ABSTRACT
The first widely adopted knowledge management (KM) model was the knowledge spiral model, which described how tacit (difficult to articulate) knowledge and explicit (coded or documented) knowledge can be transformed in an organization. While still in use, the original knowledge spiral model has been extended, modified, and subsumed by alternative KM models. The rationale was that a more holistic approach to KM has become necessary as the complex, subjective, and dynamic nature of knowledge became more and more of an issue. Cultural and contextual influences further increased the complexity involved in KM and these factors had to also be taken into account in a model or framework that could situate and explain the key KM concepts and processes. The KM models presented in this entry all attempt to address KM in a holistic and comprehensive manner.
