Increasing collaborative knowledge management in your organization: characteristics of wiki technology and wiki users

This study examines characteristics of Wiki technology and wiki users in an effort to uncover factors facilitating increased adoption and usage of Wiki technology as a collaborative knowledge management tool. The current business environment is characterized by trends in mobility, virtualization and globalization. These trends call for more extensive interaction and collaboration both internal and external to organizations. The resulting changes have been met with an emerging trend of a new generation of Internet-based technologies described as Web 2.0. The umbrella of Web 2.0 technologies support a more collaborative business environment and span across time and distance. Web 2.0 advances have subsequently fostered new approaches to knowledge management with Wiki technology making way as an effective alternative to traditional knowledge management systems. Wiki technology features the unique characteristics of open editing and revision and history capabilities. When these features are combined with knowledge representation and maintenance features and harnessing of collective wisdom, Wiki technology may enable higher levels of collaboration facilitating more effective knowledge processes. Nonetheless, technology and processes are not the only components of a knowledge management system. This study focuses on the users of Wiki technology as another key element in effective utilization of a collaborative knowledge management system.