The benefits and limitations of information technologies Essay

The information technologies such as cell phones email and internet, PCs, and faxes are quite important for any modern organization. But in the case of the knowledge management in a study organization they become the key element of organizational infrastructure.
Among the major benefits of the information technologies for knowledge management the following could be named:
Communication between the organizations and within one organization (for instance, between a professor and a student) became quicker and more efficient
Opportunities of sharing the knowledge and instant access to information. Internet provides an access to various electronic sources of information and it helps both a research and a study.
Erasing of the cultural differences: the information technologies help to the researchers from different cultures to exchange their views and ideas
Regarding the limitations of the information technologies, I could name probably the most crucial one which is the lack of privacy and security of information. For instance, exclusive scientific ideas or studies may become available to general public by an accident.
Walsham (2001) has researched the computer-based systems and the knowledge-based activities relations. The author has compared pros and contras of electronic and face-to-face communication in knowledge management and has come to conclusion that although the information technologies may be the great support and the huge benefit for knowledge-based activities, organizations should pay their primary attention to “development and communication of human meaning”.
Walsham insists that an emphasis should be made on “a human-centered view of knowledge”. The major benefit of information technologies according to Walsham is their role in sharing the knowledge between communities and even across nations.
It’s interesting to mention the article of Butler and Murphy on this occasion as well. These authors do not pay much of their attention to the benefits and the limitations of the technologies in the study organizations; they review the techniques, the tools of the knowledge management, and their application.