Why organisations should consider how they conceive knowledge

The paper considers the proposition that recognising the mental model that is held of knowledge by the individuals of an organisation may help us to understand whether or not knowledge building potential can be effectively developed. It is argued that the potential for effective knowledge utilisation will be dependent upon the epistemological perspective held by organisational members. Processual and structural perspectives of knowledge are described and utilised here to discuss two identifiable mental models that exist in organisations. The notion that a perspective of knowledge will affect its management is not new, but the idea that organisations need to actively identify the epistemological foundations they are working with and may need to change them, is.