An agent-mediated approach to the support of knowledge sharing in organizations

The realization that Knowledge Management (KM) is primarily a management science and not a computer science implies a different role for technology in KM. This role is concerned with supporting and extending human interaction and learning, and has therefore the need for intelligence-enhanced, integrated and personalized solutions including agent-based approaches. A people centered view of KM, requires support systems that enable the flexible integration of organizational and individual requirements and objectives. This paper introduces the OperA model for organizations that supports individual initiative and collaboration while prescribing a formal structure for organizational processes. The paper introduces the main aspects of the model and describes a case study where OperA is applied to the development of a knowledge sharing support system.