NAME: Chun Wei Choo, Information Studies, University of Toronto (Co-Applicant)

1. RESEARCH ADVANCES

PUBLICATIONS

Carroll, John M., Chun Wei Choo, D.R. Dunlap, P.L. Isenhour, S.T. Kerr, A. MacLean, and M.B. Rosson. 2004. Knowledge Management Support for Teachers. Educational Technology Research & Development 51 (4): 42-64. http://www.aect.org/Intranet/Publications/etrd/5104.asp

Winkelman, Warren J., and Chun Wei Choo. 2003. Provider-Sponsored Virtual Communities for Chronic Patients: Improving Health Outcomes through Organizational Patient-Centred Knowledge Management. Health Expectations 6, no. 4: 352-259. http://choo.fis.utoronto.ca/FIS/ResPub/HealthExpect/

Choo, Chun Wei and Christine Marton. 2003. Information Seeking on the Web by Women in IT Professions. Internet Research 13, no. 4: 267-280. http://choo.fis.utoronto.ca/FIS/ResPub/InternetR/

Choo, Chun Wei. 2003. Perspectives on Managing Knowledge in Organizations. Cataloguing and Classification Quarterly 37 (1/2: Special Issue on Knowledge Organization and Classification in International Information Retrieval): 205-220. http://choo.fis.utoronto.ca/FIS/ResPub/CCQ/default.html

Choo, Chun Wei and Ray Johnston. In press. Innovation in the Knowing Organization: A Case Study of an e-Commerce Initiative. Journal of Knowledge Management: to appear in Vol. 8 no. 5, 2004 issue. http://choo.fis.utoronto.ca/FIS/ResPub/JKM/

CONFERENCES

"The Knowing Organization," invited presentation at the 3rd Social Study of IT Workshop on Knowledge and Organizing at the London School of Economics, April 24-25, 2003. (Video available at - http://is.lse.ac.uk/events/ssit3/programme.htm)

"Knowledge Management and the Knowing Organization," presentation at the 1st Seminar on Corporate Information, October 23-24, 2003, University of S˚o Paulo, Brasil. Conference jointly organized by the Department of Information Science, the Laboratory of Technology and Information Systems, School of Communication and Art, Faculty of Economics, Administration and Accounting. (http://choo.fis.utoronto.ca/Workshops/choo_KM_2003SP1.pdf)

OTHER

2. RESEARCH COMMUNITY: ORGANIZATIONAL FRAMEWORK

A. PERSONAL BIOGRAPHIES/HOME WEBSITES

http://choo.fis.utoronto.ca/

B. THERE ARE FOUR TYPES OF CONTRIBUTIONS:

‰ KNOWLEDGE BUILDING COMMUNITIES

‰ DESIGN RESEARCHER

‰ KNOWLEDGE SOCIETY NETWORK CONTRIBUTIONS

‰ CONTRIBUTING RESEARCHER

Chun Wei Choo, Information Studies, University of Toronto

John Mylopoulos, Information Studies, University of Toronto

3. KNOWLEDGE MOBILIZATION

‰ SELF-SUSTAINING PARTNERSHIPS:

‰ INE COLLABORATORS

‰ ONLINE COURSES IN KNOWLEDGE BUILDING

‰ THE KNOWLEDGE SOCIETY NETWORK VIRTUAL SUITE

‰ PARTNERES AS DISTRIBUTORS

‰ RESEARCH LICENSES

‰ INSTITUTES AND WORKSHOPS WORLDWIDE

‰ EXCHANGE PROGRAMS

‰ INTERNSHIPS

‰ NEW GRANTS/COLLABORATIVE GRANT GETTING

‰ COLLABORATIVE BOOK PRODUCTION

‰ CONTACTS WITH VISIONARIES

‰ TARGETING PRESERVICE AND BUSINESS EDUCATORS

‰ STUDENTS

Two of the PhD students working with Chun Wei Choo (Faculty of Information Studies) who may be interested in doing KSN/BBP research are:

Colin Furness

http://www.fis.utoronto.ca/phd/furness

Scott Paquette

http://www.fis.utoronto.ca/phd/paquette

Simone Laughton, Faculty of Information Studies, came to the Summer Institute 2003 representing him. She presented:

http://ikit.org/SummerInstitute2003/posters/laughton.html

‰ VIRTUAL PRACTICA, SEMINARS, RESEARCH GROUPS, ETC., WITH WORLDWIDE NETWORK OF SCHOLARS

‰ ONLINE COLLABORATIVE COURSES

Presentation at SI 2003:

http://ikit.org/SummerInstitute2003/posters/laughton.html

Sharing knowledge online: Engaging graduate students in learning more about knowledge management (KM) theory and practice

Simone Laughton & Chun Wei Choo, Faculty of Information Studies, University of Toronto, ON, Canada

Poster Abstract

Creating new and interactive learning environments that bring students together to discuss theory and practice is a challenge, particularly when students come from a wide range of different backgrounds and work

experiences. The purpose of this project is to engage graduate students of FIS 2176 Information Management in Organizations in the exploration of knowledge management theory, and tools and methods associated with

current KM practice. The virtual space will include information and provide tools that support the Ëcollective pursuit of meaning and understandingÓ (Bereiter & Scardamalia, 1993, p. 204). Students will be able to post

online comments and questions within shared virtual problem spaces.

The presentation at the conference will be a prototype, and comments and feedback from colleagues are most welcome.

ABSTRACT: An organization uses information in three arenas: to make sense of its environment, to create new knowledge, and to make decisions. Sensemaking constructs the shared meanings that shape the organization's purpose and frame the perception of problems or opportunities that the organization needs to work on. Working with problems and opportunities often become occasions for creating knowledge and making decisions. An organization possesses three types of knowledge: tacit knowledge in the experience and expertise of individuals; explicit knowledge in the form of artifacts, rules and routines; and cultural knowledge embedded as assumptions, beliefs, and values. The creation of new knowledge involves the conversion, sharing, and combination of all three forms of knowledge. The results of knowledge creation are new innovations or capabilities. Whereas new knowledge represents a potential for action, decision making transforms this potential into a commitment to act. Decision making is guided by preferences that are based on interpretations of the purpose and identity of the organization. When new capabilities or innovations become available, they introduce new alternatives as well as new uncertainties. Decision making then selects courses of action that are expected to perform well given the understanding of goals and the conditions of uncertainty. Organizational learning and adaptation is thus the outcome of the interplay between organizational sensemaking, knowledge creating, and decision making

Abstract

This paper compares two influential attempts at presenting a comprehensive framework of knowledge management. For each perspective we examine theoretical foundations, highlight conceptual elements and themes, and discuss the role of information and information management. Nonaka and Takeuchi (1995) analyze the dynamics of knowledge creation, particularly the importance of tacit knowledge and its conversion into explicit knowledge. Davenport and Prusak (1998) focus on the design of organizational processes that enable knowledge generation, codification, and transfer. It is suggested that, to a degree, the concepts and practices of each model reflect the national cultures of their authors.