Purpose -Aims to impart new insights into the role of information technology (IT) in knowledge extraction, capture, distribution and personalization. The paper seeks to pin-point the strengths and weaknesses of IT in the domain of knowledge management (KM) and to explain why the technology promise remains unfulfilled, as seen by many KM practitioners.Design/methodology/approach -The discussion in this paper is fundamentally based on Stankosky's four KM pillars conceptual framework. Within this framework the authors attempted to shed some light on the IT role and the hidden reasons that make knowledge prominently unreachable via IT.Findings -IT assimilation and representation of knowledge intangibility, dynamism, experience and other humanistic cognitive dimensions remain debatable. The current technology is immature to resolve such problems. For IT to be effective for KM it must shred its bivalent logic and instead learn to operate within an authentic continuum.Originality/value -Knowledge managers need to understand that a KM initiative that considers IT as a Utopian panacea will fail. Equally, the KM initiative that undervalues IT will follow suit. Owing to IT immaturity in the area of cognitive behavior, the situation is still perplexing. This elusiveness imposes some obstacles to sufficiently represent the context of tacit knowledge. Hence, codifying knowledge with the poser of the existing IT and without the support from socio-cultural inputs, will result in de-contextualization, i.e. ''knowledge dilution.'' Hence, special considerations should be given to applications that offer some behavioral context and human cognitive dimensions.

Traditional organizations with heavy internal competition, rigid functional silos and undue compartmentalization exhibit sub-optimal performance by inhibiting critical knowledgē ows. Cross-functional teaming attempts to solve this problem by building organizational connections across functional silos. However, merely bringing members of formerly isolated departments together produces only marginal increases in performance. Any synergistic collaboration is likely to arise serendipitously and unpredictably. We propose a systematic approach for combining the principles of knowledge management and cross-functional teaming in ways that purposefully enhance knowledge¯ows and result in signi®cant improvements in organizational performance as measured by cost, time and quality.

Purpose -The purpose of this paper is to aim to quantitatively evaluate the importance of ICTs for sustainable development. A hypothesis about the criticality of ICTs to sustainable development has been tested. The consequences of other ICT elements on knowledge management also have been evaluated.Design/methodology/approach -This research is carried out using surveys and interviews among members of the KM/ICT sustainable development community. Findings -It has been found that ICT is critical for sustainable development. In effect, many respondents agreed that due to the geographical separation and multifaceted nature of international sustainable development, it cannot be carried out without ICT's support. However, for ICT infrastructure to be translated into worthwhile returns, the organization must adopt knowledge-oriented ICT infrastructure. This is substantiated by ICT's role in decision quality, knowledge sharing, inter-organizational links, and the contribution to the resolution of the implicit conflict between sustainability and economic growth.Research limitations/implications -There was a imited amount of data subjected to statistical analysis. This may skew some of the results, and inflate the experimental error. However, the limited data is ascribable to the restricted nature of the targeted population itself.Originality/value -The results in this paper address major issues surrounding the role of ICTs in sustainable development. The tackling of these issues is essential to the success of ICT in the sustainable development realm. The understanding and extrapolation of these results form a valuable guidance to the KM practitioners in supporting sustainable development.

Purpose -The purpose of this paper is to identify recent trends in how the global knowledge workforce is changing and, in particular, organizing, on a massive scale. Knowledge workers have become highly mobile, with a distinctly global orientation. Design/methodology/approach -These new trends are presented within the established four-pillar framework for enterprise transformation. Particular emphasis is placed on the dissolution of traditional organizational boundaries (organization pillar), and creating, on a large scale, living, working and learning environments for attracting, retaining, and growing talent (learning pillar). Supporting infrastructure elements are also addressed (technology pillar). Findings -Attracting, retaining, and growing talent is no longer an issue that can be addressed solely from the viewpoint of a single organization. Knowledge workers are highly mobile, and are tending to be more loyal to their peer communities than to an employer. This requires that organizations look beyond their own boundaries, and work together to create living, working, and learning environments that offer a balanced and fulfilling lifestyle. One way to accomplish this on a large scale is the development of knowledge cities, in which the information and knowledge architecture is at least as important as, and possibly more important than, the physical architecture. Originality/value -In a knowledge economy, the value of human capital far outweighs more traditional, tangible forms, such as plant and equipment. Creating an ideal environment for knowledge workers is a formidable challenge. Yet it is a necessary step in making the transition to the enterprise of the future. The key to success is the understanding that an attractive work environment alone is not sufficient to attract, retain and grow an increasingly global, and mobile, knowledge workforce. A total environment that integrates key elements of living, working, and learning is needed. The four pillars framework will continue to evolve as a tool for designing these environments, especially on a large scale.

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to begin the process of identifying the attributes which characterize the enterprise of the future (EOF). An initial list of attributes which organizations will need to exhibit in order to compete in a flat world is presented. A formal definition of the EOF is also included.Design/methodology/approachThe list of attributes was generated as a collaborative effort by members of the Enterprise of the Future Roundtable, and the EOF online community of knowledge management thought leaders and researchers.FindingsThe group concluded that the attributes which define a model EOF can be grouped into the previously validated four pillars of knowledge management: leadership, organization, learning, and technology. Although the underlying premise for the four pillars remains the same, recent research into the EOF has yielded new insights regarding the internal makeup of these pillars.Originality/valueTwentieth century enterprise models are already proving inadequate for responding to the problems and issues of the knowledge era. The list of attributes developed here will serve as a guide to seek out and identify organizations which serve as illustrations of model EOF behaviors. The goal is to use the combined list of attributes and examples as a guide for helping organizations transform themselves into high‐performance, knowledge‐based organizations.