Abstract
The importance of motivation in knowledge management (KM) debates is now generally acknowledged. Motivation affects the overall quality of knowledge used and produced in the work situation, the willingness to contribute to KM systems, the willing engagement in knowledge sharing and many other facets. Lacking sustained motivation in association with an insufficiently knowledgefriendly culture has often been mentioned as the principal culprit for failed KM initiatives and programs (Davenport, DeLong, & Beers, 1998; McKenzie, Truc, & Winkelen, 2001). As Hislop (2005, p. 44) notes, KM authors have not always recognized this prime role of motivation. In the era when KM was – wrongfully – equated with information technology by many authors, an era that is – again wrongfully – labeled as first generation KM by some authors, motivation was one of many socio-cultural factors that were ignored. In recent years, the KM literature has incorporated and elaborated older, sometimes more critical debates regarding social aspects of knowledge and its role within organizations. These broader developments, fuelled by such concepts as communities-of-practice and social epistemologies and informed by critical rebuttals of KM proponents’ managerialist ideologies, have secured a place for motivation in the KM arena as a socio-cultural factor that is indispensible for understanding knowledge processes and KM.
Key Terms in this Chapter
Intrinsic Motivation: The motivation to engage in an activity for its own sake, because the activity is considered enjoyable, worthwhile or important.
Motivation: Motivation is an energizing force directed toward a specific target considered to explain behavior.
Extrinsic Motivation: The motivation to engage in an activity as a means to an end, based on the believe that participation will result in desirable outcomes such as a reward, or avoidance of punishment.