Goals and Tactics on the Dark Side of Knowledge Management

The knowledge management literature focuses on the bright side of KM; it barely mentions the dark side, in which knowledge is distorted, suppressed, or misappropriated due to personal or organizational motives. This paper presents a framework for categorizing dark side examples, and uses it to organize 30 examples culled primarily from recent news accounts. The paper’s contributions include its method for exploring the dark side of KM, its initial categorization of dark side goals and tactics, and its demonstration that dark side manipulation may occur throughout processes of knowledge creation and use.