Quite a number of authors argue that knowledge management can not effectively contribute to operations in Small and Medium Enterprises. This is an odd statement related to the misunderstanding of Small and Medium Enterprises as well as the misunderstanding of knowledge management. This is not an unusual combination, SMEs are notorious for having a diverse character (ie. it is hard to describe types of SME or even to define their precise markets) and knowledge management has to be one of the most ambiguous fields of research out there as Wilson demonstrated in 2002. Wilson however comes from a field that was once as ambiguous and hard to define as knowledge management and considering that should perhaps have demonstrated a bit more patience for the topic.
It is easiest to state that knowledge management is joint to information management at the hip, where information management deals more with systems (Not just information technology, but the wide range of systems like P. Checkland describes.) Knowledge management is more involved with the actual interaction of people between people. Although this can be defined as a system, the specific nature of the theory of knowledge transfer differentiates knowledge management from information management, that and the understanding that knowledge is different from information, described in the now famous DIKW triangle.
Once one starts seeing knowledge management as broad as defined in the (too) brief paragraph above, it becomes feasible to see that this ‘management fad’ can potentially occur in any environment where knowledge gets transferred.
Where I draw the line is where people start considering any micro business, from coffeeshop to toilet-lady as an environment where KM is relevant, that is simply over the top, the only purpose that serves is to make the concept of KM broadly acceptable.
I am pleased to be working on a European funded project called OrganiK that is looking to assist the development of KM practices in SMEs through the use of Web 2.0 tools. Soon I will start blogging on this in some more detail, at the moment I am waiting for the project website to come online, so I can link to that.
