Originally published as "Diffusion of knowledge management systems: mission definitely possible", The Journal of Management Development Volume 24 Number 4, 2005
ISBN: 1 84544 121 4
Guest edited by: Shankar Sankaran & Alexander Kouzmin, Southern Cross University in Australia.
This Special Issue investigates the factors impacting on the diffusion of Knowledge Management Systems (KMS).
Although this research is of interest to other disciplines, no attempt has been made to synthesize this material as it relates to KMSs. There is some literature on the factors influencing the adoption and diffusion of various technologies, but there is none on the factors for KMS adoption and diffusion. With a background in the high-level factors of adoption and diffusion of generic technologies, Jun Xu and Mohammed Quaddus investigate the factors influencing the adoption and diffusion of KMSs in the Australian context.
Contents:
From rhetoric towards a model of practical knowledge management systems
For this article a qualitative field study was undertaken in which six Australian organizations of various sizes, all in various stages of KMS adoption and diffusion, were studied via face-to-face interviews with key personnel in the organizations.
Exploring the perceptions of knowledge management systems
Diffusion (spread in usage) of knowledge management systems (KMSs) depends on a number of factors. Among them perceptions of KMS, including perceived usefulness/benefits, perceived user-friendliness, perceived voluntary use and subject norms are significant factors. This paper aims to investigate the factors impacting the diffusion (spread and sustained use) of KMSs.
Adoption and diffusion of knowledge management systems: an Australian survey
There is a scarcity of studies on the empirical perspectives of KMSs in the literature, especially in the area of adoption and diffusion. This research addresses this gap by studying the adoption and diffusion of KMSs in Australian organizations.
A six-stage model for the effective diffusion of knowledge management systems
The research identifies six stages of KMS diffusion based on the results from selected Australian companies: initiation, adoption, pilot implementation, organic growth, organizational implementation, and sustained use/diffusion of KMS.
A reality-based guide to KMS diffusion
The results of this study have significant implications for managerial practices, including the need for a KMS; the cost of a KMS; significant factors of KMS adoption and diffusion; end-user focus and involving people in the KMS; and organizational adjustment to embrace the KMS.
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