IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/gam/jsusta/v13y2021i7p4038-d530531.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Reframing a Novel Decentralized Knowledge Management Concept as a Desirable Vision: As We May Realize the Memex

Author

Listed:
  • Ulrich Schmitt

    (Business School, University of Stellenbosch, P.O. Box 610, Bellville 7535, South Africa)

Abstract

Proposing a major (though envisaged synergetic) shift in the knowledge management (KM) paradigm needs to convince a skeptical audience. This article attempts such a feat and motivates its conceptual considerations by fusing a wide scope of theoretical KM-related foundations in response to current KM unsustainabilities and emerging enabling technologies. The envisioned workflows, infrastructure, affordances, and impact resulting from the progressing design science research and prototyping efforts are consolidated and reframed, guided by a five-step visioneering process and twelve triple-criteria-clusters combining innovative, technological, and vision-related qualities. Inspired by Bush’s “Memex”, a desirable vision never realized since its suggestion three quarters of a century ago, the novel KM system (KMS) pursues the scenario of a mutually beneficial co-evolution between individual and institutional KM activities. This article follows up on the unsatisfactory and unsustainable state of current KM affairs suffering from accelerating information abundance, invisible work, structural interdisciplinary holes, lacking personal tools, and widening opportunity divides. By portraying a potentially transformative and game-changing technology, the crafting and drafting of a desirable, sustainable, and viable KMS vision assures transparency and can be more easily shared with a critical mass of stakeholders as a prerequisite for creating the respective future KM reality. The drafting of the “Desirable Sustainability Vision” is envisaged to assist a currently accepted KMS start-up project and investment.

Suggested Citation

  • Ulrich Schmitt, 2021. "Reframing a Novel Decentralized Knowledge Management Concept as a Desirable Vision: As We May Realize the Memex," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(7), pages 1-37, April.
    • Handle: RePEc:gam:jsusta:v:13:y:2021:i:7:p:4038-:d:530531
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: https://www.mdpi.com/2071-1050/13/7/4038/pdf
    Download Restriction: no
    File URL: https://www.mdpi.com/2071-1050/13/7/4038/
    Download Restriction: no
    ---><---

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Sarooghi, Hessamoddin & Libaers, Dirk & Burkemper, Andrew, 2015. "Examining the relationship between creativity and innovation: A meta-analysis of organizational, cultural, and environmental factors," Journal of Business Venturing, Elsevier, vol. 30(5), pages 714-731.
    2. Elia, Gianluca & Margherita, Alessandro & Passiante, Giuseppina, 2020. "Digital entrepreneurship ecosystem: How digital technologies and collective intelligence are reshaping the entrepreneurial process," Technological Forecasting and Social Change, Elsevier, vol. 150(C).
    3. World Commission on Environment and Development,, 1987. "Our Common Future," OUP Catalogue, Oxford University Press, number 9780192820808.
    4. Jovanovic, Boyan & Rousseau, Peter L., 2005. "General Purpose Technologies," Handbook of Economic Growth, in: Philippe Aghion & Steven Durlauf (ed.), Handbook of Economic Growth, edition 1, volume 1, chapter 18, pages 1181-1224, Elsevier.
    5. Rippa, Pierluigi & Secundo, Giustina, 2019. "Digital academic entrepreneurship: The potential of digital technologies on academic entrepreneurship," Technological Forecasting and Social Change, Elsevier, vol. 146(C), pages 900-911.
    6. Ulrich Schmitt, 2015. "Quo Vadis, Knowledge Management: A Regeneration or a Revolution in the Making?," Journal of Information & Knowledge Management (JIKM), World Scientific Publishing Co. Pte. Ltd., vol. 14(04), pages 1-20, December.
    7. Daniel Carvajal Pérez & Axelle Araud & Vincent Chaperon & Pascal Le Masson & Benoit Weil, 2018. "Generative Heritage: Driving Generativity through Knowledge Structures in Creative Industries. Lessons from Cuisine," Post-Print hal-01768792, HAL.
    8. Ulrich Schmitt, 2018. "Supporting the Sustainable Growth of SMEs with Content- and Collaboration-based Personal Knowledge Management Systems," Journal of Entrepreneurship and Innovation in Emerging Economies, Entrepreneurship Development Institute of India, vol. 4(1), pages 1-21, January.
    9. David M. Iwaniec & Daniel L. Childers & Kurt VanLehn & Arnim Wiek, 2014. "Studying, Teaching and Applying Sustainability Visions Using Systems Modeling," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 6(7), pages 1-18, July.
    10. Klepper, Steven & Simons, Kenneth L, 1997. "Technological Extinctions of Industrial Firms: An Inquiry into Their Nature and Causes," Industrial and Corporate Change, Oxford University Press and the Associazione ICC, vol. 6(2), pages 379-460, March.
    11. Armand Hatchuel & Pascal Le Masson & Benoit Weil, 2017. "C-K theory: modelling creative thinking and its impact on research," Post-Print hal-01701853, HAL.
    12. Swati Bhatt, 2017. "How Digital Communication Technology Shapes Markets," Palgrave Advances in Economics of Innovation and Technology, Palgrave Macmillan, number 978-3-319-47250-8, February.
    13. John J. Kineman & Krupanidhi Srirama & Jennifer Wilby & Alexander Laszlo & Pavel Luksha & Dino Karabeg, 2017. "Systemic Innovation, Education and the Social Impact of the Systems Sciences," Systems Research and Behavioral Science, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 34(5), pages 601-608, September.
    14. Roland W. Scholz, 2017. "Digital Threat and Vulnerability Management: The SVIDT Method," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 9(4), pages 1-26, April.
    15. Stefania Mariano & Yukika Awazu, 2016. "Artifacts in knowledge management research: a systematic literature review and future research directions," Post-Print hal-01563006, HAL.
    16. Sooksan Kantabutra, 2020. "Toward an Organizational Theory of Sustainability Vision," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 12(3), pages 1-26, February.
    17. Uwe Cantner & Simone Vannuccini, 2012. "A New View of General Purpose Technologies," Jena Economics Research Papers 2012-054, Friedrich-Schiller-University Jena.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Ulrich Schmitt, 2018. "Rationalizing a Personalized Conceptualization for the Digital Transition and Sustainability of Knowledge Management Using the SVIDT Method," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 10(3), pages 1-26, March.
    2. Ulrich Schmitt, 2021. "Projectability and Heritage Management of Design Knowledge: A Grass-Roots Artefact Perspective of a Longitudinal Research Project for Knowledge Management System Innovation," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(23), pages 1-18, November.
    3. Mark Knell & Simone Vannuccini, 2022. "Tools and concepts for understanding disruptive technological change after Schumpeter," Jena Economics Research Papers 2022-005, Friedrich-Schiller-University Jena.
    4. Cannavacciuolo, Lorella & Capaldo, Guido & Ponsiglione, Cristina, 2023. "Digital innovation and organizational changes in the healthcare sector: Multiple case studies of telemedicine project implementation," Technovation, Elsevier, vol. 120(C).
    5. Szopiński, Tomasz & Bachnik, Katarzyna, 2022. "Student evaluation of online learning during the COVID-19 pandemic," Technological Forecasting and Social Change, Elsevier, vol. 174(C).
    6. Chakraborty, Debarun & Paul, Justin, 2023. "Healthcare apps’ purchase intention: A consumption values perspective," Technovation, Elsevier, vol. 120(C).
    7. Yáñez-Valdés, Claudia & Guerrero, Maribel & Barros-Celume, Sebastián & Ibáñez, María J., 2023. "Winds of change due to global lockdowns: Refreshing digital social entrepreneurship research paradigm," Technological Forecasting and Social Change, Elsevier, vol. 190(C).
    8. Lingmont, Derek N.J. & Alexiou, Andreas, 2020. "The contingent effect of job automating technology awareness on perceived job insecurity: Exploring the moderating role of organizational culture," Technological Forecasting and Social Change, Elsevier, vol. 161(C).
    9. Jiewang Chu & Jiaxuan Li, 2022. "The Composition and Operation Mechanism of Digital Entrepreneurial Ecosystem: A Study of Hangzhou Yunqi Town as an Example," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 14(24), pages 1-19, December.
    10. Secundo, Giustina & Riad Shams, S.M. & Nucci, Francesco, 2021. "Digital technologies and collective intelligence for healthcare ecosystem: Optimizing Internet of Things adoption for pandemic management," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 131(C), pages 563-572.
    11. Zahra, Shaker A. & Liu, Wan & Si, Steven, 2023. "How digital technology promotes entrepreneurship in ecosystems," Technovation, Elsevier, vol. 119(C).
    12. Bez, Sea Matilda & Georgescu, Irène & Farazi, Mohammad Saleh, 2023. "TripAdvisor of healthcare:Opportunities for value creation through patient feedback platforms," Technovation, Elsevier, vol. 121(C).
    13. Ruokolainen, Jari & Nätti, Satu & Juutinen, Milla & Puustinen, Juha & Holm, Anu & Vehkaoja, Antti & Nieminen, Hannu, 2023. "Digital healthcare platform ecosystem design: A case study of an ecosystem for Parkinson's disease patients," Technovation, Elsevier, vol. 120(C).
    14. Cerchione, Roberto & Centobelli, Piera & Riccio, Emanuela & Abbate, Stefano & Oropallo, Eugenio, 2023. "Blockchain’s coming to hospital to digitalize healthcare services: Designing a distributed electronic health record ecosystem," Technovation, Elsevier, vol. 120(C).
    15. Zhang, Xi & Wei, Xin & Zhang, Te & Tan, Yahe & Xu, Dongming & Ordóñez de Pablos, Patricia, 2023. "How platform-based internet hospital innovation affects doctors’ active stress coping efforts: The conservation of resource theory perspective," Technovation, Elsevier, vol. 121(C).
    16. Rayna, Thierry & Striukova, Ludmila, 2021. "Assessing the effect of 3D printing technologies on entrepreneurship: An exploratory study," Technological Forecasting and Social Change, Elsevier, vol. 164(C).
    17. Aloini, Davide & Benevento, Elisabetta & Stefanini, Alessandro & Zerbino, Pierluigi, 2023. "Transforming healthcare ecosystems through blockchain: Opportunities and capabilities for business process innovation," Technovation, Elsevier, vol. 119(C).
    18. Zhi-Guang Li & Yanrui Wu & Yao-Kuang Li, 2023. "Technical Founders, Digital Transformation and Corporate Technological Innovation: Empirical Evidence from Listed Companies in China’s STAR Market," Economics Discussion / Working Papers 23-03, The University of Western Australia, Department of Economics.
    19. Tobias Kollmann & Lucas Kleine-Stegemann & Katharina Cruppe & Christina Then-Bergh, 2022. "Eras of Digital Entrepreneurship," Business & Information Systems Engineering: The International Journal of WIRTSCHAFTSINFORMATIK, Springer;Gesellschaft für Informatik e.V. (GI), vol. 64(1), pages 15-31, February.
    20. Carla Riverola & Ozgur Dedehayir & Francesc Miralles, 2022. "A Taxonomy of Social-Network-Utilization Strategies for Emerging High-Technology Firms," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 14(12), pages 1-14, June.

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:gam:jsusta:v:13:y:2021:i:7:p:4038-:d:530531. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: MDPI Indexing Manager (email available below). General contact details of provider: https://www.mdpi.com .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.