Abstract
M.A. (Business Information Technology)
Knowledge management has developed greatly over the last few decades,
particularly in striving for economic and commercial effectiveness. With the
growth of technology-based knowledge management systems and an
increase in the number of organisations implementing them, there is concern
as to how these systems are being accepted by knowledge workers. The
systems are currently a pertinent issue on business agendas, and
organisations across all sectors are recognising the critical role that effective
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ones will play in their future success (Malhotra, 2000:56). This creates a
concern where these systems are expected to bring success in organisations
or to improve return on investments without a deeper understanding of their
utilisation by knowledge workers. The goal of this dissertation is to understand
the way in which technology-based knowledge management systems are
being utilised and accepted by knowledge workers, and furthermore to
establish if knowledge workers have full understanding of the systems they
use. The focus of this research is therefore on the human dimensions in
relation to the systems, and on how they support organisational intellectual
capital. The history of interactive computlnq shows repeatedly that it is the
human issues which make or break new methods and tools at work. What are
technology-based knowledge' management systems? How are they
managed? Moreover, how can managers harness the potential of the
knowledge workers to expand the knowledge base of the organisation? In
order to answer these questions, this research determines how knowledge
workers utilise the systems and their level of acceptance of this technology. It
considers the importance of organisations that want their employees to use
the systems effectively by contributing ideas and knowledge out of their own
goodwill. Employees will do so if the concept of trust (of any technology
system) has been imparted to them fully.