Wiki as a Knowledge Management System in a Small Project-Based Company: Benefits, Issues and Managerial Challenges

The paper presents and discusses the findings of a case study analysis of the adoption and use of a wiki system by a small enterprise that is intended as a tool for managing the knowledge needed to successfully perform its business activities. The study aims at contributing to the still insufficient research on the factors influencing the use of new Web 2.0 technologies in small organisations to support internal KM. Actually, even though wikis are deemed to be especially suitable for SMEs, being a very flexible and low-cost solution, the studies that have explored their use in such companies are few. The case concerns a small ICT company that designs and provides telecommunications systems. The provision of these services is a typical project-based activity: the various stages require effective sharing of knowledge among the involved actors. To manage the knowledge flows that take place during the service delivery and post sales activities, some years ago the company introduced a wiki system. It is now possible to analyse how the system has evolved over time, how much and for what purposes it has been and is being employed, and what factors are affecting its use. The findings of this investigation contribute both to the academic research, by making available to scholars further empirical evidence about the use of Web 2.0 technologies in small organisations, and to the practice, by providing suggestions to managers of small companies who are attempting to adopt and use wikis to effectively manage their knowledge assets.