ABSTRACT
This chapter provides a brief historical scan of the communication knowledge connection in Western philosophy and then discusses the work of H. Maturana and F. Varela as the first in a two-prong central argument. Communication is the critical component in knowledge management (KM) undertakings but the theory at the core of communication study remains ignored within the KM domain. Personal knowledge management presents something of a double-edged sword: it recovers the person as the locus of knowledge in a timely way that draws attention to communication in its pragmatic and ethical dimensions. This offers a theory of knowledge in terms of a theory of communication and is meaningful for a world seeking transition from older industrial' models of leadership and management to something requiring more holistic and accountable action. Most Human Resources (HR) departments are basically in the communications stone age when it comes to how they recruit and select individuals for employment.
