In the dominant discussion about the development of society knowledge has been portrayed as the key resource for growth and wealth creation. As Novotony, Scott and Gibbons (2001:11) summarized it, "society itself, and the institutions and organizations it compromises, are now organized around the availability and manipulation of knowledge (although this knowledge may not be precisely defined)."
The aim of this program is to understand more clearly and more comprehensively the many faces of knowledge in organizations and society with a particular focus on how it can be managed and organized into effective work performance. It researches knowledge in organizations in a range of areas such as organizational knowledge, the use of Information and Communication Technology to store, retrieve and transmit knowledge, knowledge creating organizations, knowledge creation and innovation, the flow of knowledge within and between organizations, knowledge-based industries, knowledge intensive firms, knowledge workers, expertise, artificial intelligence, wisdom and the political-ideological nature of knowledge in organizations. There are also several closely related areas encompassed by the program like organizational learning and learning organization, organizational competence, professional practice, professional organizations, professions and professional development and intellectual property.
Researchers in the program are currently involved in a number of projects funded by grants from the Australian Research Council and other funding sources.
The legacy Research Centre associated with this Research Strength is the Australian Creative Resource Online.
Research in this Centre focuses on the impact of larger social factors on communication, including interpersonal interactions, group interactions, mediated interactions, and messages conveyed through mass media. In conjunction with the Social and Behavioural Science Faculty, relevant UQ Business School staff and students are advancing knowledge in four major areas of communication; health, organisational, intergroup, and mass communication.
