The role of the knowledge historian in the knowledge management environment: What makes it work?

摘要

The researcher investigated critical concepts in exactly what a historian is and how historians, specifically knowledge historians in a modern organization play similar roles. The researcher investigated the characteristics, abilities, skills, and traits of the knowledge historian within organizations that use knowledge management systems. The knowledge historian is part of an organization or part of a community of practice. They are part of the knowledge and knowledge of process, the ability to make knowledge-capturing work toward a knowledge management system in a knowledge management environment.;The researcher conducted a qualitative analytical study to identify, verify, and then validate a set of characteristics. A pilot-study interview was conducted and an interview instrument questionnaire designed/developed from the pilot-study interview. Interviews were analyzed and recorded. The researcher abstracted the text from the interviews to perform the analysis.;This study reviewed a set of theories. Through theory identification the researcher proposed how different characteristics of the knowledge historian influence different factors within the knowledge management and information-systems environments. The researcher identified how the characteristics were used in an organization by internal and external clients; this in turn effectively led to success of the knowledge management system and organization. Through this analysis the researcher answered this key question: Why are the characteristics of the knowledge historian important for the success of an organization?;The researcher proposed hypotheses for future testing in this exploratory study of research. At the conclusion of this study the researcher proposed a reasonable theory with a relevant model to explain how the role of the knowledge historian leads to knowledge management system success. The researcher was then in a position to propose testable hypotheses.;Therefore, through this study, the researcher proposed theoretical constructs for future theory building. The researcher assigned specific constructs from knowledge-historian characteristics. The researcher then correlated these specific constructs by mapping them to theories in information systems and knowledge management and their systems, and the management environment.