Paradigms, Approaches and Principals of Knowledge Management

Abstract

This article is the continuing of the theoretical research in the field of knowledge management. The aim of this study is to review the conceptual foundations of the knowledge management paradigms, approaches and principals in the context of its application in at the local community level. The authors give an overview of the knowledge management paradigms, approaches and principals. By analysing the different conceptions, the authors have come to the conclusion that knowledge cannot be directly managed; it can only be indirectly managed through the carriers of the knowledge - the people (through human resource management), the technology (through information management and information technology management) and the interaction between them (information flows and communication). By analysing top-down and bottom-up approaches the authors stress that the people are the primary source of knowledge while technology is the secondary source; however, technology is necessary for the orderly storage, retrieval, and sharing of knowledge. The authors also write about application of knowledge management principles at local community level: a learning community and organisation build collaborative relationships in order to draw strength from the diverse knowledge, experience, capabilities.