Realizing knowledge management in value creation systems using principles of fuzzy control

The increasing complexity of value creation processes and its surrounding economic environment (e.g. growing granularity of value chains, spatial distribution) gives rise to new challenges for the design and coordination of value creation systems. From a systems theory perspective, inter-organizational knowledge management has the potential to meet these challenges, if it is carefully integrated in general management practices. Based on empirical findings from an industrial cluster in Germany, the authors identified three central conflicts of objectives that may occur during the implementation of knowledge management in complex value creation systems. Consequently, a context-sensitive compensation of the conflict-causing variables is necessary. Based on these premises, a systemic knowledge function has been developed that operates analogously to a fuzzy controller and is able to assess the system performance with regard to an intended system state and finally suggest actions for regulation.