Personal
Knowledge
Management
What is it?
“Personal knowledge management (PKM) involves a range of relatively
simple and inexpensive techniques and tools that anyone can use to
acquire, create and share knowledge, extend personal networks and
collaborate with colleagues without having to rely on the technical or
financial resources of the employer.” (Barth, 2000)
“PKM is a conceptual framework to organize and integrate information
that we, as individuals, feel is important so that it becomes part of our
personal knowledge base. It provides a strategy for transforming what
might be random pieces of information into something that can be
systematically applied and that expands our personal knowledge.”
(Frand & Hixon, 1999)
Personal?
PKM can be thought of as a set of skills necessary for
problem solving:
 Retrieving information
 Evaluation/assessing information
 Organizing information
 Analyzing information
 Presenting information
 Securing information
 Collaborating around information
(Paul Dorsey)
PKM Tools
 Old school: file folders, file cabinet, piles
 Not so old school: computer, scanner, LOTS of disk
space
 New school: DEVONThink
PersonalBrain
Gurunet
Friendster
Tools that THINK?
These tools are meant to enhance the PKM processes rather than actually
think…but some of them are pretty smart.
Some Categories of PKM Tools:
 Index/Search
 Associative links
 Unstructured Information Capture
 Concept/Mind Mapping
 E-Mail management
 Voice Recognition
 People/Expert Finding
(Petruzzelli & Iavernaro, 2004)
So What Does It Mean?
PKM is essentially a method for acquiring and exchanging
information that goes beyond technical skill and
technological tools to incorporate personal behaviors and
relationships.
In other words it’s:
“What you know, who you know and what they know”
(Barth, 2000)
PKM to EKM
Starts with the individual
Proper tools are essential
Requires support and encouragement
throughout the organization
References
 Barth, S. (2000) The power of one. Knowledge Management. Retrieved
March 4, 2005 from
http://www.destinationkm.com/print/default.asp?ArticleID=615.
 Dorsey, P. (n.d.). What is pkm? Retrieved March 4, 2005 from
http://www.millikin.edu/webmaster/seminar/pkm.html.
 Frand, J. & Hixon, C. (1999). Personal knowledge management: who, what,
why, when, where, how? Retrieved March 4, 2005 from
http://www.anderson.ucla.edu/faculty/jason.frand/researcher/speeches/PKM.
htm.
 Petruzzellis, S. & Iavernaro, F. (2004). Technologies for personal knowledge
management. Knowledgeboard. Retrieved March 4, 2005 from
http://www.knowledgeboard.com/cgi-bin/item.cgi?id=127806&d=pnd.