Knowledge management from an interdisciplinary perspective.

The book presents knowledge management processes through dialogue between areas.

Understanding the mechanisms of knowledge construction in human organizations implies considering that such processes are traversed by different areas of knowledge. Recognizing the multidisciplinary nature of the subject, Antonio Carlos Zambon, Gisele Busichia Baioco, and Pedro Fernandes da Anunciação wrote the book * An Interdisciplinary Approach to Knowledge Management *. The book offers a diverse overview of the subject through a dialogue between Economics, Psychology, Linguistics, and Computer Science, and is part of the University Extension Series, a partnership between the Unicamp Press and the Pro-Rectorate for Extension, Sports, and Culture of Unicamp (ProEEC).

Zambon holds a PhD in Production Engineering and is a professor at the Faculty of Technology (FT) at Unicamp, where he works as a researcher. Baioco is also a professor and researcher at FT, with a background in Computer Science and Computational Mathematics. Anunciação is a professor at the Polytechnic Institute of Setúbal, in Portugal. In the following interview, the authors share the motivations that led to the publication and discuss their contributions to human organizations.

Unicamp Journal – What were the main motivations for writing the book and what challenges did you face throughout the process?

Antonio Zambon, Gisele Baioco, and Pedro da Anunciação – Knowledge management is usually understood from a theoretical basis that describes practices and relates them to different approaches, according to the purpose of their application. Despite the variations between these approaches, they share a common set of concepts, such as "tacit knowledge," "knowledge spiral," and "intellectual capital." These concepts originate from distinct areas of knowledge, which makes their understanding difficult for professionals and students, precisely because of the multidisciplinary nature of the subject.

Ideally, works on knowledge management would address these concepts in a truly interdisciplinary way. However, it is observed that, in most cases, they are presented in a fragmented manner. It was this gap that motivated us to write this book, which integrates these concepts in an articulated and interdisciplinary way. In addition, we have included tools that help in understanding their practical application.

JU – How does interdisciplinarity contribute to knowledge management in human organizations?

Antonio Zambon, Gisele Baioco, and Pedro da Anunciação – Understanding knowledge arises from an essentially multidisciplinary context. In the field of management, this implies recognizing its philosophical, or epistemological, basis, responsible for discussing the origin, nature, limits, and validity of knowledge. Following this, cognitive psychology offers foundations on memory, language, and problem-solving—crucial aspects for organizational performance.

Behavioral psychology also plays a central role in analyzing the relationships between individuals within organizations. Its concepts feed into behavioral economics, which investigates how financial decisions are influenced by emotions. Beyond these pillars, knowledge management depends on a robust technological infrastructure, making information technology another indispensable component in this interdisciplinary environment. In short, coordinating a knowledge management project requires mastery of these fields and, above all, the ability to understand how they interact to produce value in organizations.

JU – What are the advantages of thinking about knowledge from a systemic approach?

Antonio Zambon, Gisele Baioco, and Pedro da Anunciação – Systemism is a theoretical approach that interprets reality as a set of interconnected elements, whose interaction, through the exchange of information and material, generates results that cannot be achieved by the simple sum of the parts. This logic can be observed in various contexts, such as teamwork in organizations, social dynamics, and value chains.

Thinking systemically, therefore, is essential for knowledge management, especially because of the value produced by collective learning and the interactions that emerge in organizational environments, evidenced, for example, in climate and culture analyses.

JU – In what contexts can the knowledge management processes presented in the work be applied?

Antonio Zambon, Gisele Baioco, and Pedro da Anunciação – Because they are fundamental, the concepts presented are applicable to any human organization. Whenever there is interaction between individuals, whether to make decisions, learn, or share information, these concepts prove relevant. This occurs, for example, in the classroom, when the teacher needs to identify the learning characteristics of their students to adjust their pedagogical approach, or in human capital management, when a coordinator needs to articulate different knowledge within their team to meet a specific demand.

JU – In your view, what is the role of university extension in the construction and socialization of knowledge?

Antonio Zambon, Gisele Baioco, and Pedro da Anunciação – Fundamentally, it's about building a bridge of dialogue between the university and society. In the outreach activities we have conducted, we have perceived a privileged space for the collaborative production of knowledge. Many of the ideas incorporated into the book arose precisely from discussions about demands presented by the external community. Furthermore, the refinement of these ideas resulted from the feedback received throughout this process, which reinforces the importance of social participation in the construction of knowledge.

TitleAn interdisciplinary approach to knowledge management.
BrandsAntonio Carlos Zambon, Gisele Busichia Baioco and Pedro Fernandes da Anunciação
ISBNs: 9788526817364 
Edition: 1th 
Vintage: 2025 
Pages: 216
Dimensions: 14 cm x 21 cm