Aula 1

“KM RELATES TO THE MANAGEMENT OF ANYTHING CLASSIFIED AS KNOWLEDGE”

McAdam & McCreedy, 2000:155

Knowledge management can be equated with the implementation and use of particular types of ICT (corporate intranets, directories of expertise) to those who focus on more indirect methods of managing knowledge, via managing the people who possess and utilize knowledge.

Assumption – knowledge is a resource amenable to control and management

Alvesson & Karreman (2001) argue that the inherently ambiguous, tacit, contextual, unspecific, dynamic, subjective nature of knowledge make it a resource that is difficult to manage.

There are also arguments that say that there are some features of knowledge which make it difficult to manage via IT systems.

Another factor that makes the management of knowledge difficult is the potential for conflict that exist between workers and management over the process of managing organizational knowledge which can make workers concerned about, or unwilling to participate in knowledge management process.

There are a vast range of different ways via which knowledge in organizations can be managed. A number of writers suggest that to be most effective, the particular knowledge management strategy utilized by any organization should be compatible with and developed via taking account of an organisation’s business strategy.

Important to link knowledge management initiatives to concrete business strategies – done via developing an understanding of the role of knowledge resources and processes in an organisation’s business strategy, and developing a knowledge management strategy to sustain and enhance these knowledge resources / processes.

Knowledge management – definition

Any deliberate efforts to manage the knowledge of an organisation’s workforce, which can be achieved via a wide range of methods including directly, through the use of particular types of ICT, or more indirectly through the management of social processes, the structuring of organizations in particular ways or via the use of particular culture and people management practices.

Strategies

Codification focus on codified knowledge, in storage and

retrieval of codified knowledge; personalization

focus on ways to improve the face-to face sharing of tacit knowledge between workers.

Knowledge strategy Codification Personalization

Business knowledge link

Competitive advantage through knowledge reuse

Competitive advantage through knowledge creation

Relevant knowledge process

Transferring knowledge from people to documents

Improving social processes to facilitate sharing of tacit knowledge between people

HRM implications Motivate people to codify their knowledge

Training should emphasize the development of IT skills

Reward people for codifying their knowledge

Motivate people to share their knowledge with others

Training should emphasize the development of inter-personal skills

Reward people for sharing knowledge with others