Title: Cognitive style fit and effective knowledge reuse

Authors: Fergal McGrath, Catherine Parkes

Addresses: AIB Centre for Information and Knowledge Management, Kemmy Business School, University of Limerick, Ireland. ' AIB Centre for Information and Knowledge Management, Kemmy Business School, University of Limerick, Ireland

Abstract: Effectively managing an organisation|s knowledge is considered a key success factor in today|s increasingly competitive business environment. This paper makes the case that a relationship exists between the cognitive styles of producers and consumers of knowledge and the manner in which they contribute to and/or reuse Knowledge Management (KM) systems, in an organisational context. The research combines the literature on KM, which pertains to the leveraging of organisational knowledge for the purpose of achieving competitive advantage through effective problem solving and innovation; and Adaption Innovation Theory, which argues that individuals differ in the manner in which they problem solve, made decisions and are creative, based on their cognitive styles. It is a first attempt to study, using Kirton|s Adaption Innovation Theory, the relationship that exists between cognitive style and the manner in which individuals contribute to and/or reuse organisational knowledge, stored in knowledge repositories.

Keywords: adaption innovation theory; cognitive fit; cognitive style; competitive advantage; knowledge management systems; problem solving; Kirton adaption-innovation inventory; knowledge reuse; organisational knowledge; knowledge repositories.

DOI: 10.1504/IJKMS.2007.012537

International Journal of Knowledge Management Studies, 2007 Vol.1 No.3/4, pp.484 - 496

Published online: 20 Feb 2007 *

Full-text access for editors Full-text access for subscribers Purchase this article Comment on this article