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142 Chapter 5

6. Discuss how communities can be linked to organizational memory in order to foster
organizational learning and innovation.

Introduction

Once knowledge has been captured and codifi ed, knowledge needs to be shared and
disseminated throughout the organization (see fi gure 5.1 ).
With the advent of personal computers and the World Wide Web, it seems to be
implicitly assumed that web users are all good researchers or searchers. Unfortunately,
this has not been accompanied by any type of training or what is sometimes referred
to as information literacy , defi ned as “ a set of abilities requiring individuals to recognize
when information is needed and have the ability to locate, evaluate and use effectively
the needed information ” ( ALA 1989 ). “ Information seeking ” rarely appears as a
requirement in job descriptions, and yet the International Data Corporation ’ s Content
Technologies Group director, Susan Feldman ( 2004 ) estimates that knowledge
workers spend from 15 to 35 percent of their time searching for information. These
workers typically succeed in fi nding what they seek less than 50 percent of the time.
In parallel, economists raised the alarm about the productivity paradox , which refers
to a surprising decline in productivity (as measured by standard indices) despite
massive investment in computers ( Harris 1994 ).

Assess

Knowledge capture Knowledge sharing
and/or creation and dissemination

Contextualize

Knowledge acquisition
and application
Update
Figure 5.1
An integrated KM cycle