A Structurationist Review of Knowledge Management Theories

Recognizing that knowledge processes are social processes, and assuming that the theories considered within are commensurable, this paper proposes Giddens’ structuration theory as a basis for comparing knowledge management theories to identify common themes within the discipline. The discovery of common themes is a step toward the identification of any dominant orthodoxy within the knowledge management discipline. Representative, contemporary knowledge management theories are identified from the literature and compared against the principal themes of structuration theory. Preliminary findings suggest much commonality across the theories evaluated and promise from a lower level of analysis.