College of Information Studies
INST 715 (Online)
Knowledge Management
Syllabus – Spring 2013
Instructor: Scott Paquette
E-mail: spaquett@umd.edu
Please note: This syllabus may be subject to minor alteration, as needs arise, before or during the Spring
term.
Course Description
This course is an introduction to the fundamental concepts of knowledge management in the emerging
knowledge economy. The course provides an interdisciplinary overview of issues managers may encounter
within a knowledge-based environment, whether in the corporate, public sector, or otherwise. Fundamental
concepts of knowledge will include strategic aspects of knowledge, how knowledge is created and
disseminated, and the role of knowledge in organizations and society. Many emerging topics in the area of
knowledge management will also be discussed.
This course takes the position that knowledge begins with the individual, and to manage a collective set of
knowledge one must begin at the individual level and work towards the group or organizational level.
Therefore, much of the focus is at the individual level and how people identify, create, and use knowledge.
Course Goals
1. To provide an understanding of the principles of knowledge management appropriate to issues in
information studies. This understanding will enable students to comprehend the role of research in
adding to knowledge, advancing the discipline and profession, and providing information essential for
planning and decision-making;
2. To enable students to identify the role of knowledge in organizations, and what strategies and tools can
help them use knowledge to create value;
3. To enable students to identify the key issues in knowledge management for individuals, groups and
organizations. These issues are ever-changing and adapting to the business environment, and
students will be introduced to issues a manager would face in managing knowledge; and
4. To enable students to understand the role of the knowledge worker in organizations, and how the work
place is evolving as jobs become more knowledge-intensive.
© Scott Paquette 2013, College of Information Studies
University of Maryland
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Course/Learning Objectives
By the conclusion of the course students should be able to:
1. Demonstrate an understanding and appreciation of knowledge management in organizations;
2. Identify the technologies and tools that organizations use in the management of knowledge;
3. Understand the issues faced by teams of individuals working on knowledge-intensive projects; and
4. Demonstrate an understanding of knowledge management theories.
Text and Course Readings
Desouza, K., & Paquette, S. (2011). Knowledge Management: An Introduction. New York, NY:
Neal-Schuman Publishers, Inc. (Available at the UMD bookstore or online book sellers)
Required course readings are listed in the schedule below. These readings are available through the ELMS
system or the University’s e-Journal Library. You are also strongly encouraged to read widely current issues
in information and knowledge management found in both practitioner and academic journals.
Prerequisites
There are no prerequisites for this course.
Instructional Methods
This is an online course, which means the content will be delivered electronically through the university’s
ELMS system. Two important aspects of online courses will be used. The first is content, which for this
class will consist of recorded lectures and presentation slides that will be available as an ‘enhanced
podcast’. You will be able to download these lectures and view them through QuickTime. Readings and
other online materials will also be made available, which will include PDFs, website links and other audio /
video files. Secondly, there will be opportunities to interact with the instructor and your fellow course mates.
Online discussion boards and chats can be used as a form of class participation to further engage in the
course material. Of course, e-mail is always an option, and students are strongly encouraged to contact the
instructor with any questions. In addition to information gleaned from lectures, required and recommended
readings, students will gain insights about information environments from the assignments.
Each student is responsible for completing the assigned readings, viewing the lecture video(s) and other
supplementary materials (if applicable), and participating in the weekly online discussions. This course is
organized by 14 weekly installments aligned with the university academic calendar. Class materials will be
released online 3 weeks in advance to allow students to work at their own desired pace. However, students
must ensure they cover all relevant materials and are prepared to contribute to the online discussions with
quality ideas.
© Scott Paquette 2013, College of Information Studies
University of Maryland
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As we do not meet in a classroom setting, it is imperative that students maintain open lines of
communication with the instructor. E-mail is the preferred method. Any questions on the materials,
assignments or course administration are always welcomed and encouraged. Students should not let
problems or concerns go unresolved and should feel open to contacting the instructor at any time during the
term so problems can be addressed.
Course Assessment
Detailed instructions regarding each assignment will be provided. Assessment of all assignments is directly
related to attention to the instructions, clarity of expression and presentation, and evidence of critical
thinking.
Case Analysis (20%) - Students will be given a case based on a real life problem concerning the
management of knowledge faced by an actual organization. Alternatives to the problem will be analyzed in
order to provide recommendation for the organization.
Social Media Analysis (25%) – Students will chose an organization that uses social media to connect with
its internal employees or external customers. An analysis of how social media is used specifically for
knowledge management activities (identifying knowledge, sharing knowledge, creating new knowledge, etc),
including a critical assessment on the effectiveness of social media for the organization’s KM activities will
be presented.
Major Paper (35%) - Students will identify a current major issue or topic in the field of knowledge
management and write a paper critically examining this topic in the context of the knowledge economy and
the social impact to knowledge workers.
Elms Discussion Board & Twitter Participation (20%) - Your participation mark will be divided into two
parts, 15% for discussion on the online boards and 5% for using Twitter to communicate with your
classmates. Twitter will be used in this course to augment and enrich our interaction in and out of class.
Each student will register on Twitter and use this application to express thoughts, ideas and questions to
their fellow students. We will distribute the list of Twitter ID’s for all the students in the course so you know
who to ‘follow’, and we will use the hash tag #introtokm to identify our ‘tweets’. Feel free to also use the
college’s hastag #iUMD to identify your comments.
Please note: Late assignments will be penalized by one grade per day. For example an A- paper that is two
days late would result in the grade of B. Any assignments over 5 days late will result in a failing grade.
Participation
As this is an online course, participation will work somewhat differently than an in-class course. On the
ELMS-Blackboard website, a discussion board will be established with discussions for each week of class.
Every week, the instructor will post questions related to the lecture and the readings that will allow the
students to further consider the concepts and topics introduced in class. Students are expected to not only
answer questions, but also pose further questions and engage with other members of the class in order to
create a lively debate and discussion. Bringing new and timely sources into the conversation is highly
recommended.
© Scott Paquette 2013, College of Information Studies
University of Maryland
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Rules and Expectations for Online Participation:
1) Students will participate on a regular basis, contributing to the conversations.
2) Contributions will not repeat previous posts or information, but add new ideas, opinions and views
to the conversation.
3) Posts that not only answer questions but also pose new questions are very welcome. Originality,
innovative ideas, or posts that bring new knowledge into the conversation are highly regarded,
including those that relate ideas based on professional experience.
4) Students are not assessed by the quantity of posts, but the quality of posts. Many posts that add
little or no value to the conversation, or only repeat previously stated facts will not be a positive
factor in a student’s participation grade.
5) The online space shared by all students should be considered a safe place to post ideas and
opinions. It is acceptable to respond, agree or question posts made by others. However, any
rude, inflammatory, insulting or inappropriate posts will not be tolerated. Participation marks will be
lost from online attacks or ‘flaming’.
Academic Integrity
Students are reminded to review the University’s Honor Code and Honor Pledge regarding
cheating, plagiarizing papers, and other unacceptable activities. Academic dishonesty will not be
tolerated and reported to the Honor Council.
© Scott Paquette 2013, College of Information Studies
University of Maryland
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INST 715 Online Class Calendar (Spring 2013)
Date
Topics
Readings
Part I: Introduction to The Knowledge Cycle
Week 1 - Jan 28
Introduction to
Knowledge
Week 2 – Feb 4
The Creation of
Knowledge
Case Assignment
Distributed
Week 3 – Feb 11
The Distribution of
Knowledge
Week 4 – Feb 18
Knowledge
Organization
1. Course Introduction and
Administration
2. The Knowledge Era: What is
Knowledge (And What Isn’t It)?
3. Managing Knowledge
Desouza & Paquette,
chapters 1 & 2
1. Individual Knowledge Creation
2. Group Knowledge Creation
3. Nonaka’s SECI Knowledge Creation
Cycle
(Nonaka, 1994)
1. Knowledge Sharing and Transfer:
Sticky Knowledge
2. Motivation for Sharing
3. Knowledge Networks (part 1)
(Michailova & Husted,
2003)
1. Historical View of Knowledge
Organization
2. Why We Organize Knowledge
(Stewart, 1994)
Desouza & Paquette,
chapters 3 & 4
Desouza & Paquette,
chapter 6
(Anfinnsen, Ghinea, & de
Cesare, 2011)
Desouza & Paquette,
chapter 5
Part II: Knowledge Use in the Organization
Week 5 – Feb 25
Corporate Knowledge
Strategies
1. Knowledge Management Strategy
2. The Knowledge Based View of the
Firm
(Zack, 2003)
Desouza & Paquette,
chapter 9
Case Assignment Due
© Scott Paquette 2013, College of Information Studies
University of Maryland
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Week 6 – Mar 4
Decision Making
1. Managerial Decision Making
2. The Role of Knowledge in Decisions
(Buchanan & O'Connell,
2006)
(Davenport, Harris, De
Long, & Jacobson, 2001)
(Nicolas, 2004)
Week 7 – March 11
Knowledge
Management Systems
& Social Media
Week 8 – March 18
Week 9 – March 25
Knowledge and People
1. Knowledge Management Systems,
Technologies and Tools
2. Intranets and Knowledge Portals
3. The Role of the Internet
(McDermott, 1999)
(Levy, 2009)
Desouza & Paquette,
chapter 8
March Break – No Class this Week
1. Intellectual & Human Capital
2. Managing the Knowledge Worker
3. Knowledge Retention &
Organizational Memory
(Siebdrat, Hoegl, & Ernst,
2009)
Desouza & Paquette,
pages 213-230
Part III: Beyond Organizational Knowledge and Boundaries
Week 10 – Apr 1
Knowledgeable
Innovation
Social Media
Assignment Due
Week 11 – April 8
External Knowledge
1. Knowledge for Innovation and
Discovery
2. More than Free Software: NonMarket and Peer Production
3. Creativity
(Prahalad & Ramaswamy,
2003)
(Schneiderman, 2007)
(Florida, 2005)
(Catmull, 2008)
1. Beyond Boundaries: External
Knowledge
2. Customer Knowledge
3. Multinational Enterprises and
Knowledge
(Gibbert, Leibold, &
Probst, 2002)
(Paquette, 2006)
Week 12 – April 15
Week to Focus on Final Paper
© Scott Paquette 2013, College of Information Studies
University of Maryland
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Week 13 – April 22
Community Knowledge
Week 14 – April 29
The Future of KM and
Course Wrap-Up
Week 15 – May 6
1. Knowledge in Distributed
Organizations
2. Communities of Practice
3. Wikis and Other Social Tools
(von Hippel, 2001)
1. What is Next for Knowledge
Management?
2. Course Wrap-Up and Summary
(Yates & Paquette, 2011)
(Barrett, Cappleman,
Shoib, & Walsham, 2004)
Desouza & Paquette,
chapter 10
Major Papers Due
© Scott Paquette 2013, College of Information Studies
University of Maryland
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Required Readings List
Anfinnsen, S., Ghinea, G., & de Cesare, S. (2011). Web 2.0 and Folksonomies in a
Library Context. International Journal of Information Management, 31, 63-70.
Barrett, M., Cappleman, S., Shoib, G., & Walsham, G. (2004). Learning in Knowledge
Communities. European Management Journal, 22(1), 1-11.
Buchanan, L., & O'Connell, A. (2006). A Brief History of Decision Making. Harvard
Business Review(January 2006), 32-41.
Catmull, E. (2008). How Pixar Fosters Collective Creativity. Harvard Business
Review(September 2008), 64-72.
Davenport, T., Harris, J. G., De Long, D. W., & Jacobson, A. L. (2001). Data to
Knowledge to Results: Building An Analytical Capability. California
Management Review, 43(2), 117-138.
Florida, R. (2005). Managing for Creativity. Harvard Business Review, 83(7/8), 124-131.
Gibbert, M., Leibold, M., & Probst, G. (2002). Five Styles of Customer Knowledge
Management, and How Smart Companies Use them to Create Value. European
Management Journal, 20(5), 459-469.
Levy, M. (2009). Web 2.0 Implications on Knowledge Management. Journal of
Knowledge Management, 13(1), 120-134.
McDermott, R. (1999). Why Information Technology Inspired but Cannot Deliver
Knowledge Management. California Management Review, 41(4), 103-117.
Michailova, S., & Husted, K. (2003). Knowledge-Sharing Hostiity in Russian Firms.
California Management Review, 45(3), 59-77.
Nicolas, R. (2004). Knowledge Management Impacts on Decision Making Process.
Journal of Knowledge Management, 8(1), 20-31.
Nonaka, I. (1994). A Dynamic Theory of Organizational Knowledge Creation.
Organization Science, 5(1), 14-37.
Prahalad, C. K., & Ramaswamy, V. (2003). The New Frontier of Experience Innovation.
Sloan Management Review(Summer 2003), 12-18.
Schneiderman, B. (2007). Creativity Support Tools. Communications of the ACM,
50(12), 20-32.
Siebdrat, F., Hoegl, M., & Ernst, H. (2009). How to Manage Virtual Teams. MIT Sloan
Management Review, 50(4), 63-71.
© Scott Paquette 2013, College of Information Studies
University of Maryland
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Stewart, T. A. (1994). You're Company's Most Valuable Asset: Intellectual Capital.
Fortune, 130, 68-73.
von Hippel, E. (2001). Innovation by User Communities: Learning from Open-Source
Software. Sloan Management Review, Summer, 82-86.
Yates, D., & Paquette, S. (2011). Emergency Knowledge Management and Social Media
Technologies: A Case Study of the 2010 Haitian Earthquake. International
Journal of Information Management, 31, 6-13.
Zack, M. H. (2003). Rethinking the Knowledge-Based Organization. Sloan Management
Review, Summer 2003, 67-71.
© Scott Paquette 2013, College of Information Studies
University of Maryland
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