Interactive business development, capturing business knowledge and practice : A case study

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to follow the planning and development of MapaWiki, a Knowledge Management System for Mapa, an independent research company that specialises in competitor benchmarking. Starting with the standard requirements to capture, store and share information and knowledge, a system was sought that would allow growth and expansion whilst supporting the quick and easy recording and maintenance of interactions between employees. Design/methodology/approach – Trying to identify the optimum KM solution, the social and technical systems within the organisation cooperated in the investigation of different approaches and in the system's design and development. From the case study perspective the Yin (1994) approach was adopted as a framing and guiding schema. This was further shaped through the action research aspect, involving problem‐solving and generating new knowledge and awareness. The solution selection methodology followed was based on the framework proposed by Despres and Chauvel (1999). Findings – The application of MapaWiki as a KM system has been very successful. It has already become the central tool for collaboration within the company as well as the central knowledge repository where users add comments and suggestions to articles related to product development, meetings minutes, conference notes etc. Originality/value – This case study has highlighted the underlying power of the wiki concept and has shown how it can be extended substantially from its original use, typically a notice board or brainstorming tool. Our example demonstrates an interactive collaborative environment that allows for the capture, storage, and sharing of information, knowledge and knowledge sharing practice, that has improved efficiency and the adoption of good practices.