Knowledge Management and Knowledge Leadership in the Fourth Industrial Revolution: Resolving the Automation-Augmentation Paradox

Abstract

As acknowledged by scholars and practitioners, the rise of artificial intelligence and cyber-physical systems has led to a shift from the third to the fourth industrial revolution. Knowledge management as a discipline evolved in the late twentieth century, reflecting the increasing importance of knowledge as a resource in the knowledge-economy era. This chapter explores how organizations manage their knowledge in the fourth industrial revolution, which arguably should differ from how they did in the 1990s. The paper will begin by identifying the major characteristics of the four industrial revolutions. It will then delve into organizations’ strategies for managing knowledge during the third industrial revolution. Subsequently, alternative knowledge management strategies will be highlighted to address the changes brought about by the fourth industrial revolution. We claim that organizations might decide to prioritize augmentation or automation, or we propose an organic relationship between both, calling for another approach to managing knowledge: DeParadoxication. By reviewing relevant literature, this chapter proposes a theoretical framework for knowledge management in the twenty-first century.