“Knowledge & Knowledge Management”

© 2008 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 an
essential 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 downfalls. There will be much
needed implementations before the company could see better
margins or increased profitability.

While most companies 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.

For viewing articles and poems please visit Maria’s webpage at:

www.maria-johnsen.com