The author: Dr Yogesh Malhotra is the founding Chairman and ChIEf Knowledge Architect of the BRINT
Institute, LLC, the New York based research, advisory and e-learning company internationally recognized
as a pioneer of leading edge research, practice and thought leadership on knowledge management and
strategic business technology innovation. He currently serves on the faculty of the School of Management
at Syracuse University, prior to which he taught at the Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern
University and the Graduate School of Industrial Administration at the CarnegIE Mellon University. His
recent advisory engagements include United Nations, National ScIEnce Foundation, Conference BOArd,
Intel Corporation, Government of Mexico, US Federal Government, Government of Netherlands and Ziff
Davis. During the last 20 years of his professional career he has worked in advisory and executive roles
with world governments, nations, global corporations and Fortune 100 companIEs in healthcare, banking
and finance, software development, manufacturing and process engineering. Contact information:
yogesh.malhotra@brint.com, www.kmnetwork.com, www.brint.com. (Version: October 20, 2003)
This is the pre-print of article accepted for publication in the Journal of Knowledge Management special
issue on Knowledge Management and Technology. Minor revisions may be made in the final version.
Keywords: Knowledge Management, Knowledge Management TechnologIEs, Real Time EntERPrises,
New Business Models, Business Processes, Business Performance, Return on Investment
Abstract: Insights from industry cases and research studIEs reveal major limitations inherent in the
implementation paradigms of KM systems and technologIEs. Despite increasing sophistication of KM
technologIEs, how do we understand increasing failures of KM technology implementations? What are the
knowledge gaps between technology inputs, knowledge processes, and business performance that cause
such failures? Why some entERPrises that spend less on technology and are not leaders in adoption of new
technologies succeed where others fail? What can we learn from recent research studIEs and industry
cases about integrating KM technologIEs in business processes for enabling real time entERPrises (RTE)?
These are the key questions that are addressed in this article. A pragmatic strategy-driven framework is
proposed for leveraging the power of disruptive technologIEs through disruptive business value
propositions embedded in organizational business processes.
Introduction
“Technologists never evangelize without a disclaimer: "Technology is just an enabler." True enough -- and the
disclaimer discloses part of the problem: Enabling what? One flaw in knowledge management is that it often
neglects to ask what knowledge to manage and toward what end. Knowledge management activitIEs are all over the
map: Building databases, measuring intellectual capital, establishing corporate librarIEs, building intranets, sharing
best practices, installing groupware, leading training programs, leading cultural change, fostering collaboration,
creating virtual organizations -- all of these are knowledge management, and every functional and staff leader can
lay claim to it. But no one claims the BIg question: Why?”
-- Tom Stewart in The Case Against Knowledge Management, Business 2.0, February 2002