One useful line of inquiry entails an exploration of KMS-culture fit. Much
has been made of technology-structure alignment, but the success of KMS may
be more related to organizational culture than to organizational structure as
evidenced by the concerns of our respondents on getting knowledge sharing
accepted in their organizations.
Another useful line of research would consider methods of making users
active contributors to KMS. The very label of “user” is somewhat inappropriate in
the context of KMS, as users are both contributors and beneficiaries of the
system. Involving users in design is not sufficient: they must be involved in the
consistent maintenance of KMS.
A third potential line of research suggested by our study would uncover
the decision making process for determining what knowledge to include in KMS.
Since a major concern of our respondents was avoiding too much information, it
is worth asking at what point knowledge may stifle rather than enhance
performance.