Handbook of Knowledge Management for Sustainable Water Systems (KM4SWS)
Call for Chapter Proposals
Editor: Dr. Meir Russ
To be published by Wiley as part of a new series entitled Challenges in Water Management
This book is envisioned as a manuscript that will provide a robust scientific foundation for an inter-disciplinary, multi-perspective theory and practice of knowledge management in the context of and for the advancement of sustainable water systems.
Introduction
As the new knowledge economy continues to evolve, knowledge is being recognized as a key business asset and a crucial component of organizational strategy. The ability to manage knowledge, therefore, is quickly becoming vital for securing and maintaining organizational survival and success. As a result, companies are investing heavily in Information Systems (IS) and /or Knowledge-Based Systems (KBS) technologies. Unfortunately, such investments frequently do not meet expected returns.
For the purpose of this handbook we will recognize Knowledge Management (KM) as a socio-technical phenomenon in which the basic social constituents such as person, team and organization require interaction with IS/KBS applications to support a strategy and add value to the organization while improving the sustainability of a water system. Many organizations and their managers recognize that the critical source of sustainable competitive advantage is not only having the most ingenious product design, the most brilliant marketing strategy, or the most state-of-the-art production technology, but also having the ability to attract, retain, develop and manage its human assets and their knowledge and innovation.
Sustainability has been defined as economic development that meets the needs of the present generation without conceding the ability of future generations to meet their own needs. With growing pressure from customers and regulators toward environmental and social issues, companies are increasingly expected to shoulder greater responsibility for making sustainable development a reality. Recent droughts and water shortages worldwide on one hand, and advanced scientific understanding and documentation of the impact of demographic and economic forces on water footprint and embedded water makes the need for sustainable development and management of water systems only more acute. This requires policy makers, planners and management to balance economic, business, social and environmental concerns and outcomes. For that to happen, leaders need to quantify the relationships of all those aspects across different time horizons and link their organizational knowledge-base to strategy and outcomes so they can consider the tradeoffs of different alternatives.
According to the World Health Organization (WHO), about one fifth of the world's population in 2009 lived in countries that did not have enough water for their use. By 2025, 1.8 billion people will experience absolute water scarcity, and by 2030, almost half the world will live under conditions of high water stress. Yet only recently was the science of coupled human-water system advanced and the complementing IT/IS technological aspect is still lacking. For example, in a recent Water JPI (2014) paper, presenting eight major water topics for Europe (Horizon 2020), while identifying the gaps and game changers, knowledge management was listed directly and indirectly in all of them.
The book will go beyond the current literature by providing a platform for a broad scope of discussion regarding KM4SWS, and, more importantly, by encouraging a interdisciplinary fusion between diverse disciplines. Specifically, this call for proposals is soliciting chapter proposals from a multidisciplinary array of scholars. The book parts/chapters will discuss socio-hydrology sustainable systems within the present political (legislative) economic and technological context from a number of disciplines/perspectives, including: Economic Development, Financial, Systems-Networks, IT/IS Data/Analytics, Behavioral, Social, Water Systems, Governance Systems and Related Ecosystems. Multi-level and multi-discipline chapters that synthesize diverse bodies of knowledge are strongly encouraged. When appropriate, plurality of empirical methods from diverse disciplines that can enhance the building of a holistic theory of KM4SWS are also encouraged.
The anticipated table of contents with some specific examples is listed below:
Table of Contents
Introduction
Part A – Conceptual aspects of KM for SWS
1. People/Stakeholders
Vision, culture, collaboration, engagement, leadership
2. Systems
KM Life Cycle, Ontologies, Complex system thinking, decision support systems
Create, organize, formalize, distribute, apply, evolve (e.g., Action systems for integrated water management)
3. Processes (e.g., guiding principles of integrated water systems planning and management)
4. People-Systems-Processes
Audits, Utilities
5. Financial and Economics
Valuations, costs tools,
6. Social
7. Environment
Energy, climate changes, groundwater, farming, fishing
8. Sustainable systems
Tradeoffs between alternative priorities, greywater
9. Public policy (e.g., regional, national and international initiatives, [e.g., Urban Water Security Research Alliance in South-East Queensland, Australia]
Part B – Practice of KM for SWS
Part C – Conceptual aspects of managing knowledge in SWS
1. Water quality
e.g., Grey water
2. Water quantity
e.g., Desalination, recycling
3. Water use
4. Sustainable resource management
5. Company/organization management
e.g., Governance
6. Geo/region management
Part D – Practice of managing knowledge in SWS
Conclusion
Where to next?
Schedule for publication of the book:
· Book chapter proposals received: March 1, 2016
· Notification of accepted chapter proposals: May 1, 2016
· Receipt of full book chapters: December 1, 2016
· Review book chapters and revision feedback: March 1, 2017
· Receipt by editors of final draft of book chapters: May 30, 2017
· Delivery date of the manuscript to the publisher: June 15, 2017
· Anticipated publication: March 15, 2018
Submit your chapter proposal by Microsoft Word email attachment. We would most appreciate a one to two page proposal outlining your chapter and identifying your theoretic discipline, theories, and if applicable, empirical method approaches related to human capital and assets. Please plan on a chapter size as follows: research chapter-9,000 to 12,000 words; case chapter-7,000 to 10,000 words, conceptual/theoretical chapter-4,000 to 7,000 words. The total word count is presently planned at 200,000-250,000 words. Include as a separate file a brief biography covering your current institutional affiliation and position, a listing of your relevant publications and educational background, and any other pertinent information on your qualifications for contributing to this manuscript. Please note that only original submissions will be considered for publication.
Send proposals and inquiries to: russm@uwgb.edu
Dr. Meir Russ
Professor, Management
Chair, Masters of Management
Frederick E. Baer Professor in Business
Austin E. Cofrin School of Business
University of Wisconsin - Green Bay
Wood Hall 460; 2420 Nicolet Drive
Green Bay, WI 54311-7001; USA
Tel + 1 (920) 465-2757 Fax +1 (920) 465- 2660