|
|
4 of 5 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Managing Knowledge Management, January 15, 2001
How ironic if information about knowledge management were itself unmanageable! Yet, in an era of ubiquitous irony, it probably should come as no surprise that--as it turns out--information about knowledge management (KM) has become somewhat unmanageable. Not only has information on KM proliferated--but it emanates from a broad range of disciplines (e.g., MBA-type management, information technology, library and information sciences, organizational psychology, applied sociology) and mindsets (e.g., academia, vendors, the corporate world, the library community). KM itself is a nonlinear, some might even claim a nebulous, concept. And maybe it just follows that literature about KM would emerge nonlinearly and be a bit tricky to get our collective hands around--and stay abreast of. Paul Burden's new work attempts to address this inherent irony--to bring order to the chaos that is the KM literature--by respecting the nonlinear nature of the topic, but organizing it linearly in one place to make it more easily accessible and digestible. Knowledge Management: The Biography is a welcome addition to the KM literature, filling a unique and useful niche. Its collection of bibliographic citations present an overview and snapshot of the KM field, representing theoretical and practical approaches to KM, spanning the spectrum of relevant disciplines. Intended for professionals already active in KM, as well as those starting out, it lists sources published in the decade between 1990 (when progressive management gurus were just clueing into "knowledge" as an organizational asset) and 2000, with the majority of titles from the late-90s. And everyone is here--from KM guru Tom Davenport to super-searcher and pioneer Mary Ellen Bates, as well as 1400-some others. What a party to have them gathered in one place! Over 400 books and more than 1500 articles are included. Articles are organized into topical subsections. Even scanning the topics will give the uninitiated a sense of the breadth of KM and its literature: intellectual capital, learning organizations, knowledge culture, knowledge mapping/information audits, organizational aspects, KM and the information professional, information technology, intranets, management initiatives, training, eCommerce and .coms, competitive intelligence. In addition to books and articles, Knowledge Management: The Biography also includes sections on KM videos and web sites (compiled and "viewed" between January and July 2000). The book is impressive and clearly reflects a great deal of research. It should prove a useful tool to many. Its drawback is that its very comprehensiveness and inclusiveness (re-enter our friend irony) might prove daunting to some readers. The challenge of a book like this would be to ensure that it doesn't perpetuate the very set of conditions that led to its development--i.e., information glut and overload. The author has included features to help ameliorate overload. Organizing the articles by subtopic winnows down those citations; the books section would be improved if it were also divided by subcategory. Similarly, the author index aids the reader in accessing the materials; a title index would also be helpful. Some might argue that the bibliography would provide greater value if it were more selective, and if sources were prioritized, rated, or even annotated. However, doing so would require careful and time-consuming filtering and tailoring geared toward the needs of a specific user-set. Arguably, doing so would be KM in action, and the resulting product might have improved relevance to that particular audience. On the other hand, it would vastly reduce its usefulness to a broader readership--and the rest of us would, again, be without a guide to information about KM. What we've got here, after all, is a book--it's not a highly sophisticated KM tool. And it's a unique, value-added access point to the morass of information about knowledge management.
|
