Making Knowledge Work: An Activity Theory Perspective on Knowledge Management System Effectiveness in Organizational Work and Online Communities

Authors

• Yong Jin Kim, Sogang UniversityFollow
• Han-fen Hu, University of Nevada, Las VegasFollow
• Rajiv Kishore, University of Nevada, Las VegasFollow
• Xiao Tang, University of South Carolina UpstateFollow
• Jinsoo Park, Seoul National UniversityFollow

Abstract

Rooted in activity theory, we develop a model of knowledge management system (KMS) effectiveness, conceptualizing it as individual users’ perceived impact of KMS use on task performance. We incorporate task, actor, tool, and community aspects of the knowledge management process in our model as predictors and moderators. We conceptualize the task aspect as perspective development through KMS use, actor aspect as users’ perceived KMS familiarity, tool aspect as facilitating technology encapsulated in the KMS, and community aspect as community interaction principles embedded in the KMS. Using complementary theoretical perspectives, we hypothesize that perspective development through KMS use positively influences KMS effectiveness and that perceived KMS familiarity, facilitating technology, and community interaction principles each have either U-shaped or inverted U-shaped moderating effects on this relationship. We further hypothesize that these effects vary systematically across users with different levels of cognitive schema sophistication. These hypotheses were tested using two survey samples representing users with distinct levels of schema sophistication: 218 organizational KMS users and 317 student users. Results indicate that perceived KMS familiarity, facilitating technology, and community interaction principles are important nonlinear moderators. We contribute to the IS literature in three ways. First, we develop a contextualized KM activity theory framework to identify KM process elements that influence KMS effectiveness. Second, we demonstrate the differential nonlinear moderating roles of the actor, tool, and community aspects in shaping the perspective development–KMS effectiveness relationship. Third, we highlight systematic differences in these moderating effects emanating from users’ differential cognitive schema sophistication.

Recommended Citation

Kim, Yong Jin; Hu, Han-fen; Kishore, Rajiv; Tang, Xiao; and Park, Jinsoo (2026) "Making Knowledge Work: An Activity Theory Perspective on Knowledge Management System Effectiveness in Organizational Work and Online Communities," Journal of the Association for Information Systems, 27(6), 1357-1401.
DOI: 10.17705/1jais.01002
Available at: https://aisel.aisnet.org/jais/vol27/iss6/7

DOI

10.17705/1jais.01002