Intranets and Organizational Learning: A Research and Development Agenda

Abstract

This article presents the outcomes of a technical symposium on the topic of the use of intranets as a tool for organizational learning, which was conducted at the 9th International Conference on Human-Computer Interaction, held in New Orleans, Louisiana, August 5 through 10, 2001. The objective of the symposium was to derive, based on the collective intelligence of experts, an agenda for research and development (R&D) concerning the use of intranet for organizational learning for the short, medium, and long term. Expert knowledge of this research area was acquired and assimilated through the symposium, which was composed of technical paper presentations and a full-day "white paper" session, as well as pre- and post-symposium survey dissemination and analysis. The current state of knowledge and resulting agenda for R&D are reported, and 4 critical areas are emphasized: organizational rules, norms and structures; changes in the nature of work; knowledge manipulation; and technology issues.