Web 2.0 Messaging Tools for Knowledge Management? Exploring the Potentials of Slack

There are many web-based tools like social networks collaborative writing, or messaging tools that connect organizations in accordance with web 2.0 principles. Slack is such a web 2.0 instant messaging tool. As per developer, it
integrates the entire communication, file-sharing, real-time messaging, digital archiving and search at one place. Usage in
line with these functionalities would reflect expected appropriation, while other usage would account for unexpected
appropriation. We explored which factors of web 2.0 tools determine actual usage and how they affect knowledge
management (KM). Therefore, we investigated the relation between the three influencing factors, proposed tool utility from
developer side, intended usage of key implementers, and context of application, to the actual usage in terms of knowledge
activities (generate, acquire, organize, transfer and save knowledge). We conducted episodic interviews with key
implementers in five different organizational contexts to understand how messaging tools affect KM by analyzing the
appropriation of features. Slack was implemented with the intention to enable exchange between project teams, connecting
distributed project members, initiate a community of learners and establish a communication platform. Independent of the
context, all key implementers agreed on knowledge transfer, organization and saving in accordance with Slack’s proposed
utility. Moreover, results revealed that a usage intention of internal management does not lead to acquisition of external
knowledge, and usage intention of networking not to generation of new knowledge. These results suggest that it is not the
context of application, but the intended usage that mainly affects the tool's efficacy with respect to KM: I.e. intention seems
to affect tool selection, first, explaining commonalities with respect to knowledge activities (expected appropriation) and,
subsequently, intention also affects unexpected appropriation beyond the developers’ tool utility. A messaging tool is, hence,
not only a messaging tool, but it is ‘what you make of it!’

Transcript

1. MEDIA & DESIGN
   Web 2.0 Messaging Tools for Knowledge
   Management?
   Exploring the Potentials of the Slack
   Software
   Sebastian Dennerlein, Robert Gutounig, Eva Goldgruber, Stefan Schweiger
   ECKM - 17th European Conference on Knowledge Management, Belfast (UK)
   1st September, 2016
   

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2. MEDIA & DESIGN
   Overview
   Introduction
   Analytical Framework
   Object of study
   Research Question
   Method & Sample
   Results
   Use of Slack software in relation to KM
   Discussion & Conclusion
   1st September 2016 Dennerlein, Gutounig, Goldgruber, Schweiger 2
   

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3. MEDIA & DESIGN
   Introduction
   3
   

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4. MEDIA & DESIGN
   Introduction
   ● Increase in communication and collaboration through web
   based tools in organisations (social networks, collaborative
   writing tools, or messaging tools etc.)
   ● Tools based on Web 2.0 principles:
   ○harnessing collective intelligence
   ○rich user experience
   ○lightweight models and cost-efficient scalability
   ○pervasive computing / software above the level of a single
   device
   ○...
   1st September 2016 Dennerlein, Gutounig, Goldgruber, Schweiger 4
   (Richter ea. 2014; O´Reilly 2007)
   

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5. MEDIA & DESIGN
   Analytical Framework
   ● Concept of Appropriation
   Concept of appropriation as means for identification of (un)typical
   usage
   ● Model of Knowledge Activities
   5
   (Chin ea. 1997; Dennerlein ea. 2016)
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6. MEDIA & DESIGN
   6
   Knowledge Activities
   (Dennerlein ea. 2016)
   Expected appropriation
   

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7. MEDIA & DESIGN
   Slack software
   ● Growing popularity since 2013: 3 million daily active users
   ● Listed as one of Breakthrough Technologies 2016
   Developer description:
   ● Tool for team communication that '[...] brings all your
   communication together in one place' and enables sharing of
   files, '[...] real-time messaging, archiving and searching' across
   platforms in an easy to use manner.
   ● Document archiving, organization and searching functionalities
   7
   (Yeung 2016; Gomes 2016; Slack 2016)
   1st September 2016 Dennerlein, Gutounig, Goldgruber, Schweiger
   

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8. MEDIA & DESIGN
   8
   Slack
   

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9. MEDIA & DESIGN
   How does
   ● proposed utility,
   ● context of application,
   ● intended use and
   ● actual use of Slack software
   relate to each other and to the perspective of
   knowledge management?
   9
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10. MEDIA & DESIGN
    Methods & Sample
    10
    

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11. MEDIA & DESIGN
    Method & Sample
    ● Exploratory case study approach: multiple case study
    ● Interviews (team leaders or advocates of the software
    implementation)
    ● 5 Slack application cases
    ● Qualitative Content Analysis
    11
    (Yin 2011; Mayring 2000)
    1st September 2016 Dennerlein, Gutounig, Goldgruber, Schweiger
    

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12. MEDIA & DESIGN
    Results
    12
    

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13. MEDIA & DESIGN
    13
    Cases & Context Intended Use
    1. Project based university
    course (UC)
    alternative to e-learning
    platform & support for project
    management
    2. Distributed project team for
    software development (DP)
    coordination of &
    communication within a
    distributed team
    3. NGO working group (WG) communication & project
    platform
    4. Team in software
    development company (SC)
    support of agile project
    management
    5. master degree program
    community (CC)
    communication platform for
    study program
    

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14. MEDIA & DESIGN
    Results
    14
    Knowledge Activity Actual Use
    Transfer knowledge CC, DP, SC, UC, WG
    Organize knowledge CC, DP, SC, UC, WG
    Save knowledge CC, DP, SC, UC, WG
    Acquire knowledge CC, WG
    Generate knowledge SC, UC, DP
    Expected
    appropriation
    Unexpected
    appropriation
    1st September 2016 Dennerlein, Gutounig, Goldgruber, Schweiger
    

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15. MEDIA & DESIGN
    Discussion & Conclusion
    15
    

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16. MEDIA & DESIGN
    Influencing factors: intentions of key
    implementors
    16
    Support for Acquire knowledge
    Support for Generate knowledge
    2. Networking, community
    building (CC, WG)
    1. Project management
    (SC, UC, DP)
    Importance of the intentions of the key implementers
    1. Influence on tool selection: Purpose of the tool is taken into
    account (faithful appropriation)
    2. Affects actual usage of the tool beyond offered purpose
    (unfaithful appropriation)
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17. MEDIA & DESIGN
    Conclusion
    ● Context is less influential than intention with respect to KM
    related benefits
    ● Context of application only provides the frame of possibilities
    whereas the intention of usage is the actual key to the KM
    related benefits of a tool implementation
    17
    1st September 2016 Dennerlein, Gutounig, Goldgruber, Schweiger
    A messaging tool is, hence, not only a messaging tool, but
    it is ‘what you make of it!’
    

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18. MEDIA & DESIGN
    References
    Chin, W. W., Gopal, A. and Salisbury, W. D. (1997) Advancing the Theory of Adaptive Structuration: The Development of a Scale to Measure Faithfulness of
    Appropriation. Information Systems Research, 8(4), pp 342–367.
    Dennerlein, S., Gutounig, R. and Schweiger, S. (2016) Knowledge activities revisited. Retrieved March 29, 2016, from http://wm-
    impulse.net/archives/2016/03/1058.
    Gomes, L. (2016) Slack: A service built for the era of mobile phones and short text messages is changing the workplace. Retrieved 29 March, 2016, from
    https://www.technologyreview.com/s/600771/10-breakthrough-technologies-2016-slack.
    Lin, B. (2016) Why Developers Are Slacking Off: Understanding How Software Teams Use Slack. In CSCW ’16 Companion. Proceedings of the 19th ACM Conference
    on Computer Supported Cooperative Work and Social Computing Companion, pp 333–336.
    Mayring, P. (2000) Qualitative Content Analysis. Forum Qualitative Sozialforschung / Forum: Qualitative Social Research, 1(2).
    O’Reilly, T. (2007) What Is Web 2.0: Design Patterns and Business Models for the Next Generation of Software.Communications & Strategies, 1, pp 17–37.
    Richter A., Schimek I., Kramer M., Leman F., Koch M. (2014) Status quo der Vernetzten Organisation. In A. Richter, ed. Vernetzte Organisation, De Gruyter, pp 35–
    48.
    Slack (2016) Slack: Be less busy. Retrieved 29 March, 2016, from https://slack.com.
    Wittenbrink, H. (2014) Medienkompetenzen in der vernetzten Organisation. In A. Richter, ed. Vernetzte Organisation, De Gruyter, pp 55–68.
    Yeung, K. (2016) Slack passes 3 million daily active users, 930K paid seats. In VentureBeat
    Yin, R.K. (2011) Applications of case study research, Sage
    18
    1st September 2016 Dennerlein, Gutounig, Goldgruber, Schweiger
    

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19. MEDIA & DESIGN
    Web 2.0 Messaging Tools for Knowledge
    Management?
    Exploring the Potentials of Slack
    Read the full paper here:
    https://www.researchgate.net
    More info on current projects:
    www.fh-joanneum.at/dmd
    www.know-center.at
    www.wm-forum.org
    Sebastian Dennerlein, Robert Gutounig, Eva
    Goldgruber, Stefan Schweiger
    ECKM - 17th European Conference on
    Knowledge Management, Belfast (UK)
    1st September, 2016
    

    View Slide