Information Technology Reference
In-Depth Information
Chapter 7
Wikis for Collaboration &
Knowledge Management
Current Practices & Future Directions
Clif Kussmaul
Muhlenberg College, USA; Elegance Technologies, Inc., USA
AbstrACt
This chapter examines how collaboration and knowledge management (KM) can be supported using
wikis and related tools. A wiki is a web site that makes it easy for users to create, edit, and link pages
without specialized tools. The chapter seeks to help readers understand what KM and wikis are, and
when and why wikis can support collaboration and KM. The chapter identifies associated challenges and
best practices. Organizations should assess cultural factors, recognize the differences between top-down
and bottom-up approaches, and leverage the KM “market”. Projects should be iterative, focus on either
mapping or capture, start with pilot projects and simple structures, and focus on key users and roles.
Systems should be off-the-shelf, avoid “either-or” conflicts, and provide structures to facilitate common
tasks. The chapter also discusses future directions and implications in these rapidly changing areas.
introduCtion
readers understand what KM and wikis are, and when
and why wikis can support collaboration and KM. It
identifies associated challenges and best practices,
and reviews complementary tools and techniques.
It emphasizes the flexibility of wikis, including the
ease with which they can be used to prototype and
refine user interfaces for KM tasks and activities.
It also discusses future directions and implications
in these rapidly changing areas.
The chapter provides a multidisciplinary per-
spective, since effective collaboration involves
a variety of disciplines, including business, soft-
This chapter examines how collaboration and
knowledge management (KM) can be supported
using wikis and related tools. A wiki is a web site
that makes it easy for users to create, edit, and
link pages without specialized tools. Knowledge
management (KM) is “the leveraging of collective
wisdom to increase responsiveness and innovation”
(Frappaolo, 2006, p. 8). The chapter seeks to help
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