Knowledge Management Systems: Representation and Communication in Context

This paper develops a theoretical perspective on knowledge management systems, drawing from the work of Polanyi and Giddens, and the literature on communities of practice. This perspective views such systems as a form of re-presentation of the results of action and reflection, whose use should be conceptualised as inextricably interlinked to communication processes within a specific context. The paper places an emphasis on the importance of power relations as part of this context. The theoretical perspective is illustrated with an example taken from a particular case study. The paper is opposed to the knowledge-as-object approach that has been influential in the literature to date.