What is Knowledge Management?
Knowledge management (KM) is the collection of methods relating to creating, sharing, using and managing the knowledge and information of an organization. It refers to a multidisciplinary approach to achieve organizational objectives by making the best use of knowledge.
An established discipline since 1991, KM includes courses taught in the fields of business administration, information systems, management, library, and information science. Other fields may contribute to KM research, including information and media, computer science, public health and public policy. Several universities offer dedicated master’s degrees in knowledge management.
Many large companies, public institutions, and non-profit organisations have resources dedicated to internal KM efforts, often as a part of their business strategy, IT, or human resource management departments. Several consulting companies provide advice regarding KM to these organizations.
Knowledge management efforts typically focus on organisational objectives such as improved performance, competitive advantage, innovation, the sharing of lessons learned, integration, and continuous improvement of the organisation. These efforts overlap with organisational learning and may be distinguished from that by a greater focus on the management of knowledge as a strategic asset and on encouraging the sharing of knowledge. KM is an enabler of organizational learning.
The most complex scenario for knowledge management may be found in the context of supply chain as it involves multiple companies without an ownership relationship or hierarchy between them, being called by some authors as transorganizational or interorganizational knowledge. That complexity is additionally increased by industry 4.0 (or 4th industrial revolution) and digital transformation, as new challenges emerge from both the volume and speed of information flows and knowledge generation.
Purpose of Knowledge Management
The purpose of the Knowledge Management process is to share perspectives, ideas, experience and information; to ensure that these are available in the right place at the right time to enable informed decisions; and to improve efficiency by reducing the need to rediscover knowledge.
Benefits in Knowledge Management
- Improved organisational agility.
- Better and faster decision making.
- Quicker problem-solving.
- Increased rate of innovation.
- Supported employee growth and development.
- Sharing of specialist expertise.
- Better communication.
- Improved business processes.
What are Knowledge Management Strategies?
A knowledge management strategy is a systematic approach to create, share, and use its information and documentation to improve business processes, enhance innovation, and achieve competitive advantages. Properly implemented, the strategy should involve the identification of critical knowledge areas, and investments in tools designed to capture, organize, store, and share knowledge. An effective knowledge management strategy aims to enhance collaboration and communication among employees, facilitate informed decision-making, reduce redundancy and errors, and foster innovation and learning across the organization. The end result should be the cultivation of an open and curious knowledge-driven culture.
In TIIKM we can see an how effectively knowledge flow through the organization devisions. As an employee you do not get to learn about your own work field but also about what are the jobs and responsibilities about other working employees. You get to learn from other employees, about their work experiences. Knowledge management is another method to bring an organizations employees together. It is not about which devision you work or how much money you make. It is about how team work makes the dream work.
TIIKM, is a place where you can see the team work make the dream work happen. Eventhough each devision have different job or responsibility they work together to achieve the same goals. To that TIIKM,
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- Motivates its employees
TIIKM helps to identify your goals and also to reached them. Recognize talents of the employees. And to further encouraging them to work even harder. In TIIKM employees share there experiences. Even when you are in a different unit these experiences of senior employees can help you to achieve your goals.
Also constant communication is the key to a great knowledge management. Rather than working or achieving alone its great to celebrate together and TIIKM always motivates to constant communication.
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- Build Network
Help your employees share knowledge by providing opportunities for collaboration across organizational silos and through the use of social software. Right now the competition “Blogsphere Showdown” is a great example. One of the conditions of this competition is that competitors are able to connect with academic conferences participants to write the relevant blog.
It is a way of how TIIKM makes its employees make a network to academic people to gain there own connections.
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- Implement Demand-Driven KM
An effective KM strategy includes stimulating demand for knowledge. Encourage users to ask questions, submit queries, and search. In this way, you will be able to identify in-demand content and be more efficient in knowledge capture.
“Blogsphere Showdown”, currently a competition inside the TIIKM organization which is a graet example. The demand for knowledge through a competition.
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- Disseminate
Captured knowledge has no value unless potential users know it’s available. Plan to notify users of new or updated knowledge and where to find it via channels those users engage with most, including email, newsletters, websites, or social networks.
These are some of the knowledge management strategies.
Communicating easy-to-understand actions that people in the organization will need to take to achieve your KM objectives helps everyone understand what needs to be done, by whom, and what benefits are in it for them. Assess your organization’s current KM capabilities to determine the actions you will need to take to establish a successful KM program in your organization. Consider the information your team uses on a daily basis and any informational silos that stand in the way; efficiencies or gaps within your organization’s processes; and how your organization shares knowledge within the context of the company’s culture.
A critical piece of a content knowledge audit is the organization’s technology. It is important to understand all of your organization’s current systems and their functionalities, users, restrictions, and lifecycle status. Understanding all of the components involved in a knowledge audit can help you assess and effectively navigate any roadblocks along the way.
Ms. Chamathi Pehansa Kumarage
Intern- Sales and Coordination Division
The International Institute of Knowledge Management