This document discusses enterprise wiki applications and user motivation. It presents the results of a study analyzing 170 wiki spaces and interviewing 10 employees at T-Systems MMS. The study identified 27 usage scenarios that were categorized into 4 main application modes. It also found that user motivation for using wikis is mainly egoistic and aimed at facilitating the user's own work. The document concludes that wikis need to provide clear benefits to knowledge workers in order to encourage motivation and participation. Next steps involve further exploring motivation concepts and comparative case studies.

1. Enterprise wiki application
scenarios and their relation to
user motivation
Dipl.-Wirt.-Ing. Dada Lin, TU Dresden, T-Systems Multimedia Solutions GmbH
Dipl.-Ing. f. Tech. Inform. Stefan Ehrlich, T-Systems Multimedia Solutions GmbH
Cartagena, September 2012

2. ABOUT ME
Dada Lin
T-Systems Multimedia Solutions GmbH
TU Dresden
dada.lin@t-systems.com
 diploma thesis on Knowledge Management using social software tools
 PhD student (Technical University Dresden, Lehrstuhl für
Wirtschaftsinformatik insb. Informationsmanagement (Prof. Dr. Eric Schoop))
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3. Agenda
1. Enterprise Wikis & Knowledge Management
2. Research Questions
3. Data Acquisition
4. Finding 1: Typology of wiki application scenarios
5. Finding 2: Theoretical model of user motivation in
enterprise wikis
6. Conclusion and next steps
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4. Enterprise Wikis & Knowledge Management
What is a Enterprise Wiki?
• simple content management system
• facilitate collaborative text editing
• structured as hypertext
Why are Enterprise Wikis relevant for KM research?
• 88 % of companys are using Enterprise Wikis1
• preferred method of internal communications by 20132
• support different aspects of knowledge work
1. Back, A., Friedel, D., & Weigand, A. (2011). Enterprise 2.0 – Nutzung & Handlungsbedarf im
innerbetrieblichen, B2B und B2C Kontext. T-Systems Schweiz AG.
2. Gartner
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5. TeamWeb – Enterprise Wiki@T-Systems MMS
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6. Research Questions
Grounded Theory approach / 2 main research questions:
1. How are Enterprise Wikis used?
2. How is user motivation associated with the way in
which wikis are used?
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7. Data Acquisition
1. qualitative content analysis of the wiki spaces (12 /
2011)
– 170 wiki spaces were analysed manually
– 27 usage scenarios could be identified
2. semi-structured interviews with employees
– iterative selection of 10 interviewees on the basis of previous
space analysis
– Focus on: usage scenarios, user motivation, perceived problems
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8. Finding 1: Typology of application scenarios
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9. Finding 2: Theoretical model of user motivation
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10. Conclusion and next steps
Findings:
 4 main application modes: Enterprise Wikis are
versatile tools for knowledge workers
 user motivation is mainly egoistic
 to facilitate user motivation, enterprise wikis have to
create a perceived benefit for the knowledge worker
Next steps:
 further exploration of usage motivation on basis of
existing concepts of work psychology
 comparative case studys of other companys with
enterprise wikis
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11. Dada Lin
TU Dresden / T-Systems Multimedia
Solutions GmbH
PhD student
Riesaer Straße 5, 01129 Dresden
+49 351 2820-2768 (Tel.)
+49 171 6240997 (Mobil)
E-Mail: dada.lin@t-systems.com
THANK YOU!
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