"Distributed knowledge work" was a topic of discussion in "Multi Media
Readers" in the weekly magazine "Computerwelt", published 23 April
2004. Below, you will find the English translation of the original text
which was used as a basis for the discussion:
Information and knowledge are the driving forces of today's modern
service economy. The center of attention is the knowledge worker and
his ability to quickly solve current problems. The integration into
distributed knowledge and competence networks (often called Knowledge
Communities or Expert Networks) is gaining a more and more important
supportive role. What is special about these networks is their
expansion to other organisational departments and their openness and
flexibility as regards their members.
In most cases, knowledge and competence networks still emerge from real
events (conferences, faires, seminars etc.). Nowadays, they continue to
exist in communities using virtual information and communication rooms.
In some cases, networking is exlusively done there. What is new is that
knowledge is exchanged in explicit (written) form enabling the
development of knowledge repositories which can be used by all other
persons in the network. So far, the significance of this new aspect has
been rarely detected.
Under which conditions do these networks function properly?
A major characteristic of distributed knowledge work is the connection of experts at different locations on the occasion of a project or a specific topic.
Communication takes place in a group between several persons rather
than between only two knowledge workers (point to point). A further
phenomenon is the fact that the amount of work exceeding organisational
boundaris (e.g. in clusters, interdisciplinary research projects etc.)
as well as the mobility of knowledge workers on the job market is
increasing.
In order to ensure lasting networks, a crucial factor is to create the
possibility for distributed knowledge work which exceeds organisational
departments and to guarantee openness and flexibility from a human
resources perspective. A further important point is trust. Trust is
directly connected to the willingness of people to contribute to the
exchange of knowledge in networks. It is essential that people, between
whom exchange takes place, and knowledge are dealt with in a
responsible way. A transparent environment is decisive in order to gain
trust.
Moreover, networks need to guarantee that acquired knowledge will be
usable on a long-term basis in order to function properly. If the,
mostly written, knowledge is accessible by involved knowledge workers
as a usable knowledge resource, willingness to contribute to the
exchange of knowledge will be increased. In order to develop a common
knowledge basis, two interdependent aspects are decisive: The
possibility of referencing information (hypertext) and its reliable
availability. By taking these aspects into account it will be possible
to include information in a continuously developing knowledge
environment, eventually turning it into a usable knowledge resource.
How is explicit knowledge exchange supported?
An increasing amount of work in knowledge networks is taking place in
knowledge and learning communities. In order to support explicit
knowledge exchange and thus the development of knowledge repositories
which can be used by all persons in the network (see above), it is
possible to use knowledge platforms. Knowledge platforms provide an
infrastructure for knowledge exchange and serve as a central knowledge
pool as opposed to e-mail and other communication tools. The
functioning of a knowledge community does not only depend on meeting
techniqual requirements but also on careful planning. The lifecycle of
a community (start, continuous usage, end), above all its launch, need
to be taken into account. Many communities fail before actually
starting with knowledge work. In addition, some accompanying measures
such as sufficient training (technical and conceptual), support,
simplicity of use and integration into existing processes have proved
necessary.
As regards technical requirements, attention should be paid to whether
work across organisations is possible. Topics such as linking across
platforms, flexibility of the system during the start of communities
etc. are relevant. An example for necessary functionalities of a system
is e-mail notification which has proved essential for the usage of a
system. E-mail notification informs users individually about the latest
changes on the whole platform. If the changes can be accessed via a
link, users do not need to actively visit the community platform and
inform themselves about changes. Instead they are picked up where they
usually start, in the inbox.