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Knowledge Management Models 77

Knowledge organized in a semantic network way can be accessed and retrieved
using multiple entry paths that map onto different knowledge tasks to be completed.
Some useful dimensions to consider in Wiig ’ s KM model include:

• Completeness
• Connectedness
• Congruency
• Perspective and purpose
Completeness addresses the question of how much relevant knowledge is available
from a given source. Sources may be human minds or knowledge bases (i.e., tacit or
explicit knowledge). We fi rst need to know that the knowledge is out there. The
knowledge may be complete in the sense that all that is available about the subject is
there but if no one knows of its existence and/or availability, they cannot make use
of this knowledge.
Connectedness refers to the well-understood and well-defi ned relations between
the different knowledge objects. There are very few knowledge objects that are totally
disconnected from the others. The more connected a knowledge base is (i.e., the
greater the number of interconnections in the semantic network), then the more
coherent the content and the greater its value.
A knowledge base is said to be congruent when all the facts, concepts, perspectives,
values, judgments, and associative and relational links between the knowledge objects
are consistent. There should be no logical inconsistencies, no internal confl icts, and
no misunderstandings. Most knowledge content will not meet such ideals where
congruency is concerned. However, concept defi nitions should be consistent and
the knowledge base as a whole needs to be constantly fi ne-tuned to maintain
congruency.
Perspective and purpose refer to the phenomenon where we know something,
but often from a particular point of view or for a specifi c purpose that we have in
mind. We organize much of our knowledge using the dual dimensions of perspective
and purpose (e.g., just-in-time knowledge retrieval or just enough or “ on-demand ”
knowledge).
Semantic networks are useful ways of representing different perspectives on the
same knowledge content. Figures 3.4 through 3.8 show examples of different perspec-
tives on the same knowledge object (i.e., a car) using semantic networks.
Wiig ’ s KM model goes on to defi ne different levels of internalization of knowledge.
Wiig ’ s approach can be seen as a further refi nement of the fourth Nonaka and
Takeuchi quadrant of internalization. Table 3.1 briefl y defi nes each of these levels. In