Building Successful Knowledge Repository Systems: Knowledge Refinement, Quality and Usage

Existing research on knowledge repositories has largely focused on supply-side driven research questions, such as employee motivation to contribute knowledge. This research turns attention to the demand-side issue of knowledge usage. Using the Information Systems (IS) success framework (DeLone and McLean 2003), this research theorizes knowledge quality as an important antecedent to knowledge usage. A conceptual framework delineates dimensions of knowledge quality from two perspectives. Moreover, an Input-Process-Output model of knowledge refinement process is proposed, and a causal model is offered to explain determinants of knowledge refinement effectiveness. Qualitative interviews and a survey study have been designed and are soon to be conducted with authors, validators and users of Eureka, a successful global knowledge repository system of the Xerox company. Implications for knowledge management research and managerial practices are discussed.