Knowledge management: evolutionary movements toward an academic multidiscipline

摘要

This paper develops the notion that Knowledge Management (KM) has a large following today, but lacks the rigors of an academic discipline. Indeed, a central theme of the paper is that in order to survive and flourish as KM, it must become an academic discipline. A summary of the practices, readings, and the author's participation at numerous conferences, indicates that KM has "four pollars" under which KM can be treated: Technology, Organization, Leadership, and Learning. These pillars formed the foundation of a KM concentration in a Masters and Doctorate degree programs at The Department of Engineering Management and Systems Engineering, The George Washington University. The challenge is to sustain this academic initiative in order to legitimize KM as a body of knowledge.