Strategic Decisions in e-Knowledge: An Analytic Network Process

摘要

This paper has addressed the need for a strategic decision making tool to assist management in determining which KM construct is most beneficial in the development of an agile supply chain. The ANP process of eliciting information and showing the various relationships requires that management be familiar with the issue and to think of the problem in broader terms. The actual process of going through the decision will help management learn of the various issues related to strategic decisions. The process and model are valuable knowledge and learning tools, not just a mechanism to support a final decision. The model is also flexible enough to incorporate additional criteria with little difficulty, as required by the dynamic and competitive environment and organizational structure. There are some limitations of the model and what we have presented. One is the knowledge of the decision maker. The decision-maker provides the values for the pairwise comparisons and therefore, the model is very dependent on the perceptual weightings provided by the decision-maker. This risk can be reduced by using more than one decision maker from the same organization and averaging their re- sponses. The decision-maker set needs to include someone in the organization who understands the strategic level of the logistics process and the implications for their company. Second, KM is not just a technology project. KM relies on organizational structures and culture to meet its goals. Therefore, there is a very heavy dependency on the specific organization or at least the specific type of organization, where the KM initiative is being implemented. Thus the generalizability of findings based on our model to other organizations may be limited. The significance of this study is the development of metrics for measuring the relative importance of a particular dimension based on the application of theoretical concepts from the information systems and management science literature to the modern knowledge economy. It embraces a multidisciplinary and interdisciplinary perspective on the challenge of KM in the context of supply chain strategy by drawing upon perspectives from the domains of strategy, information systems, management science, organizational behavior and organizational development. This study is intended to raise the level of intellectual curiosity about the link between KM and global supply chain drivers in the modern knowledge economy. The concept of KM in the context of an agile supply chain suggests the creation of structures that combine the most advanced elements of technological resources and the indispensable input of human response and decision-making. The challenge of managing these complex structures has tremendous potential from either the practical, productive viewpoint or the human growth perspective. In a way, the development of a 'knowledge entity' seems to be much like the education of a human being. Both have growing, changing, and unpredictable potential for innovation, each in their own way. Since contextual factors play a critical role in the design of effective KM systems, technical and process solutions need to be customized to fit the organization performance criteria, dimensions of agility and supply chain drivers.