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Knowledge Management and Learning OrganizationTola KN

Working Smarter, Not Harder

Outline of the PresentationWhat is Knowledge ?Knowledge ManagementLearning Organization

What is Knowledge ?

To represent reality in thought or experience the way it really is on the basis of adequate grounds.

Data, Information & Knowledge

Knowledge Management5/1/2012J. Goho5

Two Kinds of KnowledgeKnowledge is intangible, dynamic, and difficult to measure, but without it no organization can survive.Tacit: or unarticulated knowledge is more personal, experiential, context specific, and hard to formalize; is difficult to communicate or share with others; and is generally in the heads of individuals and teams.Explicit: explicit knowledge can easily be written down and codified.

6There are two kinds of knowledge: tacit, which is hard to articulate, versus explicit knowledge, which can be written down and codified.

How can we transfer tacit knowledge? Through mechanisms of socialization, mentorships, apprenticeships, face-to-face communication. Since knowledge may be an organization's only sustainable competitive advantage, it is very important to capture tacit knowledge. Intranets and e-mail help knowledge flow through an organization. Tacit knowledge often moves laterally through informal channels of communication (communities of practice). For example, those groups that hang around the coffee machine -- they are exchanging knowledge, just as the smokers huddled near the entrance to the building at break time. The information that is passed in this way is very important because it is useful for helping people to get their work done more effectively, in part, because nobody is willing to question or think about it very much. Communities of practice must have their place in a comprehensive knowledge management effort.

Keep in mind that flows of knowledge are an organization's capacity to learn. They are all you really have.

Sources of knowledgePeopleBooksExperienceExperimentation and observationThinking and pondering

ContCommon sense: Every one knows that it is soIntuition: I just know itBeliefs: it is based on personal convictionTenacity: verification over the yearsTradition: practice through generationsPersonal Experience: personal testing and experience Authority: the word of expertsDivine and supernatural powers: the revelations of God and of other powersReason and logic: the intellect can capture truth and knowledge directlyScientific methods: knowledge is derived through empirical procedures

Documentation

Documentationis a general term for a multiplicity of documents in a chosen mix of media and with a certain collection. Purpose of documentation is the use to support a tool or a process.

Classical documentation is a set of documents printed on paper. Documentation (to document) also refers to the process of providing evidence.

Documentation composureDocumentation may include:written information for any read, projection or technical performing,data media of any format and for any reproduction,other content.Common types of documentation include user guides, white papers, on-line help, quick-reference guides. It is less common to see hard-copy (paper) documentation. Documentation is distributed via websites, software products, and other on-line applications

Knowledge Management

Knowledge ManagementDefined in a variety of ways.KM in education: a strategy to enable people to develop a set of practices to create, capture, share & use knowledge to advance.KM focuses on: people who create and use knowledge.processes and technologies by which knowledge is created, maintained and accessed.artifacts in which knowledge is stored (manuals, databases, intranets, books, heads).

Definitionknowledge management is the art of creating value from an organizations intangible assets. ( Saviby 2000)

KM is a newly emerging , interdisciplinary business model dealing with all aspects of knowledge within the context of the firm, including knowledge creation , codification, sharing and how these activities promote learning and innovation. (Berkeley 2001)

The systematic process of creating, maintaining and nurturing an organization to make the best use of knowledge to create business value and generate competitive advantage (Nancy C. Shaw 2004)

KM is the process of capturing and making use of a firms collective expertise anywhere in the business on paper, in documents, in database (called Explicit knowledge), or in peoples heads ( called tacit knowledge)

Roots of Knowledge ManagementKnowledgeManagement

BusinessTransformation(BPR, TQM, culture)IntellectualAssets/CapitalLearningOrganizationKnowledge-basedSystemsInnovationInformationManagement

Figure 12.4 Reasons for Managing Knowledge. IBM Global Services

Components of Knowledge ManagementCollaborationis arecursive process where two or more people ororganizations work together to realize shared goals.Content Managementis the set of processes and technologies that support the collection, managing, and publishing of information in any form or medium.SearchTo make a careful examination or investigation of problem, search one's conscience for the right solution to the problem.Taxonomy managementis the science which deals with the study of identifying, grouping, and naming organisms according to their established natural relationship.Business Process Managementis aholistic managementapproachfocused on aligning all aspects of an organization with the wants and needs of clients. It promotes businesseffectiveness andefficiencywhile striving forinnovation, flexibility, and integration with technology.Business Intelligencerefers tocomputer-based techniques used in identifying, extracting,and analyzing business data, such assales revenue by products and/or departments, or by associated costs and incomes.

Functions of Knowledge ManagementIntermediation:-The act of intervening for the purpose of bringingabout a settlementExternalization:- Attributing to outside causesInternalization:- Learning (of values or attitudes etc.) that is incorporated within yourselfCognition:- The psychological result of perception and learning and reasoningMeasurement:- "the measurements were carefully done"

Knowledge Work Activities

Figure 12.5 Knowledge Generation Strategies

KM strategies in OrganizationRewards (as a means of motivating for knowledge sharing)Storytelling (as a means of transferring tacit knowledge)Cross-project learningAfter action reviewsKnowledge mapping (a map of knowledge repositories within a company accessible by all)Expert directories (to enable knowledge seeker to reach to the experts)specific subject

In Successful KM ProgramsInformation is widely disseminated throughout the organization. Wherever it is needed, it is accessible. Accessible at a fast rate of speed.Virtual communities of practice share what is known in a global fashion, independent of time zones and other geographic limitations. Business boundaries are broad, and often virtual in nature.Collaboration to support continuous innovation and new knowledge creation.

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Symptoms of KM Diffusion ChallengesNo internal learning communitiesLack of psychological safetyLack of workplace trustArrogance of people who believe they know everything, so why try?Lack of communication within an organization made evident by continually reinventing the same wheelNegativity and unrealistic expectations

22Much of the interest in knowledge management comes from the problem of diffusing innovative practices within an organization. They go far beyond the failure of KM information systems.

Improved diffusion of knowledge won't just happen because the CEO says it should, or because management buys new information technology. Effective organizational learning infrastructure will need to augment the natural workings of the informal communities of practice that already exist.

Learning OrganizationOver the long run, superior performance depends on superior learning.-- Peter Senge, leader of the learning organization movement

PhD graduate from MIT in Systems ManagementFounding chair of SoL (Society for Organizational Learning)1990 wrote The Fifth Discipline

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What is a Learning Organisation?"The essence of organisational learning is the organisation's ability to use the amazing mental capacity of all its members to create the kind of processes that will improve its own" Nancy Dixon, 1994

"Organisations where people continually expand their capacity to create the results they truly desire, where new and expansive patterns of thinking are nurtured, where collective aspiration is set free, and where people are continually learning to learn together

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Five Components of Learning Organisation

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Systems Thinkinginterdependency and changefocus on whole not individual partslong-term goals vs. short-term benefitsbetter appreciation of systems leads to more appropriate actionmind shift & understanding change processes.feedback to reinforce/counteract action.recognize recurring structures remove root causes/problems

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Personal Masterypersonal competence and visiondeveloping patience to look at reality objectivelyorganizations learn only through individuals who learnnever arrive; in continual learning modestrive to clarify and deepen personal vision deeply aware of growth areas and tension between vision and reality

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Mental Modelschanging ingrained assumptions about influencing factors.deeply ingrained assumptions and generalizationshonest and critical analysis of deep-rooted mental models transcend mental models in order for change to take place

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Shared Visionuse instincts, intuition by sharing personal visionpictures of the future A genuine vision leads to people wanting to excel and learnLeaders must translate personal visions into shared visions Unearthing shared pictures of the future that foster genuine commitment rather than complianceLeaders learn the counter-productiveness of trying to dictate a vision, no matter how heartfelt. (Senge 1990: 9)

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Team Learningdialogue, discussion, group relationshipsaccelerate org. learning throughTeam learning starts with dialogue= the capacity of members of a team to suspend assumptions and enter genuine thinking togetherAllows the group to discover insights not attainable individuallyShows group how to recognize the patterns of interaction that undermine learning(Senge 1990: 10)

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A Learning Organization Is...Where people continually expand their capacity to create the results they truly desireWhere new patterns of thinking are nurturedWhere collective aspiration is set freeWhere people are continually learning to see the whole togetherWhen you ask people about what it is like being part of a great team, what is most striking is the meaningfulness of the experience. People talk about being part of something larger than themselves, of being connected, of being generative. (Senge 1990: 13)

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Value to OrganizationOrganizational LearningActive Knowledge TransferExpert Knowledge BaseContact LinksExpert Assistance as NeededCommunities of Practice IndexDecision Making ToolsProfiles for CustomizationPushed Reports & NewsCollaboration Tools

Repositories

Best PracticesReportsDocumentsPresentation SlidesTips

CollectionNavigationCodificationCommunication

Thank You&Happy Labour Day

DATAINFORMATIONKNOWLEDGE

DefinitionRaw facts, figures and records contained in a system.Data placed into a form that is accessible, timely and accurate.Information in context to make it insightful and relevant for human action.

ReasonProcessingStoring / Accessing.Insight, innovation, improvement.

Sharing Best PracticesAvoid reinventing the wheelBuild on previous work

Sustainable Competitive AdvantageShorter life-cycle of innovationKnowledge as an infinite resourceDirect bottom-line returns

Managing OverloadInability to assimilate knowledgeData organization and storage

is needed

DownsizingLoss of knowledgePortability of workersLack of time and resources

for knowledge acquisitionGlobalizationDecreased cycle timesIncreased competitive pressuresGlobal access to knowledgeAdapting to local conditions

Embedded KnowledgeSmart productsBlurring of distinction between

service and manufacturing firmsValue-added through intangibles

Rapid ChangeAvoid obsolescenceBuild on previous workStreamline processesSense and respond to change

Why ManageKnowledge?

AcquireAnalyzeOrganizeCodifyCommunicateUtilize

KNOWLEDGEGENERATIONBuy or RentAdaptationCreating (R&D)Shared Problem SolvingCommunities of Practice

Sheet: Personal MasteryMental Models Shared Vision Team Learning Systems Thinking