Posted by Yogesh Malhotra,Ph.D. on August 12, 1998 at 12:58:23:

In Reply to: The art of art: is knowledge management art? posted by Robert Benjamin on August 05, 1998 at 15:37:21:

You have raised an interesting issue about 'art' and 'beauty' that have occupied both practitioners as well as philosophers. An alternative interpretation of 'art' [other than what you have offered] could be in terms of an antonym of 'science.' Science has traditionally been described in terms of disciplines that are based on specific hypotheses, axioms and rules of logic -- whose 'truth' resides in empirical determination and verification. In contrast, art often defies any pre-stated specific hypotheses and axioms and is often treated in conjunction with creativity and innovation.

In some ways our philosophy at @BRINT attempts to span [and extend] both art and science of new knowledge on contemporary business, management and technology issues. The perspective taken by the compilations, critiques and representations that underlie this evolving knowledge base and knowledge community may be aptly categorized with post-modernistic thinking.

Is knowledge management an art or science? Is management an art or science? Can knowledge creation and dissemination be viewed as art or science? In my thinking, answers to all these questions have some characteristics of both art and science. Knowledge management is an art, because it requires defining a new way of looking at the nature of organizations, nature of work, nature of information [technology], and the interrelationships thereof. It may also be described as science, because it also encompasses development of truisms that are often represented as best practices with their emphasis is on measurement and replication of findings across contexts and domains.

We have earlier observed and discussed scientific Taylorism and its critique on this discussion forum. The scientific aspects of many 'scientific' disciplines are often geared towards achieving efficiencies… such efficiencies are expected to result in ease of definition, verifiability, replication and measurement… of knowledge. However, such scientific philosophies are also constrained when the needed focus is on effectiveness and not on efficiencies… not on 'doing things right' but 'doing the right thing' and so forth.

Hence, it may be expected that science will always have its place in the definition, postulation and verifiability of 'truth,' however art will be needed to surface and question the assumptions underlying the given 'truths.'… And, at @BRINT, we will be continuously motivated to address [and extend] both art and science of knowledge management.

Sincerely,

Yogesh Malhotra, Ph.D.
Editor-in-Chief
WWW Virtual Library on Knowledge Management

• WWW Virtual Library on Knowledge Management

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Follow Ups:

• Re: The Science and Art of Knowledge Management Su (Susanne Williams) 13:53:03 9/14/98 (0)
• Re: The Science and Art of Knowledge Management Su 06:25:58 9/08/98 (12)
  • Re: The Science and Art of Knowledge Management Robert Benjamin 12:24:18 9/10/98 (8)
    • Re: The Science and Art of Knowledge Management Su (Susanne Williams) 09:21:50 9/11/98 (7)
      • Re: The Science and Art of Knowledge Management Robert Benjamin 10:25:17 9/11/98 (6)
        • Good business is science. Exceptional business is an art. John Bardos 15:46:12 9/11/98 (5)
          • Re: Good business is science. Exceptional business is an art. sumana 01:26:51 10/15/98 (2)
            • Re: Good business is science. Exceptional business is an art. Robert Benjamin 15:09:15 10/18/98 (1)
              • Re: Good business is science. Exceptional business is an art. sumana 00:06:52 10/22/98 (0)
          • Re: Martyn R Jones 07:16:39 9/22/98 (0)
          • Re: Good business is science. Exceptional business is an art. Robert Benjamin 15:17:56 9/12/98 (0)
  • Re: The Science and Art of Knowledge Management Martyn R Jones 15:04:25 9/08/98 (2)
    • Re: The Science and Art of Knowledge Management Robert Benjamin 01:59:07 9/13/98 (1)
      • Re: The Science and Art of Knowledge Management Su 10:31:23 9/14/98 (0)

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