Web 2.0 Applications for Knowledge Management in Small and Micro Firms: Top-Down vs. Bottom-Up Approach

According to many scholars, the characteristics of the new web 2.0 technologies (like e.g. flexibility of contents and knowledge domains, cost efficiency, openness and easy interaction with other systems) make them particularly suitable as a knowledge management (KM) tool for small enterprises. Nevertheless, the empirical evidence (although still little, at present) shows that there are some open questions about how small businesses should implement these new technologies. This chapter compares and contrasts two possible approaches to the introduction of web 2.0 applications as a KM tool: a “top-down” approach, where the application is implemented based on the strict adherence with the top-management views, and a “bottom-up” approach, where the system gradually develops thanks to the initiatives coming from the user level. It also provides real-life case study evidence of the introduction and use of a web 2.0 KM system in the context of a small company. The case-study helps to understand that, due to the nature itself of web 2.0 systems and of the kind of knowledge that these systems may help to share, a successful implementation needs to fit the real needs of end-users. Therefore, a bottom-up approach (where the actual requirements of the system and of the underlying KM processes are derived from the user needs) can be more appropriate than a top-down approach (where users, processes and technologies are designed and planned in advance based on a model of what the company should be). This can be especially true in the case of small companies.