Knowledge Management

In the Knowledge Management research area interest is in processes of  supporting the creation, sharing and management of knowledge in organisations, particularly from a social systems perspective.

There have a strong applied focus to the research, drawing upon theoretical and empirical insights to help organisations and groups improve how they use and manage their knowledge.

Examples of recent projects include:

• Management accounting and knowledge management for the Chartered Institute of Management Accountants
• A review of the committee structure for Heart of England NHS Trust
• Scoping a network for Autistic Spectrum Disorders for the Scottish Executive

Knowledge Management is an interdisciplinary area that draws members from across the University.

On implementing KM, Prof John Edwards and Prof Duncan Shaw worked for 3 years with 16 organisations discovering the impact of Knowledge Management on management accounting and the changing role of the accountant (sponsored by Chartered Institute of Management Accountants). One notable example was their work with the Mortgage Code Compliance Board (with Dr Matthew Hall) which was widely recognised as crucial in maintaining its operational effectiveness and managing a successful transition to statutory regulation. Prof Duncan Shaw advised the Scottish Executive on user requirements engineering (using his report to commission the building of a national network) and has collaborated with top management teams in around 40 firms on strategic planning (e.g. AstraZeneca in USA and Europe). On KM systems, Prof John Edwards linked KM to simulation, fitting rule induction models to manufacturing decisions (funded by EPSRC, Ford, Lanner Group.