Technology and Knowledge Management

Abstract

Rapid and extensive advances in technology, particularly in the area of communications, have had a considerable impact on the way organizations operate and opened pathways to access vast amounts of information. Information, however, is static unless knowledge is applied to translate it into something meaningful and with the potential to be actionable. From the time organizations commence business, they accumulate information about the markets in which they operate, yet often, knowledge is not applied in a way that it can be exploited to bring benefit. The ability to share knowledge, to develop ideas, and to become more innovative is increasingly important for businesses, and the range of technologies now available provides a conduit for knowledge to flow through the organization to enable sharing to occur. Technology is frequently referred to as “just an enabler,” but it can also be identified as a value-adder.