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Knowledge management
What is "knowledge"?
Aren’t we managing knowledge already? Well, no. In fact, most of the time we’re making areally ugly mess of managing information. In practice, the terms
information
and
knowledge
areoften used interchangeably by business writers.Let’s choose a simple working definition and get on with it:Knowledge has two basic definitions of interest. The first pertains to a defined body of information. Depending on the definition, the body of information might consist of facts,opinions, ideas, theories, principles, and models (or other frameworks). Clearly, other categoriesare possible, too. Subject matter (e.g., chemistry, mathematics, etc.) is just one possibility.Knowledge also refers to a person’s state of being with respect to some body of information.These states include ignorance, awareness, familiarity, understanding, facility, and so on.There are many thoughtful and thought-provoking definitions of "knowledge" — including theimportant distinctions Gene Bellinger et al. make in"Data, Information, Knowledge, and Wisdom". Nevertheless, Nickols provides a good, sensible, functional definition, and it issufficient for our purposes. Nickols’ two kinds of knowledge parallel Michael Polanyi’s often-quoted distinction between
explicit knowledge
(sometimes referred to as
 formal knowledge
), which can be articulated inlanguage and transmitted among individuals, and
tacit knowledge
(also,
informal knowledge
), personal knowledge rooted in individual experience and involving personal belief, perspective,and values. (Polanyi, Michael.
The Tacit Dimension
. London: Routledge & Kegan Paul. See alsoKarl E. Sveiby’s online description,"Tacit Knowledge."In traditional perceptions of the role of knowledge in business organizations,
tacit knowledge
isoften viewed as the real key to getting things done and creating new value. Not explicitknowledge. Thus we often encounter an emphasis on the "learning organization" and other approaches that stress internalization of information (through experience and action) andgeneration of new knowledge through managed interaction.In the opinion of the editors of 
 Knowledge Praxis
, quibbles about fine distinctions in themeaning of knowledge are just not very important. (SeeRant #1: Thinking objectively about subjective knowing) It doesn’t matter whether a written procedure or a subject matter expert provides a solution to a particular problem, as long as a positive result is achieved. However,observing how knowledge is acquired and how we can apply knowledge — whether tacit or explicit — in order to achieve a positive result that meets business requirements … that’s adifferent and very important issue.1
 
Why we need knowledge management now
Why do we need to manage knowledge? Ann Macintosh of the Artificial IntelligenceApplications Institute (University of Edinburgh) has written a"Position Paper on Knowledge Asset Management"that identifies some of the specific business factors, including:
o
Marketplaces are increasingly competitive and the rate of innovation is rising.
o
Reductions in staffing create a need to replace informal knowledge with formal methods.
o
Competitive pressures reduce the size of the work force that holds valuable businessknowledge.
o
The amount of time available to experience and acquire knowledge has diminished.
o
Early retirements and increasing mobility of the work force lead to loss of knowledge.
o
There is a need to manage increasing complexity as small operating companies are trans-national sourcing operations.
o
Changes in strategic direction may result in the loss of knowledge in a specific area.To these paraphrases of Ms. Macintosh’s observations we would add:
o
Most of our work is information based.
o
Organizations compete on the basis of knowledge.
o
Products and services are increasingly complex, endowing them with a significantinformation component.
o
The need for life-long learning is an inescapable reality.In brief, knowledge and information have become the medium in which business problemsoccur. As a result, managing knowledge represents the primary opportunity for achievingsubstantial savings, significant improvements in human performance, and competitive advantage.It’s not just a Fortune 500 business problem. Small companies need formal approaches toknowledge management even more, because they don’t have the market leverage, inertia, andresources that big companies do. They have to be much more flexible, more responsive, andmore "right" (make better decisions) — because even small mistakes can be fatal to them.
Emerging Perspectives
Yes, knowledge management is the hottest subject of the day. The question is: what is thisactivity called knowledge management, and why is it so important to each and every one of us?The following writings, articles, and links offer some emerging perspectives in response to thesequestions. As you read on, you can determine whether it all makes any sense or not.Knowledge Management (KM) comprises a range of  practicesused in an organization toidentify, create, represent, distribute and enable adoption of insightsandexperiences. Such insights and experiences compriseknowledge, either embodied in individuals or embedded inorganizationalprocessesor practice. An establisheddisciplinesince 1991 KM includes courses taught in the fields of  business administration,information systems,management, and library andinformation sciences. More recently, other fields, to include those focused on information2
 
and media,computer science, public health, and public policy, also have started contributing to KM research. Many largecompaniesandnon-profit organizationshave resources dedicated to internal KM efforts, often as a part of their 'Business Strategy','Information Technology', or  'Human Resource Management'departments. Several consulting companies also exist that provide strategy and advice regarding KM to these organizations.KM efforts typically focus on organizationalobjectivessuch as improved performance, competitive advantage,innovation,the sharing of lessons learned, andcontinuous improvement  of theorganization. KM efforts overlap withOrganizational Learning, and may be distinguished from that by a greater focus on themanagementof knowledge as a strategic asset and a focus onencouraging the sharing of knowledge. KM efforts can help individuals and groups to sharevaluable organizational insights, to reduce redundant work, to avoidreinventing the wheelper se,to reduce training time for newemployees,to retainintellectual capitalas employeesturnover in an organization, and to adapt to changingenvironmentsandmarkets.
Developing a Context
Like water, this rising tide of data can be viewed as an abundant, vital and necessary resource.With enough preparation, we should be able to tap into that reservoir -- and ride the wave -- byutilizing new ways to channel raw data into meaningful information. That information, in turn,can then become the knowledge that leads to wisdom.Before attempting to address the question of knowledge management, it's probably appropriate todevelop some perspective regarding this stuff called knowledge, which there seems to be such adesire to manage, really is. Consider this observation made by Neil Fleming as a basis for thought relating to the following diagram.
o
A collection of data is not information.
o
A collection of information is not knowledge.
o
A collection of knowledge is not wisdom.
o
A collection of wisdom is not truth.The idea is that information, knowledge, and wisdom are more than simply collections. Rather,the whole represents more than the sum of its parts and has a synergy of its own.3
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