Innovation and Knowledge Management

Modern organizations must constantly adapt to survive in today's rapidly changing environment. A stagnant organization that cannot innovate to meet evolving conditions will eventually find itself no longer competitive in an increasingly complex and technologically sophisticated economy. Innovation and Knowledge Management focuses on three issues critical to success: knowledge management, innovation, and consortia. The author examines the interplay of these factors during a critical four-year period in the operation of the Cancer Information Service (CIS) - a knowledge management organization charged with delivering up-to-date, authoritative information to the public. The forerunner of many other knowledge delivery organizations, CIS was under pressure not only to distribute knowledge but to generate it. A consortium was formed between practitioners within CIS and researchers outside it to explore various innovative intervention strategies. The intersection of knowledge management, innovation and consortial arrangements at CIS provides a unique opportunity to examine no less than the future of organizations.

This distinctive study will be of great interest to scholars, students, practitioners and policymakers in the fields of health, communications, knowledge management, information science and management.