Knowledge Discourses and Interaction Technology

Research within knowledge management tends to either overemphasize or underestimate the role of Information and Communication Technology (ICT). Furthermore, much of the ICT support debate has been shaped by the data-information-knowledge trichotomy and too focused on repository-based approaches. We wish to engage in a principled debate concerning the character and role of knowledge technologies in contemporary organizational settings. The aim of this paper is to apply four perspectives on the management of knowledge to highlight four perspectives on technological options. The paper presents, based on four knowledge discourses – four interrelated perspectives on the management of knowledge – four perspectives on ICT support fir the management of knowledge each reviewing relevant literature and revealing a facet of how we can conceptualize the role of technology for knowledge management. The four technology discourses focus on the: Production and distribution of information; interpretation and navigation of information; codification and embedding of collaboration; and establishment and maintenance of connections..