Knowledge management

knowledge work

Data information and Knowledge

• Data: set of discrete facts about events• Information: data that are processed to be

useful; provides answers to "who", "what", "where", and "when" questions

• Knowledge: application of data and information; answers "how" and “why ”question (actionable)

• Knowledge management is the process of capturing a company’s collective expertise wherever it resides

Where might knowledge reside?Or who wants to be a millionaire?

• Record, document…– Content Management, Information organization and retrieval

• Expert’ head– Knowledge elicitation/acquisition

• Social systems – Organizational structure – Social network– Community of practice

• Data – Data mining/knowledge engineering

Where might knowledge reside?• “Encoded” knowledge

– Text, programming, SOP • “Embrained” knowledge

– CEO, chess player, fire fighter• “Embodied” knowledge

– Learning by doing; learning occurs not just in the brain, body memory

• “Encultured” knowledge– Organizational culture, symbol, myth, “school spirit”

• “Embedded” knowledge– Moving back to tw; internship; Silicon valley, NYC;

ambulance; network; embedded reporting

Knowledge-Routinized Organizations:Knowledge embedded in technologies, rules and procedures.

Hierarchical division of labour and control. Low skill requirement.

Example: ‘Machine Bureaucracy’ such as a McDonalds.

Communication-Intensive Organizations:Encultured knowledge and collective understanding.

Communication and collaboration the key processes. Empowerment through integration.

Example: ‘Adhocracy’ such as a large management consultancy

Expert-Dependent Organizations:Embodied competencies of key members.

Performance of individual specialist experts is crucial. Status and power from professional reputation & qualifications.

Example: ‘Professional Bureaucracy’ such as a hospital.

Symbolic-Analyst-Dependent Organizations:Embrained skills of key members.

Entrepreneurial problem solving. Status and power form creative achievements.

Example: ‘Knowledge-intensive-firm’ such as a science-based, high tech firm.

Emphasis on collectiveendeavour

Emphasis on Contributionsof individuals

Focus on familiar problems Focus on novel problems

Codifiability

• The ability of the firm to structure knowledge into a set of identifiable rules and relationships that can be easily communicated

• Coded knowledge is alienable from the individual who owns the knowledge

Decision support system

Patent searchCodified skin care expertiseNHS direct Cancer symptom checking appsPrinter troubleshooterTax preparation P. 159. capture implicit knowledge

Examples of codification of knowledge

Knowledge management consulting

What’s your strategy for managing knowledge HBR, March/April

Embedded knowledge

The artifact in the work environment

Culture and cognition

Culture and cognition

Embedded knowledge example:Knowledge spillover

• The proximity of firms within a common industry often affect how well knowledge travels among firms

• The exchange of ideas among employees from different firms leads to innovations.

Knowledge work

• Relatively unstructured • Involves manipulation of symbols through the use of tools,

including ICT systems.• Characterized by an emphasis on theoretical knowledge,

creativity, and use of analytical and social skills• Types of work does not lend itself particularly well to

knowledge capture and standardization because there is a significant reliance on the application of both explicit and tacit knowledge

• Autonomy over the major work processes• Knowledge workers own the organization’s primary means of

production – that is, knowledge.

Organized in a way to

• Attract and retain knowledge workers • Promote innovation and creativity

– The role of the management is to provide conditions that will facilitate knowledge work

Knowledge work in organization

• “The first is in using mind power through hierarchical authority to manage other people’s work.

• The second is in self-directing work, collaborating with others, and using one’s own, unique skills, knowledge, and thinking capacities ” p. 34, Mobilizing mind

Taylorism (Scientific management)

• Standardization and mass production– Modern Times ; measurement and efficiency;

telecommuting • Work processes were to be broken down into

standardized, basic tasks that ever simple to perform; bureaucracy

• Where does the knowledge reside in a mass production factory?

Knowledge work cont.

• Autonomy over the major work processes– Knowledge workers own the organization’s

primary means of production – that is, knowledge. • Diversity

– “the nature of knowledge production is changing and increasingly knowledge production relies on the combination of knowledge from a variety of fields and disciplines”

Knowledge work

• Relatively unstructured – Types of work does not lend itself particularly well

to knowledge capture and standardization/automation

– Manipulation of symbols – Characterized by an emphasis on theoretical

knowledge, creativity, and use of analytical and social skills

– Involves manipulation of symbols through the use of tools, including ICT systems.

• What are the conditions (structural, cultural) under which knowledge work can flourish?

Management of knowledge workers

• Autonomy vs. efficiency– Flexibility and self management

• Proper knowledge “enablers”– Organization cultural

• Fairness • Reward sharing, part of job requirement• "Successful knowledge sharing is 90 percent cultural, 5

percent tools and 5 percent magic.“

– Organization structure • Decentralization

The reward system

• The reputation oriented reward system – Competing for recognition and attention – Make the self-interested behavior contribute to

the benefit of the community– Distributed cognition: no Science Czar, scientist (in

general) are left to their own device

Control

• Output • Time • Cultural control

– Norm – Discipline

Organizational culture

• A system of shared meaning held by members that distinguishes the organization from other organizations– Fairness – 3M’s 15 percent and 30 percent rules

• Post-it

– Google’s 20 percent rule • Gmail

The end of university as we know it

• “The division-of-labor model of separate departments is obsolete and must be replaced with a curriculum structured like a web or complex adaptive network. Responsible teaching and scholarship must become cross-disciplinary and cross-cultural”– Abolish permanent departments, create problem-focused

programs, kind of radical, and might not work, why...– E.g. Beckman institute at U. of Illinois– cs + x at Stanford

有關邁頂計畫第二期經費事宜（詳情請參考附件之午餐會議記錄第一段院長的話）， 文院請有意願爭取的老師可以自行找其他系所老師組成跨系所團隊，

針對文院所提兩個計畫方向積極規劃並撰寫計畫書，

屆時可向文院爭取第二期邁頂計畫經費。

院長所提研究團隊五項基本條件包括：

1、在上「亞太文化之跨學科研究」與「人文世界的多樣性」兩個研究範疇之內。

2、跨三系所八名教師（外院或外校教師亦可參與，但需各自帶經費來合作）。

3、二年期以上（若為五年期更好，可分割為兩階段執行）。

4、能讓研究生有參與空間，譬如提供研究生出國開會經費。

5、有計畫書與經費需求表。經費勿浮列，譬如舉辦研討會可編列基本經費，但應再向外申請其他經費支援。

由符合以上五個基本條件所組成的研究團隊，一起來爭取第二期邁頂經費。

以上說明， 麻煩老師們審慎考慮，謝謝！

Why do scientists collaborate?

• Division of cognitive labor• Interdisciplinarity

– Allow scientists to incorporate many different kinds of knowledge

– Guarantees a diversity of perspectives– Scientists are more productive when collaborating– Death of distance?

Structural constrains

• BureaucracyWork processes organized around functional groups Many formal rules, policies and procedures Direct control characterized by supervision Centralized decision-makingCoordination achieved through explicit rules and proceduresHighly mechanistic form

• AdhocracyWork processes self-organized around team Few or no formal rules, policies and procedures Normative control characterized by self-management Decentralized decision-makingCoordination achieved through mutual adjustmentHighly organic form

Case study 2.1 Managing Knowledge Work, p. 36

• Describe what strikes you as the most interesting aspects in ScienceCo’s management of knowledge workers.

• How was the balance between accountability/efficiency and innovation in knowledge work kept in ScienceCo?

• Do you see any area in ScienceCo’s KM practice that can be improved?

Case study 2.1 Managing Knowledge Work, p. 36

• Organization structure– Flat – Innovation Exploitation Board

• Recruitment and selection– Are you one of us?

• Willingness to share knowledge, ability to work collaboratively, openness, willingness to experiment

• Performance management – DRTs, PRTs. – Lead consultants

• Training and development – Conferences, courses, workshops, journal, database submission

• IT usage – Protocols and norms in IT usage?

• Culture