Success for all in knowledge management and (e)learning: winn

Knowledge management and e-learning are currently in use in a variety of settings, and there are numerous software solutions on the market which offer workable and technically functioning knowledge management and e-learning packages. The key concern is therefore applying these ideas and making them useful. Hence, the core concern is again the human being. It is anything but taken for granted that humans share their knowledge with technical systems, contribute to learning processes of others, give feedback or organize their own learning processes. This paper sets out to examine, what prerequisites humans need to share their knowledge, to support others and/or to learn. Running parallel with these facts is the question of how knowledge management and e-learning can succeed in practice. It is proposed that it is an issue of benefits. The answer delivers the concept of winⁿ, which is defined by the author as follows: A winⁿ-constellation means that each participant in this constellation (more precisely: all n participants) can only see him-/herself as a winner if all other participants win too and hence all participants themselves feel as winners. The paper presents an empirical study focusing on the implementation of knowledge management and e-learning systems in a production company and further defines the theoretical concept of winⁿ.