Customer Reviews

A Little Knowledge Is a Dangerous Thing: Understanding Our Global Knowledge Economy

5 star:		(0)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

Provides a useful analysis of the place and significance of knowledge management in the development of business and society, though it is limited in the range of societal implications that it considers.The book is well organised, with sound definitions (in a muddy field), a formidable array of facts and good analysis. The explanation of the 'knowledge foundation' (Ch.7) is particularly valuable.

Chapters 1 through 6 develop the argument that globalisation and the knowledge economy together amount to a major continuing revolution in the way the world works, and that this revolution is a continuing process, not an event. Chapters 1 through 5 work systematically through the major changes associated with the knowledge economy and globalisation, while Chapter 6 draws important conclusions for the organisation based round six major changes including the level of workforce education, changes in employment, the development of IT in general and groupware in particular, and culture shifts.

At this point, Neef introduces the critically important concept of 'high road' and 'low road' organisations and a third group of independent knowledge workers. Essentially, the world is moving towards dominance by a limited number of knowledge based, global organisations, with much of the physical production carried out by relatively small, undercapitalised, low wage 'low road' companies engaged in a 'race to the bottom' and an intermediate group of independent knowledge workers.

These corporate polarities are strongly reflected in society, with the trend toward increasing inequalities of income and wealth. Statistics of national wealth are becoming less and less meaningful as the world and nations (even the USA) divide into 'high road' wealthy 'hotspots' (Silicon Valley, the Bangalore region of India etc) and 'low road' areas of economic stagnation or decline.

Chapter 7 contains a very useful overview of the place of knowledge management in the world of business. By way of introduction, he points to the confusion caused by the division of KM exponents into 'high-touch' and 'high-tech' groups, where the first are interested primarily in working relationships and culture and the second see KM as primarily a function of new communications technologies, with a third group who see KM 'simply as a way of capturing and distributing leading practices or lessons learned. He seeks to integrate these perspectives around seven broad practice areas.

The rest of the book goes broad again, to look at impacts on the social fabric on global competition and implications for (US) national policy. It highlights the implications of 'high road' strategies relative to lack of an explicit strategy or 'low road' strategies and concludes that national government intervention is necessary to ensure that appropriate strategies are followed at a national level.

The next editor that sees the phrase "a little knowledge is a dangerous thing" should incarcerate the offender.

By misusing the phrase, you have hereby proved it.

A little learning, people. Learning.