Abstract
This paper examines critically the origins and basis of ‘knowledge management’, its components, and its development as a field of consultancy practice.
Problems in the distinction between ‘knowledge’ and ‘information’ are explored, as well as Polanyi’s concept of ‘tacit knowing’. The concept is examined in the journal literature, the Web sites of consultancy companies, and in the presentation of business schools.
The conclusion is reached that ‘knowledge management’ is an umbrella term for a variety of organizational activities, none of which are concerned with the management of knowledge.
Those activities that are not concerned with the management of information are concerned with the management of work practices, in the expectation that changes in such areas as communication practice will enable information sharing.
Author
Paper
Posts that link to this paper
- Knowledge Only Exists in the Mind Everything else is information
Image Credits: Midjourney
(Public Domain)In-person, 7–11 September 2026
Warbrook House, Hampshire, UK
We are living and working in conditions of uncertainty, complexity, and rapid change. This week-long workshop with David Gurteen and John Hovell offers a space to practise Conversational Leadership as a shared, lived experience.