Track: Knowledge Management Systems
Minitrack: Knowledge Management for Creativity and Innovation

The objective of this mini track is to explore the potential for Knowledge Management (KM) to enhance creativity and drive innovation. Creating and applying new knowledge are often cited as primary reasons organizations get involved in KM. Yet, to date the majority of research in KM and KMS focuses on knowledge reuse and transfer of best practices, rather than how knowledge is created and applied to derive business value, generate new ideas, and develop new products and solutions.

In recent workshops addressing KM, scholars and practitioners have identified the need for further research on: How knowledge is developed and transformed into business value? and How KM/KMS contribute to creativity and innovation both at the individual and organizational level?

This need is recognized also as the number one priority of leading organizations. The CEO's of General Electric and Proctor & Gamble for instance have made creativity and innovation predominate corporate priorities (Brady, 2005; Nussbaum, 2005). Responding to the emerging need for companies to develop innovation capabilities, Business Week has recently created a new online website - www.businessweek.com/innovate - to present the best research and thinking about the subject.

In line with this challenging research issue, this mini track will draw appropriate papers on the broadest range of research methodologies including case studies, action research, experimentation, survey, and simulation.

Topics and research areas include, but are not limited to:
* Knowledge and action: how knowledge is developed, transformed, interpreted and used to make effective decisions and take action
* KM and New Product Development: how KM contributes to the generation, evaluation and implementation of new products, services, processes and solutions
* KM/KMS support for collaborative and creative work, e.g., design, research and development, exploration, customer support* Knowledge sharing, diffusion and creativity, as influenced by different organization cultures and structures
* Managing knowledge exploitation vs. exploration dilemmas
* Mechanisms associated with KM, creativity and innovation
* The use of KM to reduce risk in creative/innovative processes

Co-chairs:
Lynne P. Cooper (Primary Contact)
Jet Propulsion Laboratory
4800 Oak Grove DriveMS 303-310Pasadena CA 91109, USA
Phone: +1-818-393-3080
Fax: +1-818-393-5143
Email: lynne.p.cooper@jpl.nasa.gov

Hind Benbya
GSCM Montpellier Business School
2300, Avenue des Moulins34185 Montpellier Cedex 4, France
Phone: +33-4-6710-2819
Fax: +33-4-6745-1356
Email: Benbya@gmail.com ; h.benbya@supco-montpellier.fr

R. Keith Sawyer
Department of Education
Washington University in St.  Louis
Campus Box 1183 , St. Louis, MO 63130, USA
Phone: +1-314-935-8724
Fax: +1-509-335-5339
Email: ksawyer@wustl.edu