Information technology management: a knowledge-based perspective

In management studies knowledge is increasingly recognised to be a primary source of firms' competitiveness. The creation, management, and transfer of knowledge are regarded as central issues by scholars and practitioners. In the process of knowledge transfer a vital role is also ascribed to computer and telecommunication systems. Based on recent theoretical approaches to knowledge management, and in particular Nonaka's perspective, the paper examines the critical issues associated with the inter-organisational transfer of knowledge. The various kinds of knowledge generated and exchanged by the firms are compared and contrasted, as well as the specific problems of knowledge management which arise. The implications of the applications of Information and Communication Technology (ICT) are then illustrated. In particular, it is discussed that different ICT systems, which are designed to handle different kinds of information and data, are appropriate to the transfer of different kinds of knowledge. The interpretative framework proposed here is then applied to a number of case studies of various ICT applications implemented in the northeast of Italy. (C) 1999 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.