The Five Tier Knowledge Management Taxonomy – Taken from the Summer 2006 Newsletter

Abstract: Many terms commonly used in the field of Knowledge Management (KM), such as knowledge, have multiple uses and sometimes conflicting definitions because they are adapted from other research streams. In this paper, a new set of terminology is defined and a Five Tier Knowledge Management Hierarchy (5TKMH) is developed specifically for KM. The 5TKMH is developed by extending the Knowledge Hierarchy to include Personal Knowledge. The 5TKMH can be employed to evaluate KM efforts, inventory knowledge assets, alleviate possible confusion, support a KM life-cycle that provides guidance to the Chief Knowledge Officer, and plan and manage the evolution of knowledge assets in the firm.

Keywords: Knowledge Management (KM) - Knowledge Hierarchy - Data - Information - Knowledge - Innovation - Personal Knowledge