From Knowledge Sharing to Value Creation: Three Generations of Knowledge Management

Abstract

This paper provides a review of knowledge management (KM) literature by adapting and extending McElroy's [1] KM generations model. An interpretive stance is adopted so as to provide a holistic understanding and interpretation of organizational KM research and related Knowledge Management Systems (KMS) and models. It is argued that to be effective organizations need not only to negotiate their migration from a knowledge sharing (first generation) to a knowledge creation (second generation) culture, but also to create sustained organizational and societal values. The latter forms the third generation KM and represents key challenges faced by modern organizations.