Fueling Community-Based Knowledge Management: Matching Peer-to-Peer Technology and the Social Architecture of Knowledge

Stefan Baldi, Munich Business School, stefan.baldi@munich-business-school.de
Hauke Heier, Accenture - Strategic IT Effectiveness (SITE)

ABSTRACT

Earlier research has shown the interdependence of knowledge management systems (KMS) and organizational factors. This study explores how peer-to-peer (P2P)-based KMS are perceived by users and whether those perceptions have impact on user acceptance and system usage. By employing a case study approach we bring together the overlapping disciplines and practices of information system architectures, knowledge management, and organizational behavior by exploring structural analogies between the social architecture of knowledge and the technical architecture of decentralized KMS. Our case analysis suggests a range of potential benefits: saved time in making knowledge available, higher levels of reciprocity and  transparency, as well as faster knowledge creation.