Co-ordinating Distributed Knowledge: A Study into the Use of an Organisational Memory |
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Authors: | M J Perry R Fruchter D Rosenberg |
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Affiliation: | (1) Department of Information Systems and Computing, Brunel University, Uxbridge, UK, GB;(2) Project-Based Learning Laboratory, Centre for Integrated Facilities Engineering, Stanford University, California, USA, US |
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Abstract: | This paper presents an ethnographically informed investigation into the use of an organisational memory, focusing in particular
on how information was used in the performance of work. We argue that understanding how people make use of distributed knowledge
is crucial to the design of an organisational memory. However, we take the perspective that an ‘organisational memory’ is
not technology dependent, but is an emergent property of group interaction. In this sense, the technology does not form the
organisational memory, but provides a novel means of augmenting the co-ordination of collaborative action. The study examines
the generation, development and maintenance of knowledge repositories and archives. The knowledge and information captured
in the organisational memory enabled the team members to establish a common understanding of the design and to gain an appreciation
of the issues and concerns of the other disciplines. The study demonstrates why technology should not be thought of in isolation
from its contexts of use, but also how designers can make use of the creative flexibility that people employ in their everyday
activities. The findings of the study are therefore of direct relevance to both the design of knowledge archives and to the
management of this information within organisations. |
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Keywords: | : Engineering design – Ethnography – Organisational memory – Teamwork – User appropriation |
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