> Emerald Journals > VINE > Call for papers

Special issue - 'Web 2.0 and the Evolution of KM' - deadline 15 June 2009

Special issue call for papers from VINE

Guest Editor:

Niall Sinclair, Institute for Knowledge and Innovation, George Washington University, USA

Web 2.0 technology is changing the way we work and interact with technical tools. The Web 2.0 architecture is one designed to encourage participation, and the technologies that are evolving in Web 2.0 are all about interaction, and the exchange of information and knowledge. Indeed, the Web 2.0 technology of participation is a close cousin to the KM technology currently facilitating participation and collaboration in many organizations. In that sense the two sets of environments are already blurred at the edges and it isn’t too great a stretch to see some sort of convergence just around the corner. If the increasing trend of work technology habits mirroring home technology habits continues, then the use of social networks and other Web 2.0 applications in the office environment of the future is a distinct possibility.

Indeed, there are a whole range of new Web 2.0 technologies that companies are beginning to look at and deploy in the KM space. Many are using social network tools such as LinkedIn to dig up sales leads and find hiring prospects, and advertisers are using social network tools such as Facebook and YouTube to create ‘buzz’ about their products. Indeed, the whole on-line community environment is seen as a fertile ground for all sorts of business opportunities to be seeded and grown. Many Web 2.0 vendors are not even bothering to target the traditional IT decision-makers in order to build customer interest in their new products. Instead, they are going directly to on-line channels such as blogs and chat rooms to perform their sales patter, although in a more circumspect and conversational way than the traditional sales pitch. This isn’t selling in the traditional sense, but rather the ‘seeding’ of information to create a demand. And it is in this new technology world that the work environments of the future are likely to reside.

So what does all this new technology imply for KM? The fact is that a new business environment for ‘doing’ KM is evolving, one with a less formalized structure. Many organizations are now starting to provide technology in a way that doesn’t necessarily fit the old IT mould of rigid centralized control, and rules for use.

At the same time, the work demographic is also changing, and as the ‘boomer’ generation retires the changes in work habits of the new generation will be a huge factor in the deployment and use of these new Web 2.0 technologies. A recent Pew survey in the United States showed that over 75% of online adults aged between 18 and 24 had a profile on a social network site, but that only 10% of those between the ages of 55 and 64 had one. On the other hand, in Europe, a recent Forester survey showed that while 81% of knowledge workers regularly collaborated with two or more colleagues in different time zones, they still relied on telephone and e-mail to do so. This apparent lack of take-up for Web 2.0 technologies such as Wikis highlights that old work-habits still die hard, and that not everyone has rushed to embrace the brave new world of technology. What this shows is that there has been no Web 2.0 technology-tsunami as yet, and that transition is the name of the game, at least for the foreseeable future. It also highlights that organizations, in both private and public sector, are going to have to work out ways to transition work-force skills and technology use, and that accompanying this transition will be a number of significant challenges, including:

The issue of governance around the use of new-wave technologies such as social networking, and in particular how the public sector will manage the potential for good and bad that will arise from the use of such technologies
The potential evolution of KM through the creation and use of new technologies such as social networks, and whether these new technologies will produce a new view of what KM means to individuals and organizations
What the evolution of KM will mean for current mainstream technologies such as e-mail and the telephone
How can organizations achieve a successful transition to new technologies with the least disruption to their operations?
Will the move to Web 2.0 technology result in a subtle shift in corporate power, away from the centralized IT function towards communities and even individuals?

If, as seems likely, Web 2.0 technologies will have a profound and lasting effect on the discipline we know as KM, then what are the key issues and challenges that organizations in both private and public sectors will face over the next 10 years? And what approaches and actions will enable organizations to make the transition from 20th century technology to 21st century technology?

The business world needs to respond to this evolving situation, and accordingly we invite papers that look at potential challenges ahead, and which propose ways to recognize and address these challenges.

Possible topics for papers include but are not limited to:

Assessing policies and initiatives that provide governance for the use of new Web 2.0 technology in the public and private sectors
The role that KM will play in the emerging business environment of the 21st century
The role of virtual communities and expert groups in assessing and promoting the use of new Web 2.0 technologies in their organizations
The potential for change in the traditional organizational structure based on the introduction and use of Web 2.0 technologies
Best practices in the use of social networks from a business perspective
Generational differences in work attitudes and expectations, and how to blend these differences to create a harmonious and productive work place
Web 2.0 technologies, and uses of them, which can align with the security, privacy and regulatory requirements of most organizations
Real-world cases studies of KM initiatives which have benefited from the use of Web 2.0 technology

Please feel free to contact Niall Sinclair at niall.sinclair@rogers.com with any queries on submission. See author guidelines for submission requirements. The normal length requirement is 7000 words but we are also inviting shorter submissions on cutting edge research that is in an earlier stage of development. The papers should be emailed to the guest editor. The submission should also include a structured abstract (http://info.emeraldinsight.com/authors/guides/abstracts.htm) and a signed JAR form (http://info.emeraldinsight.com/authors/writing/jarforms_index.htm).

About the Journal

For more information please see the journal website at: http://www.emeraldinsight.com/vine.htm

Submissions to:

Niall Sinclair at niall.sinclair@rogers.com

Important Dates

Final date for submission – 15 June 2009
Notification of Acceptance – 30 August 2009
Final papers due - 30 October 2009