Disruptive technologies for knowledge management: bibliometric review and patent analysis

Abstract

Purpose

Technological tools for knowledge management (KM) actively support and enhance knowledge acquisition and sharing in organizations. However, technology for KM has been understudied, especially in terms of disruptive technologies (DTs). There is a need to identify how DTs, which are becoming increasingly important in industry and society, are applied to KM and their impact. This paper aims to examine the current state of technology and DT adoption in KM.

Design/methodology/approach

The analysis involves four steps. First, we examine the current status of DT in academia through a keyword co-occurrence network of literature. Second, we analyze the technological convergence (TC) of KM technology through the cooperative patent classification code co-classification analysis of patents. Third, we explore the main topics of KM technologies using BERTopic, and finally, we explore the introduction of DT into KM technologies and suggest potential TC combinations for the future.

Findings

KM technologies can be categorized into four main topics (knowledge acquisition, sharing, searching, and transfer), and DT is most often applied to knowledge transfer and acquisition. The DTs that are attracting attention from academia and industry are artificial intelligence, augmented and virtual reality, and blockchain, which have applications in healthcare, supply chain management, and human resource management.

Originality/value

The findings provide useful insights for organizations to build a technology roadmap for KM. They can also improve the rigid mindset of organization employees toward DT adoption and innovation. By adopting a KM system that leverages DT, organizations will be able to manage and operate efficiently and systematically.