Knowledge Management Basics
Practical Action
The main issue is the human factor in knowledge management and handling/sharing of tacit
knowledge. The term knowledge management has been criticized from the point of view that
one cannot “manage” the contents and processes of the human mind. However, on the
practical utilitarian ground we can talk about and implement systems that encompass people
and electronic tools to manage knowledge assets (factual and procedural knowledge
descriptions and human capabilities). To manage means to have effective control and to use
available resources to achieve an end. In this sense, knowledge management means having
control over knowledge assets and using knowledge management tools and methods in
applying and sharing knowledge to achieve the intended goals.
We realize that knowledge management is more than the maintenance of electronic
representations of facts and procedures and it must encompass the “management” of human
skills and attitudes, the recognition of tacit knowledge, the culture of sharing knowledge,
cognitive processes, etc. Ultimately, knowledge resides in people, not in machines and books.
The complexity of knowledge management systems lies in their diverse components and
internal and external relations.
Knowledge management is the judicious use of means of collecting, codifying,
processing, retaining and disseminating knowledge in order to achieve intended
goals.
There are many terms used in regards to operations on knowledge and knowledge attributes.
The literature and discussions on knowledge management include words such as acquire,
capture, learn, record, retain, and gather to denote the collecting of knowledge; describe,
encode, and model to denote the codification of knowledge; generate, create, organize,
develop, increase, verify, validate, synthesize, and reuse to denote the processing of
knowledge; demonstrate, communicate, educate, access, and distribute to denote the
dissemination of knowledge. When classifying knowledge, the following terms are used:
explicit, tacit, static, dynamic, factual, procedural, formal and indigenous. We will use these
terms assuming their intuitive meaning in the context of discussed problems.
Repositories of Knowledge Resources:
- People
- Books, texts, manuals, and other media
- Libraries (physical and digital)
- Courses and other learning experiences
- Organizational processes and contexts
- Training and apprenticeship programs
- Professional knowledge and tradecraft of individuals, working groups, and associations, both
formal and informal
- News services
Methods and Tools
Knowledge management methods and tools include technical as well as non-technical
approaches. Technical tools are based on information and communication technologies. Non-
technical tools support knowledge sharing among people in a form of direct contacts.
• Knowledge Mapping
The knowledge map is a tool for presenting what knowledge resides where (e.g. people,
media, organizational units, sources of knowledge outside the organization) and what are the
patterns of knowledge flow (access, distribution, learning). Knowledge mapping is the first
step in creating the inventory of knowledge (i.e. the knowledge base) and developing the
processes of knowledge sharing
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