Knowledge Management : An Outlook

Minds are limited.
Minds hate confusion.
Minds are insecure.
Minds don't change.
Minds lose focus.

- Jack Trout

Information and communication technologies are one set of major forces that has moved knowledge management front and center. Nonaka and Takeuchi introduced different forms of knowledge first time expanded in The Knowledge – Creating Company article in Harvard Business Review in 1995.

Basically there are two forms of knowledge – Tacit and Explicit knowledge. If individual can express fairly using language and forms of communication then it forms explicit knowledge. If individual is unable to articulate and thereby convert into information is considered as tacit knowledge. Transfer of tacit knowledge can be achieved either by converting it into explicit knowledge ant later sharing it or by using approaches in which it is never made explicit.

Knowledge is an intellectual property or asset. Knowledge, knowledge management and innovation are major issues for which companies are taking serious steps. Some of the major themes in knowledge management are:

1. The use of GroupWare
2. Intranets
3. Organizational learning
4. Knowledge organizations
5. Leveraging intellectual capital

Rather than talking much on technologies part, let’s wonder about how to facilitate knowledge source in organization.

"Knowledge Management is the broad process of locating, organizing, transferring, and using the information and expertise within an organization. The overall knowledge management process is supported by four key enablers: leadership, culture, technology, and measurement." - American Productivity and Quality Center

Factors facilitating Knowledge Foundation

Curiosity
Interest in knowing or practicing anything. Find out level of employee’s curiosity about the external environment in contrast to the internal environment. Both learning are necessary. Even establish curiosity level high among intra and inter department.

Scanning Essential
Information gathering about conditions and practices outside the unit. Be aware of environment. As earlier said, grow up with curiosity levels.

Learning
Performance comes from learning. Till you accept errors and learn from mistakes, it will be difficult to stop mistake happening again. Guidance and training should be continuous forces to be applied. Even apply Quality circles and group meetings techniques to spread learning in organization. Learning portals sound great and meaningful to spread knowledge. Spend on it, its worthwhile to spend on learning.

Measure
Spent time on defining and measuring key factors when venturing into new areas. Quantify every new idea to get clear picture. Discuss on metrics as a learning activity.

Never shy to experiment
Make environment free to experiment. Motivate people to do so. Repeating again same words – support for trying new things; cultivate curiosity about how things work in staff.

For innovation, ability to play with things is required. Lets accept failure. Failure is key to success. Agreed. Don’t punish for loss or failure.

Change policies (if you have any rigid and old one) or structures. Cultivate learning opportunities and culture.

Open up everything
Open communication within organization. Access to information or knowledge should be easy. Share problems or errors. Every debate or conflict should be discussed.

Diversity
Don’t stick to one theory. Variety of methods and systems should be put into practices.

N – Advocates
KM is not for one level employee. New ideas and methods should be advances by all employees from any level. Let ideas flow from bottom level too.

Leadership
For every team a great leader is required. Leaders coherent vision and implement it in right way. Leader should frequently interact with members.

Knowledge management (Karl M. Wiig) in organizations must be considered from three perspectives with different horizons and purposes:

1. Business Perspective -- focusing on why, where, and to what extent the organization must invest in or exploit knowledge. Strategies, products and services, alliances, acquisitions, or divestments should be considered from knowledge-related points of view.

2. Management Perspective -- focusing on determining, organizing, directing, facilitating, and monitoring knowledge-related practices and activities required to achieve the desired business strategies and objectives.

3. Hands-on Operational Perspective -- focusing on applying the expertise to conduct explicit knowledge-related work and tasks.

Implementing KM in organization is 20 % of technology and 80 % management tasks. Transformation of knowledge is not with technology but human itself. Handy has a similar concept in his ‘wheel of learning.’ The wheel consists of four quadrants: questions, ideas, tests, and reflection. In other simple terms, KM should be running on wheel of learning.

Technology can not control mind. While talking on Knowledge Management, Managing minds of organization is key subject. Organizational learning is base of KM. Other aspect is team learning - the process of aligning and developing the capacity of a team to create the results its members truly desire. It builds on the discipline of developing shared vision. It also builds on personal mastery, for talented teams are made up of talented individuals.

Finally – Jump Out of Frame!

Picasso had a collection of masterpieces in his home. They were hung slightly crooked, and visitors couldn't resist the temptation to straighten them. But Picasso felt that when a painting was straight, the observer focused on the frame around it. When the frame was crooked, the beauty of the image jumped out. It's the same with knowledge. Instead of trying to put boundaries around it, we should be letting it jump out of its frame.