At the Forefront: Dr. Murray Jennex

The Knowledge and Leadership Alliance (KLA) is committed to driving positive change through the relentless pursuit of knowledge and innovation. Our mission is rooted in the belief that exchanging ideas and applying cutting-edge approaches can transform the world and improve the lives of those we serve. By exploring new frontiers of knowledge, we aim to foster growth and progress that leads to meaningful outcomes.

In the maiden edition of At the Forefront, we highlight the career and work of Dr. Murray E. Jennex, Clinical & Gensler Professor of Computer Information Systems at West Texas A&M University and professor emeritus at San Diego State University. With a distinguished academic career, Dr. Jennex exemplifies the KLA mission by applying his extensive research to real-world problems in knowledge management, cybersecurity, and crisis response.

From the Navy to Academia

Dr. Murray Jennex. Photo from West Texas A&M University website

Dr. Jennex’s career began in the U.S. Navy as a Nuclear Power Propulsion Officer. His transition into academia came later, following years of experience in the nuclear industry and a growing interest in how knowledge is managed within organizations. He reflects, “In the commercial nuclear industry, we must learn from mistakes. You can make mistakes once, but you can’t make it twice.”

One pivotal moment in his career was the Three Mile Island nuclear accident, which underscored the importance of knowledge management. “There had been a similar event six months before the incident, but it didn’t get transmitted out to the people in charge of the different plants until much later,” Dr. Jennex explains.
He continued: “The Three Mile Island nuclear accident was really a result of a lack of knowledge management on the part of the [Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC)] at that time. […] We needed to do more research into how to be better collaborators and how to be better sharers of knowledge.”

A Distinguished Career in Knowledge Management

Dr. Jennex’s academic journey began in 2000 at San Diego State University, and he has since built an impressive career. After retiring from San Diego State University in 2020, he relocated to West Texas A&M University, where he was named the Gensler Professor of Computer Information Systems in 2022. In hir career, Dr Jennex has published over 250 articles, books, and chapters in knowledge management, cybersecurity, and crisis response. His influence in the field is undeniable, with global recognition as one of the top 2% of cited scientists, the #3 career researcher for knowledge management, and the most productive knowledge management author for the decade of 2007-2016.

Throughout his academic career, Dr. Jennex has focused on applied research, working to provide practical solutions for real-world problems. One notable example is his research on human trafficking. While working with a student on using knowledge management to predict human trafficking patterns, they encountered legal and privacy challenges. “We could never get feedback to tell us if we were right because of privacy and legal issues,” he says. Despite these challenges, their research caught the attention of law enforcement agencies, including the New York, Texas, and California Attorney General offices, validating the importance of their work.

Cybersecurity: A Growing Field of Focus

Cybersecurity is another area where Dr. Jennex has made a lasting impact. His work as a Y2K manager at Southern California Edison revealed significant vulnerabilities in critical infrastructure, leading him to delve into cybersecurity research and help organizations mitigate risks and improve security measures.

“One of the real outcomes of the Y2K event was discovering how insecure we were from a cybersecurity point of view,” Dr. Jennex recalls. He now focuses on helping small and medium-sized businesses navigate the complex landscape of cybersecurity, offering them tools and guidance on allocating their limited resources to areas of greatest need.

Bridging Knowledge Silos: Crisis Response and Cybersecurity

Dr. Jennex has also applied his expertise in knowledge management to crisis response. His work on data fusion centers, set up after 9/11 to improve the response to terrorism, highlighted the problem of knowledge silos. “One of my better research papers was on redoing the knowledge pyramid and pointing out that the goal of knowledge management is to generate actionable intelligence that organizations can use for making decisions right now.”

His contributions in this field have not gone unnoticed. As the founding and former co-editor-in-chief of the International Journal of Knowledge Management and the International Journal of Information Systems for Crisis Response and Management, he has worked extensively on improving knowledge management and crisis response strategies through better knowledge sharing and collaboration.

Additionally, collaboration between academia and industry is a core focus for Dr. Jennex, particularly in cybersecurity. At West Texas A&M University, he is helping build a resource center to support small and medium-sized businesses in the Texas panhandle, using a public-private-academic partnership model.

“The small and medium businesses don’t have the resources to do much of this on their own,” Dr. Jennex says. “Academics, on the other hand, that’s kind of our job, to be a knowledge broker for these other organizations and individuals that don’t have the resources to compete or to solve their problems.”

Advice for Emerging Scholars

Regarding advice for emerging scholars, Dr. Jennex emphasizes curiosity and a problem-solving mindset. “Be curious. Don’t accept things at face value,” he says. He advises young researchers not to focus solely on publishing in top journals but to aim for research that can solve real-world problems. “Every article has a home. You just have to find the journal that will publish it.”

This focus on applied research has been a driving force behind Dr. Jennex’s career. He believes that young scholars should prioritize making an impact through their work.

A Lasting Legacy of Applied Research

As one of the top 2% of cited scientists worldwide, Dr. Jennex’s legacy is well-established. He remains committed to using his research to solve pressing issues in knowledge management, cybersecurity, and crisis response. His work on predicting when knowledge might leave an organization, identifying human trafficking victims, and improving cybersecurity practices has laid the groundwork for future research in these fields.

Looking ahead, Dr. Jennex hopes that future scholars will build on his work by continuing to prioritize applied research that addresses real-world problems. “Even if you don’t always get everything right, if you’re moving this forward all the time, you’re doing good,” he concludes.

With a career built on addressing some of society’s most complex challenges, Dr. Jennex continues to be a trailblazer in his field, offering solutions as innovative as they are practical.

Read Dr. Murray Jennex’s paper “The Use of EMOJIS in Online Human Sex Trafficking Ads” in the Journal of Knolwedgement Practice Vol. 23 Issue No.1

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