Posted by Riva Gianluca on June 19, 2002 at 11:09:23:

In Reply to: Understanding KM tools posted by Denham on June 17, 2002 at 09:56:17:

Hi Denham,
regarding your last question: "I wonder about tools for personal knowledge management, knowledge exchanges and for relationship building which do not seem to have been covered?".

I think this is a very important question, but I don't think it's something that can be generated by a tool. Trust, care, relationship, a sense of community are the result of friendship, a long history of successful social exchanges and reciprocal help, human relationships and not the result of a "tool". I think that this idea that a tool can by itself nurture human relationships fall within what I call technological determinism, the very idea that a tool and IT can dictate organizational structure, processes and rules. The relationship is reciprocal, as the same tool can be used in very different ways depending on the other organizational variables and on the social context.
The same tool can be used and interpreted in very different ways.
We can't say that a tool can build a community or nurture trust. Rather, we should see that IT is just a variable of the social/organizational context, and that trust and a sense of community would improve the use of IT and of other tools.
This sense of community will be better developed by respct and equality and a sense of fun inside the company, rather than just using tools...
Tools are things, trust a relationship and a series of social exchanges among people...
Kind Regards, looking forward to listen to your views

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