Our View of Knowledge

Defining where "information" ends and "knowledge" begins is not simple. We believe that knowledge cannot be defined too narrowly. Knowledge is created and consumed across a wide range of activities: individuals talking to each other, searches of information repositories, just-in-time learning and continuous education, and highly focused “knowledge repositories.” Effective knowledge management fosters and supports each of these activities. If knowledge is artificially defined and restricted, then many opportunities to create and share knowledge will be lost.

In its purest form, knowledge resides in the mind of a particular individual, where it is difficult to access. As a person works, however, his knowledge comes to be expressed through the outputs of that work. For example, a lawyer’s knowledge is expressed through drafting choices, and a financial advisor’s knowledge is expressed through the products and financial strategies she recommends to a particular client. We call these expressions knowledge artifacts. Most information management systems focus on managing knowledge artifacts, as these are usually related directly to the delivery of a particular product or service. Although an expert’s knowledge begins to be expressed through knowledge artifacts, these alone are not sufficient to propagate that knowledge. In the above examples, one would have to ask "What circumstances led the lawyer to choose these particular provisions?" and "What is it about this client’s needs that led the advisor to recommend these particular products and financial strategies?"

n order to share knowledge effectively with others, knowledge content must be created. Knowledge content represents an explicit decision to make knowledge accessible and usable by others. In order to achieve this, knowledge artifacts must be accompanied by a context which explains why those artifacts were constructed in a particular way. The knowledge content for a particular agreement might include the negotiating position and the goals of both parties to the contract. Similarly, the knowledge content for a financial advisor’s recommendations might include the client’s age, income and risk sensitivity, as well as the advisor’s interpretation of the market’s position.