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Knowledge management. Notes on T. D. Wilson's "nonsense" arti cle.

  • 1.  Knowledge management. Notes on T. D. Wilson's "nonsense" arti cle.

    Posted 01-14-2003 12:53
    Apologies for group posting!

    Hello Marina
    Can you email me? My emails to you keep getting returned without being
    delivered.
    best wishes

    Lynn Martin
    -----Original Message-----
    From: Charles Wankel [mailto:wankelc@optonline.net]
    Sent: 06 January 2003 16:07
    To: MG-ED-DV@MAELSTROM.STJOHNS.EDU
    Subject: Re: Knowledge management. Notes on T. D. Wilson's "nonsense"
    article.


    From: Marina Dabic [mailto:Marina.Dabic@sfsb.hr]

    Dear Colleagues,

    I find this discussion interesting, thoughtful, and thought provoking.
    This
    topic is very close to my heart. Small countrie like Croatia trys to
    catch-up the process and my aim is to show how KM is neccessary for it.
    Unfortunatly we still didn't have course Knowledge Management on
    udegraduate
    level, and I am trying to include it on graduate level. I must admit, I
    do
    not know Ronald Gross's book, nor have I heard of his
    typology. Even more i find myself not enough educate on that subject.
    Last
    few years i tryed to read lot of references but a real word missed. If
    you
    have any course or summer school with possible schoolarship, or some
    good
    teaching materials please inform me.
    I find that the share of knowledge is our mision, so I 'll try my best
    on
    small university.Thanks for any assistance
    sincerly yours
    Marina Dabic
    Assistant Professor
    University of Osijek
    Mechanical Engineering Faculty
    35000 Slavonski Brod
    Trg Ivane Brilic Mazuranic 18
    Croatia
    tel:++385 (0)35 446718
    marina.dabic@sfsb.hr





    ----- Original Message -----
    From: Ken Friedman <ken.friedman@bi.no>
    To: <MG-ED-DV@MAELSTROM.STJOHNS.EDU>
    Sent: 06. sijeèanj 2003 17:44
    Subject: Knowledge management. Notes on T. D. Wilson's "nonsense"
    article.


    > Dear Colleagues,
    >
    > Having had a chance to read T D Wilson's article, I'd like to add a
    few
    > notes to this thread.
    >
    > Wilson raises valid issues and offers a useful critique of cognitive
    and
    > philosophical misunderstandings. He also demonstrates that knowledge
    > management is a fad as it is treated in some cirucmstances and by some
    > groups.
    >
    > What he does not do is demonstrate that knowledge management is
    problematic
    > in the way he feels it to be. The problem is a category confusion.
    > Knowledge management is a field of inquiry. The label could be better,
    in
    > that knowledge cannot properly be "managed," but the field of inquiry
    is a
    > valid and important area that brings together a range of themes from
    > several disciplinary perspectives.
    >
    > Rather than repeat my earlier post, I'll simply say I posted a note
    with
    my
    > basic view. Posting a comprehensive note on the issues and
    distinctions
    > involved in data, information, and knowledge is something for another
    day.
    > There is also the issue of the grounds of judgement for action based
    on
    > knowledge, and the actions that flow from those grounds, wisely or
    > prudently, adversely or foolishly. This is sometimes discussed under
    the
    > term wisdom, but if that seems too old-fashioned a term, I will refer
    to
    > such cognates as prudence, or to the classical Latin term prudentia or
    the
    > Greek term phronesis. Aristotle's Nichomachean Ethics stills offers
    one of
    > the first -- and best -- discussions of the kinds of knowledge.
    >
    > One value in knowledge management is that of drawing attention to
    issues
    > that have long been overlooked in management research and in
    consulting.
    > Those of us with multiple backgrounds welcome knowledge management in
    part
    > because it has made the discussion of these issues acceptable in a
    field
    > that has often focused on technical administration or pragmatism in a
    > simple or narrow sense.
    >
    > Where I disagree with Wilson is his rather harsh critique of Nonaka
    and
    > Takeuchi. Their work was important work, and their contribution should
    not
    > be overlooked. If they had covered everything or developed all the
    issues
    > comprehensively, there wouldn't be much left for us to do, would
    there?
    I'd
    > rather look on them as pioneers whose profound contribution had minor
    flaws
    > and gaps than look on them as somehow to be blamed for the problems
    arising
    > from others who have not used their work well.
    >
    > It should be noted that T. D. Wilson's paper may be hard to find
    because
    it
    > appears only in an e-journal hosted by the University of Sheffield.
    The
    > journal is Wilson's own departmental journal, and he is its editor.
    The
    > Sheffield server was down, but Google carries a chached version of the
    > page.
    >
    > Best regards,
    >
    > Ken Friedman
    > Associate Professor
    > Department of Leadership and Organization
    > Norwegian School of Management
    >