Knowledge management in consulting engineering joining IT and human resources to support the production of knowledge

This article discusses how information technology and human resource oriented management tools can be integrated using their respective strengths to enable knowledge production. Two companies' KM strategies encompassing a strong IT-component in combination with organisation, training and office design are analysed. Their experience shows that joining information technology with the human resource oriented tools is a necessary precondition for success in KM-efforts. Second, in the large company, there is still a relative overemphasis on "circumstantial" frames for knowledge production and too little focus on dynamics in knowledge producing processes. In contrast, the medium sized company is experimenting with soft tools used directly in the processes of the customer-oriented projects.