The article presents Personal Knowledge Management (PKM) as an overdue individualized as well as a collaborative approach for knowledge workers. Designing a PKM-supporting system, however, resembles a so-called "wicked" problem (ill-defined; incomplete, contradictory, changing requirements, complex interdependencies) where the information needed to understand the challenges depends on upon one's idea for solving them. Accordingly, three main areas are attended to.Firstly, in dealing with a range of growing complexities, the notion of Popper's Worlds is applied as three distinct spheres of reality and further expanded into six digital ecosystems (technologies, extelligence, society, knowledge worker, institutions, and ideosphere) that not only form the basis for the PKM System Concept named 'Knowcations' but also form a closely related Personal Knowledge Management for Development (PKM4D) framework detailed in a separate dedicated paper. Reflecting back on a United Nations scenario of knowledge mass production (KMP) over time, the complexities closely related to the digital ecosystems and the inherent risks of today's accelerating attention-consuming over-abundance of redundant information are scrutinized, concluding in a chain of meta-arguments favoring the idea of the PKM concept and system put forward.Secondly, in light of the digital ecosystems and complexities introduced, the findings of a prior article are further refined in order to assess the PKM concept and system as a potential GeneralPurpose-Technology.Thirdly, the development process and resulting prototype are verified against accepted general design science research (DSR) guidelines. DSR aims at creating innovative IT artifacts (that extend human and social capabilities and meet desired outcomes) and at validating design processes (as evidence of their relevance, utility, rigor, resonance, and publishability). Together with the incorporated references to around thirty prior publications covering technical and methodological details, a kind of 'Long Discussion Case' emerges aiming to potentially assist IT researchers and entrepreneurs engaged in similar projects. Keywords PKM as an Individualized Tool for Knowledge WorkersInitially confined to the author's own Knowledge Management (KM) requirements, an idea formed for a personalized KM system which has been subsequently adapted and continuously expanded for the personal career support as a management consultant, scholar, professor, and academic manager. The experiences gained with the many stakeholders in the professional and academic world, as well as in the context of developed and developing countries, have reinforced the conviction that Personal Knowledge Management support is becoming ever more vital, a view shared by many other writers as discussed in prior papers (Schmitt, 2013f, 2014c and as highlighted by some of the most prominent of these contributions:• Seven decades ago, Vannevar Bush (1945) imagined the 'Memex'. As an inspiring idea never realized -lately celebrating its 70 th ...

The objective of a current design science research (DSR) undertaking is responding to the call for a decentralizing Knowledge Management (KM) revolution by conceptualizing a Personal Knowledge Management (PKM) system. The rationale is rooted in today's accelerating information abundance and lack of adequate tools which signify-in the author's view-the presently emerging and most crucial barriers to individual and collective development. For validation, it employs prototyping and verifies its design decisions against DSR guidelines and KM-related methodologies and practices. For the latter purpose, this article employs the SVIDT methodology (Strengths, Vulnerability, and Intervention Assessment related to Digital Threats) by adopting a hindsight reverse-engineered logical perspective in order to present the line of reasoning from the proposed technologies back to the underlying motivations. Its focus is the sustainability of PKM systems, processes, and outcomes combined with SVIDT's concerns with goals and environments, actors and affiliations, strengths and weaknesses, threat and intervention scenarios, and synergies and strategies. In following the SVIDT's nine steps, the broad span of the Personal Knowledge Management (PKM) concept's "wicked" problem space is presented. The results reaffirm the DSR concept of theory effectiveness in terms of the system's utility and communication, and present the PKM concept and system as sustainable interventions to confront opportunity divides independent of space (e.g., developed/developing countries), time (e.g., study or career phase), discipline (e.g., natural or social science), or role (e.g., student, professional, or leader).

Purpose In addressing the future trajectory of knowledge management systems, this paper uses the psycho-social notion of generativity which recently stimulated contributions in technology and innovation for a holistic systemic knowledge management (KM) review. The purpose of this study is to identify current shortcomings and fixations together with their ramifying affordances, all enveloped within a novel KM concept and prototype-system-under-development. Design/methodology/approach It follows up on prior publications using design science research (DSR) methodologies in compliance with theory effectiveness, a principle expecting system designs to be purposeful in terms of utility and communication. The KM perspective taken prioritizes a decentralizing agenda benefiting knowledge workers while also aiming to foster a fruitful co-evolution with traditional organizational KM approaches. Findings The notions of generative fit and capacities in their technical, informational and social interpretations prove able to accommodate diverse KM models and to cumulatively synthesize a wide range of related concepts and perspectives. In the process, Nonaka’s renowned socialize, externalize, combine, internalize and Ba model is repurposed and extended to suggest a corresponding complementing seize, imbed, collate, encompass, effectuate workflow embedded in distinct digital ecosystems fully aligned to the diversity of the generative attributes introduced. Research limitations/implications Although the prototype development is still in progress, the study conforms to the DSR practice to report on early visions of technology impact on users, organizations and society and also refers to and reflects on aspects of feasibility, suitability, acceptability and the system’s prospect as a general-purpose technology or disruptive innovation. Originality/value The paper transdisciplinarily integrates the well-established psychological notions of generativity into its newer digital and systemic KM dimensions. The resulting new insights transparently inform the concept and prototype design, present a holistic framework for individuals and organizations and suggest avenues for new KM applications and KM research directions inspired by the adopted and adapted novel generativity contexts.

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Over more than a decade, Knowledge Management (KM) thinkers have been pondering over the need for a new chapter in the evolutionary history of KM. Will it just be a regeneration based on the integration and new alignment of the numerous metaphors employed for KM’s past interpretations, or will it be — as Levy suggests — a decentralising revolution that gives more power and autonomy to individuals and self-organised groups? Inspired by the objective of this special JIKM issue, the paper adopts a current “Next KM Generation” concept and prototype-in-progress as a point of departure and reverse engineers its functionalities in order to crystallise those KM Models and Theories which — in terms of the concept to be introduced — have passed the test of time. Forty-eight KM constructs have been singled out which are the ingredients for the ongoing integrating, adapting, broadening, deepening, repurposing, and innovating activities of the Personalised KM concept and system design which has been transparently mapped and visualised utilising the Information-Space Model.