Information management for knowledge amplification in virtual enterprise

Based on an analysis of Sony´s practice, the core of innovation in product development is viewed in the paper as knowledge amplification, which depends on an iterative exploration cycle and information emergence through the cycle by capturing both articulable and tacit knowledge. An information system for knowledge amplification in the virtual enterprise is proposed, which includes a symbiotic network for information capturing and sharing through the WWW and multimedia email; an integrated product data manager for creation, evaluation, decision and archiving; an activity scheduler for workflow coordination, and an object-oriented database as shared information server for product, process and organization data