Role of Organizational Controls in Knowledge Management: Is Knowledge Management Really an “Oxymoron”?

Abstract

The mainstream concept of information technology enabled knowledge management suffers from the limitations embedded in the traditional organizational control model. Although importance of organization control is acknowledged by many authors as critical to the success of knowledge management implementations, however the concept of ‘control’ is often misinterpreted and misapplied. It is the thesis of this chapter that most such assertions are based on incomplete, and often, fallacious understanding of ‘control’. Several authors have often suggested that knowledge management is an ‘oxymoron,’ however such observations are based upon inadequate and incomplete understanding of ‘control.’ Inadequate and incomplete understanding about organization controls may be often attributed for failure of knowledge management implementations in the new world of business. This chapter sets forth two important goals: first, to develop a richer understanding of organizational controls as they relate to knowledge management; and, second, to propose an organic model of organizational controls that facilitates creation of new knowledge, renewal of existing knowledge and knowledge sharing.