Knowledge Sharing as a Work of Self-Presentation: A Phenomenological Study in Knowledge Management Systems

Advocators of knowledge management (KM) have believed that through the power of information technology (IT), the success of KM would be automatic. Yet the investment in various KM systems in business has resulted in an “empty library” or an “expensive and useless information junkyard.” In exploring the insights of this phenomenon, we proffered that KS practice in respect to knowledge management systems (KMS) is a work of self-presentation regarding the issue of “face”. We explored the ambivalence of the self-presentation process undergone by 49 key informants in interactions and participation in web-based KMS through a six-month phenomenological interview. The “face” issue was commonly demonstrated in informants’ narrations of their knowledge sharing (KS) practices. Interpretive analysis of this phenomenon revealed three aspects of the “face” issue that were shaped by the professional and cultural norms while participants were participating in KS activities: (a) professional identification, (b) in-group/out-group, and (c) professional habit. These research results provide an answer to the “empty library” or “expensive and useless information junkyard” syndromes of KMS. In addition to the managerial implications, our study demonstrates the relevance of phenomenology for KM research and provides a new way of viewing KM problems in terms of human consciousness.