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Poston, R.S., and Speier, C., 2005. "Effective Use of Knowledge Management Systems:
A Process Model of Content Ratings and Credibility Indicators," MIS Quarterly (29:2), pp. 221-244.
Knowledge management systems (KMSs) facilitate the efficient and effective sharing
of a firm’s intellectual resources. However, sifting through the myriad of content
available through KMSs can be challenging, and knowledge workers may be overwhelmed
when trying to find the content most relevant for completing a new task. To address
this problem, KMS designers often include content rating schemes (i.e., users of the
KMS submit ratings to indicate the quality of specific content used) and credibility
indicators (indicators describing the validity of the content and/or the ratings)
to improve users’ search and evaluation of KMS content. This study examines how content
ratings and credibility indicators affect KMS users’ search and evaluation processes
and decision performance (how well and how quickly users selected alternatives offered
by the KMS). Four interrelated laboratory experiments provide evidence that ratings
have a strong influence on KMS search and evaluation processes, which in turn affects
decision performance. Finally, this study demonstrates that certain credibility indicators
can moderate the relationship between rating validity and KMS content search and evaluation
processes.
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