KNOWLEDGE MANAGEMENT

Knowledge Management

Knowledge Management

Introduction

Knowledge Management is better understood when the concepts of organizational memory (OM) and organizational learning (OL) are incorporated. It has been found that the three areas are related and have an impact on organizational effectiveness. Organizational effectiveness is how well the organization does those activities critical to making the Organization competitive. OL is the process the organization uses to learn how to do these activities better.

Internet-Based KMS

One of the most commonly cited KMS success factors (Jennex & Olfman, 2005) is having an integrated technical infrastructure including networks, databases/repositories, and computers, software, and KMS experts. KM designers are using the Internet to obtain this integrated network and are using browsers as common software (Holsapple, 2006). Various approaches are being utilized by KMS designers to achieve common databases and repositories. Common taxonomies and ontologies are being used to organize storage of unstructured knowledge files and to facilitate knowledge retrieval while other Internet-based KMS serve as interfaces to large enterprise databases or data warehouses. Some Internet KMS are being used to facilitate communication and knowledge transfer between groups. Knowledge portals are being used by organizations to push knowledge to workers and by CoP to facilitate communication and to share knowledge between community members (Ezingeard, 2000).

Internet networks can be scaled to fit any size KMS. Browsers can be tailored to fit processes as desired. Taxonomies can be created that support unstructured knowledge sharing for any size KMS. The following examples illustrate this flexibility as the examples include a project KMS, an industry-wide project KMS, and enterprise KMS. Knowledge portals can be scaled to fit either form of KMS but are more commonly used for enterprise KMS. CoP KMS is a variation of process/task KMS.

KMS as a Knowledge Portal

This example from Cross and Baird (2000) is an intranet site built by Andersen Consulting. Consulting firms have had a long tradition of brokering their knowledge into business. In the early 1990s, Andersen Consulting began to produce global best practices CDs for distribution to project personnel. This evolved into the development of an intranet site called Knowledge Space that provided consultants with various forms of knowledge including methodologies, tools, best practices, reports from previous like engagements, and marketing presentations. Support was also provided for online communications for online communities of practice and virtual project teams (Corral, 2005). The site was effective for personnel with access to the Internet and adequate bandwidth. It should be noted that current modem technology and improved dial-in access, as well as the proliferation of broadband connections, have made sites such as this much more effective for field or remote personnel.

KMS as a Topic Map

The last examples come from Eppler (2001). There are five types of knowledge maps: source, asset, structure, application, and development. A multimedia company intranet site is used to illustrate a knowledge source map. This site provides graphical buttons representing individuals with specific expertise color coded to indicate the expert's office location. The knowledge asset map provides a visual balance sheet of an organization's capabilities of a ...