Henry Linger

Knowledge work as collaborative work: a situated activity theory view

Proposes a situated activity theory view of collaborative knowledge work. Activity theory is argued to be particularly relevant in the context of knowledge work since the body of knowledge is a historically accumulated social construction. Situated activity theory makes a distinction between activities, tasks and encounters, the first two following the traditional distinction between activity and action in activity theory. Encounters are incorporated to explicitly model the temporal organisation of work. Referring to the high variety of knowledge work, situated activity theory suggests an instantiation process in which an activity is instantiated into an action working on a single object of work. The culturally developed activity system is seen to serve as a significant resource and constraint in the process. Influenced by the ideas of situated action, the instantiation process is viewed as continuous process that takes place in close concert with the action as it unfolds.

Supporting post‐Fordist work practices: A knowledge management framework for supporting knowledge work

This paper examines the role of knowledge management and knowledge management systems for supporting knowledge work. In a work environment, knowledge is always situated in a specific context, so an organization benefits from a knowledge management system when such a system is focused on a specific task. Providing support for knowledge work at the task level complements the work practices of actors performing the task. The paper suggests that knowledge management systems can be implemented as intelligent decision support that establishes a joint cognitive process between the system and the actor performing the task. The proposed approach has been derived from our application of a knowledge management framework to a number of field studies. These applications come from various domains and highlight different aspects of the proposed framework. The focus on task performance, as a driving force for knowledge management, unifies these field studies. The paper identifies the issues that emerge from these studies and describes their contribution to the development of the framework. The paper concludes that by privileging knowledge work, task‐based knowledge management can be an effective knowledge management strategy.

Community Informatics and Information Systems: Can They Be Better Connected?

There is an ongoing debate in community informatics about the need for a stronger conceptual and theoretical base in order to give the field disciplinary cohesion and direction. By investigating the body of reflective thinking in information systems, researchers in community informatics can develop a more rigorous theoretical context for their work. Information systems can be considered as a fragmented adhocracy that allows many intellectual communities to coexist under its umbrella. A sympathetic reading of information systems offers an opportunity to community informatics, in spite of its different orientation, to address both social and technological issues in its theoretical framework. This framework would be based on a common language that expresses a shared ontology and epistemology with information systems. Such a framework then allows community informatics to fully address its information systems problem-solving agenda as well as its community problem-solving activities. Strengthening this dual agenda will allow community informatics to work effectively with both the technical and social design and implementation problems. But it also provides community informatics with an opportunity to contribute to a discourse within information systems in order to broaden the traditional information systems concept of organization and social action.

Codifying collaborative knowledge: using Wikipedia as a basis for automated ontology learning

In the context of knowledge management, ontology construction can be considered as a part of capturing of the body of knowledge of a particular problem domain. Traditionally, ontology construction assumes a tedious codification of the domain experts knowledge. In this paper, we describe a new approach to ontology engineering that has the potential of bridging the dichotomy between codification and collaboration turning to Web 2.0 technology. We propose to shift the primary source of ontology knowledge from the expert to socially emergent bodies of knowledge such as Wikipedia. Using Wikipedia as an example, we demonstrate how core terms and relationships of a domain ontology can be distilled from this socially constructed source. As an illustration, we describe how our approach achieved over 90% conceptual coverage compared with Gold standard hand-crafted ontologies, such as Cyc. What emerges is not a folksonomy, but rather a formal ontology that has nonetheless found its roots in social knowledge.

From Computation to Knowledge Management: The Changing Paradigm of Decision Support for Meteorological Forecasting

The research reported in this paper aims to improve meteorological decision-making through the application of knowledge management to the forecasting process. A comprehensive framework of knowledge management is proposed that includes facilities to access and model forecasters’ explicit, tacit and experiential knowledge. To this end, we are engaged in changing the IT paradigm underlying the meteorological forecasting process from simulation models based on scientific normative models to intelligent support. This change of paradigm allows forecasters not only to perform the task but also to share knowledge and learn from their collective experience. The paper describes a knowledge management system that allows diverse technologies to be employed in providing decision support for meteorological forecasting.

A task-based framework for supporting knowledge work practices

This paper examines the role of knowledge management and knowledge management systems (KMS) for supporting knowledge work. We argue that an organization benefits from knowledge management systems when it is focused on a specific task as knowledge is always task-specific and situated in the specific context in which the task is instantiated. Providing support for knowledge work at the task level complements the work practices of actors performing the task. Such a system supports extended functionality such as reasoning, memory aids, and explanation facilities and learning capability, amongst other facilities. A system with such capability can be defined Knowledge Work Support System. The paper discusses the task-based knowledge management approach at individual and organisational levels and describes its application to the strategy development at an International Bank.

A framework for a dynamic organizational memory information system

Organizational memory information systems (OMIS) implement important aspects of organizational memory with the aim of enhancing organizational effectiveness. We propose a 3-layered framework for a dynamic OMIS. The framework consists of a pragmatic layer to support the actual activity, a conceptual layer to store the concepts inherent in that activity, and a process layer to store the experience of performing that activity. Both the conceptual and process layers represent organizational memory repositories in the form of respective models. The implementation of OMIS assumes that any activity is the instantiation of relevant conceptual and process models and includes the reuse of knowledge stored in association with those models. In this way, organizational memory is always mapped to current activity, and its adequacy is constantly evaluated. This provides the potential for the models to evolve as a direct result of the current activity. A partial implementation of this framework to support epidemiological...

Towards an information systems framework for dynamic organisational memory

Organisational memory information systems (OMIS) implement important aspects of organisational memory with the aim of enhancing organisational effectiveness. We propose a three layered framework for a dynamic OMIS. The framework consists of a pragmatic layer to support the actual activity; a conceptual layer to store the concepts (meta knowledge) inherent in that activity; and a process layer to store the experience of performing that activity. Both the conceptual and process layers represent organisational memory repositories in the form of respective models. The implementation of OMIS assumes that any activity is the instantiation of relevant conceptual and process models and includes the reuse of knowledge stored in association with those models. In this way organisational memory is always mapped to current activity, its adequacy constantly evaluated. This provides the potential for the models to evolve as a direct result of the current activity. A partial implementation of this framework to support epidemiological research is illustrated.

Enhancing the wellbeing of the elderly: Social use of digital technologies in aged care

ABSTRACT As developed countries struggle to find suitable living arrangements for their ageing populations, many elderly citizens are becoming increasingly marginalized and isolated. In similar circumstances, younger people would use digital technologies to stay occupied and connected, but few elderly citizens have this capability. Our research investigates the ways that the social wellbeing of elderly citizens, wherever they reside, can be enhanced by their use of information and communications technologies (ICT), particularly digital technologies. A 2-year action research study of the social use of ICT by residents in aged-care facilities was conducted in order to determine how developing digital capabilities could enhance their wellbeing. Research interventions included the establishment of computer kiosks in aged-care facilities and weekly classes for developing ICT skills. As their digital capability improved, many of the elderly residents were observed to engage in meaningful computer-based activities of their own choosing. A set of themes among these activities was identified: connection, self-worth/esteem and personal development, productivity, occupation, self-sufficiency, being in control, and enjoyment. Our results are consistent with recently reported domains of social wellbeing among recipients of community-based aged-care services: (a) social participation and involvement, (b) occupation, (c) control over daily life and (d) dignity.

Introduction to the Special Issue: An Australian Perspective on Organisational Issues in Knowledge Management

Organisations were always keen to capture and manage what they know. However, the cost and effort was often deemed overwhelming compared to anticipated benefits. In today’s environment, when organisational settings are more fluid and complex, formal mechanisms for identifying and utilising knowledge become an absolute imperative in order to support effective operation. The field of knowledge management (KM) emerged in response to these organisational imperatives. Theories, tools and techniques from a range of reference disciplines, which traditionally focused on organisational issues, was called upon to deal with the cognitive, social and technical needs required to manage the knowledge life cycle. KM is therefore a truly multidisciplinary area of research that requires rigour and relevance to address the organisational imperatives