The paper sheds light on a phenomenon which is not much investigated, but that involves almost half of the Italian large companies, the dispersion of workers. In fact, in today’s global economy, much of the economic activity in and between firms is based on dispersed knowledge workers (DWs). Therefore, developing tools to support knowledge management (KM) in distributed environments is becoming a major challenge. This paper, which is part of a research project aims at supporting managers in the implementation of Knowledge Management Systems (KMS) for dispersed workers, reports the results of a survey on large Italian companies. Four configurations of tools for KM - KMS oriented to products/services customization, KMS to standardize processes, to control and to tacit knowledge - and the relationships between configurations and DW types (sales force, technicians and responsibles of unit). Case studies, which have been carried out to validate survey results, are also reported.
Dispersed Workers: Are They a Reality? Characteristics and Management: Results of a Survey
MARTINI, ANTONELLA;PELLEGRINI, LUISA;
2004-01-01
Abstract
The paper sheds light on a phenomenon which is not much investigated, but that involves almost half of the Italian large companies, the dispersion of workers. In fact, in today’s global economy, much of the economic activity in and between firms is based on dispersed knowledge workers (DWs). Therefore, developing tools to support knowledge management (KM) in distributed environments is becoming a major challenge. This paper, which is part of a research project aims at supporting managers in the implementation of Knowledge Management Systems (KMS) for dispersed workers, reports the results of a survey on large Italian companies. Four configurations of tools for KM - KMS oriented to products/services customization, KMS to standardize processes, to control and to tacit knowledge - and the relationships between configurations and DW types (sales force, technicians and responsibles of unit). Case studies, which have been carried out to validate survey results, are also reported.I documenti in IRIS sono protetti da copyright e tutti i diritti sono riservati, salvo diversa indicazione.
