Reflective Journal

Entry 1: Knowledge Management

From the lesson that I obtained from Session 1, I learned that knowledge management is an
essential concept that had been involved in various ways. Knowledge management is seen as
an important approach which is a continuous flow of knowledge from one to another by
sharing, transferring, and exchanging to enable daily operations could be done efficiently.
There are two types of knowledge which are classified as tacit and explicit. Tacit Knowledge
could be explained as the knowledge that is very individualized and challenging to formalize
which results in challenging to share or discuss with others whereas Explicit knowledge can
be easily formalized and systematically passed from one person to another (Kaur 2021).
Through the lesson, I realized that knowledge management holds a major role in the working
environment as with knowledge management the information could be done globally, faster,
and more connected with the help of advanced technology. For instance, within an
organization, they use knowledge management to spread information and build expertise by
providing training and learning to the employees physical and online. Furthermore,
knowledge management is also a useful approach for me especially when there is discussion
among the team as we can share and exchange our thoughts and ideas to have better decision
making. Fernandes (2019) stated that the use of knowledge management in universities
improves them from the perspective of organizational knowledge, this is seen as a primary
source of management tools and academic knowledge in universities. As a student, I can
benefit greatly from knowledge management, which can support high-level strategy and
innovation while also increasing efficiency, productivity, and cooperation within the team as
well as among friends. Hence, with the better application of knowledge management,
knowledge could be shared, transferred, and captured within one another which benefit my
learning now and in the future.
(Meena 2021)

Fernandes, A 2018, ‘The effect of organization culture and technology on motivation,

knowledge asset and knowledge management’, International Journal of Law and
Management, vol. 60, no. 5, pp. 1087-1088.

Kaur, H 2021, Knowledge management in higher education institutions, Manipal University

Jaipur, Rajasthan.

Meena, R 2021, Knowledge management in higher education institutions, Manipal University

Jaipur, Rajasthan.
Entry 2: Knowledge Management Processes (Bukowits and Williams Process)

Knowledge Management processes have been through years of research from professionals
and till now they come out with a better Knowledge Management Process to allow us to have
a better understanding and application of Knowledge Management. One of the major
Knowledge Management Processes that I had a deep impression of is Bukowitz and Williams
Process. As stated by Mohajan (2016), Bukowitz and Williams Process mainly describes how
businesses develop, manage, and use a strategically sound store of knowledge to add value.
This process had divided into two different levels which are individual and organizational.
Individual consists of get, use, learn and contribute phases whereas Organization includes
assess, use, build/sustain and divest phases (Mohajan 2016). From this process, I learnt that
‘Get’ phase is the process of seeking information both tacit and explicit. The following phase
deals with how to improve organizational innovation by fusing knowledge in novel and
intriguing ways. ‘Learn’ is where it alludes to the methodical practices of picking up lessons
from past mistakes to gain a competitive edge. ‘Contribute’ is when an individual knowledge
can be made visible and accessible throughout the entire organization, helping others to avoid
errors. ‘Assess’ is the phase that the organization must create measurements to show that it is
expanding its knowledge and reaping financial rewards from its intellectual capital
investments. The following phase is where the organization ensures its future is kept in a
sustainable and competitive state with the available resources. Lastly, ‘Divest’ is where
knowledge should be transferred out when it is not valuable for the organization itself.
Through this process, I realized that knowledge should be applied and used wisely
individually and among the team. With the appropriate knowledge, I could learn from both
successes and errors to make better decision-making.
(Mohajan 2016)

Mohajan, H 2016, ‘A comprehensive analysis of knowledge management cycles’, Journal of

Environmental Treatment Techniques, vol.4, no.4, pp. 123-125.
Entry 3: Nonaka & Takeuchi Model
In Session 3, I learned about one of the Knowledge Management Models which is Nonaka &
Takeuchi’s SECI Model. The spiral and continuous concept of SECI is regarded as the
foundation of knowledge creation and transfer. To demonstrate how information is shared
and developed within the organization, there are four methods that tacit knowledge and
explicit knowledge be merged and converted. SECI model stands for Socialization,
Externalization, Combination, and Internalization. I realized that the SECI model is widely
used especially during team assignments. Socialization is the transformation from tacit to
tacit where usually we go through brainstorming by sharing our experiences and ideas when
there is an assignment being assigned to us as a student. With the spiral process, it moves on
to the transformation from tacit to explicit which is Externalization. To codify tacit
information, people often employ conversation, metaphors, and team conflicts so that the
knowledge now exists in a tangible form. For instance, after brainstorming we would jot
down relevant information. As stated by Farnese et al. (2019) the Combination mode, explicit
knowledge is gathered with other intra-or inter-organizational explicit knowledge and
combined, altered, or processed to create more sophisticated and organized explicit
knowledge. With the combination of available knowledge, the information is gathered and
synthesized to come out with a report. This could be aided by the inventive application of
computerized communication networks such as WhatsApp, an instant-messaging platform
and VU Collaborate which is a campus platform for students and lecturers. The final phase of
the SECI spiral is Internalization where individuals assimilate explicit knowledge, enhancing
their tacit knowledge. This is where the formal knowledge I learned and understood from the
assignment is connected to my personal experiences and this is where the continuous
knowledge generation process occurs which would greatly benefit my learning.
Farnese, M, Barbieri, B, Chirumbolo, A & Patriotta, G 2019, ‘Managing knowledge in
organizations: a nonaka’s seci model operationalization’, Frontiers in Psychology, vol.10,
pp.1-2.
Entry 4: MBTI Personality

I learned that personality traits affect the culture within an organization. Besides, we need to
know what traits we have within ourselves. Till now, there are various personality tests for us
to have a better understanding of ourselves such as MBTI (Myers Briggs Type Indicator)
which consists of 16 distinct personality types and the Big Five personality test. In an
organization, with different personalities, individuals hold different responsibilities and
behaviors in performing their job. When distinct personalities come together and work as a
team could enhance teamwork and create a better future for the organization (Biabani et al.
2022). Through the lesson, I realized that there are mainly four cultures which are communal,
networked, mercenary and fragmented. These distinct cultures comprise different individual
that holds different traits. For instance, in a networked culture individuals tend to be caring
and help one another. By using MBTI as an example, one of the characteristics is Introvert
(I), this trait is contained when interacting hence job-like promoter is not advisable as it does
not suit them. By understanding one’s personality, the organization could allocate their
employee effectively as the right person is at the right place which would result in better job
performance. With a better understanding of one’s personality, an individual would have
made a better choice for themselves. This works the same as teamworking with friends for
assignments as we have different characteristics. For instance, when there are assignments,
we could still communicate well and share knowledge to complete the assignment
successfully even though we hold different personalities. Throughout the process, I gain the
opportunities to learn from my friends and teammates as well as share my thoughts. This is
seen as a knowledge-friendly culture as we are willing to share, transfer and exchange the
knowledge we have with one another.

Biabani, F, Kim, JH, Ham, N 2022, ‘Qualitative assessment of collaborative behavior based
on self-perception personality tests for bim staff’, Buildings, vol.12, no.4, pp.18-19.
Entry 5: Barriers in Knowledge Sharing

Things do not always happen as what we want all the time as there might be occurrences of
barriers and challenges that need to be overcome. Throughout the process of knowledge
sharing, I learned that there are various barriers which are individual, organizational, and
technological. For the individual, not having enough time to share knowledge and lack of
communication as well as interpersonal skills. This may result in an individual could not
share their knowledge as they face difficulties when sharing. The lack of transparent rewards
and recognition systems is one of the organizational barriers as employees did not feel
motivated which may lead them to be unwilling to share their knowledge. Nguyen (2019)
stated that an organization must also take into account the main barrier to knowledge
management, which is employees’ propensity to hoard knowledge due to a concern over
losing strategic advantage. With the appropriate reward given to the employees, they tend to
be willing to share more and the knowledge sharing could enhance the performance of the
organization. Aside from that, there are various technological barriers during knowledge
sharing such as unfamiliarized with the IT system and lack of experience. With the
advancement of technology, knowledge could be shared easily as technology had provided
the chance for everyone to gain knowledge through the web searches like Google or social
media sharing like Instagram. Due to a lack of familiarity with these technologies, knowledge
could not be shared as we would find it difficult to use which may result in giving up on
sharing the knowledge.

Nguyen, T 2019, ‘Four-dimensional model: a literature review in online organizational

knowledge sharing’, Journal of Information and Knowledge Management Systems, vol.52,
no.1, p.109.