Handbook of Organizational Learning and Knowledge Management, Second Edition

Implications for Enterprise 2.0 and Knowledge Management

Even though E2.0 is still a relatively new technology, many anticipate that it will lead to a significant shift in the nature and form of knowledge sharing (McAfee, 2006). This enthusiasm was captured most emphatically by Thomas Davenport (2008) who stated:

If E2.0 can give KM a mid-life kicker, so much the better. If a new set of technologies can bring about a knowledge-sharing culture, more power to them. Knowledge management was getting a little tired anyway.

Proponents claim that E2.0 technologies are easy to use due to everyone’s familiarity with posting to and reviewing social networks, blogs, and wikis. McAfee (2006) also claims they benefit from relatively low set up costs as there is no need for sophisticated development tools or network infrastructures, nor is there a need for database administrators or designers (Whelen, 2007; Warr, 2008). Proponents such as McAfee (2006), based in part on the above, claim that this can allow for the potential for new knowledge sharing practices to emerge. These opportunities derive from its bottom-up orientation which McAfee (2006) claims allows for employees being better able to shape the nature and style of their contributions than was previously possible (Gilchrist, 2007). McAfee (2006) further claims that this allows employees to feel freer to express their thoughts, views, and knowledge on company-wide wikis and blogs than they did on company discussion databases, for example. ...