Illustrated by the experience of the World Bank, this book explains how knowledge management, traditionally viewed as being about information systems and processes, can play a fundamental corporate role by creating a competitive edge for organizations, increasing team performance, and fostering effective, large-scale organizational change. Rich and powerful stories, told by economic development practitioners and knowledge management specialists throughout the World Bank, describe the strategies, instruments, tools, and processes at the core of one of the most important and radical reorganizations of the world’s premier international development institution. Going far beyond other knowledge management titles, this book: shows how knowledge management can be a source of competitive advantage and team performance, rather than a back-room support function focuses on the role of the "software" of knowledge management, most notably the use of communities, culture, and collaboration across internal silos to create value; and demonstrates the role that knowledge management can play in fostering innovation, and development of new business lines and strategies by global teams in diverse locations Written not only for knowledge management professionals, but also for C-suite executives and middle managers who will see the benefits of bringing knowledge management to the core of organizational performance and competitive advantage, the book provides practical examples that can be replicated in other large global knowledge, financing, and development institutions and that will be relevant for public, private, and non-profit organizations.

Verna Allee, whose groundbreaking book 'The Knowledge Evolution' helped usher in the exploding field of knowledge management, has brought her experience-tested insights into an exciting new synthesis, penetrating to the very heart of value creation. 'The Future of Knowledge' strips away traditional business thinking to reveal the new patterns of management thought and practice essential for success in a more complex world. With a gift for making the complex simple and practical, Allee weaves together diverse threads such as business webs, communities of practice, knowledge technologies, intangibles, network analysis, and biology to show why organizations must be supported as living systems before their natural networked pattern of organization can emerge. Embodying Allee's visionary approach, 'The Future of Knowledge' brings forward a practical view of new theories, frameworks, tools, and methods offering businesses a guide to managing the increasing levels of complexity within their organizations and in society at large. 'The Future of Knowledge' works on many levels: * At the strategic level, the new tools are intangible scorecards and understanding value networks * At the tactical level, the knowledge management tools for exchanging and applying knowledge are knowledge networks and communities of practice * At the operational level, a wealth of new technologies is supporting the codification, storage and delivery of the knowledge people need to complete their routine tasks.

The book contains 24 research articles related to the emerging research field of Communities and Technologies (C&T). The papers treat subjects such as online communities, communities of practice, Community support systems, Digital Cities, regional communities and the internet, knowledge sharing and communities, civil communities, communities and education and social capital. As a result of a very quality-oriented review process, the work reflects the best of current research and practice in the field of C&T.

Many of our global cities are distressed and facing a host of issues: economic collapse in the face of rising expectations, social disintegration and civil unrest, and ecological degradation and the threats associated with climate change, including more frequent and more severe natural disasters. Our long-held assumptions about man and nature and how they interact are defunct. We realize now that we can no longer continue to build without addressing the long-term impacts of our actions and their spillovers. Energy and natural resources are finite. The way we configure economies has come into question. In the developed world, especially in the United States, infrastructure and the notions that underpin it are outdated. Meanwhile, the developing world is experiencing major, rapid transformations in lifestyles and economies that are affecting billions of people and requiring a whole new way of planning human settlements. Cities are the key to our future; they represent the most effective vehicle for positive advancements in the human condition and environmental change. This volume argues for the need to redesign and re-plan our cities in holistic ways that reflect our new understanding and relate to their diversity and multi-dimensionality. Presenting a range of case studies from around the world, this volume examines how these distressed cities are dealing with these issues in planning for their future. Alongside these empirical chapters are philosophical essays that consider the future of distressed cities. Bringing together a team of leading scholars, United Nations agencies, non-governmental organizations, private consulting firms, international organizations and foundations, and policy officials, this volume provides a unique and comprehensive overview on how to transform distressed communities into more livable places.

From extending successful brands into exotic new markets to tapping talent in virtual teams to building ultra-complex supplier and distributor networks, today's executives and managers must consider the international implications of every decision they make. Certainly, globalization has its detractors, but for business leaders, the issue is not to debate the merits of globalization but to learn how to thrive in the global marketplace. In Borderless Business the authors tackle every major dimension of business-from marketing to human resource management to supply chains to accounting and finance-and demonstrate how they play out in a global context. Each chapter describes the new skills and competencies that managers must master in order to lead their companies in this environment. Featuring current data and dozens of case examples and applications from around the world, Borderless Business will serve as a practical handbook for executives and managers and an indispensable text for students of international business. From extending successful brands into exotic new markets to tapping talent in virtual teams to building ultra-complex supplier and distributor networks, today's executives and managers must consider the international implications of every decision they make. To put the magnitude of global business in context, consider that between 1820 and 1992 world population increased 5-fold, world income 40-fold, and world trade 540-fold. And in the past decade, the pace of change has only accelerated, with the Internet, for example, making connections instantaneous and ubiquitous-and global aspirations attainable for even the smallest of enterprises. Certainly, globalization has its detractors, but for today's business leaders, the issue is not to debate the merits of globalization but to learn how to thrive in the global marketplace. In Borderless Business the authors tackle every major dimension of globalization -from marketing to human resource management to supply chains to accounting and finance-and demonstrate how these issues play out in a global context. Each chapter describes the new skills and competencies that managers must master in order to lead their companies in this environment, where every management challenge is amplified. Featuring current data and dozens of case examples and applications from around the world, Borderless Business will serve as a practical handbook for executives and managers and as an indispensable text for students of international business.

This second volume consists of the sections: technologies for knowledge management, outcomes of KM, knowledge management in action, and the KM horizon.

This book analyses the World Bank’s provision of technical assistance from 1946 to the present day. It argues that the relational dynamics between technical assistance provider and recipient affects the legitimacy of policy norms travelling from the ‘international’ to the ‘domestic’. Beginning from the constructivist position that ‘development’ is a social construct, the author contends that successful policy movement via technical assistance depends on the recipient’s perception of the validity of policy reforms, with perception being influenced by the way those ideas and practices are presented, packaged, and transferred. In advancing this argument, Bazbauers analyses four pillars of World Bank technical assistance: technical assistance components (advisory services incorporated within lending operations), stand-alone technical assistance projects (projects designed to solely deliver technical assistance), survey missions (activities involved in measuring the development status of developing countries), and training institutes (the courses of the Economic Development Institute and World Bank Institute).

Knowledge Horizons charts the feasible future for knowledge management. This practical and provocative resource presents the work of many of the leading voices in knowledge management and related disciplines, who explore the current trends and offer pragmatic and authoritative thinking on applied knowledge management from a variety of positions. Knowledge management is the new frontier for businesses, organizations, and institutions of all kinds. For those that hope to conquer this new territory, establishing a better understanding of current and future knowledge management trends and adoption of the most effective practices is imperitive. There are numerous options for executives: intranets, extranets, groupware, and core competencies are continually being refined. New entitites and rules in terms of intellectual capital and the "Chief Knowledge Officer" are emerging. Knowledge Horizons addresses these issues by exploring current and future knowledge management trends, gauging the future value of knowledge management investments, and how they will drive new business initiatives, and integrates the experience and insights of managers and cutting-edge research from experts in the field.

"Sharing knowledge is power." If ever there were a field to which this applies, it is the knowledge management industry. And in today's highly-competitive, fast-paced business world, corporations, businesses and organizations in both the public and private sectors are constantly searching for new cutting-edge methods and techniques for creating, storing, capturing, managing, organizing, distributing, combining, and retrieving knowledge. But the task of accomplishing such functions is not as simple as it sounds. Jay Liebowitz's Building Organizational Intelligence: A Knowledge Management Primer gives executives, managers, systems analysts, and other knowledge-management professionals the competitive edge they need in achieving that task. In a concise and easy-to-read format, the book describes the concepts, techniques, methodologies, and tools associated with those functions, and includes mini-case studies and vignettes of how industry is developing and applying these functions towards building organizational intelligence. What's more, the book is packaged with a limited functionality version of "WisdomBuilder," the first in a family of knowledge-management tools that provide a fully integrated solution to the information management and analysis dilemma. Able to run under Windows 95, 98 and NT, "WisdomBuilder" solves the information overload problem by reducing the time and cost of extracting information and other research knowledge from disorganized repositories of heterogeneous data.

Brings together the works on knowledge and innovation, including the implementation of various processes and products. This title contains articles from journals in diverse fields and chapters that cover the innovation process, from its inception in peoples' heads to its implementation.