Knowledge Management - An Introduction

Knowledge Management : 

Knowledge Management An Introduction Regina Yu July 2002

Agenda : 

Agenda What is knowledge? What is knowledge management? Essential components of KM programmes Knowledge management approaches

Data, Information, Knowledge : 

Data, Information, Knowledge Data – raw facts; numbers Information – data in context; readily captured in documents and databases Knowledge – information plus experience to act upon

Intellectual Assets : 

Intellectual Assets Social capital – relationships with customers, employees, business partners and external experts Structural capital – patents; brand names; systems and processes; management philosophy Human capital – education; experience; skills; attitudes

Explicit and Tacit Knowledge : 

Explicit and Tacit Knowledge Explicit knowledge – what is recorded; easily identified, articulated, shared and employed Tacit knowledge – personal; wisdom and experience; context-specific; more difficult to extract and codify

Further Attributes of Knowledge : 

Further Attributes of Knowledge Know-how Know-why Know-what Know-who Know-where Know-when (Collison and Parcell, 2001)

Organisational vs Individual Knowledge : 

Organisational vs Individual Knowledge Two issues: Corporate knowledge owned by individuals Knowledge resides in silos

“Management” of Knowledge : 

“Management” of Knowledge Knowledge management is an integrated systematic approach to identifying, managing and sharing all of an enterprise’s information assets, including databases, documents, policies and procedures, as well as previously unarticulated expertise and experience held by individual workers. Fundamentally it is about making the collective information and experience of an enterprise available to individual worker.

Components of KM Programmes : 

Components of KM Programmes People – communities and networks Processes – knowledge-enabled Technology – collaboration, knowledge leverage tools Content – best practices, internal and external intelligence

Activities of Managing Knowledge : 

Activities of Managing Knowledge Create Discover Capture Distil Validate Share Adapt Adopt Transfer Apply

Knowledge Management Approaches : 

Knowledge Management Approaches Self-service – intranet portals; yellow pages; people finder Networks and Community of Practice – knowledge sharing; learning communities Facilitated transfer – internal consultants; dedicated facilitators; known experts

Sustainable Knowledge Management : 

Sustainable Knowledge Management Unconscious incompetence Conscious incompetence Conscious competence Unconscious competence