Modeling Knowledge Work for the Design of Knowledge Infrastructures

Ronald Maier (Dept. of Management Information Systems, Martin-Luther-University Halle-Wittenberg, Germany)

Abstract: During the last years, a large number of information and communication technologies (ICT) have been proposed to be supportive of knowledge management (KM). Several KM instruments have been developed and implemented in many organizations that require support by ICT. Recently, many of these technologies are bundled in the form of comprehensive, enterprise-wide knowledge infrastructures. The implementation of both, instruments and infrastructures, requires adequate modeling techniques that consider the specifics of modeling context in knowledge work. The paper studies knowledge work, KM instruments and knowledge infrastructures. Modeling techniques are reviewed, especially for business process management and activity theory. The concept of knowledge stance is discussed in order to relate functions from process models to actions from activity theory, thus detailing the context relevant for knowledge work.

Keywords: activity theory, business process management, knowledge infrastructure, knowledge management instrument, knowledge stance, knowledge work, modeling, process

Categories: H.1