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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
http://www.know-center.at
© Know-Center - gefördert durch das Kompetenzzentrenprogramm
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 5
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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 6
http://www.know-center.at

June 2009 © Know-Center


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) 9
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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

1 2

Wiki
Wiki

Short term goal Long term goal


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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 12
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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 13
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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) 14
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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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Quantitative Results

Reading behavior
less than several times a
montly; 31% day; 8%

daily; 15%

monthly; 28%
weekly; 18%
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Quantitative Results

Writing behavior
daily; 8%

weekly; 11%
less than
montly; 68%

monthly; 13%

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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?

yes
Facilitate your work rather yes
no
Faster performance rather no
of your work
Better performance
of your work
Raise professional
status

Raise social status

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

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Quantitative Results

From your point of view, in which aspects has


the wiki helped team / organization?
yes
Improve knowledge rather yes
transfer rather no
no
Faster performance
of work

Better performance
of work

Improve workflows

Generate ideas for


new projects

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Improve
collaboration
0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60% 70% 80% 90% 100%
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Quantitative Results

From your point of view, what are obstacles for


a successful wiki adoption?
yes
Too few wiki articles rather yes
rather no
Too few employees create
no
content articles
Retrieving knowledge is time
consuming
Editing knowledge is time
consuming
Only certain employees are
allowed to read
Possible conflicts with
article creators
privacy Only certain employees are
allowed to edit

Too much transparency


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0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60% 70% http://www.know-center.at
80% 90% 100%

June 2009 © Know-Center


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)

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