KNOWLEDGE MANAGEMENT &

ENTERPRISE MODELLING: A COMPLEMENTARY

REVIEW

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I. Introduction

II. Knowledge Management (KM)

III. Enterprise Modelling (EM)

IV. Comparative Analysis

V. The role of EM in KM

VI. Conclusion and perspective

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Introduction – General Context• There is an increased recognition that the

competitive advantage of firms depends on their ability to create, transfer, utilize and protect difficult-to-imitate knowledge assets (Teece, 2000).

• Recently, management scholars consider knowledge and the capability to create and utilize knowledge to be the most important source of a firm's sustainable competitive advantage (Nonaka, 2000).

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• 1-The organizations exist to deal with the complexity.• 2-Knowledge and knowledge management phenomena are

naturally too dynamic and ambiguous.

• A- Necessary to implementing an integrated view of KM in organizations.

• B- Need to have a good understanding of current state of organization.

• The Enterprise Modelling Techniques are to design and deal with understanding and modelling the current state of each organization.

• EM is an important tools for KM (more especially in implementation of KM projects) that allows explicating of informal knowledge into formal knowledge

Some Statements of our work

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Knowledge Management

Knowledge, Data, Information

Knowledge Taxonomy

KM Process

KM Definition

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Knowledge, Data, Information Data can be classified as facts, raw numbers,

images, words, and sounds derived from observation or measurement out of context that are therefore, not directly meaningful (Zack, 1999).

Information results from placing data into some meaningful context and patterns.

knowledge is about beliefs, commitment, perspectives, intention and action (Nonaka, 1994) and so as a justified true belief (Polanyi, 1958)

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Knowledge Taxonomy Tacit Knowledge

Explicit Knowledge

Factors Tacit Explicit

Transferability Hard, Slow , Costly and Uncertain

More Easy

Nature, Type Knowing How Knowing About

Subjective Objective

Procedural Declarative

Revealed by Application Communication

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KM Process A) Socialization, Externalization,

Combination, and Internalization. Nonaka and Takeuchi (1995)

B) Knowledge Generation (Creation and Acquisition), Knowledge Codification (Storing), Knowledge Transfer (Sharing), and Knowledge Application (Use). Davenport and Prusak (1998), Alavi and Leidner (2001)

C) Production + Integration + Application

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KM definition

The Deliberate and Systematic Coordination of an organization’s People, Processes, Technology, and Structure in order to Add Value through Reuse and Innovation.

This coordination is achieved through Production, Integration and Application of Knowledge as well as through feeding the valuable Lessons Learned and Best Practices into Corporate Memory in order to foster Continued Organizational Learning.

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Problematic of KM KM as a Project

The needs to have an integrated and systemic methodology with a life cycle;

KM as a Process Organizational levels, structure, culture, and management should

be Knowledge oriented; So how we can prepare these infrastructure? How must be the change management from AS-IS to TO-BE? How we can select and then apply the tools that were presented

in KMS?

So for each problematic question we will try to answer by studying and using the EM languages and techniques.

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Enterprise Modelling

• Understanding or explaining an existing situation

• Realizing and then validating a conceived project.

•Externalizing enterprise knowledge

Enterprise modelling aims to formalize the

Whole or part of an enterprise with the

purpose of:

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A model is always built on the basis of a language that is either: • Abstract (natural language) • Semi-formal (language with graphic formalism)

• Formal (mathematical language)

Models based on an abstract language:• describe an existing situation

Models based on a formal language:• allow the checking of the properties designed in a

given project

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Problematic of EM 1) The needs to reinforce and enhance theoric basis

of EM specially in reference models to encounter with Knowledge economy.

2) The needs to considering and then modelling Tacit Knowledge in modeling languages

3) The importance to have an Corporate Memory that includes Knowledge gathering from different modeling view, to use them.

We based our study to research, and develop the potential roles of KM in these research questions.

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Framework of our study 1) To compare two Notions systematically;

2) To Define and recategorize the semantic process of Knowledge creation;

3) To investigate and evaluate the potential roles of EM in KM;

4) To determine and then realize the potential roles of KM in EM;

5) To Propose a methodology that encompass an integrated approach to KM by using EM tools; and

6) To apply and then validate the proposed methodology in a real industrial case.

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Comparative Analyze

Conceptual and theoretical approach

Project approach

Organizational approach

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Conceptual and theoretical approachComparative

Factors Knowledge Management Enterprise Modelling

Philosophical approach

Positivist (objectivity)

Interpretive (subjectivity)

Positivist

Origin and root Economic, Business and IT/IS Production and Automation, IT/IS

Objective Develop Ethic Growth Ethic

Type of knowledge considered

Tacit and Explicit More Explicit but a little Tacit

Underline theory Resource-based view of the firms

Organizational Learning theory

Information systems theory

Production and process management

Systems and Decision systems theory

Information systems theory

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Project approachComparative

Factors Knowledge Management Enterprise Modelling

Framework and strategy

Not a unified and popularity accepted holistic and microscopic model because of diverse approach to KM

Several validated model and framework from holistic to microscopic

Implementation Methodology

Several sophisticated methods were presented from different viewpoints

Several sophisticated methods were presented from different viewpoints

System approach Not very practical consideration Practical consideration

Life cycle KM life cycle proposed but not clearly designed

EM life cycle accurately designed

Critical success factors

Strategy and Leadership

Motivation and Performance

Communication and Collaboration

Leadership Commitment Participative Esprit

Measurement systems

Exist in several different frameworks Exist in different frameworks

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Organizational approachComparative Factors Knowledge

Management Enterprise Modelling

Enablers (context) Culture, structure, people, IT

IT, people

Roles and responsibilities

Clear role by considering CKO in MIS or HRM department

Not very clear position but role is in MIS, strategic management or quality department

Managerial and leadership factors

Very essential Essential

Organizational structure Considered and some propositions

Considered but not proposition of new form

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The roles of EM in KM Decision making

Four problem of Knowledge processing

Knowledge Problem

Description Requirement

ComplexityToo many situational elements and relationships to

coordinate or consider simultaneouslySimplify

UncertaintyInsufficient factual information about the goal, situation or

task, and some lack of confidence in the consequent inferences, estimates or predictions required

Certify

AmbiguityInadequate knowledge (patterns/concepts) about, no explanation for, or understanding of a goal, situation or

taskClarify

Equivocality Multiple interpretations of a goal, situation or task Unify

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ConclusionIn this paper we argued:

The context in which the modern organization acts ( knowledge economy)

The need to understand the enterprises and organisation as complex systems.

In the Enterprise modelling field, based on multi approach view, the information and knowledge from several unit by several point of view can be gathered and then facilitate a better understanding of current stand of enterprises.

Some basic concepts in KM

A comparative analyze of two discipline with a meta review

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Perspectives Future research: To Use the EM tools and approach in detail to

facilitate the KM implementation; To apply the theoretical basis of KM to enhance the

reference models of EM; By Regarding the Knowledge Taxonomy, To apply

EM in order to model Tacit Knowledge and difficult to imitate resources; and

To Propose and to apply an integrated methodology and framework to implementing KM approach and then going toward Knowledge based view of the firms.

Questions