ICT and Knowledge Management Systems

IntroductIon Rapid changes in the field of knowledge management (KM) have to a great extent resulted from the dramatic progress we have witnessed in the field of information and communication technology. ICT allows the movement of information at increasing speeds and efficiencies, and thus facilitates sharing as well as accelerated growth of knowledge. For example, computers capture data from measurements of natural phenomena, and then quickly manipulate the data to better understand the phenomena they represent. Increased computer power at lower prices enables the measurement of increasingly complex processes , which we possibly could only imagine before. Thus, ICT has provided a major impetus for enabling the implementation of KM applications. Moreover, as learning has accrued over time in the area of social and structural mechanisms, such as through mentoring and retreats that enable effective knowledge sharing, it has made it possible to develop KM applications that best leverage these improved mechanisms by deploying sophisticated technologies. In this article we focus on the applications that result from the use of the latest technologies used to support KM mechanisms. Knowledge management mechanisms are organizational or structural means used to promote KM (Becerra-Fernandez, Gonzalez, & Sabherwal, 2004). The use of leading edge ICT (e.g., Web-based conferencing) to support KM mechanisms in ways not earlier possible (e.g., interactive conversations along with the instantaneous exchange of voluminous documents among individuals located at remote locations) enables dramatic improvement in KM. We call the applications resulting from such syn-ergy between the latest technologies and social or structural mechanisms knowledge management systems. We discuss the topic of KM systems in detail in the next sections.