Originally published Nov 15, 2024
This is my sixth book as sole author, and the fourth published by Lucidea Press. By reading it, you can explore curated insights from 120 top knowledge management leaders across 20 key categories. Each profile includes essential quotes, books, and contributions — offering valuable KM frameworks and principles.
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Learn from Leading Thinkers in Knowledge Management
Profiles in Knowledge: 120 Thought Leaders in Knowledge Management offers my curated selection of writing and thinking from KM practitioners in 20 specialty areas. My goals for the book include exposing KM practitioners to a wide range of important thinking, encouraging reading of the featured books, bringing back to life useful articles and presentations no longer available online by retrieving them from the Internet Archive, helping preserve the history of the field of knowledge management by curating the work of its prominent authors and speakers, and recognizing equally the work of women and men who have contributed so much to the profession.
I curated profiles of thought leaders in 20 KM specialties:
- Analytics and Business Intelligence
- Artificial Intelligence
- Big Picture
- Collaboration
- Communities
- Conversation
- The Future
- Innovation
- Intellectual Capital
- ISO Standard
- Knowledge Transfer and Retention
- Learning
- Networks
- Personal Knowledge Management
- Search and Findability
- Sense-Making
- Story and Narrative
- Strategy
- Taxonomy
- Technology
Thought leaders typically have written books, book chapters, and numerous articles published in periodicals. They tend to be frequent bloggers, speakers/workshop presenters at conferences, and presenters on community calls and webinars. They publish articles and make insightful posts on LinkedIn, post and reply in communities such as SIKM Leaders and KM4Dev, and serve as mentors to other KM practitioners. They practice what they preach by taking to time to openly share their knowledge with others in the field.
Table of Contents
Dedication
I dedicate this book to the dozen thought leaders included here who are no longer with us: Debra Amidon, Max Boisot, Jay Cross, Brenda Dervin, Sue Feldman, Carl Frappaolo, David Garvin, Bill Ives, Frank Leistner, Gordon Petrash, Melissie Rumizen, and especially, Larry Prusak.
Larry was much beloved by those who met him, collaborated with him, and learned from him. His passing in 2023 was a great loss to the field of knowledge management, but his wisdom and our fond memories of him live on. He had one of the great minds in the field, providing useful insights based on his extensive reading, keen observations, and deep thinking.
Larry posted the following on LinkedIn: “Stan, why not publish all your wonderful profiles in a book? I would be happy to help you with it when you are ready.” He was a mentor and friend to me and to many others, and he is missed.
Preface
This book is about leading thinkers in the field of knowledge management, grouped into 20 categories. There is a description with definitions for each category and profiles for 120 thought leaders, including quotes from each, books and other important content, and key insights, frameworks, models, and principles.
2024 is the 30th anniversary of several important milestones in the history of knowledge management as a profession. To commemorate this anniversary, I chose 120 knowledge management thought leaders — one for each of the four seasons of every year. I want to highlight contributions made to the KM field by 60 women and 60 men from the ongoing Lucidea’s Lens: Knowledge Management Thought Leaders series.
My hope for this book is that by sharing the writing and thinking of these accomplished authors and speakers, I am enabling others in the field to benefit from their expertise. I want KM practitioners to apply the insights they gain by reading the work of these thought leaders, which I have carefully curated.
My goals for this book are:
- Expose KM practitioners to a wide range of important thinking.
- Encourage reading of the featured books.
- Bring back to life useful articles and presentations no longer available online by retrieving them from the Internet Archive.
- Help preserve the history of the field of knowledge management by curating the work of its prominent authors and speakers.
- Recognize equally and promote the work of women and men who have contributed so much to our profession.
