This introduction to Knowledge Management offers a flavour of the feast which is contained within the subject's rapidly-evolving menu. For a detailed overview of Knowledge Management and how to achieve its practical benefits, Thomas Davenport & Larry Prusak's "Working Knowledge" remains unsurpassed and is highly recommended. This introduction is divided into a six part tutorial. Part A should be read first, the other parts can be read in any order. This tutorial is complimented by an introductory bibliography. In the download section, various documents, video clips and software tools are available for downloading. The links section provides useful links to on-line knowledge management resources.

Part A - What is Knowledge Management? What is knowledge? How is it created, captured and transferred? What roles does technology play in the knowledge creation process?

Part B – Communities of Practice What is a community of practice? How can they make a difference to organisations? How do they relate to other knowledge sharing phenomena?

Part C – Networks and Knowledge Sharing What is the significance of networks to knowledge sharing? How can we use networks as tools for learning? Are there different types of networks?

Part D – Knowledge Technologies What is the relationship between organisations, people and technology? Can we build communities which use technology appropriately and effectively for knowledge sharing? What collaborative technologies already exist?

Part E – Knowledge Auditing How do we move from information to knowledge management? How do we know what we know in organisations? How do we champion knowledge management?

Part F – The Metrics of KM

Can we measure how we manage knowledge? Do any measurement tools exist? How effective are they in measuring knowledge management?

© Community Knowledge Ltd. 2005

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