Using peer-to-peer technology for collaborative knowledge management: concepts, frameworks and research issues

As organizations struggle with how to develop and use their inherent expertise, the importance of knowledge management and collaboration has grown in both academic and practitioner communities. This paper outlines a new concept of collaborative knowledge management (CKM), which bridges the two fields. Drawing from literature, we present a conceptual framework for understanding the concepts underlying CKM. Next, this paper explores how a new technology, peer-to-peer (P2P), fits in the CKM paradigm. A discussion on P2P tools and a comparison of these tools with client server tools for enabling the CKM process is presented. P2P has great appeal for CKM because it allows people to work in a more natural fashion. As technology and practitioners' needs evolve, it is important to recognize the existence of various CKM levels in the organization. This paper outlines a framework recognizing five different levels. The final section of the paper identifies research themes concerning the use of P2P applications for CKM both within each of the levels and across levels.