Towards an integrated approach to knowledge management: hard, soft and abstract issues

Companies are often unaware of the potential value of corporate information and extent of data held in their systems. It is increasingly argued that analysis of such data and information can be transformed into knowledge that in turn can be used to gain business benefits such as a competitive advantage, minimization of costs, improved quality, responsiveness, or improved service to customers. This paper investigates the benefits of a systematic and interdisciplinary approach to research in knowledge management, particularly in investigating technical (hard), organizational (soft), as well as philosophical (abstract) aspects of the concept. It describes in detail the framework used in research undertaken by the Centre for Knowledge and Business Process Management at Brunel University. We argue that this framework is useful to researchers and practitioners alike as it contributes to a systematic and more effective knowledge management approach.