32 KNOWLEDGE MANAGEMENT SYSTEMS: HYPE, HOPE, OR FOLLY? Bob Galliers Department of Information Systems London School of Economics United Kingdom Ellen Enkel KnowledgeSource University of St. Gallen Switzerland Lisa D. Murphy Ourso College of Business Administration Louisiana State University U.S.A. Abstract Sue Newell Royal Holloway School of Management University of London United Kingdom This panel questions whether knowledge management (KM), and more specifically knowledge management systems (KMS), offer real hope for organizations in harnessing the undoubtedpower and capability of information and communi- cation technology (lCT) as we enter the new millennium. More broadly, we question whether the field of Information Systems (IS) should continue to be distracted from its natural locus of concern and competence, or claim more than it can actually achieve. As a case in point, we raise serious questions regarding ICT-enabled KM, from both theoretical and prac- tical perspectives, utilizing research and practical experience in the U.S., UK, and German traditions. We question whether KM and KMS are more than the most recent in a long line of N. L. Russo et al. (eds.), Realigning Research and Practice in Information Systems Development © Springer Science+Business Media New York 2001