Internalised Values and Fairness Perception: Ethics in Knowledge Management

Authors

Isabel D. W. Rechberg, CUNY College of Staten IslandFollow

Document Type

Book Chapter or Section

Publication Date

Spring 2018

Abstract

This chapter argues for ethical consideration in knowledge management (KM). It explores the effect that internalised values and fairness perception have on individuals’ participation in KM practices. Knowledge is power, and organisations seek to manage knowledge through KM practices. For knowledge to be processed, individual employees—the source of all knowledge—need to be willing to participate in KM practices. As knowledge is power and a key constituent part of knowledge is ethics, individuals’ internalised values and fairness perception affect knowledge-processing. Where an organisation claims ownership over knowledge, an individual may perceive being treated unfairly, which may obstruct knowledge-processing. Through adopting ethical KM practices, individual needs are respected, enabling knowledge-processing. Implications point towards an ethical agenda in KM theory and practice.

Comments

This work was originally published in "The Palgrave Handbook of Knowledge Management," edited by Jawad Syed, Peter A. Murray, Donald Hislop, and Yusra Mouzughi, and available at https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-71434-9_11