Abstract

Efficient management of knowledge is a major success factor for corporations and organizations. Many corporations have started Knowledge Management initiatives with the goal to actively manage knowledge creation and flow. Apart from the necessary organizational changes they have tried to support the quest for knowledge with Knowledge-Management systems. Peer-to-peer systems offer a cost-efficient, user-friendly alternative to server-based knowledge management solutions. However, due to various reasons they have not gained significant market share. During our sales activities for Dinow, our distributed knowledge management system, we have encountered various reasons for the slow adoption of this promising technology. In addition to technological concerns, e.g. regarding security, we have found that psychological factors are very significant: the possibility of “free” information flow contradicts the rigid frameworks, policies, and procedures in most organizations. It is a common misconception that currently used technology, i.e. e-mail, protects against such unwanted information flow.