ABSTRACT
Globalization, the Internet, and the transition to a knowledge and service economy have dramatically altered the workplace, creating fresh challenges and opportunities for organizations using technology for competitive advantage. Internet technology created new capabilities in the form of organizational intranets to create, store, and disseminate organizational knowledge. This chapter advances two propositions. First,intranets are fundamentally different from traditional information systems, epitomizing a shift from managing information to managing knowledge. Second, managing knowledge requires greater integration and transparency between technology and the social nature of organizing. Examination of organizational culture and knowledge management theories suggests two critical connections between the theories: first, organizational culture, particularly organizational assumptions and values, can facilitate or hinder interpretation of information, and, second, management of cultural content can maintain or change organizational culture. The chapter concludes with organizational strategies for using intranets in the knowledge economy and a discussion of qualitative methods for researching organizational use of technology.
