Managing knowledge in fashion businesses : a survey of contemporary tools for coordination and collaboration

This paper focuses on coordination and collaboration technologies in contemporary knowledge management. In particular, we focus on the roles of coordination and collaboration technologies in managing knowledge in global textile and apparel companies. We begin by presenting the issues of knowledge and knowledge management in organizations, and determining how the latest coordination and collaboration technologies aid networked organizations in managing, sharing, and transferring their “knowledge.” The paper also examines the functions of the latest technologies in communication and coordination and determines how they help the organizations share, store, and transfer their “knowledge” between and within the organizations. This paper suggests how the latest technologies in communication can be applied to managing knowledge in organizations. Although our study is mainly based on empirical observations of international textile and apparel companies, the contextual elements governing the use of the technologies apply to all businesses that rely on proper communication and coordination to plan and monitor globally dispersed functional teams and enterprises.