Using Visual Representations in Knowledge Management - a Conceptual Framework and Application Examples

The purpose of this article is to systematically explore the potential of visualization for organizational knowledge management. The employed methodology consists of a taxonomy of visualization formats that are embedded in a conceptual framework to guide the application of visualization in knowledge management according to the type of knowledge that is visualized, the target groups, the km process that is supported, and the application situation. This conceptual framework is illustrated through real-life examples of knowledge visualization in organizations. Our findings indicate that there is much room for knowledge management applications based on visualization beyond the mere referencing of experts or documents through knowledge maps. The research implications consist of experimenting actively with new forms of visual knowledge representations and evaluating their benefits or potential drawbacks rigorously.

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