Increasing the Impact of Wikis on Project Performance: Fine‐tuning Functional Quality and Knowledge Sharing

Project managers have been among the first to adopt wikis in the workplace. Their impact on project performance in general has been documented, but we believe that there is still much room for improvement. We addressed this issue by performing an in-depth empirical study of wiki use in IT projects within a large public sector organization. We found that performance is significantly impacted by the quality of a wiki, but also tested other factors that may help fine-tune a wiki's capabilities: the knowledge sharing context and the distinctive use of wikis to manage project documentations, while fully exploiting its functionality. Copyright © 2017 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

[1]  Wolfgang Semar,et al.  Incentive Systems in Knowledge Management to Support Cooperative Distributed Forms of Creating and Acquiring Knowledge , 2004, IKE.

[2]  Jennifer L. Hartnett,et al.  Managing Quality: The Strategic and Competitive Edge , 1988 .

[3]  Pantaleo Mutajwaa Daniel Rwelamila,et al.  Project Management Trilogy Challenges in Africa—Where to from Here? , 2011 .

[4]  S. Newell,et al.  Social practices and the management of knowledge in project environments , 2003 .

[5]  Wei-Tsong Wang,et al.  Knowledge sharing in Wiki communities: An empirical study , 2011, Online Inf. Rev..

[6]  Burton Gummer Managing Knowledge and Knowledge Workers in Organizations , 2000 .

[8]  Giorgos Lepouras,et al.  Wikis in enterprise settings: a survey , 2012, Enterp. Inf. Syst..

[9]  Marko Sarstedt,et al.  Partial least squares structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM): An emerging tool in business research , 2014 .

[10]  John G. Lynch,et al.  Reconsidering Baron and Kenny: Myths and Truths about Mediation Analysis , 2010 .

[11]  M. Sobel Asymptotic Confidence Intervals for Indirect Effects in Structural Equation Models , 1982 .

[12]  Peter Weimann,et al.  Enhancing Team Performance Through Tool Use: How Critical Technology-Related Issues Influence the Performance of Virtual Project Teams , 2013, IEEE Transactions on Professional Communication.

[13]  C. Fornell,et al.  Evaluating structural equation models with unobservable variables and measurement error. , 1981 .

[14]  Fritz H. Grupe,et al.  The application of case-based reasoning to the software development process , 1998, Inf. Softw. Technol..

[15]  Christian Wagner,et al.  The Role of Wiki Technology and Altruism in Collaborative Knowledge Creation , 2009, J. Comput. Inf. Syst..

[16]  John G. Breslin,et al.  A Qualitative and Quantitative Analysis of How Wikipedia Talk Pages Are Used , 2010 .

[17]  Christophe Bredillet,et al.  Perspectives on research in project management: the nine schools , 2013 .

[18]  Dennis F. Galletta,et al.  Role of commitment and motivation in knowledge management systems implementation: theory, conceptualization, and measurement of antecedents of success , 2003, 36th Annual Hawaii International Conference on System Sciences, 2003. Proceedings of the.

[19]  Paul H. Lewis,et al.  WikiWikiWebs: New Ways to Communicate in a Web Environment , 2006 .

[20]  John G. Breslin,et al.  Argumentation 3.0: how Semantic Web technologies can improve argumentation modeling in Web 2.0 environments , 2010, COMMA.

[21]  A. Kaplan,et al.  A Beginner's Guide to Partial Least Squares Analysis , 2004 .

[22]  Wynne W. Chin The partial least squares approach for structural equation modeling. , 1998 .

[23]  Fred D. Davis,et al.  User Acceptance of Computer Technology: A Comparison of Two Theoretical Models , 1989 .

[24]  Ephraim R. McLean,et al.  The DeLone and McLean Model of Information Systems Success: A Ten-Year Update , 2003, J. Manag. Inf. Syst..

[25]  Matti Vartiainen,et al.  Managing knowledge and knowledge competences in projects and project organisations , 2003 .

[26]  Narasimhaiah Gorla,et al.  Determinants of software quality: A survey of information systems project managers , 2010, Inf. Softw. Technol..

[27]  Blaize Horner Reich,et al.  Modeling the Knowledge Perspective of IT Projects , 2008 .

[28]  Herman Steyn,et al.  Knowledge management in project environments , 2005 .

[29]  Linda Schwartz,et al.  Educational Wikis: features and selection criteria , 2004 .

[30]  Kristopher J Preacher,et al.  SPSS and SAS procedures for estimating indirect effects in simple mediation models , 2004, Behavior research methods, instruments, & computers : a journal of the Psychonomic Society, Inc.

[31]  Ian McGrath,et al.  Wiki use in mental health practice: recognizing potential use of collaborative technology. , 2010, International journal of mental health nursing.

[32]  Michael A. Eierman,et al.  Wiki or Word? Evaluating Tools for Collaborative Writing and Editing , 2011, J. Inf. Syst. Educ..

[33]  Zeeshan Ahmed Bhatti,et al.  The success of corporate wiki systems: an end user perspective , 2011, Int. Sym. Wikis.

[34]  Shalin Hai-Jew,et al.  Washington Online Virtual Campus: Infusing culture in dispersed Web-based higher education , 2004 .

[35]  Annick Willem,et al.  Knowledge sharing in inter-unit cooperative episodes: The impact of organizational structure dimensions , 2009, Int. J. Inf. Manag..

[36]  Yulin Fang,et al.  Cognitive elaboration during wiki use in project teams: An empirical study , 2013, Decis. Support Syst..

[37]  Hannu Vanharanta,et al.  Tacit knowledge acquisition and sharing in a project work context , 2003 .

[38]  Mian M. Ajmal,et al.  Knowledge Transfer in Project-Based Organizations: An Organizational Culture Perspective , 2008 .

[39]  Liu Lu,et al.  A cognitive model of intra-organizational knowledge-sharing motivations in the view of cross-culture , 2010 .

[40]  M. Crossan The Knowledge-Creating Company: How Japanese Companies Create the Dynamics of Innovation , 1996 .

[41]  Lynn Crawford,et al.  Government and Governance: The Value of Project Management in the Public Sector , 2009 .

[42]  Marko Sarstedt,et al.  The Use of Partial Least Squares Structural Equation Modeling in Strategic Management Research: A Review of Past Practices and Recommendations for Future Applications , 2012 .

[43]  Terry Williams,et al.  Assessing and moving on from the dominant project management discourse in the light of project overruns , 2005, IEEE Transactions on Engineering Management.

[44]  Viswanath Venkatesh,et al.  Technology Acceptance Model 3 and a Research Agenda on Interventions , 2008, Decis. Sci..

[45]  FENG Xin,et al.  Wiki-based Knowledge Management In Small and Medium Projects , 2007 .

[46]  Fred D. Davis Perceived Usefulness, Perceived Ease of Use, and User Acceptance of Information Technology , 1989, MIS Q..

[47]  Peter Trkman,et al.  A wiki as intranet: a critical analysis using the Delone and McLean model , 2009, Online Inf. Rev..

[48]  Ann Majchrzak,et al.  Factors affecting shapers of organizational wikis , 2010 .

[49]  D. A. Kenny,et al.  The moderator-mediator variable distinction in social psychological research: conceptual, strategic, and statistical considerations. , 1986, Journal of personality and social psychology.

[50]  Ming-Hong Chen,et al.  Tacit knowledge acquisition and sharing in intra-organization , 2010, 2010 Third International Symposium on Knowledge Acquisition and Modeling.

[51]  L. James,et al.  Mediators, Moderators, and Tests for Mediation. , 1984 .

[52]  Martin J. Eppler,et al.  Harvesting project knowledge: a review of project learning methods and success factors , 2003 .

[53]  LuAnn Bean,et al.  Wiki: A speedy new tool to manage projects , 2005 .

[54]  Anil K. Gupta,et al.  Knowledge flows within multinational corporations , 2000 .

[55]  Amrit Tiwana,et al.  A design knowledge management system to support collaborative information product evolution , 2001, Decis. Support Syst..

[56]  Klaus Tochtermann,et al.  Enterprise Wikis - Types of Use, Benefits and Obstacles: A Multiple-Case Study , 2009, IC3K.

[57]  Gordon B. Davis,et al.  User Acceptance of Information Technology: Toward a Unified View , 2003, MIS Q..

[58]  Charles Oppenheim,et al.  Review Article: Reviewing the impact of virtual teams in the information age , 2006, J. Inf. Sci..

[59]  Helen Hasan,et al.  The Wiki: an environment to revolutionise employees' interaction with corporate knowledge , 2006, OZCHI.

[60]  Stacie Petter,et al.  Developing Soft Skills to Manage User Expectations in IT Projects: Knowledge Reuse among IT Project Managers , 2009 .

[61]  Aino Kianto,et al.  Applying wikis to managing knowledge—A socio-technical approach , 2009 .

[62]  B. Frey,et al.  Motivation, Knowledge Transfer, and Organizational Forms , 2000 .

[63]  V. Zeithaml,et al.  E-S-QUAL A Multiple-Item Scale for Assessing Electronic Service Quality , 2004 .

[64]  Andrea J. Hester A comparative analysis of the usage and infusion of wiki and non-wiki-based knowledge management systems , 2011, Inf. Technol. Manag..

[65]  Eleni Stroulia,et al.  Recognizing contributions in wikis: Authorship categories, algorithms, and visualizations , 2010 .

[66]  Monique Aubry Exploring PMOs through community of practice theory , 2012 .

[67]  Toni Granollers,et al.  Semantic wiki for quality management in software development projects , 2010, IET Softw..

[68]  Rafael E. Landaeta,et al.  Evaluating Benefits and Challenges of Knowledge Transfer Across Projects , 2008 .

[69]  Jonghun Park,et al.  FlowWiki: A wiki based platform for ad hoc collaborative workflows , 2011, Knowl. Based Syst..

[70]  C. Anumba,et al.  Knowledge Management in UK Construction: Strategies, Resources and Barriers , 2004 .

[71]  James M. Lyneis,et al.  Learning to learn, from past to future , 2002 .

[72]  Mohammad Saleh Owlia,et al.  A framework for quality dimensions of knowledge management systems , 2010 .

[73]  Janis R. Evink Information Ecology: Mastering the Information and Knowledge Environment , 1997 .

[74]  Scott Fernie,et al.  Knowledge Sharing: Context, Controversy and Confusion , 2003 .