KNOWLEDGE MANAGEMENT- AN EMERGING DISCIPLINE

1. KNOWLEDGE MANAGEMENT- AN EMERGING DISCIPLINE B.V.L.NARAYANA Sr Professor (T M ) RSC/BRC

2. INTRODUCTION • THOUGHTS ON KNOWLEDGE • Have roots in philosophy, religion– thought at abstract level • In work place settings—action and thought • At intellectual level– intellectual capital– action-thought-dynamism linked to performance—more explicitisation of efforts • Increasing use of technology, research

3. History • Knowledge management –old issue • Philosophical roots and industrial • Implicit and unsystematic, not integrated • Presently oriented towards commercial success • Present emphasis due to realization that • Consider the whole person to manage knowledge—integrate motivation, attitudes, cognition • Evolution towards personal and intellectual freedom and rise of importance of knowledge workers—social movements started 200 years ago • Industrial revolution , increased pace of economic growth • Evolved to KM and emphasis on explicitisation

4. Kinds of KM • Three levels • Strategic –application, distribution of knowledge for business enterprise viability • Tactical- IM and IT focus, intellectual asset focus-technology driven • Operational –people focus, emphasize utilization to improve performance • Should be seen as the systematic and explicit management of knowledge related activities, practices, programmes, and policies within the enterprise to ensure enterprise viability

5. Effectiveness of KM • An effective KM initiative is indicated by • Does not lead to more work • Leads to less work, more efficiency • Are part of pre-existing and ongoing efforts • Removes fear of sharing knowledge; increases status of experts • Promotes increased individual learning • Defines terms crisply • Leverages existing knowledge for enterprise effectiveness

6. Driving forces of KM • External forces • Rapid Advances in technologies • Globalization of business • Increased opportunities and competition • Sophistication of customers- increasing demands, and changing preferences • Sophisticated competitors • Sophisticated suppliers

7. Driving forces of KM • Internal forces • Bottle necks to enterprise effectiveness • Increased technological capabilities • Need to understand human cognitive functions • Ongoing forces • Economics of ideas—innovation • ICT and information management • Understandings in cognitive sciences • Shifts in bottle necks • Customization requirements • globalization

8. Impact of KM in organizations • New perspectives and activities • Market value is now equated to management of intellectual capital • Need to manage IC • Explicit, deliberate and systematic efforts at KM • Efforts integrate theoretical and abstract perspectives • Linkage to how people reason, think and take decisions, learning theory

9. Future of KM • Insights into personal and intimate knowledge • Future practices will be purposeful, explicit, systematic and driven by technology • Spread of experiences of KM implementation • Facilitating management practices towards KM • Embedding of KM perspectives in regular activities • Introduction of complimentary work teams and virtual organizations • Increasing explicitisation of personal knowledge • KM practices will become norms • Matching of expert systems and networks to learning styles • Increasing role of artificial intelligence

10. Impact on work practices • Firm level- expertise on managing IC • Middle management level- importance of managing local investments in and coordination and application of knowledge assets to meet operational objectives • KM level –enterprise level coordination and facilitation • KM operational level –hands on capabilities to obtain, organize, store, retrieve and use knowledge • Enterprise level –new ways of working

11. Anticipated changes at work place

12. Final thoughts • KM must • Justify its existence—financially • Be Performance related • Have a strategic perspective • Improve efficiency • Reduce and ease methods of working

13. ATTITUDES habits ACTIONS skills Knowledge Data and information

14. ANY QUESTIONS