Knowledge and Discourse Matters

9THE CASE FOR DISCOURSE AS THE PRIORITY

9.1 KNOWLEDGE AND DISCOURSE MATTERS: SUMMARIZING THE CASE

The preceding chapters have engaged with the immense, complex but absorbing topics of knowledge management (KM), discourse analysis, and, to a lesser extent, that of implicit learning. All three, in their own ways, make claims for the delivery of considerable benefits in the pursuit of knowledge.

The field of KM is something of a curious paradox. From one perspective, proponents claim that KM can deliver what are described as considerable organizational benefits through the pursuit and management of knowledge within the organization. From a commonsense position, this is hardly something to disagree with. Moreover, there is probably sufficient evidence, mostly in the form of case studies and anecdotes, to be able to mount a reasonable case in favor of these claims. However, the other side of the paradox is strewn with the substantial issues and debates concerning the definition of knowledge, shown to underlie questions over the constitution of KM itself, and the business of creating and sharing knowledge, for instance. The central issue, then, concerns the “how” (how do we manage our knowledge) and the “what” (what should our actions be focused on) rather than the “why” (why should we manage knowledge). The “how” and “what” are precisely the types of questions that discursive psychology (DP) is concerned with.

The organizational practice of knowledge sharing has been variously described ...