Capturing Organizational Knowledge:

Approaches to Knowledge Management and Supporting Technology

By

Russ Wright

Knowledge Management

Although it is said that money makes the world go around, the use of knowledge has displaced money as the primary business driver because, according to Drucker (1988), organizations discovered that organizational knowledge is the most useful tool to use to gain a competitive advantage. Identifying and leveraging knowledge held within the individual and the organization was used to increase their competitiveness (Baird, Henderson, & Watts, 1997). Over the past three decades information and the technology to support it, has grown at an explosive rate and the wealth of information available has rapidly advanced in many fields, including electronics, computers and communications technology (Adomavicius, Bockstedt, Gupta, & Kauffman, 2008). Knowledge management is the inevitable result of rapid progress in Information Technology (IT), globalization and rising awareness of the commercial value of organizational knowledge (Prusak, 2001). The existence of all this information forces organizations to find a way to handle it and transform it into actionable knowledge. Thus the problem exists not only in interpreting, distilling and sharing the information, but also efficiently turning it into knowledge.

The purpose of this document is to explore how knowledge has become the most important resource for an organization and learning is the most important capability for an organization that wants to compete in the marketplace. There is a discussion of the background on creating a competitive advantage and the importance of learning within an organization. This document also compares and contrasts the major approaches to knowledge management within an organization and examines the role that computer technology plays in capturing organizational knowledge. The conclusion finds that the field of knowledge management is still evolving and Web 2.0 technology might change the way knowledge is captured within an organization.

Towards Understanding Deploying Open Source Software:

A Study of Factors That Can Impact the Economics of an Organization.

Abstract

This purpose of this paper is to present the factors that can impact the decision to deploy Open Source Software (OSS) in an organization. Many organizations fail to understand the economics involved in using open-source software and consequently suffer poor results. An explanation of the Open Source Initiative (OSI), and a definition of Free / Libre Open Source Software (F/LOSS) is provided along with a discussion of the benefits and pitfalls of deployment in the context of the value chain. The results conclude that the benefits outweigh the risks and profit/benefit is possible if the economic impact is understood.

Value Creation/Innovation:

Exploring Value Creation Theories

By Russ Wright

Value Creation

Value creation or innovation as defined in the question above, focuses on creating new products and new ideas within the field of software development. There is much debate in the literature over how value is created within software development. Some literature focused primarily on the economy of software development (Boehm, 2003; Boehm & Sullivan, 2000). Others took a more holistic approach and realize that the culture and process have the greatest effect on the ability to innovate (Highsmith & Cockburn, 2002; Karlsson & Ryan, 2002; Little, 2005; Prahalad & Ramaswamy, 2004; Quinn, Baruch, & Zien, 1996). Regardless of the path taken to explain value creation and innovation in software development, the general agreement was that the process needed to change to better fit the challenges and opportunities of a global market. Inasmuch, this paper will explore the value creation theories related to software development and the additional challenge of outsourcing to create innovation.

The purpose of this document is to explore how an organization can create value in the software development process. There is a discussion of the background on value creation within the context of agile software development principles, which contain many ways to innovate. This document also explores the theories of outsourcing software development and how they relate to value creation or innovation within agile development. The conclusion finds that creating value in software development is still a topic up for debate among scholars and that outsourcing can add value but is full of pitfalls.

Leadership in Open Source Software Development:

Past, Present and Future

Abstract

This paper explores the past, present and future of leadership and governance within Open Source Software (OSS) development projects. This paper also explores the current factors for successful leadership and governance of OSS development. As background, this paper explores the beginnings of the "hacker" culture that became the current geek and OSS culture. The future implications for leadership in regards to the Open Innovation model are also explored. The conclusion is that the OSS development model is morphing and changing so quickly that research cannot keep up with the change.

Abstract

Open source software, with the unique license that gives the user many rights and freedoms, is transforming business and education. Once thought of as hobbyist programming, open source now has many products that are competitive with commercial proprietary software. This paper explores the perception of programming methods used to create open source programs, the security of the open source model, the evolution of the business model used to sell open source software, and the impact of open source on education and business.