KNOWLEDGE MANAGEMENT

Course Description:This is a foundation course in the Master’s Program which enables the learner with learning styles, abilities, and academic, cultural and experiential backgrounds to strengthen, update and develop himself/herself to become knowledge worker and stay competitive in a knowledge-based economy.

The learner is challenged with tasks that will be aimed at setting up his/her own personal knowledge management environment.

COURSE OBJECTIVESAt the end of the course, the students should be able to:

Understand different accepted knowledge management theories and framework.

Evaluate how these knowledge management concepts and framework are applied by the industries.

Appreciate the roles and uses of knowledge management in organizations and institutions and the typical obstacles that knowledge management aims to overcome.

Reflect on how he/she can become a knowledge worker in a knowledge-based economy.

Develop insights on how to integrate knowledge management in his/her field of interest to become competitive and achieve optimum career opportunities.

COURSE CONTENT1. Introduction2. Knowledge Management Core Concepts3. Brief History of Knowledge Management4. Elements of Knowledge Management5. Knowledge Management Tools6. Knowledge Management Implementation

Introduction “Knowledge has become the key

strategic asset for the 21st Century.

For an organization to succeed, it must value knowledge and invest in developing the best strategy for identifying, developing and applying the knowledge assets it needs.”

Introduction Every organization needs to invest in

creating and implementing the best knowledge networks, processes, methods, tools and technologies.

This will enable them to learn, create new knowledge, and apply the best knowledge much faster.

Introduction Every individual who wishes to successfully

participate in the rapidly growing global knowledge economy must now consider the development of their personal knowledge management (PKM) competencies as an ‘essential life skill’ for the 21st Century.

Introduction It has been said many times,

‘knowledge will radically and fundamentally transform economies’.

One thing is absolutely certain in this rapidly changing world…..

The best knowledge will always be in demand.

Introduction Leaders of economies, industries and

organizations will always be very interested in finding new and better ways to create and apply knowledge.

Introduction It is our belief that the knowledge economy is rapidly

becoming the largest and most successful and sustainable economy in the world.

Why chose Knowledge Management (KM)?

Today, some see knowledge management as a choice. Those that work with knowledge very well are

considered extraordinary.

Introduction We predict that effective and

extraordinary knowledge management, at all levels, for the individual, team, organization and global community will naturally become mainstream and ordinary, as the only way to successfully develop and grow for the future.

KNOWLEDGE MANAGEMENT CORE CONCEPTS

Concept of Knowledge

Knowledge is increasingly being recognized as the new strategic imperative of organizations.

The most established paradigm is that

knowledge is power.

Therefore, one has to hoard it, keep it to oneself to maintain an advantage.

The common attitude of most people is to hold on to one’s knowledge since it is what makes him or her an asset to the organization.

Concept of Knowledge Today, knowledge is still considered

power – an enormous power in fact –

but the understanding has changed considerably, particularly from the perspective of organizations…….

Concept of Knowledge The new paradigm is that within the

organization… knowledge must be shared

in order for it to grow. It has been shown that the organization that shares

knowledge among its management and staff grows stronger and becomes more competitive.

This is the core of knowledge management – the sharing of knowledge.

Understanding Knowledge

In order to comprehend knowledge management, it is necessary to first understand the concept of knowledge.

What is knowledge?

How is it different from information?

How is information different from mere data?

Knowledge Hierarchy

Embodied in objects

In people’s heads

INFORMATION

DATA

KNOWLEDGE

WISDOM

Knowledge HierarchyWhat is data? Data is a number or word or letter without any context.

For example, numbers like 1 or 7, without any context, are mere data.

Without reference to either space or time, these numbers or data are meaningless points in space and time.

The key phrase here is “out of context”. And since it is out of context then it has no meaningful relation to anything else.

Knowledge HierarchyWhat is information? A mere collection of data is not information.

This means that if there is no relation between the pieces of data, then it is not information.

What makes a collection of data become information is the understanding of the relationships between the pieces of data or between the collection of data.

Knowledge HierarchyLet us take an example. If we are given numbers like 1 and 7, they do not mean much.

At this level of understanding, these numbers are mere data.

However, if we associate 7 with the number of days in a week, then we create context. The information given by that context is that there are 7 days in 1

week. We have established a relationship between the two pieces of

data○ 1 with week and the number 7 with days.

We have placed the data within a context thus producing information.

Knowledge HierarchyAnd Knowledge? When information is further processed, it has

the potential for becoming knowledge. Information is further processed when one finds a pattern relation existing among data and information.

When one is able to realize and understand the patterns and their implications, then this collection of data and information becomes knowledge.

Knowledge Hierarchy

DATA

INFORMATION

KNOWLEDGE

WISDOM

DATA

INTERPRETATION

UNDERSTANDING

INSIGHT

Knowledge HierarchyAn example: data, information and knowledge This example uses a bank savings account to show how

data, information and knowledge relate to the principal, interest rate and interest.

Data. The numbers 100 or 5%, completely out of context, are just pieces of data. Interest, principal, and interest rate, out of context, are not much more than data as each has multiple meanings which are context dependent.

Source: Bellinger, G., “Knowledge Management – Emerging Perspectives”,<http://systems-thinking.org/kmgmt/kmgmt.htm> (2004).

Information. If I establish a bank savings account as the basis for context, then interest, principal, and interest rate become meaningful in that context with specific interpretations. Principal is the amount of money, $100,

in the savings account. Interest rate, 5%, is the factor used by the

bank to compute interest on the principal.

Knowledge. If I put $100 in my savings account, and the bank pays 5% interest yearly, then at the end of one year the bank will compute the interest of $5 and add it to my principal and I will have $105 in the bank. This pattern represents knowledge. In

understanding the pattern, I know and what I know is knowledge.

If I deposit more money into my account, I know that I will earn more interest, while if I withdraw money from my account, I know that I will earn less interest.

Knowledge HierarchyExample:

The clear distinction between the two lower levels and the top two….The bottom two are embodied in objects, e.g. documents and databases, whilethe higher levels are in people's heads.

Types of Knowledge according to: Practice-oriented Categories

○Know-how○Know-who○Know-what○Know-why○Know-when○Know-where

Practice-oriented Categories

Know-how: a skill on how to carry out specific tasks; some are embodied in procedures.• Examples: knowing how to

place a purchase order; knowing how to lift heavy items.

Know-who: who can help me with this question or task.Examples: knowing the best 'connected' and networked people; knowing who the expert is for a particular specialty.

Practice-oriented CategoriesKnow-why: a deeper kind ofknowledge, understanding the wider context.Examples: knowing why what seems a non-sensical procedure is being followed (e.g. to ensure regulatory compliance); knowing why customers really prefer your product to a competitor.

Know-what: from basic facts (know-that) to more complex concepts, structural knowledge and patterns.Examples: knowing that the earthis round; knowing what is likely tobe the cause of a problem.

Practice-oriented Categories

Know-when: a sense of timing.Examples: knowing when to buy and sell shares; knowing when to enter a new market.

Know-where: a sense of place, where is it best to do something.Examples: knowing where tolocate your new venture; knowing where best to manufacture your products.

Practice-oriented Categories

In practice, the most important ones from a KM perspective are:1) know-who: often found in a skills directory ('Yellow Pages') or an online community (forum)2) know-how: a combination of explicit (e.g. processes) and tacit (e.g. competencies and levels ofexpertise of staff); and3) know-what: capturing the most commonly needed knowledge and organizing it in databases and portals (intranets).

TACIT AND EXPLICITKNOWLEDGE

In general, there are two types of knowledge:

• tacit knowledge

• explicit knowledge

Tacit knowledge is that stored in the brain of a person.

Explicit knowledge is that contained in documents or other forms of storage other than the human brain.

Both types of knowledge can be produced as a result of interactions or innovations. They can be the outcome of relationships or alliances.

Tacit Knowledge is personal stored in the heads of people accumulated through study and experience developed through the process of interaction

with other people is context-specific - difficult to formalize,

record, or articulate includes subjective insights, intuitions and

conjectures as intuitive knowledge, it is difficult to

communicate and articulate

Tacit KnowledgeSharing of tacit knowledge: Tacit knowledge can be shared and

communicated through various activities and mechanisms.

Activities: conversations, workshops, on-the-job training and the like.

Mechanisms: use of information technology tools such as email, groupware, instant messaging and related technologies.

Tacit Knowledge In managing tacit knowledge, the very

first hurdle to most organizations is identifying it.

Its very characteristic of being unique and hard to replicate is what makes tacit knowledge a basis of the organization’s competitive advantage.

Tacit Knowledge In any organization, tacit knowledge is the essential

prerequisite for making good decisions. A new executive will find it difficult to make good

decisions since he or she has yet to acquire tacit knowledge about the workings of the organization.

Tacit knowledge is therefore crucial to getting things done and creating value for the organization.

This is the essence of the learning organization.

Explicit Knowledge is codified It is stored in documents, databases,

websites, emails and the like. It is knowledge that can be readily made

available to others and transmitted or shared in the form of

systematic and formal languages.

Explicit Knowledge include knowledge assets such as reports,

memos, business plans, drawings, patents, trademarks, customer lists, methodologies, and the like.

represent an accumulation of the organization’s experience kept in a form that can readily be accessed by interested parties and replicated if desired.

In many organizations these knowledge assets are stored with the help of computers and information technology.

Defining Knowledge Management

What is knowledge management?

“Knowledge Management is about capturing, creating, distilling, sharing and using know-how. That know-how includes explicit and tacit knowledge. […] It is not about books of wisdom and best practices, it’s more about the

communities that keep know-how of a topic alive by sharing what they know, building on it and adapting it to their own use. […] Call it ‘performance through learning’,

‘shared knowledge’, or simply ‘working smarter.’”

- C. Collison and G. Parcell

What is knowledge management? Knowledge management is a comprehensive,

systematic approach to the information assets of an organization by identifying, capturing, collecting, organizing, indexing, storing, integrating, retrieving and sharing them.

Such assets include intellectual capital, employee expertise, business and competitive intelligence, and organizational memory. (http://iakm.kent.edu/knowledge-management/)

What is knowledge management? From an interdisciplinary perspective,

knowledge management can be defined as: “the effective learning processes associated

with exploration, exploitation and sharing of human knowledge (tacit and explicit) that uses appropriate technology and cultural environments to enhance an organization’s intellectual capital and performance” (Jashapara, 2004, page 12).

What is knowledge management?

Results-orienteddefinition

Technology-Oriented definition

Process-orienteddefinition

“To have the right knowledge at the right place, at the right time in the right format.”

“The systematic management of process by which knowledge is identified, created, gathered,shared and applied.”

“Business intelligence + collaboration + searchengines + intelligent agents.”

Source: Benjamins, V.R., (2001). Knowledge Management in Knowledge-Intensive Organizations. Intelligent Software Components.

There are many definitions of KM. Definitions are either from a human resource perspective, an information systems perspective or a strategy one.

Have a look at the diversity of definitions of knowledge management including the basics of KM, provided in the following resources: (Click on the links)

http://www.londoninternational.ac.uk/sites/default/files/knowledge-management-sample-study-guide.pdf

http://www.skyrme.com/kmbasics/definition.htm

http://www.fao.org/fileadmin/user_upload/knowledge/docs/ABC_of_KM.pdf

KM is Older Than You Think: Brief History of Knowledge Management

Brief History of KM Knowledge management is a relatively

new discipline and therefore has a short history.

It developed from the various published work of academics and pioneers such as:Peter Drucker in the 1970s, Karl-Erik Sveiby in the late 1980s, and Nonaka and Takeuchi in the 1990s.

Brief History of KMThe 1970s Peter Drucker and Paul Strassman

observed the growing importance of information and explicit knowledge as valuable assets of organizations.

Peter Senge focused on the “learning organization” and emphasized the cultural dimension of managing knowledge.

Brief History of KMThe 1980s Peter Drucker first coined the term

“knowledge worker”in discussing the role of knowledge

in organizations.

He was the first to suggest the shift from economy of production to a knowledge economy.

(Awad and Ghaziri, 2004)

Brief History of KM Matsuda and Sveiby, wrote in-depth about

the role of knowledge in organization. The ideas that they had developed

contributed to such concepts as

“knowledge acquisition” “knowledge engineering”

“knowledge-based systems”

Brief History of KM The 1990s a growing number of academics and

consultants had started talking about knowledge management as the new business practice.

large management consulting firms had begun in-house knowledge management activities.

Brief History of KM1995 KM in its current form first received

significant attention among corporations and organizations as a result of the publication of the seminal book of Ikujiro Nonaka and Hirotaka Takeuchi

Arthur Andersen and the American Productivity and Quality Center (APQC) co-sponsored the Knowledge Imperative Symposium.

Brief History of KMFor further readings on the evolution of knowledge management, use the following resources: (Click on the links)

David Skyrme Associates. (2011). Knowledge management. Retrieved from http://www.skyrme.com/kmbasics/evolution.htm

Horton, M. (2011). The evolution of knowledge management. Available at http://blog.socialcast.com/e2sday-the-evolution-of-knowledge-management/

ELEMENTS OF KNOWLEDGE MANAGEMENT

Elements of Knowledge Management A complete knowledge management

system must contain four elements:

(a) knowledge creation and capture (b) knowledge sharing and enrichment (c) information storage and retrieval(d) knowledge dissemination

Elements of Knowledge Management

Knowledge Creation and Capture One of the primary aims of knowledge

management is to capture the knowledge that is produced during such interactions among people in any group or organization.

The creation of new knowledge requires creativity and innovation - important traits or skills needed to make the organization more productive and competitive.

Elements of Knowledge ManagementKnowledge can be captured in various ways. Knowledge from outside the organization –

accessing different sources such as publications, websites, emails and the Internet.

Explicit knowledge – printed reports, record of meetings, copies of memos documented outputs, etc.

Tacit knowledge – during discussions and meetings with office colleagues, stakeholders, institutional partners, consultants and experts. Seminars and workshops also provide excellent venues for creating and capturing tacit knowledge that may come from the speakers or the participants.

Elements of Knowledge Management Knowledge Sharing and Enrichment

knowledge is usually refined and enriched. Knowledge can be shared by the organization

with its employees (e.g., through memos and instructions)

Sharing of knowledge can occur between employees of the organization (e.g., through group discussions and internal meetings) as well as with people outside of the organization (e.g., through attending seminars and workshops).

Elements of Knowledge Management Information Storage and Retrieval

The organization should ensure that acquired or shared knowledge is readily accessible to others.

This can be done by storing information in a centralized location with sufficient provisions for easy retrieval.○ documents and information in databases could

then be retrieved through the Internet or the organization’s intranet websites.

Elements of Knowledge Management Knowledge Dissemination

For knowledge dissemination to be effective it will require the transformation of highly individualized tacit knowledge into explicit knowledge that can be more widely shared.

Publications, presentations, websites and libraries are the most obvious forms of dissemination of knowledge. Participation in external networks, establishing partnerships with other organizations, and creation of knowledge centers are also effective means to disseminate knowledge.

COURSE ASSESSMENT

PROJECT = PowerPoint PresentationPersonal Knowledge Management Assessment

St. Paul University Philippines Graduate School

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PROJECT (50%) Presentation

You’ve been assigned to provide a presentation at your organization’s next professional development activity. The objective of this activity is to introduce Knowledge Management (KM) to the whole organization. Build a PowerPoint presentation that will address the following:

KM ToolsImplementation of KMInclude a list of your references (APA format).You may use the links provided or use attached materials as reference.

Save your presentation and send as attachment via my email address.

Self-Assessment (50%)Assessment of Personal Knowledge Management (PKM)

Using the short PKM questionnaire by Larsson (2004), determine your personal knowledge management competency (see attached).

Then write a paper of your result and its interpretation and implications.

The PKM template and questionnaire are provided as e-mail attachment.

References David Skyrme Associates. (2011). Knowledge management. Retrieved from

http://www.skyrme.com/kmbasics/evolution.htm

Horton, M. (2011). The evolution of knowledge management. Available at http://blog.socialcast.com/e2sday-the-evolution-of-knowledge-management/

Uriarte, Jr., F.A. (2008). Introduction to knowledge management. Jakarta, Indonesia: ASEAN Foundation.

http://www.londoninternational.ac.uk/sites/default/files/knowledge-management-sample-study-guide.pdf

http://www.skyrme.com/kmbasics/definition.htm

http://www.fao.org/fileadmin/user_upload/knowledge/docs/ABC_of_KM.pdf

http://www.knowledge.scot.nhs.uk/together/knowledge-management-resources/km-concepts.aspx