In this talk, we first argue that information systems engineering has suffered from a separation of three facets studied by different research communities. Using the example of knowledge management, we then discuss how these facets have shaped different approaches in Europe, the US, and the Far East. Examples from our work illustrate how knowledge management solutions could benefit from a closer interaction of these facets. In particular, our approach involves the interplay of different kinds of metadata in information collection, information collection, and information dissemination/adaptation for cooperating communities in business, engineering, and culture.