Expertise Locating: a Challenge for Recommender Systems

INTRODUCTION People are faced with difficult problems that they cannot solve alone on a day-to-day basis. In these situations the right people are those who have the expertise to answer a specific question or in some other way move the problem toward resolution. In organizational settings, people fill key roles that assist in solving problems or initiating important collaborations. Managers, senior employees, gurus, information mediators, and expertise concierges are sought because of their ability to solve problems directly or make well informed referrals or recommendations.