Introduction
Many have said we moving from a post of industrial to knowledge based economy (Drucker, 1993). To be profitable, successful and be ahead of competitors it is critical for a business to look past is physical assets and recognise the value of knowledge and strive for better ways of managing this asset. Today, knowledge management is recognised as one of the key drivers of how organisations do business, develop new product, process and measure their return of investment. Knowledge has a significant impact in the success of an organisation, a survey conducted by Covin et al (1997) shows evidence that companies on top of Fortune 500 list are ones already practicing knowledge management.
Peter Drucker (1995) warned that those who wait
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There a different type in which knowledge can exist in, and it’s important for organisation to be able to differentiate between this various types of knowledge. Within organisation and knowledge management two types of knowledge can be defined, namely tacit and explicit.
Types of knowledge
1. Tacit Knowledge
According to Srdoc et. al. (2005) tacit knowledge is stored within an individual and such is personal and context specific, and is sometimes referred to as “know-how”. This knowledge is intuitive, hard to define and largely based on the experience. It is personal in nature, deeply rooted in individual’s action and is hard to communicate. This is the most valuable source of knowledge, and most like lead to the breakthroughs of the organisation (Wellman 2009). Tacit knowledge is characterised by the following properties:
• The ability to adapt to deal with new situations
• Expert knowledge in the know-how, the know-why, and care-why of a particular situation
• The ability to collaborate and share a vision with
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Tacit knowledge comes from people, the team member within an organisation, while explicit knowledge is generated from various information repositories such as databases, documents, and intranet. Botha et al (2008) point out that tacit and explicit should be seen as a spectrum rather than a definitive point, meaning that all knowledge is a mixture of tacit and explicit elements rather than one being on its own. Managing knowledge means dealing with tacit knowledge and explicit knowledge, and one of the challenges presented to business is deciding how best share tacit knowledge, how and what to convert to explicit knowledge so that it can be easily transferable. The work of Nonaka & Takeuchi (1996) answer this challenge, they introduced a SECI model that soon became a cornerstone of knowledge creation and transfer
Knowledge work according to Raman, (1999), contains activities, which are "information-based, knowledge intensive and knowledge generating" (p. 2). The paper's theme is, "organizations staying ahead of the competition have come to realize knowledge and knowledge workers are their key to success in today's environment where knowledge and information have become commodities" (Raman, 1999, p. 1). This paper's theme traces the historical development of knowledge management and knowledge workers; differentiates between knowledge workers and non-knowledge workers, and illustrate the knowledge workers experience in the author's organization. Knowledge systems contain the potential to increase business value (Bang, Cleemann, & Bramming, 2010).
According to the reading, Writing as a Mode of Learning by Janet Emig, knowledge is described as “an act of knowing that enters as a passionate contribution of the person to know what is being known, which is a coefficient that is no mere imperfection but a vital component of a person’s knowledge.” Essentially, knowledge is composed of what a person, association or discourse community knows about what is already known in their area of expertise or fully know what could occur in a certain situation, similar to how a rhetor must prepare and know what rhetorical situations might occur at any moment during their speech or writing. Knowledge is created to prepare for various outcomes and situations as goals are being constructed in a discourse community.
My whole life I have heard it said that in order to obtain a decent paying job, I need to graduate from high school, get into a good college, and achieve some sort of post-secondary degree. Banal statement by all accounts, I’m well aware; but I’m probably speaking for a large majority of my peers when saying such. I’m also sure that at least a few of us have questioned the purpose of a higher education and the reason to why it is so important. Which brings me to the question: what besides the want for that professional dream career drives us to pursue a college education? If we go through it to enhance intelligence or overall knowledge and wellbeing, does that imply these facets cannot be obtained anywhere else, say in a blue-collar atmosphere?
The management of knowledge within the context of organizational processes is a determining factor of its effectiveness and level of performance. Hislop (2013) stated, "One of the key distinctions in the knowledge management literature relates to epistemology" (p. 8). In an attempt to acquire an in-depth understanding of key aspects of knowledge management I will analyze a key organizational job position that possesses valuable experience and traits of fulfilling responsibilities. My analysis will include a description of the organization and position, a review of the perspectives and types of knowledge, as described by Hislop (2013), as they relate to the job position, and the challenges encountered in transferring
But what is this “knowledge”? The dictionary defines knowledge as “facts, information, and skills acquired through experience or education; the theoretical or practical understanding of a subject.”1 However, the whole idea of knowledge differs from person to person. In todays world, knowledge is of many types and is very complex and variable. The two main types of knowledge are Personal Knowledge and Shared Knowledge. Personal knowledge refers to the knowledge one acquires by acquaintance and first hand experience. It is gained through practice, personal involvement and observation and is influenced by one’s circumstances, values and interests. One’s perspective is both influenced and contributes to one’s personal knowledge. On the other hand, Shared knowledge refers to the knowledge possessed by more than one person. It is clearly structured as it is a product of many people and has been agreed upon by many people. It is also influenced by the diverse cultures present within the communities and reflects the attitude of the society towards the different areas of knowledge.
It has been viewed that knowledge management is almost 35, 000 years old; it was practices when Cro-Magnon scratched facts in terms of petroglyphs on a wall. Knowledge is now being recognised as one of valuable asset in their own right. The opportunities for business at present are using information and their intellectual assets more effectively. However, the methods used by various companies including Boeing might be different, but information sharing is the major survival approach for the company. From last fifteen years, technological, economic and social changes have altered dramatically the workplace as well as the way employees are carrying out their work (Shaw & Williams, 2009).
T.D. Wilson (2002) makes a point of identifying several sources of articles, references and course syllabi with varying takes on knowledge management within organizations. Wilson is convinced that organizations misuse the terminology “knowledge management” and that their activities are more concerned with managing information than with the management of knowledge (Wilson, 2002). Wilson defines knowledge as involving “the mental processes of comprehension” or, as “what we know” and information as the expression of what we know and can convey through messages (Wilson, 2002). By researching the use of the “knowledge management” Wilson conveys that the terms knowledge and information are used interchangeably, which results in an inaccurate application
Cultural intelligence (CQ) is defined as an individual’s capability to adapt and function in situations that involves new cultural setting. CQ is regarded a useful tool as it can allow an individual to work in effectively multi-cultural settings. An individual can develop CQ competencies through personal experiences such as travelling/studying abroad, working in a firm that is established from a culture different from their own and also studying the many ways people of different cultures function.
(106) 'Knowledge management means using the ideas and experience of employees, customers and suppliers to improve the organisation’s performance. ' (5) Knowledge management (KM) is best when 'it is in alignment with organizational culture, structure and strategy ' (5). For this reason, the aim of this briefing document is to advise Santander on solutions to potential KM barriers employees may face by discussing three key barriers- culture, technology and leadership.
Introduction With today’s rate of development in technology, there has also been an immense increase in global information sharing. Innovations in technology and design seem to be emerging in the market almost every month. One of the key aspects of any business is to gather, organize and efficiently apply this information. According to Antonic (2005), economic assets are fast becoming of secondary importance in the market as companies ascribe more importance to intellectual capital. With the right application of knowledge management methods, companies can achieve a competitive advantage by managing the immense amount of information available (Balanced Scorecard Institute, 2002).
Introduction Today, organizations, workgroups, teams, and individuals must work together in new ways. Nowadays Inter-organizational collaboration is increasingly important. Communities of practice provide a new model for connecting and collaborating people in the spirit of learning, knowledge sharing, and collaboration as well as individual, group, and organizational development. Here we consider a Community of Practice (AJS) which benefits the organisation (NTU) and also members (students) facing job related problems. Importance of Community of Practice
Hansen M., Nohria N., and Tierney T. (1999), “What’s your Strategy for Managing Knowledge?,” Harvard Business Review (March 1999), 106–16.
Knowledge is often assumed to be mobile and easily transferred but it is necessary to consider its deeper aspects that impose barriers to the knowledge flows within MNCs. Ambiguity plays a critical role in knowledge transfer (Simonin, 1999; Lippman & Rumelt, 1982). Lippman and Rumelt (1982, p. 420) stated that “ambiguity as to what factors are responsible for superior (or inferior) performance acts as a powerful block on both imitation and factor mobility.” In other words, ambiguity protects knowledge from being imitated by competitors, but also hinders knowledge transfer within an organization. Ambiguity can be defined as “the fact of something having more than one possible meaning and therefore possibly causing confusion” (Cambridge Dictionaries
In most organizations, effective utilization of knowledge increases productivity, creates competitive advantage and, ultimately, improves profits.
There is a clear distinction between knowledge and information sharing, because the KS carries idea, principle and purpose beyond the sphere of mere sharing. The ideas of working together, collaborating with others and helping each other fall in KS. Whereas, information sharing mostly demonstrates the idea of giving and taking something from one into another person. KS, therefore, creates a new process of learning. Another important factor is the category of knowledge, which also influences the KS behaviour3. There are some differences between tacit and explicit knowledge. According to Nonaka and Takeuchi23 tacit knowledge is seen to be hard to share or interact with others. The tacit knowledge includes intuitions, subjective insights and hunches kind of things. On the other hand, explicit knowledge is codified in a formal form through a systematic way through the use of symbols or might have a physical artifact and can be shared