Mentored action learning applied to personal knowledge management - a research in progress

This paper positions and justifies an ongoing research project, the doctoral research of the first-named author. Two of the authors have previously critically reviewed the literature concerning the relationships between data, information and knowledge (Gregory & Descubes 2011a). This paper introduces personal information management systems PIMS as a mechanism used to support the personal knowledge management of knowledge workers. Its first contribution is to identify PIMS with the recently-identified individual information systems IIS of (Baskerville 2011) and to draw a close parallel with the user generated information systems UGIS of (DesAutels 2011). Research design based on action research enabled by peer and dialogic mentoring (Bokeno & Gantt 2000) as nourished by reflection and reflexivity, is suggested in a second potential contribution as the basis for further research into PIM systems, effective personal knowledge management and deep learning by those who collaborate in that research and its application in practice. Parallels are drawn to Action Learning (Revans 1998) and distinctions are identified.