Title: Knowledge maps and organisations: an overview and interpretation

Authors: Jin Tong, Amit Mitra

Addresses: Department of Information Systems, Cranfield University, Shrivenham, Swindon, SN6 8LA, UK. ' Department of Information Systems, Cranfield University, Shrivenham, Swindon, SN6 8LA, UK

Abstract: The |knowledge map| is a relatively new Knowledge Management (KM) tool. Yet the applications of knowledge maps in the organisational context have been insufficiently developed. This paper conducts a critical literature review and offers an alternative view on the necessity of this KM initiative within an organisation. First, the knowledge map|s |duo-functional| feature (displaying knowledge and also serving as visual pointers to knowledge containers) makes it an effective tool for managing different types of knowledge. Second, the advantages of different types of knowledge maps illustrate the strengths of such a KM tool at different KM dimensions. This paper also summarises two main weaknesses in prior knowledge-mapping projects: (1) lack of effective quality control of knowledge maps; (2) immature perceptions of the knowledge-mapping process. A dynamic knowledge map system is proposed in this paper as a feasible model of applying knowledge maps within organisations.

Keywords: knowledge management; KM; knowledge maps; knowledge mapping; dynamic knowledge map systems; quality control.

DOI: 10.1504/IJBIS.2008.018992

International Journal of Business Information Systems, 2008 Vol.3 No.6, pp.587 - 608

Published online: 27 Jun 2008 *

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