| The importance of organizational knowledge has been recognized for over
fifty years. In recent years, organizations worldwide have embraced formal
knowledge management initiatives as a way to create value from their intangible
assets. Knowledge has proven so vital to organizational success that a
new organizational form – knowledge-based firms – has emerged. With a
slowdown in the world economy, the bursting of the technology bubble, and
tighter budgets, the importance of leveraging existing knowledge and expertise
has reached new highs. Knowledge management will remain a critical
success factor for organizations as the economy recovers.
The purpose of this book is to survey some of the newest trends and findings
in knowledge management. The series of chapters included in the book show
the wide variety of directions in which knowledge management has evolved
and illustrates the wide-ranging impact that knowledge management can effect
for organizational success, thus emphasizing the continued importance of
knowledge management for organizational success. Each chapter offers a discussion
of some unique innovation, but common themes emerge as well. The
themes center on methodologies and models, and tools for enhanced knowledge
management as well as the competitive advantage that can be achieved
by implementing knowledge management. |
