Preface for the Third Edition - Read

416 B. Concepts and Theories
helps the participants to structure their responses, automatically link them or suggest
links with relevant knowledge elements, such as a glossary or similar cases
etc. The quality of the valuations of relevance could be oriented towards certain
types of users, e.g., novices versus experts, general versus specific knowledge,
abstract/scientific versus narrative knowledge 657 .
8.4.3 Knowledge-specific services
The measures in this category assess the success of the knowledge-related services
in an organization which are produced by specialized employees in the roles of
e.g., knowledge brokers or subject matter specialists with support of the KMS. The
service should support the participants in handling knowledge with the help of the
KMS. The literature provides a number of criteria for the evaluation of IS services
658 . The criteria have to be adapted to knowledge-specific services. Table B-
24 presents a number of measures to assess knowledge-specific services.
TABLE B-24. Measures for knowledge-specific services
integrative KMS interactive KMS both
quality of support of
knowledge publication
quality of refining/
repackaging knowledge
quality of support of
knowledge search
quality of distribution
of knowledge elements
quality of maintenance
of knowledge
base (e.g., archiving/
deletion of obsolete
knowledge elements,
maintenance of
knowledge structure)
quality of communication
support (e.g.,
help with selection
and use of communication
channels)
quality of support for
communities (e.g.,
moderation and structuring
of discussion
lists, cross-postings)
quality of support for
the development of
expert profiles and
skills directories
transparency of services
reliability of services
responsiveness/promptness
availability of personnel
assurance (credibility, competence,
courtesy of personnel, communication,
security)
empathy (understanding/knowing
KMS participants)
ability to motivate participants
quality of training and education
one-on-one consultations or helpline
appropriation support
integration of knowledge-specific
services into KMS
error recovery (time to correct errors
in KMS)
time required for new developments/changes
to KMS
657. See also the types of knowledge distinguished in section 4.2 - “Knowledge” on page 60.
658. See e.g., Ferguson/Zawacki 1993, Pitt et al. 1995, Myers et al. 1998, 105f, Guimaraes et
al. 1999; see Parasuraman et al. 1985 and 1988 for the SERVQUAL instrument; see
also