Knowledge management visualisation in regional innovation system collaborative decision-making

Abstract

Purpose – This study was developed in response to the need to develop age-friendly smart living environments due to the complex demands placed on society by the ageing of the population. This study aims to analyse the potential that knowledge visualisation offers collaborative decision-making applied to the development of a multiple criteria framework supporting knowledge management (KM) through knowledge collaboration (KC) and knowledge sharing (KS) in the context of regional innovation systems (RIS). Design/methodology/approach – Using a socio-technical approach, knowledgeable and experienced representatives of RIS innovation actors were brought together to develop a constructivist multiple criteria framework that integrates knowledge visualisation and collaborative decision-making techniques (i.e. cognitive mapping and system dynamics). Findings – The study introduces a multiple criteria model supporting KM encompassing conditions and practices of RIS innovation actors facilitating and encouraging KC and KS. The potential for knowledge visualisation in collaborative decision-making is explored in great depth and illustrated in a case study setting. Practical implications – The panel members who participated in this study consider our methodological proposal to be extremely versatile and see great potential for further applications in RIS contexts. Originality/value – The combined use of cognitive mapping and system dynamics according to the strategic options development and analysis (SODA) approach offers a holistic andwell-informed perspective on the issue in question. The literature reports no prior work of this methodological combination in the same research context.