An Agent-Mediated Knowledge-in-Motion Model

With millions invested in knowledge management (KM), researchers and organizations are constantly investigating how firms can best organize their KM processes to reap instrumental benefits. Yet, most KM research, apart from being fragmented, overemphasizes knowledge creation and draws little attention to key intermediaries in the KM process. The paper captures the specificity of agents as key players binding knowledge creation and knowledge application. Specifically, the paper introduces a conceptual process model that views knowledge management as an agent-mediated series of knowledge transformations, envisioned as the agent-mediated knowledge-in-motion model. The proposed agent-mediated knowledge-in-motion (KiM) model embodies the cycle of knowledge creation and reuse. By tying agentbased research to knowledge creation and application, the paper describes how organizations can strategically employ human and software agents to enhance the creation, transfer, application, and dissemination of knowledge. In the process, the paper highlights specific roles and attributes of various agents in the KM process. Using the organization as the primary unit of analysis, the scope of the discussion surrounds the conceptualization of an agent-mediated knowledge management process where data is transformed into information, information to knowledge, knowledge to creativity, creativity to innovation, and finally, the diffusion of innovation into datathus tying together a cycle of knowledge transitions from creation to reuse.