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Knowledge Management. Knowledge Management. Knowledge management (KM) is a process that helps organizations identify, select, organize, disseminate, and transfer important information and expertise that are part of the organization’s memory. Data, Information & Knowledge. Knowledge Management.
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Knowledge Management • Knowledge management(KM) is a process that helps organizations identify, select, organize, disseminate, and transfer important information and expertise that are part of the organization’s memory.
Knowledge Management • Knowledge is information that is contextual, relevant, and actionable. • Tacit knowledge is usually in the domain of subjective, cognitive, and experiential learning. • Explicit knowledge deals with more objective, rational, and technical knowledge.
Knowledge-based Economy • Rapid changes in the business environment cannot be handled in traditional ways. • Firms are much larger, with higher turnover and require better tools for collaboration, communication, and knowledge sharing. • Firms must develop strategies to sustain competitive advantage by leveraging their intellectual assets for optimum performance. • Managing knowledge is now critical for firms spread out over wide geographical areas, and for virtual organizations.
Sharing Knowledge • Some reasons people are reluctant to share knowledge include; • No skill in knowledge management techniques. • Willing to share, but not enough time to do so. • Don’t understand knowledge management and benefits. • Lack of appropriate technology. • No commitment from senior managers. • No funding for knowledge management. • Culture does not encourage knowledge sharing.
Organization Culture • The ability of an organization to learn, develop memory, and share knowledge is dependent on its culture. • Culture is a pattern of shared basic assumptions. • Over time organizations learn what works and what doesn’t work. As the lessons become second nature, they become part of the organizational culture. • Generally when a technology project fails, it is because the technology does not match the organization’s culture.
The Knowledge Management Cycle • Create knowledge • Capture knowledge • Refine knowledge • Store knowledge • Manage knowledge • Disseminate knowledge
Knowledge Repositories • Databases. It is possible to structure part of a knowledge repository as a database. • Data warehouses,large repositories of important data, can also be used for knowledge management, especially in conjunction with customer relationship management (CRM) systems.
KM & Information Technologies The KMS challenge is to identify and integrate the following three technologies to meet the KM needs of an organization. • Communication technologies allow users to access needed knowledge, and to communicate with each other--especially with experts. • Collaboration technologies provide the means to perform group work. • Storage technologies use a database management system to capture, store and manage knowledge.
Knowledge Management Benefits • Reduction in loss of intellectual capital when people leave the company • Reduction in costs by decreasing the number of times the company must repeatedly solve the same problem • Economies of scale in obtaining information from external providers • Reduction in redundancy of knowledge-based activities • Increase in productivity by making knowledge available more quickly & easily • Increase in employee satisfaction by enabling greater personal development and empowerment • Strategic competitive advantage in the marketplace
Managerial Issues: Integration • Since a KM system is an enterprise system, it must be integrated with other enterprise and information systems in an organization. • The most important systems to integrate with are; • Decision Support Systems • Artificial Intelligence • Databases and Information Systems • Customer Relationship Management Systems • Supply Chain Management Systems • Corporate Intranets and Extranets