. In this paper we examine, evaluate and organize a wide variety of such tools, as we look at their origins and their opportunities in the knowledge management arena, by examining the literature related to the selection and evaluation of the knowledge management tools available on the software market.

Introduction

This paper has restricted the discussion of knowledge management tools, to only look at the knowledge management tools are either:

  • 1.

    Established information technology based tools borrowed from other disciplines that have entered into our knowledge management arena as information technology tools with extended functionality, or

  • 2.

    Information technology based tools that have been designed as knowledge management tools from their inception.

Because both styles of tools are becoming increasingly important in many of the stages of knowledge management, the paper will investigate whether the ‘Established information technology based tools’ are being successfully utilized in the apparently ‘new’ field of knowledge management and how they compare and contrast with the tools in the knowledge management arena that have been designed as knowledge management tools from their inception.

The organization of the paper is as follows. Knowledge management tools are defined in Section 2 along with a review of technology, evaluating knowledge management tools, and the attributes associated with knowledge management tools.

Section 3 looks at the ‘Classification of knowledge management tools’, as a result of the analysis of the available literature on knowledge management. The paper has classified and sub-classified the requirements of knowledge management with a view of mapping the tools with this classification, according to the tools primary function.

The paper will divide the knowledge management tools into taxonomies.

Section 4 concludes the paper.

Due to space limitations, the Appendix containing 200 technology product descriptions is not shown in this paper. This appendix may be obtained by emailing the author at either [email protected] or [email protected].

Section snippets

Knowledge management tool definition

Knowledge management tools can be defined as tools, which support the performance of applications, activities or actions such as knowledge generation, knowledge codification or knowledge transfer (Ruggles, 1997). They also promote and enable the knowledge process in order to improve decision-making. Not all tools are computer based but much emphasis is placed on these electronic tools due to their dynamic capabilities, quick evolution, and organizational impacts (Grantham & Nichols, 1993).

Classification of knowledge management tools

For the purposes of this paper the definition of a ‘New Tool’ is “an information technology tool, that has been developed for a specific function, that is not a derivative of another tool or product i.e. there is no predecessor tool or product” and the converse is true for an ‘Old Tool’. The tools age may be established by viewing the product history, functionality or even the date stamps and names of the executable binary files from the software manufacturer.

Using the existing literature (

Conclusion

Hence from Table 2 it can be seen that the majority of certain knowledge management tool technologies can be categorized as either New or Old Tools.

Knowledge Management Tools—Old tools new badges? Is it important whether or not, a tool from an IT vendor has been reinvented as a ‘Knowledge Management Product’ or is it more important that old tools are being successfully utilized in the apparently new field of knowledge management.

I believe that the answer to these questions may be derived from a

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