Investigating the "Knowledge" in Knowledge Management: A Social Representations Perspective

A panel at ICIS 2005 in Las Vegas, NV questioned how social representations (SR) theory could illuminate central questions related to the research and practice of Knowledge Management (KM). The panel included IS researchers who examined different aspects of SR theory and their implications for the understanding of knowledge and knowledge management dynamics. The topics covered in the panel and this report include: the representations of knowledge in the history of KM systems, the role of discursive processes in the emergence of new representations and knowledge, the non-consensual nature of knowledge of various communities, and the potential contributions of a structural approach to SR for situated learning research. This paper elaborates on the presentations of the panel and summarizes the issues raised during its discussion session.