Why information technology inspired but cannot deliver knowledge management

Recent developments in information technology have inspired many companies to imagine a new way for staff to share knowledge and insights. Instead of storing documents in personal files and sharing personal insights with a sm all circle of colleagues, they can store documents in a common information base and use electronic networks to share insights with their whole communi ty, even people scattered across the globe. However, most companies soon di scover that leveraging knowledge is actually very hard and is more dependen t on community building than information technology. This is not because pe ople are reluctant to use information technology, rather it is because they often need to share knowledge that is neither obvious nor easy to document , knowledge that requires a human relationship to think about, understand, share, and appropriately apply. Ironically, while information technology ha s inspired the "knowledge revolution," it takes building human communities to realize it.