Designing the Knowledge Submission Process to a Knowledge Management System (KMS): Lessons Learned from Technical Support Environment

Technical support work involves providing "advice to users on changes to the product and/or how it is used for maximum benefit" (Das, 2003, p. 416). Documents such as manuals are sources of knowledge often used to resolve customer problems. However, the environment in which help-desk analysts work changes rapidly with new products being introduced, new documents related to those products being written, and new problems constantly arising. Therefore, it is very difficult to create technical documentation that supports help-desk analysts in their efforts to perform the various aspects of their job efficiently and effectively. Another way that organizations often seek to support professionals' efforts to explore new solutions and exploit existing knowledge is through the implementation of Knowledge Management Systems (KMS). For a KMS to be perceived useful, it must be updated constantly with users' knowledge to prevent them from becoming stale and useless. How can an organization make sure that there is a flow of updated knowledge into a KMS? This research presents initial findings on the design of knowledge submission processes in technical support environment.

Speaker Biography

Alexandra Durcikova is an Assistant Professor at the Eller College of Business and Public Administration, University of Arizona. Alexandra has a PhD in Management Information Systems from the University of Pittsburgh. She has worked as an experimental physics researcher in the area of superconductivity and as an instructor of MBA and executive MBA students prior to returning to academia to pursue her PhD. Alexandra's research interests include knowledge management and knowledge management systems, the role of organizational climate in the use of knowledge management systems, and IS issues in developing countries. Her research appears in Communications of the ACM, as well as various national and international conference proceedings.

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