Knowledge Management
By Maria Johnsen
Introduction
Knowledge is defined in many ways. The following are definitions of
knowledge.
“Acquaintance with facts, truths, or principles, as form study or
investigation.” (Kmconnection, 2006)
There is another definition “Capturing, organizing, and storing
knowledge and experiences of individual workers and groups within an
organization and making this information available to others in the
organization.” (Knowledge Management online definition, 2006)
The third definition: “The real managerial challenge is enabling
knowledge creation; capturing is by-product, information, is the easy
part” ( library. ahima, 2006)
Knowledge is either tacit (cannot be represented) or explicit (may be
shared).
Explicit knowledge is defined as: “knowledge that has been or can be
articulated, codified, and stored in certain media. The most common
forms of explicit knowledge are manuals, documents, procedures, and
stories.
The tacit and explicit knowledge of the people in an organization
should be managed through making an effective and smart strategy. This
management of knowledge in an organization is called knowledge
management.
Knowledge Management helps an organization to act intelligently toward
their strategic goal and be successful. The foundation of any
organization is based on their knowledge and what kind of strategy they
practice and follow up. Managing knowledge in an organization has a
focus on relevant knowledge related aspects such as: computer based
knowledge, economic aspects,and technology networks such as: e-mails,
groupware, portals and the other tools. According to Karl Wiig ( 1997)
there are four areas of knowledge management emphasis:
-Governance functions: monitor and facilities knowledge resource
activities
- Staff functions: establish and update knowledge infrastructure
- Operational functions: Create, review, build & organize knowledge
assets
- Realize the values of knowledge: distribute & apply knowledge
assets affectivity University and college faculties have been using
e-learning systems due to give knowledge and information to the other
users. Some mathematicians built sophisticated system in order to
demonstrate and teach mathematics (problem & their resolutions) in
a very interesting and effective way.
Knowledge Management is becoming a strong tool, using certain methods
that help users to collect and organize knowledge that can be used for
various purposes.
What is the definition of Knowledge Management? Despite the value of
knowledge, it is almost impossible to come up with an objective
definition for "knowledge management" to be understandable for
everyone. In fact, it is very difficult to give the exact definition
for this term as many people mean different things by "KM". The
challenge for businesses these days is to provide the right information
that leads to effective knowledge that can be used to make better
decisions.
The thorough analysis of Knowledge Management gives grounds to single
out principal constituents of attaining goals, and clearly shows that:
a) there is no specific right way of doing knowledge management, b)
there is no right knowledge executive software program on the market
and c) what works for organization A will not necessarily work for
organization B. Managing an organization’s knowledge more effectively
and exploiting it in the marketplace is the latest search for those
seeking a viable gain within their organization? Most likely, it is
true.
The interest in knowledge management has surged during the last few
years, with a growing number of publications, conferences and
investment in knowledge management initiatives. In fact, any action
that makes use of and applies knowledge can benefit from the controls
of knowledge management,
and that covers most managerial and professional activities. Therefore,
like other management tactics used previously, numerous obtainable
business practices such as: information management and intelligence
congregations are pending under the knowledge management cover area.
Similarly, information systems solutions such as document management
and data warehousing are being similarly relabeled.
Definitions of Knowledge Management
Knowledge Management may seem the same to everyone, but there are
various definitions found all over that state otherwise. Although
Knowledge Management essentially does the same job with respect to
organizing an business’ information, assets, structure and provides an
organization with a multitude of better and satisfying list of
objectives for a company to follow which will bring much more success
and offer more incentives to the employees on an intellectual level.
Below you will find three such definitions of what Knowledge Management
is:
1)Knowledge Management is treated broadly and is used to cover all that
an organization needs to know to perform its functions. (Watson, 2002,
p. 4)
2) Davenport and Prusak define KM as a fluid mix of framed experience,
values, contextual information, and expert insight that provides a
framework for evaluating and incorporating new experiences and
information. (Dieng & Corby, 2000, p. 277)
3) KM is less to do with the relatively trivial operational issues of
collecting, storing and communicating data, even in the vastly greater
quantities that now seem both possible and necessary, than with a new
impetus to examine and perhaps, manage the meaning and context of our
work and organizational activity. (Holsapple, 2002, p. 60-61)
It is clear by looking at the above mentioned definitions, that each
person has their own views.
Take Watson for example, who feels that KM is talked about on a much
too broad level, giving really, unclear reasoning as to what KM really
is. He does state that organizations need to know how to perform their
functions, and that by using KM, this can be done. He is vague on the
true purpose of KM. On the other hand, Davenport and Prusak interpret
KM as mixed experiences; values and information are the backbone for
evaluating new experiences as well as information.
Looking at this aspect, you would not right away get a clear definition
of what KM is either. Even though the subject here is KM, this
definition is not the same as the first one, as this gives a bit more
information as to the meaning of what KM might be. Having stated that
KM involves experiences and values, where does information come into
this? It comes from ones experiences and knowledge of those
experiences, which can be harnessed and used for other purposes.
Lastly, we have Holsapple’s definition which clearly states that KM is
less about trivial issues of collecting, storing and communicating
data, than it has to do with managing what the organization does and
what the goings-on are. This definition in itself is completely
opposite than the others.
It is not vague, nor does it offer us a one sided picture of what KM
is.
Overall, Knowledge Management is an activity restraint that promotes a
shared and integrative move toward the establishment, capture,
organization, admission and use of information resources, including the
inferred, un-captured knowledge of people. It is the course of action
of converting information and rational assets into long-term
significance. In an organizational setting, this would mean a
methodical move toward getting a business to make the best possible use
of knowledge in implementing its undertaking, roughly viewed as either
sustainable competitive improvement or lasting high routine.
Each of the above mentioned definitions look similar and all have the
same ending result, which is to increase an organizations optimal
performance and attain increased success for that company. Knowledge
Management is not just a simple process, but involves a large portion
of time and structure to provide sufficient results. By collecting,
organizing and integrating a structured practice, any organization can
achieve their ultimate goals.
Discussion: IT Solutions/Systems developed for KM
There are four main areas in which the requirement of systematic KM is
felt and fulfilled:
• The areas in which knowledge-related activities are required for
providing and checking the basic effect of knowledge management in the
working system.
• The areas in which the knowledge infrastructure has to be created and
maintained for the improvement of the organization.
• The Knowledge Management database has to be renewed and organized in
such a way so that the transformation is easy and useful.
• To teach the handling of knowledge to improve their effect on the
system.
Most technology based concepts have been for the most part been rooted
in modus operandi manuals, numerical models or programmed logic that
confines the ideal solutions to the given selection of the
organization's problems.
The Defense Acquisition University for instance at Fort Belvoir, Va.,
has maintained Intranet and Internet websites, and has created distance
learning courses, as well as having operated the IT and network
infrastructure.The DAU is responsible for training and the technology
and logistics workforce; therefore they require an improved KM system.
DAU's Knowledge Systems provide tools and resources that maintain a
continuous learning presence for a 145,000 person workforce, by means
of online knowledge systems and communities of practice, to improve the
performance of the workforce and its partners. They have developed
several key knowledge systems which are listed as follows:
-They have implemented the Acquisition Knowledge Sharing System, which
is anessential gateway for all resources and information. This provides
an integrated but decentralized information system.
-They have created the Defense Acquisition Guidebook (DAG) is an online
reference to acquisition policy and best practice for the DOD
acquisition community and its industry partners. It provides links to
pertinent sections of the AKSS.
The implementations have helped with communications, collaboration and
sharing among DOD services and agencies on a wide range of topics. They
also have enhanced admittance to attainment information, resources, and
tools across the DOD and have allowed sharing of service-developed
products and tools. Other such systems as the following are best suited
for simpler organizations:
(a) Well-structured problem situations for which there exists strong
consensual position on the nature of the problem situation, being the
Lockean Inquiry System.
(b) Well-structured problems for which there exists an analytic
formulation with a solution, being the Leibnizian Inquiry System.
Ian Watson would argue that the only KM solution that can provide a
methodology for dealing with storing, retrieving, reviewing and so
forth, and one that would also be controlled and managed the right way,
would be Case Based Reasoning. This system would be an essential part
of locating and reviewing stored knowledge more effectively (Watson, p.
233). The fundamental power of CBR is that it is simplistic, easy to
understand as well as being computationally straightforward.
Knowledge management systems based upon the Hegelian inquiry systems,
would smooth the progress of multiple and contradictory interpretations
of the important information.
This course of action would ensure that the main information is the
topic of recurrent assessments and revisions, given the changing
reality. Continuously challenging the current 'company way,' such
systems are expected to prevent the hub’s potential from becoming that
of tomorrow.
If we are to assume that either of these systems or solution tools is
going to work, the organization needs to be up-to-date on what is
happening within their company and out in the marketplace. Knowledge
Management will help to identify current issues or areas that are
lacking, and bring the organization up to speed.
The Hegelian inquiry systems are based on a synthesis of multiple
completely antithetical depictions that are differentiated by strong
variances due to the dissimilar basic assumptions. Leibnizian systems
are closed systems without access to the external environment: they
operate based on given axioms and may fall into competency traps based
on diminishing returns from the 'tried and tested' heuristics embedded
in the inquiry processes.
Each of these systems would be a benefit to the organization, given
that by looking at the core matter, applying the right system for their
trade and implementing the correct changes, they can achieve higher
success in a closed environment without losing anything pertaining to
information, accessibility of information, employee standards or
operation methods.
The organization would be smooth running and can achieve faster
success.
Conclusion
Overall, with the incorporation of Knowledge Management, any
organization can attain a much higher rate of information gathering,
sorting and resolution problem-solving than they had before. By making
sure that every employee also has the proper training of using any new
technology systems that pertain to the information collection, there
should be any unforeseen problems.
At this day in age, it is nearly impossible for any organization to
improve upon their systems or business without having put in place a
proper solution method, high-end technological system for gathering and
storing of information or any other such means. By not incorporating
such systems for problem-solving, collecting and storing data, the
organization is leaving themselves open for market down falls.
There will be much needed implementations before the company could see
better margins or increased profitability.
While most company’s have introduced better Knowledge Management
systems to better control their information collection and storing
methods, others have implemented new information management practices.
On the administrative side, some structures have loosened up and are
more coordinated,faster IT facilities were put in place that enables
them to have separate teams and projects that form swiftly around new
challenges. These have been administered by using updated communication
systems rather than finding and locating employees or through the use
of managerial staff that walks around. These are what we call ‘virtual
teams’, meaning that these teams of people can locate and capture any
necessary information on achieved progress, their clientele or even
their competitors.
By using new and improved systems such as the ones mentioned above,
collected information can be targeted and re-located to the proper
section and stored in their main databases. Information networks can
now be mapped, analyzed and managed with ease and at a faster rate then
previously done. This ensures a better grounded organization and can be
more responsive to changes happening or needed and will be able to
focus better while harnessing its employees and measuring any effects
from its actions.
References
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