Kentucky Initiative for Knowledge Management (KIKM)

Knowledge is a vital resource for organizations. It is the raw material, work-in-process, and finished good of decision making. Decision makers use distinct types of knowledge: information, procedures, and heuristics, among others. If individual decision makers and their organizations are to be productive, it is crucial for them to manage such diverse types of knowledge adeptly.

Many computer-based techniques for managing knowledge (i.e., representing and processing it) have been and will continue to be devised to supplement innate human knowledge-management skills. As a field of study, knowledge management is concerned with the invention, improvement, integration, usage, administration, evaluation, and impact of such techniques.

Progress in this field has significant implications for individual effectiveness within organizations, for organizational competitiveness in the global marketplace, and for economic success of states or regions.

These simple but important observations are the foundation of the Kentucky Initiative for Knowledge Management (KIKM). Established in 1988 within the University of Kentucky's College of Business and Economics, KIKM's purpose is to:

1. foster cutting-edge research that stimulates, discovers, and explores new computer-based possibilities for knowledge management, making notable contributions to the advance of the field;

2. facilitate effective, up-to-date instruction about the rapidly growing and changing field of knowledge management, including computer-based possibilities for supporting the decision making, communication, and coordination of individuals, groups, and organizations;

3. establish a reputation for innovation and expertise in knowledge management, bringing a degree of visibility that can help attract, spawn, and enhance business in the state, as well as adding to the prestige of the College of Business and Economics and the University of Kentucky. KIKM serves as a focal point, vehicle, and support unit for those who seek to work toward fulfilling these purposes.

KIKM Activities | KIKM Research Projects