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Can Intra-Organizational Wikis Facilitate Knowledge Transfer and Learning? An Explorative Case-Study

Can Intra-Organizational Wikis Facilitate Knowledge Transfer and Learning? An Explorative Case-Study

eLBa eLearning Baltics 2009

Alexander Stocker, Gisela Granitzer and Klaus Tochtermann

Know-Center, Knowledge Management Institute@TU-Graz, Institute for Networked Media@JOANNEUM Research

June 2009

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Benefit

Show concept and implementation and operation of a wiki for knowledge transfer and learning within the enterprise

Provide quantitative and qualitative data from my evaluation

Evaluate success of the deployed solution

Stimulate ideas for your own business / research

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Agenda

Introduction & motivation

Wikis

Study design

Study results

Qualitative results (interviews)

Quantitative results (online survey)

Conclusion

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Introduction

Web 2.0 impacts knowledge sharing and learning

Participative environment: From consumers to produsers

Rich sources for knowledge acquisition

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Motivation

Technology enhanced learning looks back on 15 years history

From one-way provision of standardized learning material within monolithic platforms to service based modular systems

Application of more innovative ways of sharing information (Web 2.0)

Knowledge in the enterprise remains worthless, if not effectively exchanged

Lack of empirical studies from academia on how wikis are effectively used in corporate environments

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Motivation

Technology enhanced learning looks back on 15 years history

From one-way provision of standardized learning material within monolithic platforms to service based modular systems

Application of more innovative ways of sharing information (Web 2.0)

Knowledge in the enterprise remains worthless, if not effectively exchanged

Lack of empirical studies from academia on how wikis are effectively used in corporate environments

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Wiki

“A Wiki is a freely expandable collection of interlinked Web pages, a hypertext system for storing and modifying information [and] a database, where each page is easily editable by any user.” [LC 01]

Motivation to implement Corporate Wikis driven by the success of Wikipedia on the Web

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Study design

Explorative case study [YIN, 1984]

Empirical inquiry

Investigates contemporary phenomenon

In its real life context

Boundaries between pheonomenon and context not clearly evident

Single Case

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Study Design

Investigated Case

Austrian subsidiary of a large-scale multinational enterprise developing innovative electronic parts

Qualitative data

Structured interview of two managers (~3 hours)40 questions on motivation, concept, implementation, success

Quantitative data

Online Survey of 59/210 non-executive employees (28% response rate)

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Qualitative Results

Starting point

SUP-DEP provides guidance in technical and methodical issues for all researchers and developers

One SUP-DEP member is responsible for one group of researchers

Decentralized working environments limit the knowledge transfer between SUP-DEP members

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Qualitative Results

Short term goal Long term goal

Wiki

1

Wiki

2

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Qualitative Results

A new Solution ?

Wiki to support knowledge transfer and interconnectedness ..

..to raise effectiveness and efficiency of support (=domain)

Why a wiki?

Implementation and usage

Top down introduction by SUP-DEP’s manager ..

.. but creation of articles should happen bottom-up

Manifold actions to increase awareness and communicate benefit

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Qualitative Results

Evaluation concerning operation

500 articles in 1,5 years ..

.. periodically read by over 70 employees, ..

.. about 15 employees highly involved in content creation

130.000 accesses / 10.000 total edits

Originally, the wiki was intended to stimulate knowledge transfer of SUP-DEP ..

.. but also the researchers themselves could benefit from the wiki in the long term

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Qualitative Results

Individual benefits

Wiki-full-text search: quick guidance for emerging problems

Wiki articles: formulations of both problems and their solutions on an adequate (user-centric) level

Platform independent access

Transparency on knowledge and knowledge holders

Organizational (group) benefits

More efficiency and effectiveness in SUP-DEP support (SUP-DEP’s core-business)

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Quantitative Results

Selected quantitative results from the online survey on

Reading and writing behavior

Motivation to read / edit articles

Individual and organizational benefit

Perceived obstacles of successful wiki adoption

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less than montly; 31%

several times a day; 8%

daily; 15%

weekly; 18%monthly; 28%

Quantitative Results

Reading behavior

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monthly; 13%

weekly; 11%

daily; 8%

less than montly; 68%

Quantitative Results

Writing behavior

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Quantitative Results

For which of the following purposes do you read Wiki articles?

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Quantitative Results

When you edit information in the wiki, what do you expect?

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Quantitative Results

In which aspects has the wiki helped you?

0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60% 70% 80% 90% 100%

Raise social status

Raise professionalstatus

Better performanceof your work

Faster performanceof your work

Facilitate your work

yes

rather yes

no

rather no

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Quantitative Results

From your point of view, in which aspects has the wiki helped team / organization?

0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60% 70% 80% 90% 100%

Improvecollaboration

Generate ideas fornew projects

Improve workflows

Better performanceof work

Faster performanceof work

Improve knowledgetransfer

yes

rather yes

rather no

no

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Quantitative Results

From your point of view, what are obstacles for a successful wiki adoption?

0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60% 70% 80% 90% 100%

Too much transparency

Only certain employees areallowed to edit

Possible conflicts witharticle creators

Only certain employees areallowed to read

Editing knowledge is timeconsuming

Retrieving knowledge is timeconsuming

Too few employees createarticles

Too few wiki articles

yes

rather yes

rather no

nocontent

privacy

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Conclusion

From Web 2.0 to Enterprise 2.0

Evolution in knowledge sharing and learning

Corporate Wiki in Austrian Enterprise

Starting point, implementation, benefits

A ‘clean’ business-case as success-factor

Wiki-goals, content and forecasted benefits have to be clearly conceptualized and communicated

Focused target group(s) (primary, secondary)