Preface for the Third Edition - Read

422 B. Concepts and Theories
ways to publish knowledge potentially relevant for other participants. Examples for
measures are autonomy (e.g., access or publication possible with the help of a specialist,
with the help of another participant or without any help, Blili et al. 1998,
149), the number of knowledge sources accessible, privileges for knowledge publication
and distribution as well as the ease-of-use of the KMS to publish knowledge
and retrieve relevant knowledge from various sources. The actual impact on the
access to knowledge can be measured in terms of speed, e.g., time required for
access or publication, amount of KMS output that has to be processed in order to
get to the knowledge elements needed, number of clicks needed (there are a number
of variables defined in the literature measuring both, speed of access and ease
of information retrieval, e.g., Blili et al. 1998, 151). Finally, a good knowledge
structure, visualization and profiling might result in a reduced feeling of information
overload because the KMS present the right amount of information targeted at
participants’ information needs.
TABLE B-27. Measures for individual impact
integrative KMS interactive KMS both
impact on participants’
capabilities to publish
knowledge elements
impact on participants’
capabilities to access
knowledge elements
impact on actual
access(es) to knowledge
elements
impact on feeling of
“information overload”
impact on individuals’
communication capabilities
impact on communication
behavior (e.g.,
response time for
emails, use of alternative
communication
channels)
impact on locating
knowledge producers/
appliers/experts
impact on creativity (e.g., number,
novelty and value of ideas)
impact on personal productivity
(time savings)
impact on decision making
(e.g., time, confidence, number
of alternatives)
impact on autonomy
impact on awareness of importance
of systematic handling of
knowledge
willingness to pay for KMS use
Interactive KMS impact participants’ communication capabilities e.g., by adding
communication channels or by pre-formatting and supporting electronic conversation.
These new capabilities might influence the actual communication behavior
which can be measured e.g., by the response time for emails, the number of
alternative (new) communication channels used, the perceived appropriateness of
communication channels for predefined communication aims. Finally, the support
of interactive KMS in locating knowledge producers, experts or other knowledge
appliers to exchange know-how is assessed using measures such as the amount of
time required to locate an expert in a given topic or to answer a specific question or
the number of knowledge appliers with a similar background and/or application
context found in a certain amount of time.
For both types of KMS, the impact on specific aspects of the way individuals
handle knowledge can be studied. The impact on creativity and thus the creation of