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Epistemologiesfknowledge

Chapter has ntroducedhe deahat ncreasinglynowledgesseen s representinghe moslrnportantssetrganizationsossess,nd hatsocietyaswitnessedsignificantncreasencoth he numberf knowledgeorkers,ndknowledge-intensiverganizations.hisbegs he'nostfundamentalfquestions:hats knowledge?syoumayexpect, owever,nsweringts by no meansimple. hiss oaargextentecausenhecontemporaryiteraturen knowl-edge herereanenormousiversityf definitions,nd romhewayknowledgesdescribedyCifferent riters tsobvioushat t sconceptualizedn hugelyivergent ays.This ectionf thebook xploreshese ompetingonceptualizations,nanattempto dous-:rce o thisdebate.atherhansuggesthathere s onesingletrue'definitionf what knowl-edges,he book eflectshe ragmentedaturef the contemporaryebaten this opicandcresentshediffering efinltionsnddescriptions.s willbeseen,hecompetingonceptualiza-: onsexaminedrebased n undamentallvifferentpistemolooies.

HEpistemotosy

Philosophyddressinghenaturef knowledge.oncernedithquestionsuchas: s knowledgeobjectivendmeasurable?an nowledgeeacquiredrst experienced?hat s regardedsvalidknowledge,ndwhy?

Justas BurrellndMorgan1979)rguedhatherearewo broaderspectivesnhe socialsciences ith regardo epistemology:hepositivistndanti-positivist,lhereare wobroad:pistemologicalamps nthe contemporaryebate nthe nature f knowledge.hesewo3ompeting?)erspectivesaveeen abelledna rangefwaysbydifferentuthorsseeable ).fn the oneside, here swhat willbe calledhe objectivisterspective,hileon the others;de, itha radicallyifferent iewpoint,swhatwillbecalledhepractice-basederspectiven<nowledge.haptersand3 examineheseperspectivesn urn,examiningotonlyhow hey:onceptualizenowledge,utalso owhemanagementnd haringfknowledgescharacterized,:asedon theirdifferentssumptionsboutknowledge.herefore,o best understandhese

IFora definitionf Positivism,eeCh.2

EPISTEMOLOGIESFKNOWLEDGETable2'CompetingpistemoiogiesAuthorObiectivistPersPectivePractice'basedPersPective

WerrandStiernberg2003)Empson2001)CookandBrown1999)McAdamandMcCreedY2000)Scarbrough1998)KnowledgesheoryKnowledgesanassetEpistemologYfPossesston'Knowledgeasruth'Content'theoryofknowledgeKnowledgesPractlceKnowingasaProcessEpistemologYfPracticeKnowledgessociallyonstructeo'Relational'iewofknowledge

competingperspect|Ves,andtoallowane{fectivecomparisonoftheirdifferences,itreadhesehaptersnparallel'ndconsiderhemasbeingwohalvesfadebate'whilehepractice-basederspective,swillbeseen,sloundednacritiquefheobiectivistperspective,theobjectivistperspectivehasbynomeansbeenabandoned.Intermsporaryknowledgemanagementpracticeandana|ysisthereisevidencethatbothperstillwidelysed.hishereforencreasesheutilityfhavingnunderstandingfbothperspect-ives,ndswhyhebookhasbeentructuredoexaminehemseparately'Theserepresentprobab|ythemostdifficu|tchapterstoread,aStheyaredealingwiabstractideas.However,theyprovideausefulfoundationtotheissuesaddressedinderofthebook.Thereforethoroughraspfthesessueshouldacilitatedeepernder-standingfwhatollows'

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Thebjectivisterspectivenknowledge

Whatisknowledge?

IVhatisknowledgeepresentsoneofthemostfundamentalquestionsthathumanityhasgrappledwith,andhasoccupiedhemindsof philosophersorcenturies.thuswhilethecontemporaryexplosionof interestnknowledgemanagementhasreignitednterestnthetopic,itisbynomeansanewororiginalquestion.Furthermore,evenncontempor-arytimes,nterestnthetopicof knowledgestemsrommorethanthe growthof interestnknowledgemanagement.Forexample,post-modernphilosophyhasraisedquestionsabouttheassumedbjectivityofknowledge,andinthe processassparkedanenormousdebate.Morerelevantto thepurposesofthisbookthanengagingwithhistoricarandphilo_sophicalanalysesofhowdefinitionsof knowledgehavechangedandevorved,istoengagewithanddescribecontemporaryconceptualizationsofknowledgewiththeobjectiveofreflectingontheirutilityandvalue.Therefore,afterquicklydistinguishingbetweendata,information,andknowledge,therestofthisctaterconcen*atesoneraminingtheobjectivistepistemologyofknowledge,ast provideithebasisoasub_stantialproportionofthecontemporaryknowledgemanagementriterature.Ausefulwayofarrivingata definitionofwhatknowledgeiscanbeachievedbydiffer-entiatingt fromwhatit isnot.oneofthemostcommondistinctionsnthecontempor-arvknowledgeliteratureisbetweenknowredge,information,anddata.Datacanbedefinedas rawnumber,images,words,soundswhicharederivedfromobservationorrrreasurement.orexample,datacouldbetherawnumbers,andrepliesromamarketingt'lrveyof acompany'sclients,aimedatestablishingtheirchangingpreferences.i'tformation,ncomparison,representsdataarrangednameaningfurpattern,datawhere:omeintellectualinputhasbeenadded.Forexample,wheretherawdatafromthemar_ietingsurveyhasbeenanalysedusingaspecificstatisticaltechnique,to producesome)tructuredesults.Finally,knowledgeanbeunderstoodtoemergeromtheapplication,analysis,and pro_ductiveuseofdataand/orinformation.Inotherwords,knowledgecanbeseenasdataor:ntormationwithafurtherlayerofintellectualanalysisadded,whereitis interpreted,neaningisattached,andisstructuredandlinkedwithexistingsystemsofbeliefsand:odiesof knowledge.Knowledgehereforeprovidesthemeanso analyseandunderstand