Managing Codified Knowledge

Managing Codified Knowledge – A Review

Knowledge has long been considered an intangible asset that can only be passed on from a teacher to his pupils through years of teaching and knowledge transfer. However, present day technological advancements and the increasingly dynamic nature of knowledge have led to the dissolution of the “sacred” teacher-pupil affiliation. Knowledge, now, is more of an entity that can be codified, stored, mined and retrieved as and when required, by any one and anywhere around the world. Albert Einstein’s quote, “The only source of knowledge is experience”, is now more of an anecdote than reality, as more and more organizations are realizing that knowledge learned from one’s experience can be codified, i.e. transformed into knowledge “packets” that can be stored and transferred to others. Business organizations have been the primary users of such codified knowledge, as huge amounts of information runs through the various divisions of an organization, which can be integrated and used for making more profitable, strategic and constructive business decisions. Thus, the need for knowledge management arose, wherein, chunks of codified knowledge has to be appropriately managed for ease of retrieval and use.

The influential paper, “Managing Codified Knowledge” by Zack (1999) is reviewed here. The definition of knowledge and knowledge management, the benefits of knowledge management, the author’s rhetoric on the architecture of knowledge management and its importance in modern business organizations are discussed here. This paper also attempts to analyze two case studies presented by the author, and a brief summarization of the author’s key findings is also intended.

The author discusses knowledge and knowled...

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...e in retrieval of knowledge. The author cites the example of Buckman Laboratories, which successfully used the interactive approach to knowledge management. This organization, which originally sold chemical products, chose to offer solutions to its customers’ chemical treatment problems. It used innumerable “field associates” across the world, who had several years experience in solving such problems. Their tacit knowledge, based on experience and expertise was harnessed through interactive knowledge management. An online knowledge management infrastructure was created that was independent of time zones, location, language and even computer proficiency. The field associates interacted on a common platform, and their conversations, contributions and information exchanges were recorded, preserved and made available to all via K’Netix, The Buckman Knowledge Network.