Knowledge Management (KM) has garnered significant interest over the past decade, as the concept has solidified that continuous learning, skills upgrading, and lifelong training are necessary to compete in a complex and unpredictable environment.
Historically, the design and implementation of KM solutions and tools have drawn their vitality from organizations’ ability to generate innovation through new knowledge (Pullicelli, 2021). In the past, KM literature was theoretically divided into a hard approach, focused on suitable technological platforms for information management, and a soft approach, concerned with managing competencies and the relationship between organizations and their environment as a means of generating new capabilities, today there is a growing trend toward a more balanced position.
The growing uncertainties that have characterized the last decade necessitate a significant shift in the cultural framework used to define new strategies. In addition to the challenges of globalization, which have redefined interaction patterns in socio-economic systems, the emergence of the COVID-19 pandemic has added new dimensions to this scenario, requiring a broader perspective and a fresh contextualization of theoretical research (Maffettone, 2006) aimed at a more current interpretation of the phenomenon and the suitable tools to manage it.
Emerging from the recession caused by the pandemic is an unprecedented challenge that demands Knowledge Management tools somewhat different from what we are accustomed to (Pellicelli, 2021). This transformation involves a profound and systemic change that accompanies thoroughly reassessing knowledge generation and management models.
It is noteworthy that businesses are adapting to a new “normality” along two primary trends: the first is geared towards consolidating pre-crisis structures, while the second, more innovative trend, aims to leverage new, more flexible structures that can radically change the way knowledge is managed. This consolidation includes models introduced in response to the crisis, such as Software (SW), which, thanks to technology, has promoted a culture of responsibility, enabling individuals to interpret their roles accurately, learn to leverage existing knowledge, and create new opportunities to adapt to a market and constantly evolving and often turbulent situations (Lee, Lee, 2011).
While the ability to identify, store, organize, and leverage knowledge is independent of the chosen work mode and represents a formidable tool for managing strategy and processes in the overall competitive market, we must recognize that a sudden shift to SW without proper planning and the adoption of new work organization methods can result in difficulties in learning and transforming information into value, as well as acquiring new skills. It is crucial to define precise methodologies and strategies to consistently promote creativity and innovation development (Dilts and Bonissone 2005).
This is underscored by an increasingly interconnected environment that demands extraordinary relationship growth and greater knowledge development. The boundary between home and business is also blurring, with the location where work performs its fundamental function fading away. Suppose the home can become a place of work, thanks to telematic networks and the office where activities are conducted, meals are consumed, and communicative relationships occur. In that case, it is necessary to rethink the KM organizational logic to make all these tools operational and valuable.
The pandemic has been an extraordinary accelerator for adopting new organizational models. However, attention must be paid to the following aspects:

• Reducing the complexity of the organizational structure, moving from a control-based approach to a coordination-based approach, and fostering hybrid forms of work where SW becomes an ordinary mode.
• Revisiting traditional KM tools and methodologies in light of this new “ordinary” performance management mode.

In light of all this, organizations are increasingly called upon to redefine KM policies that align with strategic objectives and aim at managing knowledge as an internal corporate asset. They are urged to identify KM systems that are coherent with a dynamic and complex environment where there is a need to enhance the ability to create and maintain value.
While the technology for processing and distributing structured information is an extraordinary resource in this historical moment (Bagayogo et al., 2014), companies increasingly require the intelligence and experience of humans to transform a certain type of information into useful knowledge and correct decision-making processes (Drucker, 2001).
It can be argued that as realities become more “virtual,” the criticality of relationships and knowledge management understandably increases. This Statement of Intent (SI) aims to stimulate scientific debate in light of the recent changes brought about by COVID-19, highlighting the importance of reflecting on the validity of traditional KM solutions to develop new approaches and perspectives that, based on historical development, outline solutions that take into account environmental complexity, technology, and organizational changes introduced (Ko, Kim, 2017).
In particular, we want to draw research attention to the relationship between Software (SW) and KM management.

Maria Zifaro, Universitas Mercatorum, Italy
Marco Giannini, Università di Pisa, Italy
Luca Girardi, Università di Macerata, Italy