Title: Keynote paper: Enhancing organisational metacognition – flow visualisation to make the knowledge network explicit

Authors: Mark E. Nissen

Addresses: Information Science and Management, Department of Information Sciences, Naval Postgraduate School, 589 Dyer Road, Room 200A, Code 06/IS, Monterey, CA 93943–5000, USA

Abstract: Knowledge networking is important. No single person or organisation can know everything in detail. The problem is, many otherwise knowledgeable people and organisations are not fully aware of their knowledge networks, and are not aware that they are not aware. Such problem points to organisational metacognition, which becomes particularly important in the context of a virtual organisation with members distributed across both time and space. This article builds upon a stream of research to understand and harness dynamic knowledge and organisation for competitive advantage. It draws from established techniques to model and visualise knowledge flows, and leverages recent fieldwork to investigate metacognition effects on knowledge networks and dynamics. Findings elucidate insightful dynamic patterns, differential performance capabilities, knowledge-flow visualisation, and enhanced organisational metacognition. This work suggests immediate results amenable to practical application, and it suggests also an exciting agenda for continued research along the lines of this investigation.

Keywords: knowledge management; KM; knowledge networks; organisational metacognition; knowledge flows; flow visualisation.

DOI: 10.1504/IJNVO.2007.015728

International Journal of Networking and Virtual Organisations, 2007 Vol.4 No.4, pp.331 - 350

Published online: 10 Nov 2007 *

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