What is knowledge management (KM)?

Knowledge management (KM) involves the better use of what we know – our knowledge – to facilitate improved outcomes for sustainable development, organizations, society, and ourselves personally.

The KM discipline can be considered¹ “as a cluster of divergent schools of thought under an overarching KM umbrella”:

1. KM for sustainable development (KM4SD).
2. Organizational KM.
3. Personal KM.
4. Societal KM.
5. Specialized areas of KM.

1. KM for sustainable development (KM4SD)

What is KM4SD?

KM for sustainable development (KM4SD) recognizes² that knowledge is indispensable to individuals, communities, enterprises, governments, and the global community, and is thus an intrinsic part of sustainable development.

With the United Nations (UN) Agenda 2030 and the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)³ setting the framework of the international development agenda up to the year 2030, the Agenda Knowledge for Development⁴ puts forward 15 Knowledge Development Goals (Figure 1) aimed at greatly strengthening the role of knowledge in achieving the SDGs. KM & SDGs campaign actions⁵ have also sought to have the role of knowledge better reflected in the UN Pact for the Future⁶, which is the 2024 blueprint for the reinvigorated SDGs after a 2023 UN report highlighted a lack of progress.

As KM4SD has progressively evolved since its genesis in the late 1990s, six generations are evident. The sixth generation of KM4SD⁷ represents common aspirations for a fairer international development knowledge system. It is characterized by the “decolonization of knowledge” which has the features of epistemic justice, anti-racism, Indigenous and local knowledge (ILK), diversity in KM approaches, new knowledge partnerships, and new knowledge practices.

The sixth generation follows on from and incorporates the fifth generation of knowledge management for development (KM4D)⁸, first proposed in 2013⁹, and which has the identifying concept of “cross-domain knowledge integration and knowledge co-creation.” A vital feature of the fifth generation is “multiple knowledges,” with the involvement of the multiple knowledges of the widest range of different people¹⁰ essential for sustainable development to be realized.

In turn, the fifth generation followed and incorporated four earlier generations. The first generation was ICT-based, with the identifying concept of “Knowledge as a commodity.” The second generation was organization-based, with the identifying concept of “Knowledge as an asset within organizations.” The third generation was knowledge sharing-based, with the identifying concept of “Knowledge sharing between organizations.” The fourth generation was practice-based, with the identifying concept of “Knowledge processes embedded in organizational processes.”

History

KM is considered to have been introduced to the development sector¹¹ by the World Bank. The World Bank launched its knowledge management strategy in October 1996, and then soon after, published the pioneering World Development Report 1998/1999: Knowledge for Development. In the time since, many UN agencies, aid agencies and organizations, and other development-related organizations have established KM programs. Other explorations also recognize the importance of Bellanet, a project of the International Development Research Centre, Canada, and its allies in this process.

Assisting these programs, the Knowledge Management for Development (KM4Dev) community was founded in 2000 as a global community of practice of primarily international development practitioners interested in KM and knowledge sharing theory, practice, and related matters. KM4Dev’s activities include face-to-face and online meetings and forums. Informing the flow of reliable answers to development practitioners is the open access peer-reviewed Knowledge Management for Development Journal which was founded in 2005.

The Knowledge for Development Partnership (K4DP) was subsequently founded in 2017 with the aim of localizing and implementing the Agenda Knowledge for Development.

Key communities of practice

• Knowledge Management for Development (KM4Dev) global community of practice website and discussion group.
• Knowledge for Development Partnership (K4DP).
• Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum Knowledge Foundation (MBRF).

Important references and resources

• Numerous articles in RealKM Magazine.
• Agenda Knowledge for Development: Strengthening Agenda 2030 and the Sustainable Development Goals (Fourth Edition).
• Knowledge Management for Development Journal.
• “Community Note. The state of the Knowledge Management for Development (KM4Dev) community in 2024” (Dr Sarah Cummings et al.).
• “‘We have a dream’: proposing decolonization of knowledge as a sixth generation of knowledge management for sustainable development” (Bruce Boyes et al.).
• “Editorial. We urgently need multiple knowledges to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals” (Najeeb Al-Shorbaji et al.).
• “Open letter to United Nations and world governments in regard to Summit of the Future and Pact for the Future” (Bruce Boyes et al.).

2. Organizational KM

What is organizational KM?

Professor Kimiz Dalkir describes¹² organizational KM as the process of applying a systematic approach to the capture, structuring, management, and dissemination of knowledge throughout an organization to work faster, reuse best practices, and reduce costly rework from project to project.

Multiple definitions of organizational KM exist. An example¹³ given by Professor Kimiz Dalkir is:

[Organizational] Knowledge management is the deliberate and systematic coordination of an organization’s people, technology, processes, and organizational structure to add value through reuse and innovation. This is achieved through the promotion of creating, sharing, and applying knowledge and through the feeding of valuable lessons learned and best practices into corporate memory to foster continued organizational learning.

Knowledge in an organization exists in many types and forms¹⁴ along a continuum from clearly codified to uncodified. Codified knowledge is formal, systematic knowledge that can be recorded in documents or stored in databases. Uncodified knowledge refers to forms of knowledge such as people’s know-how and experience.

Aligning with these forms of knowledge, commonly defined types of knowledge include (among others) “explicit knowledge” and “tacit knowledge” (Figure 2) which are at each end of a continuum. Knowledge can be transformed from one form to another depending on the context and the value it carries. It is one of the core objectives of organizational KM¹⁵ to make sure that the types and forms and their transformations are consistent with organizational needs and deliver value.

There are a wide range of approaches, tools, and methods that organizations can use to improve the ways in which they work with the different types and forms of knowledge. Examples include¹⁶ peer assist, after action reviews, lessons learned, storytelling, collaborative workspaces, knowledge cafés, communities of practice, document libraries, document management systems, knowledge bases, blogs, social network services, video communication and webinars, advanced search tools, and expertise locators.

History

Following on from earlier origins, organizational KM as a formal endeavor emerged in the 1980s¹⁷. In 1993, Karl Wiig, the person generally credited with popularising the term KM¹⁸, published the first book explicitly dedicated to KM, titled Knowledge Management Foundations. Many more KM books, publications, and other resources by numerous KM authors have followed, as well as a large number of KM events.

In 2018, the International Organization for Standardization (ISO) published ISO 30401:2018 Knowledge Management Systems — Requirements¹⁹ to assist organizations in understanding and implementing KM.

Important references and resources

For organizations interested in KM:

• Numerous articles in RealKM Magazine.
• Stan Garfield’s KM Resources – a highly comprehensive index of organizational KM resources including books, articles, definitions, case studies, communities, consultants, thought leaders, tools, toolkits, and more.
• Knowledge Management in Theory and Practice (fourth edition) (Professor Kimiz Dalkir).
• RealKM Magazine’s book reviews and releases.

For KM practitioners and researchers interested in the future of organizational KM:

• “The future of knowledge management: an agenda for research and practice” (Bruce Boyes, referencing Professor John Edwards & Antti Lönnqvist).
• “Emerging innovative concepts in knowledge management” (Bruce Boyes, referencing Johannes Schenk).
• “Implications for the knowledge management discipline from a review of scientometric research” (Bruce Boyes, referencing Professor Alexander Serenko).
• Numerous other articles in RealKM Magazine.

Key communities of practice

• SIKM Leaders.
• Global Think-Tank of Organizational Tacit Knowledge Management (GO-TKM).
• KM Global Network (KMGN).
• Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum Knowledge Foundation (MBRF).
• CILIP Knowledge & Information Management Special Interest Group (K&IM).

3. Personal KM

What is personal KM?

Personal KM (PKM) has been considered by some to be part of organizational KM rather than a distinct aspect of KM in its own right. However, this has been progressively changing, with a growing recognition of the importance of PKM²⁰ for both ourselves and our organizations in an information-overloaded world where we are increasingly reliant on technology.

Multiple definitions of PKM²¹ exist. An example is:

Personal knowledge management is a self-management concept that aims to manage knowledge and learning processes responsibly and skillfully. (Kristina Mirchuk).

PKM²² integrates personal information management with KM, in addition to input from a variety of disciplines such as cognitive psychology, management and philosophy. It can be supported by a number of systems and tools.

History

The origin of the term²³ ‘personal knowledge management’ can be traced to a 1999 working paper²⁴ by Jason Frand and Carol Hixon.

Important references and resources

• Wikipedia.

Key communities of practice

• PKM Summit.

4. Societal KM

What is societal KM?

David Gurteen describes societal KM²⁵ as relating to the big picture of the evolution of human knowledge, and how we need to think differently to tackle the long list of global issues that we face and avoid the collapse of our global civilization.

This future for KM may not be what people expect. David Gurteen alerts to the realities²⁶ of our modern world:

• Unpredictability. We live in a complex socio-technical world that is volatile, uncertain, confusing, and ambiguous (VUCA). One of the facets of a complex system is that it is inherently unpredictable.
• Two worlds. The changes over the last 50,000 years have been so significant that we can consider ourselves living in two worlds. World #1 is the old world, the natural world in which we lived and evolved for 150,000 years. World #2 is the new world, the socio-technical world we have constructed over the last 50,000 years. In World #1, direct relationships between cause and effect dominate, while in World #2, complex non-linear relationships between cause and effect dominate.
• Tribal thinking. In World #1, our top priority was survival, to eat and not be eaten, to win in warfare, and to mate. Evolution wired our brains for short-term tribal thinking – to think in the moment. In the more complex and interconnected societies of World #2, tribal thinking no longer serves us
  well.
• The knowledge delusion. As World #2 individuals, we now know almost nothing compared to what we think we know. Our personal knowledge is more than just an illusion. It is a delusion. If we thought deeply for one moment, we would realize we are ignorant of our ignorance.
• Polarization. We are polarized across political, religious, moral, and racial divides. We fail to communicate with each other, and we treat people with conflicting beliefs as our enemies.

As a result, we now face a long and growing list of worsening crises – climate change, frequent wars, ecological decline, poverty, pandemics, terrorism, fake knowledge, and more. This is making the collapse of global civilization appear increasingly likely. David Gurteen advises that the way forward needs to involve rethinking our beliefs.

Professor Susanne Durst also explores the realities of the modern world from a KM perspective in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, in response making a plea²⁷ for responsible and inclusive KM at the world level. She advises that this needs to involve broader perspectives that go beyond the individual organization perspective and perspectives viewing knowledge primarily as an asset. KM approaches that are more collaborative are needed, as is more research on risks related to knowledge²⁸.

A global consortium of Transformation Community researchers further contends²⁹ that:

To genuinely be a creative force in supporting longevity of human and non-human life on our planet, the shift in knowledge systems will probably need to be at the scale of the enlightenment and speed of the scientific and technological revolution accompanying the second World War. This will require bold and strategic action from governments, scientists, civic society and sustained transformational intent.

The Transformation Community researchers alert that current knowledge systems are limited by frequently being disconnected from action, being elitist, fragmented and compartmentalized. Narrow interpretations of what counts as knowledge prevail, excluding integration with ethics and aesthetics. Knowledge production is also based on a worldview of a disconnect between humans and nature. There is limited questioning of how knowledge creation is influenced by, and reproduces, the unsustainable societies in which knowledge creators are embedded.

To be a genuinely creative force for change, future knowledge systems will need to be much more collaborative, open, diverse, egalitarian, reflexive, responsible and able to work with values and systemic issues. They need to be able to work with interconnected issues; be much more action-oriented locally and globally; be inclusive of diverse forms of knowledge; and be supported by processes promoting trust, collaboration, and high levels of creativity. Overall, future knowledge systems need to support a science for all that goes beyond producing knowledge about our world to also generating wisdom about how to act within it.

Figure 3 shows the pattern shifts that the Transformation Community researchers see are needed to take us from the current challenges to future envisioned systems more able to support emergence of regenerative and equitable futures.

History

Societal KM is a very new area of KM, with the term “societal knowledge management” having been coined by David Gurteen in a 2021 white paper³⁰ that he wrote for The Henley Forum.

Important references and resources

• “Societal Knowledge Management” (David Gurteen).
• “A plea for responsible and inclusive knowledge management at the world level” (Professor Susanne Durst).
• “Transforming knowledge systems for life on Earth: Visions of future systems and how to get there”  research paper, summary article, and resources (Ioan Fazey et al.).
• “Is it time for transformations towards “Common Good KM”?” (Bruce Boyes).
• “What defines the “common good”?” (Adi Gaskell, referencing Melissa A. Wheeler et al.).
• Knowledge Commons Framework.

Key communities of practice

• Transformations Community.

5. Specialized areas of KM

In addition to the above broad areas of KM, there are also some specialized areas of KM with established or growing focused communities of research and practice interest. Specialized areas of KM include:

• Nuclear KM
• Customer KM
• KM for health
• KM for food and agriculture
• KM in project-based and temporary organizations
• KM in small and medium enterprises (SMEs)
• KM in the building and construction industries.

Nuclear KM

Nuclear KM is an area of activity of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) focused on building, collecting, transferring, sharing, preserving, maintaining, and utilizing knowledge essential to developing and keeping the necessary technical expertise and competences required for nuclear power programs and other nuclear technology.

Resources:

• IAEA nuclear knowledge management.

Customer KM

Customer KM refers to how organizations interact with their customers in a knowledge-informed way, including how organizations draw on and use the knowledge held by their customers. Research³¹ is revealing two related areas: customer KM (CKM) and customer experience KM (CXKM), with CXKM potentially being an aspect of CKM.

Resources:

• “What do we know about customer knowledge management, and what more do we need to know” (Bruce Boyes, referencing Victoria Yousra Ourzik).
• “Twelve tools to integrate with knowledge management practices for better customer experiences” (Dr Cynthia J Young).

KM for health

As explored in more than 50 articles in RealKM Magazine‘s COVID-19 coronavirus pandemic series, the COVID-19 pandemic has highlighted the importance of KM for health. One of the organizations that has carried out considerable pioneering and development work in KM for health is the United Kingdom (UK) NHS.

Resources:

• NHS Knowledge Mobilisation resources.
• COVID-19 coronavirus pandemic RealKM Magazine series.

KM for food and agriculture

A considerable amount of research and practice is being carried out in regard to KM for food and agriculture, particularly focused on Africa. This includes the Forum for Agricultural Research in Africa (FARA) KM work, and Charles Dhewa’s work on the role of mass markets in KM. Most recently, Dr Sarah Cummings and Dr Gerrit-Jan van Uffelen have proposed³² “A Knowledge Agenda for food systems resilience in protracted crisis in the Horn of Africa.”

Resources:

• Forum for Agricultural Research in Africa (FARA) knowledge management resources.
• Charles Dhewa’s RealKM Magazine series.
• Knowledge management experts in Africa KMTv series.
• “A Knowledge Agenda for food systems resilience in protracted crisis in the Horn of Africa” (Dr Sarah Cummings & Dr Gerrit-Jan van Uffelen).

KM in project-based and temporary organizations

Effective KM can be challenging in any organization, but especially so in project-based and temporary organizations because of a lack of knowledge continuity. In this specialized area of KM, research and case study experience are providing knowledge managers, project managers, and their organizations with guidance in how to meet these challenges.

Resources:

• KM in project-based & temporary organizations RealKM Magazine series.

KM in small and medium enterprises (SMEs)

Most of the research and practice guidance in KM is oriented towards large firms, but small and medium enterprises (SMEs) typically lack the capability and resources to be able to implement the KM programs recommended for large firms. The specialized area of KM in small and medium enterprises (SMEs) is addressing this knowledge gap.

Resources:

• KM in small & medium enterprises (SMEs) RealKM Magazine series.

KM in the building and construction industries

Considerable advances have been made in regard to information management (IM) in the building and construction industries, for example through the application of building information management (BIM). The specialized area of KM in the building and construction industries is seeking to build on this IM innovation and expand it to KM.

Resources:

• KM in the building and construction industries.

Suggestions? This page is an information page on the RealKM Magazine website rather than a normal article. so comments have been disabled. However, if you have any suggestions in regard to this page, please contact us.

Edit history: This page was first published on 18 June 2025. It was then updated on 20 June 2025, 21 June 2025, 23 June 2025, and 3 July 2025.

Acknowledgements: Thank you to Dr Sarah Cummings and Kristina Mirchuk for their input into this page.

Header image source: Dreamstime.

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