The document explores the potential use of the messaging tool Slack for knowledge management. It analyzes five case studies of Slack implementation to identify how the tool was used for different knowledge activities, including transferring, organizing, saving, acquiring, and generating knowledge. While Slack was intended for communication and coordination, the key factor influencing its actual use for knowledge management was the intentions of those implementing it. When implementors prioritized networking or project management, Slack supported different knowledge activities beyond just messaging. However, the context of implementation only set possibilities—the implementors' goals determined how Slack benefited knowledge management in each case.

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Web 2.0 Messaging Tools for Knowledge Management?
Exploring the Potentials of Slack
Presentation · September 2016
DOI: 10.13140/RG.2.2.32043.03362
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2. MEDIA & DESIGN
Web 2.0 Messaging Tools for Knowledge
Management?
Exploring the Potentials of the Slack
Software
Sebastian Dennerlein, Robert Gutounig, Eva Goldgruber, Stefan Schweiger
ECKM - 17th European Conference on Knowledge Management, Belfast (UK)
1st September, 2016

3. MEDIA & DESIGN
Overview
Introduction
Analytical Framework
Object of study
Research Question
Method & Sample
Results
Use of Slack software in relation to KM
Discussion & Conclusion
1st September 2016 Dennerlein, Gutounig, Goldgruber, Schweiger 2

4. MEDIA & DESIGN
Introduction
3

5. MEDIA & DESIGN
Introduction
● Increase in communication and collaboration through web
based tools in organisations (social networks, collaborative
writing tools, or messaging tools etc.)
● Tools based on Web 2.0 principles:
○harnessing collective intelligence
○rich user experience
○lightweight models and cost-efficient scalability
○pervasive computing / software above the level of a single
device
○...
1st September 2016 Dennerlein, Gutounig, Goldgruber, Schweiger 4
(Richter ea. 2014; O´Reilly 2007)

6. MEDIA & DESIGN
Analytical Framework
● Concept of Appropriation
Concept of appropriation as means for identification of (un)typical
usage
● Model of Knowledge Activities
5
(Chin ea. 1997; Dennerlein ea. 2016)
1st September 2016 Dennerlein, Gutounig, Goldgruber, Schweiger

7. MEDIA & DESIGN
6
Knowledge Activities
(Dennerlein ea. 2016)
Expectedappropriation

8. MEDIA & DESIGN
Slack software
● Growing popularity since 2013: 3 million daily active users
● Listed as one of Breakthrough Technologies 2016
Developer description:
● Tool for team communication that '[...] brings all your
communication together in one place' and enables sharing of
files, '[...] real-time messaging, archiving and searching' across
platforms in an easy to use manner.
● Document archiving, organization and searching functionalities
7
(Yeung 2016; Gomes 2016; Slack 2016)
1st September 2016 Dennerlein, Gutounig, Goldgruber, Schweiger

9. MEDIA & DESIGN
8
Slack

10. MEDIA & DESIGN
How does
● proposed utility,
● context of application,
● intended use and
● actual use of Slack software
relate to each other and to the perspective of
knowledge management?
91st September 2016 Dennerlein, Gutounig, Goldgruber, Schweiger

11. MEDIA & DESIGN
Methods & Sample
10

12. MEDIA & DESIGN
Method & Sample
● Exploratory case study approach: multiple case study
● Interviews (team leaders or advocates of the software
implementation)
● 5 Slack application cases
● Qualitative Content Analysis
11
(Yin 2011; Mayring 2000)
1st September 2016 Dennerlein, Gutounig, Goldgruber, Schweiger

13. MEDIA & DESIGN
Results
12

14. MEDIA & DESIGN
13
Cases & Context Intended Use
1. Project based university
course (UC)
alternative to e-learning
platform & support for project
management
2. Distributed project team for
software development (DP)
coordination of &
communication within a
distributed team
3. NGO working group (WG) communication & project
platform
4. Team in software
development company (SC)
support of agile project
management
5. master degree program
community (CC)
communication platform for
study program

15. MEDIA & DESIGN
Results
14
Knowledge Activity Actual Use
Transfer knowledge CC, DP, SC, UC, WG
Organize knowledge CC, DP, SC, UC, WG
Save knowledge CC, DP, SC, UC, WG
Acquire knowledge CC, WG
Generate knowledge SC, UC, DP
Expected
appropriation
Unexpected
appropriation
1st September 2016 Dennerlein, Gutounig, Goldgruber, Schweiger

16. MEDIA & DESIGN
Discussion & Conclusion
15

17. MEDIA & DESIGN
Influencing factors: intentions of key
implementors
16
Support for Acquire knowledgeSupport for Generate knowledge
2. Networking, community
building (CC, WG)
1. Project management
(SC, UC, DP)
Importance of the intentions of the key implementers
1. Influence on tool selection: Purpose of the tool is taken into
account (faithful appropriation)
2. Affects actual usage of the tool beyond offered purpose
(unfaithful appropriation)
1st September 2016 Dennerlein, Gutounig, Goldgruber, Schweiger

18. MEDIA & DESIGN
Conclusion
● Context is less influential than intention with respect to KM
related benefits
● Context of application only provides the frame of possibilities
whereas the intention of usage is the actual key to the KM
related benefits of a tool implementation
171st September 2016 Dennerlein, Gutounig, Goldgruber, Schweiger
A messaging tool is, hence, not only a messaging tool, but
it is ‘what you make of it!’

19. MEDIA & DESIGN
References
Chin, W. W., Gopal, A. and Salisbury, W. D. (1997) Advancing the Theory of Adaptive Structuration: The Development of a Scale to Measure Faithfulness of
Appropriation. Information Systems Research, 8(4), pp 342–367.
Dennerlein, S., Gutounig, R. and Schweiger, S. (2016) Knowledge activities revisited. Retrieved March 29, 2016, from http://wm-
impulse.net/archives/2016/03/1058.
Gomes, L. (2016) Slack: A service built for the era of mobile phones and short text messages is changing the workplace. Retrieved 29 March, 2016, from
https://www.technologyreview.com/s/600771/10-breakthrough-technologies-2016-slack.
Lin, B. (2016) Why Developers Are Slacking Off: Understanding How Software Teams Use Slack. In CSCW ’16 Companion. Proceedings of the 19th ACM Conference
on Computer Supported Cooperative Work and Social Computing Companion, pp 333–336.
Mayring, P. (2000) Qualitative Content Analysis. Forum Qualitative Sozialforschung / Forum: Qualitative Social Research, 1(2).
O’Reilly, T. (2007) What Is Web 2.0: Design Patterns and Business Models for the Next Generation of Software.Communications & Strategies, 1, pp 17–37.
Richter A., Schimek I., Kramer M., Leman F., Koch M. (2014) Status quo der Vernetzten Organisation. In A. Richter, ed. Vernetzte Organisation, De Gruyter, pp 35–
48.
Slack (2016) Slack: Be less busy. Retrieved 29 March, 2016, from https://slack.com.
Wittenbrink, H. (2014) Medienkompetenzen in der vernetzten Organisation. In A. Richter, ed. Vernetzte Organisation, De Gruyter, pp 55–68.
Yeung, K. (2016) Slack passes 3 million daily active users, 930K paid seats. In VentureBeat
Yin, R.K. (2011) Applications of case study research, Sage
181st September 2016 Dennerlein, Gutounig, Goldgruber, Schweiger

20. MEDIA & DESIGN
Web 2.0 Messaging Tools for Knowledge
Management?
Exploring the Potentials of the Slack
Software
Read the full paper here:
https://www.researchgate.net
More info on current projects:
www.fh-joanneum.at/dmd
www.know-center.at
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Sebastian Dennerlein, Robert Gutounig, Eva
Goldgruber, Stefan Schweiger
ECKM - 17th European Conference on
Knowledge Management, Belfast (UK)
1st September, 2016