Knowledge Management Architecture: Building Blocks and Their Relationships

Although the concept of knowledge management emerged in early 1960s, it has taken momentum in the recent years. However the literatures in this area are scattered both in academic and practicing arena. Some research focuses on knowledge management with respect to the specific organization type such as R&D organization. Others concentrate on organization development and individual behavior in implementing knowledge management. This paper presents a holistic approach to knowledge management by incorporating various models and propositions within the knowledge discourse. The knowledge management architecture consists of four elements namely: knowledge components, knowledge management process, information technology (IT), and organizational aspects. Knowledge component includes knowledge definition and knowledge categories, which has often been viewed differently by various researchers. Knowledge management process, on the other hand, contains the steps and activities to deal with knowledge while information technology consists of ITs related support infrastructure such as communication lines, networks, database, and many others. Lastly, organizational aspects comprise the organizational structure, corporate culture, and human resource management. Among these four elements, knowledge and knowledge management process are the key components of the knowledge management concept. Taken together, this paper also reveals the interrelatedness of all the elements as well as their impact on the overall knowledge management in organizations.