Knowledge management and the framing of information: A contribution to OR/MS practice and pedagogy

Successful knowledge management must be based on an understanding of how knowledge is created, diffused and used. In this paper, we explore the effects of framing and reframing on decision makers' perceptions and knowledge. It is contended that, once these effects are understood, framing can be used to improve the understanding of problematic situations by providing a means of developing and synthesising multiple perspectives that lead to enhanced perception, insight and knowledge. The authors employ a repertoire of frames to demonstrate the power of framing in the development of problem identification, problem description and structuring skills. Using a familiar case setting, the paper contrasts the de facto role and impact of several ‘hard’ frames used in traditional OR/MS analysis with frames that draw on Goldratt's Theory of Constraints methodology, and discusses the advantages of multiple frames in relation to the management of information in problem settings. In particular, the paper seeks to examine how pedagogical developments in OR/MS teaching can be interpreted using contemporary knowledge management frameworks and puts the case for the use of framing as an appropriate pedagogical strategy, and as a means of enhancing knowledge management.