This paper analyses the process of knowledge-base adoption in the enterprise environment. Using data from two knowledge-management systems operated by the company, Semanta, s.r.o. we studied the day-to-day interactions of employees using the system and identified the important drivers of system adoption. We began by studying the effect of co-workers' collaborative activities on knowledge creation within the system. It was found that they had a positive and significant impact upon overall knowledge creation and thus on adoption. Secondly, we explored how the newly defined concept of gamification could help determine and encourage an increase in knowledge creation. The use of gamification tools, such as the "Hall of Fame" page, turned out to have significant influence in the adoption process. Thirdly, we examined how users continually seek knowledge within the system and how asking for missing information and being supplied with answers has an impact on adoption rates. It was shown that the quicker the responses and the more experts dealing with requests the greater the impact on knowledge base adoption. Finally, we showed that the size and character of the company deploying the knowledge management system does not influence the adoption drivers. This paper represents an effort to fill the literature gap surrounding effective knowledge-base adoption in an intra-company environment. Moreover, as far as we know, it represents the first attempt to estimate the relationship between gamification concepts and knowledge-base adoption not only in the Czech Republic but also worldwide.
Table of Contents
Chapter 1
Introduction
Chapter 2
Literature Review and Theoretical Background
2.1 Critical Success Factor approach
2.2 Technology Acceptance Model
2.3 Gamification
Chapter 3
Design and Elements of Knowledge Bases
Chapter 4
Hypotheses
4.1 Hypothesis #1
4.2 Hypothesis #2
4.3 Hypothesis #3
Chapter 5
Data
5.1 Knowledge Management Systems
5.2 Capturing the Data
5.3 Data for the First Hypothesis
5.4 Data for the Second Hypothesis
5.5 Data for the Third Hypothesis
Chapter 6
Methodology
6.1 Poisson Regression and Negative Binomial Model
6.2 Zero-Inflated Negative Binomial Model
6.3 Random Effects Negative Binomial Model
6.4 Testing
Chapter 7
Results
7.1 Results for the First Hypothesis
7.2 Results for the Second Hypothesis
7.3 Results for the Third Hypothesis
Chapter 8
Conclusion
Research Objectives and Themes
This study investigates the drivers of knowledge-base adoption within corporate environments by analyzing employee interactions and collaboration. It specifically addresses how co-worker activities, the implementation of gamified elements, and the support from system experts influence the creation of content and the seeking of information in internal knowledge management systems.
- Analysis of collaborative employee activities (e.g., page visits, comments, and thanks) on knowledge creation.
- Evaluation of gamification tools, such as leader-board-based "Hall of Fame" systems, on user motivation.
- Assessment of the impact of expert responsiveness and the number of experts on knowledge-seeking behavior.
- Comparison of adoption drivers between large corporations and smaller firm environments.
Excerpt from the Book
Design and Elements of Knowledge Bases
Before we introduce the framework of our study it is essential to describe how knowledge bases designed by Semanta work and what are their elements. As discussed in Chapter 1, knowledge management systems employed in our analysis are available to workers through common web browser. They are applications based on user-generated content similar to Wikipedia, consisting of a huge number of pages organized into trees and hierarchically ordered in classes and subclasses. Users of these systems are able to see how pages are related and can be navigated to other pages using links. The most important characteristic of such systems is that within them pages can be easily created or edited. This allows users to collaborate and continuously create content, compared to the usual web pages that can be only visited without possibility to contribute to them.
Knowledge management systems are not typical open-sources as they are open only to individuals with granted permission - usually employees or other external workers. However, they incorporate many elements used by popular websites (Wikipedia, Facebook, LinkedIn, etc.) used to share individually produced content. There are dozens of such elements and features which change and evolve over time. Therefore, we will concentrate only on those which are most important and most widely used. These elements are: creating pages, editing pages, commenting pages, Thank you buton and Ask button.
Chapter Summaries
Chapter 1: Introduction: Provides an overview of the importance of knowledge management as a strategic intangible asset and defines the core components of knowledge-base adoption.
Chapter 2: Literature Review and Theoretical Background: Discusses established approaches like the Critical Success Factor method, Technology Acceptance Model, and the emerging concept of gamification in knowledge management.
Chapter 3: Design and Elements of Knowledge Bases: Describes the technical structure of the analyzed systems and the specific functional elements that facilitate user collaboration.
Chapter 4: Hypotheses: Outlines the three main research hypotheses regarding content creation, gamification, and knowledge-seeking behaviors.
Chapter 5: Data: Details the extraction methodology and statistical characteristics of the datasets collected from Semanta’s knowledge management systems.
Chapter 6: Methodology: Specifies the econometric models used for analysis, including negative binomial and zero-inflated regressions for handling overdispersion and excess zeros.
Chapter 7: Results: Presents the empirical estimation outcomes and interprets the impact of identified drivers on adoption metrics.
Chapter 8: Conclusion: Summarizes the key findings and provides recommendations for management and future research directions.
Keywords
knowledge base, gamification, knowledge-base adoption, knowledge management system, corporate environment, content creation, collaboration, econometric analysis, negative binomial model, employee interaction, expert support, system adoption, intra-company communication, user motivation, knowledge seeking.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the primary focus of this research?
The work explores the factors that drive employees to adopt and actively contribute to corporate knowledge management systems, focusing specifically on intra-company interactions.
What are the main research themes covered?
The study examines three core pillars: collaborative co-worker activities, the influence of gamification elements (like leader-boards), and the effectiveness of expert-led support mechanisms in knowledge seeking.
What is the main research question or goal?
The primary goal is to identify and estimate the drivers of knowledge-base adoption, filling a literature gap regarding intra-company adoption processes.
Which scientific methods are employed?
The authors use panel data analysis and various econometric models, including Poisson regression, zero-inflated negative binomial models, and random effects negative binomial models, to handle statistical challenges like overdispersion.
What is covered in the main body of the paper?
The main body details the theoretical background of knowledge adoption, describes the specific system design elements, defines the research hypotheses, explains the data extraction from Semanta’s systems, and reports the regression results for the three hypotheses.
How would you characterize this paper with keywords?
Key terms include knowledge management, gamification, econometric modeling, adoption, corporate knowledge bases, and employee collaboration.
How does the "Hall of Fame" impact content creation?
The study shows that using gamified tools like the "Hall of Fame" leader-board, particularly for users who successfully achieve positions, has a positive influence on content generation compared to scenarios where such tools are not utilized.
Does company size influence the results?
No, the findings suggest that the drivers for knowledge-base adoption remain largely consistent regardless of whether the system is deployed in a small company or a large corporation.
- Citar trabajo
- Zuzana Rakovska (Autor), David Voňka (Autor), 2015, Drivers of knowledge base adoption. Analysis of Czech corporate environment, Múnich, GRIN Verlag, https://www.grin.com/document/317285
