Systems thinking and knowledge management: positional assertions and preliminary observations

Abstract

In recent years, there has been significant interest in [knowledge management]. However, the plethora of both conceptual and practitioner literature has provided little consistency regarding key definitions or methodologies that can act to guide practice. This can result in practitioners selecting particular ideas, constructs or language that has weak conceptual grounding and result in ephemeral and [ad hoc] practices. This paper analyses the use of systems thinking for [knowledge management] practices because it is argued to have the potential to provide methodological guidance for practitioners. The context of the research in the paper is in the humanitarian sector, and in operations that are often politically messy and complex, where there are often many unknown factors. It is a context in which knowledge in a broad sense of the word, as in any human activity, plays an instrumental role. Copyright © 2004 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Linking leader inclusiveness to work unit performance: The importance of psychological safety and learning from failures

“…For example, many organizations have adopted military evaluation practices aimed at routinely using after-action review sessions to gain insights from particular experiences in an institutionalized way (Morrison & Meliza, 1999). The use of this system of inquiry enables teams to better understand changes that are needed in future initiatives (Kawalek, 2004). Recent experimental research has found that the performance of individuals who participated in after-event reviews improved significantly compared to those who did not participate in such reviews (Ellis, Ganzach, Castle, & Sekely, 2010).…”

How can systems thinking help us in the COVID‐19 crisis?

“…In this way, it may also improve understanding and the ability of knowledge management initiatives to respond to the needs of the organization (Rubenstein‐Montano et al, 2001 ). The systems thinking framework for knowledge management is perceived as important and useful for practitioners, creating solid, and comprehensive foundations (Fei, Meng, & Yoshiteru, 2002 ; Kawalek, 2004 ).…”

Conceptual modeling for the design of intelligent and emergent information systems

“…To address this challenge, it has been argued that a paradigm shift is required, one that considers the development and operation of an IS as a continuous knowledge-based activity (Yu, 2009) utilizing conceptual modeling (G. Guizzardi, Wagner, Falbo, Guizzardi, & Almeida, 2013) as a way to bring together an understanding of complex enterprise phenomena and an attempt to design IS solutions that support agility and dynamic change. This paradigm shift is based on three principles: (a) Systems thinking that considers independent components that form a unified whole (Kawalek, 2004;Wilby, Macaulay, & Theodoulidis, 2011); (b) Abstract thinking implying that one moves away from the physical manifestation of processes (Hans-Georg Fill, 2014); and (c) Operational thinking that considers the dynamics of a business process and in particular its behavior over time (Sterman, 2000). In terms of processes involved there are essentially two activities: (a) model building and critiquing and (b) simulation and group deliberation.…”