Perspectives on Managing Knowledge in Organizations

SUMMARY This paper compares two influential attempts at presenting a comprehensive framework of knowledge management. For each perspective the author examines theoretical foundations, highlights conceptual elements and themes, and discusses the role of information and information management. Ikujiro Nonaka and Hirotaka Takeuchi analyze the dynamics of knowledge creation, particularly the importance of tacit knowledge and its conversion into explicit knowledge. Thomas H. Davenport and Lawrence Prusak focus on the design of organizational processes that enable knowledge generation, codification, and transfer. It is suggested that, to a degree, the concepts and practices of each model reflect the national cultures of their authors–Japan and the United States.