Abstract

Expert locator systems are specialized forms of knowledge management systems used to create social relationships between novice and expert users for the purpose of knowledge location, transfer, and utilization. Ranging from simple directories of experts to complex systems that facilitate interactive discourses in multimedia environments, they allow organizations to better capitalize on knowledge assets located throughout their enterprises. These systems are especially useful in large organizations that utilize obsolete technologies, but have only limited knowledge resources with which to maintain them. A key component of any successful system implementation is user trust, which develops quickest in systems that provide routinely usable information. Following a literature review, research propositions are presented that the factuality and effective communication of information provided by experts have an effect on how the novice users develop trust, not only toward the expert users, but also toward the expertise locator systems used to locate them. Lastly, implications of these propositions are briefly discussed.

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