Knowledge Management Foundations Infrastructure Mechanisms and Technologies PDF
Knowledge Management Foundations Infrastructure Mechanisms and Technologies PDF
Mandaluyong, City
Knowledge management (KM) may simply be defined as doing what is needed to get the most
out of knowledge resources
Performing the activities involved in discovering, capturing, sharing, and applying knowledge so
as to enhance in a cost-effective fashion, the impact of knowledge on the unit’s goal
achievement
Business Inteligence
Sometimes used interchangeably with KM. Although KM and BI are somewhat interrelated, they
are quite distinct.
Focuses on providing decision makers with valuable information and knowledge by utilizing a
variety of sources of data and structured and unstructured information (Sabherwal 2007, 2008),
via the discovery of the relationships that may exist between these sources of data and
information
**Unlike KM, which starts with information and knowledge as inputs, BI begins
with data and information as inputs**
KM solutions refer to the ways in which specific aspects of KM (discovery, capture, sharing,
and application of knowledge) can be accomplished.
KM foundations are the broad organizational aspects that support KM in the short- and long-term. They
include KM infrastructure, KM mechanisms, and KM technologies. Thus, KM solutions depend on KM
foundations, as shown in Figure 3.1. Next, we briefly explain the three components of KM foundations
and the two components of KM solutions.
KM Infrastructure
KM Mechanisms
KM Technologies
KM Processes
KM Systems
These are organizational or structural means used to promote knowledge management. They may (or
may not) involve the use of information technology, but they do involve some kind of organizational
arrangement or social or structural means of facilitating KM.
These are information technologies that can be used to facilitate knowledge management.
Thus, KM technologies are intrinsically no different from information technologies, but they focus on
knowledge management rather than information processing
These are the broad processes that help in discovering, capturing, sharing, and applying knowledge.
Knowledge Management Systems
These are the integration of technologies and mechanisms that are developed to support the above four
KM processes.
illustrates the use of one of these processes— knowledge sharing—at a health-care company. These
four KM processes are supported by KM systems and seven important types of KM subprocesses (e.g.,
exchange).
KM mechanisms and technologies rely on the KM infrastructure, which reflects the long-term
foundation for knowledge management. In an organizational context, KM infrastructure includes five
major components: organization culture, organization structure, information technology infrastructure,
common knowledge, and physical environment.
Organization Culture
Organization Structure
Information Technology Infrastructure
Common Knowledge
Physical Environment
ORGANIZATION CULTURE
Organization culture reflects the norms and beliefs that guide the behavior of the organization’s
members. It is an important enabler of knowledge management in organizations
ORGANIZATION STRUCTURE
Reach: Reach pertains to access and connection and the efficiency of such access
Depth: focuses on the detail and amount of information that can be effectively communicated over a
medium
Richness the ability to: provide multiple cues (e.g., body language, facial expression, tone of voice)
simultaneously provide quick feedback personalize messages use natural language to convey subtleties
Aggregation: the ability to store and quickly process information enables the aggregation of large
volumes of information drawn from multiple sources
COMMON KNOWLEDGE
PHYSICAL ENVIRONMENT
The physical environment within the organization is often taken for granted, but it is another important
foundation upon which knowledge management rests.
Key aspects of the physical environment include the design of buildings and the separation
between them; the location, size, and type of offices; the type, number, and
nature of meeting rooms; and so on
Learning by doing
On-the-job training
Learning by Observation
Face to face meetings
Hiring of a CKO
Cooperative Projects across departments
Traditional Hierarchical Relationships
Organizational policies
Standards
Initiation Process for new employees
Employee Rotation
Knowledge Management Technologies
Artificial Intelligence are used for knowledge acquisition and case-based reasoning systems, electronic
discussion groups, computer-based simulations,
databases, decision support systems, ERP systems, expert systems, MIS expertise locator systems,
Videoconferencing
Information Repositories
• best practices databases
• lessons learned systems
• Web 2.0 technologies
• wikis and blogs