Dr Stephen Little is Senior Lecturer in Knowledge Management for the Open University Business School.
He has degrees in Architecture and Applied Psychology. He has been researching technology and organisations since leaving architectural practice in 1981 to undertake a PhD on the organisational dynamics of innovation in computer aided architectural design. This was undertaken at the Department of Design Research, Royal College of Art, London where he made use of on-line information resources and the ARPANet, precursor of the Internet.
He returned to the U.K. in 1996 following eleven years in Australia based at Griffith University, Brisbane, and the University of Wollongong NSW. While in Australia Steve held visiting appointments to the Urban Research Program at the Australian National University and the Fujitsu Centre for Managing Information Technology in Organisations at the Australian Graduate School of Management. At the former he investigated non-place aspects of community. At the latter he studied the deployment of knowledge-based computer systems in a number of key sectors, including rail transportation.
In 1996 he joined the Department of Business Information Technology, Manchester Metropolitan University to develop a final year subject preparing computing professionals for work in a globalised economy and has published a number of papers on the cross-cultural dimensions of information systems in this context. In continuing his interest in the Asia Pacific he undertook two Japanese language course at the North West Japan Centre.
He joined the OU in 1999 as course team chair for the presentation of a new MBA elective course in Managing Knowledge. This course is now being presented by affiliated institutions in South Africa and Hong Kong.
Steve is also coordinating the internationalisation of OUBS learning materials and researching trans-national knowledge creation. He is also investigating prospects for electronic governance and inclusion for peripheral groups within the global society, with colleagues from a number of other institutions and local and non-governmental organisations in the U.K. and overseas.
The OU has recently established an International Development Centre and Steve and a number of colleagues are currently auditing relevant knowledge and skills within the Business School.