Organizing corporate knowledge is critical for corporations to have effective and
successful knowledge management. However, the knowledge management literature was
found to be lacking in attention to frameworks of knowledge organization. From the
viewpoint of library and information science, this study investigates current practices of
how IT consultants in consulting firms organize corporate knowledge. In particular, this
study analyzes the methods of knowledge organization used by IT consultants in Taiwan
to discover patterns and characteristics of organizing corporate knowledge.
A qualitative approach was used in this dissertation research. Interviews and
observation were the primary methods in data collection. The major findings of the study
are: (1) Consultants clearly differentiate knowledge from information, in spite of the
vague definition of knowledge; (2) When speaking of the usage of a library, consultants
view the KM system as their library. The actual setting of a library is not as crucial to
consultants, in both the conceptual and practical sense; (3) Consulting firms use
classification schemes that they call taxonomies; (4) Faceted analysis is used in
consulting firms in organizing knowledge when consultants submit their knowledge pieces into the KM system; and (5) Resemblances exist between consultants' work in
organizing corporate knowledge and librarians' work in organizing knowledge in general.
For future research, it is recommended to conduct studies in other knowledge-rich
industries, with different-sized consulting firms, and across different cultures. Results can
be compared to show similarities and differences with regards to knowledge organization.
The main implication for practice is that organizations that want to adopt taxonomy is
strongly advised to consider the theories and metadata creation techniques originated in
the field of library and information science.
