Purpose: To develop a biological approach to the analysis of learning organisations based on complexity theory, autopoiesis, and evolutionary epistemology. Design/methodology/approach: This paper synthesises ideas from disciplines ranging from physics, epistemology and philosophy of science to military affairs, to sketch a scientific framework in…

As organizations respond to competitive environments and strive to enhance performance, knowledge management (KM) has increasingly become a strategic activity. A KM strategy entails consciously helping people share and put knowledge into action. A key challenge is how to develop and implement KM solutions that provide performance support to…

One might expect higher education, where the discovery and dissemination of new and useful knowledge is vital, to be among the first to implement knowledge management practices. Surprisingly, higher education has been slow to implement knowledge management practices (Townley, 2003). This article describes an ongoing research and development effort…

In the last years, knowledge and learning management have made a significant impact on the IT research community. "Open Source for Knowledge and Learning Management: Strategies Beyond Tools" presents learning and knowledge management from a point of view where the basic tools and applications are provided by open source technologies.…

During distributed virtual laboratory experiment sessions, a major problem is to be able to collect, store, manage and share heterogeneous data (intermediate results, analysis, annotations, etc) manipulated simultaneously by geographically distributed teammates composing a virtual team. The electronic notebook is a possible response to this…

Rather than focusing on functional issues relating to implementation of knowledge management (KM) techniques, this book addresses the social aspects of KM. Using various social science perspectives, the volume provides critical analyses of KM in higher education, with an emphasis on unintended consequences and future implications. Fifteen chapters…

The computer science high-school teaching community of practice possesses a rich collection of distributed practical knowledge consisting of individual teachers' expertise regarding pedagogy. However, without a proper means of communication and rules of discourse, the individual pieces of knowledge might not be transferred properly within the…

This invitational update on the Institute for the Advancement of Social Work Research (IASWR) provides an overview of the work and progress toward strengthening the evidence base for social work practice and policy through research. The article includes information regarding IASWR work with its supporting social work organizations to provide a…

This first edition of the New Media Consortium's (NMC) annual "Horizon Report" details findings of the Horizon Project, a research-oriented effort that seeks to identify and describe emerging technologies likely to have a large impact on teaching, learning, or creative expression within higher education. Drawing on an ongoing series of interviews…

In response to significant changes in the Indigenous information landscape, the State Library of New South Wales and Jumbunna Indigenous House of Learning, University of Technology, Sydney, hosted a Colloquium, "Libraries and Indigenous Knowledge," in December 2004. The two-day Colloquium brought together professionals, practitioners and…

The idea of "the university" has stood for universal themes--of knowing, of truthfulness, of learning, of human development, and of critical reason. Through its affirming and sustaining of such themes, the university came itself to stand for universality in at least two senses: the university was neither partial (in its truth criteria) nor local…

This paper, while emphasizing the linkage between the concepts of "empowerment" and "learning", argues that empowerment provides the most appropriate base to effectively implement learning in construction organizations. It is argued that "efficacy-information", being a derivative of empowerment, helps influence…

This paper explores the themes and implications, concerning the role of the supervisor as a facilitator of knowledge sharing in teams. After describing the strategic context for devolving human resource responsibilities to line managers, the paper defines and discusses the line manager/supervisor role. The barriers to learning in the workplace are…

Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to research the trade in knowledge as a commodity between advanced nations and less developed ones. Design/methodology/approach: Investigates knowledge transfer between nations and examines cultural factors and their effect on this exchange. Findings: Finds that successful adoption of traded material calls for…

Susana Juniu's thought-provoking essay defines the new digital divide in higher education--a division of knowledge, experience, and needs that influence the integration of technology into the classroom. She acknowledges educators' frequently conflicting feelings about technology as well as the lack of communication between IT departments and…