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Introduction to Knowledge Management 13

you can’t manage what you cannot measure, then you can’t measure what you cannot
name. Knowledge management, due to this still ongoing lack of clarity and lack of
consensus on a defi nition, presents itself as a good candidate for this approach. In
visioning workshops, this is the fi rst activity that participants are asked to undertake.
The objective is to agree upon a list of key attributes that are both necessary and suf-
fi cient in order for a defi nition of knowledge management to be acceptable. This is
completed by a list of examples and nonexamples, with justifi cations as to why a
particular item was included on the example or nonexample list. Semantic mapping
( Jonassen, Beissner, and Yacci 1993 ; Fisher 1990 ) is the visual technique used to extend
the defi nition by displaying words related to it. Popular terms to distinguish clearly
from knowledge management include document management, content management,
portal, knowledge repository, and others. Together, the concept and semantic maps
visually depict a model-based defi nition of knowledge management and its closely
related terms.
In some cases, participants are provided with lists of defi nitions of knowledge
management from a variety of sources can so they can try out their concept map of
knowledge management by analyzing these existing defi nitions. Defi nitions are typi-
cally drawn from the knowledge management literature as well as internally, from
their own organization. The use of concept defi nition through concept and semantic
mapping techniques can help participants rapidly reach a consensus on a formulaic
defi nition of knowledge management, that is, one that focuses less on the actual text
or words used but more on which key concepts need to be present, what comprises
a necessary and suffi cient (complete) set of concepts, and rules of thumb to use in
discerning what is and what is not an illustrative example of knowledge
management.
Ruggles and Holtshouse (1999) identifi ed the following key attributes of knowledge
management:

• Generating new knowledge
• Accessing valuable knowledge from outside sources
• Using accessible knowledge in decision making
• Embedding knowledge in processes, products and/or services
• Representing knowledge in documents, databases, and software
• Facilitating knowledge growth through culture and incentives
• Transferring existing knowledge into other parts of the organization
• Measuring the value of knowledge assets and/or impact of knowledge management