The classic oneline definition of knowledge management was offered up by tom davenport early on. Knowledge management km is the process of creating, sharing, using and managing the knowledge and information of an organization. Knowledge management, codification and tacit knowledge. Defining knowledge management the international institute for.
Knowledge management is a process of systematically and actively managing and leveraging the stores of knowledge in an organization. We have very deliberately provided a broad selection of km definitions. Pdf knowledge is an abstract concept without any reference to the tangible world. The paper is divided into three chapters as follows.
Km is about systems and technologies km is about people and learning organisations. Source of knowledge the person in the street often believes that knowledge has four sources. The utilization of the knowledge activities at the resources connected to knowledge which is limited and assisted through an extensive choice of aspects will result in km. Knowledge management is a new complex topic that requires new ways of thinking. Definition of knowledge management author definition of knowledge management ouintas et al. The meaning structures that underlie language embed major stocks of social and historically developed knowledge. There are several different, and sometimes quite confusing statements that claim to be a definition of knowledge management and there are different perspectives on what knowledge management is.
Technology and people related techniques bring to knowledge management the ability to carry out knowledge management processes quickly, efficiently and costeffectively, making it an enabling solution. The overall objective is to create value and leverage and refine the firms knowledge assets to meet organizational goals. Change font introduction this article returns to a theme addressed in the special issue of information research on knowledge management. Strategies and processes designed to identify, capture, structure, value, leverage, and share an organizations intellectual assets to enhance its performance and competitiveness. The research task, as given to me, was to determine the type of processes taking place within knowledge management to increase the understanding of km. This paper seeks to explain the key fundamentals in knowledge management. Knowledge management km is a collection of systematic approaches to help information and knowledge flow to and between the right people at the right time. There are any number of definitions of km, many of which put too much stress on the tacit knowledge side of the knowledge and information management spectrum, are overly academic, or are simply too abstract. What are the best four components of knowledge management. However, although there is an abundance of advice on how to develop and manipulate knowledgebased systems particularly through the medium of web sites, there is still confusion within the. If knowledge is viewed as an object, or is equated with information access, then knowledge management should focus on building and managing knowledge stocks. Knowledge management johns hopkins center for communication. When implementing a knowledge management initiative the knowledge management.
It describes how knowledge management enables the mission command warfighting function and continues by describing how knowledge management helps commanders in organizing the mission command system. Implement a knowledge management process to improve the quality of management decision making by ensuring that reliable and secure information and data is available throughout the service lifecycle to meet business needs establish the role of an enterprisewide knowledge manager and ensure all support teams. Youll learn more about fayol and management s other key contributors when you read about the history of management in chapter 2. An established discipline since 1991, km includes courses taught in the fields of business administration, information. The process of management is defined by the functions of management. Notes on concept and importance of knowledge management. Knowledge management is the process of capturing, distributing, and effectively using knowledge. As ive often asserted, knowledge management struggles with its own identity.
Knowledge management is the name of a concept in which an enterprise consciously and comprehensively gathers, organizes, shares, and analyzes its knowledge in terms of resources, documents, and people skills. Knowledge is an abstract concept without any reference to the tangible. Knowledge management, therefore, implies a strong tie to organizational goals and strategy, it also involves the management of knowledge that is useful for some purpose and which creates value for the organization. Knowledge management meaning and important concepts. In conclusion, knowledge management is the process of enabling the resources of knowledge. Language, definitely, is one of those tools that we use to manage knowledge. Yale university knowledge management process 5 of 9 roles the following roles have been identified within the knowledge management process.
Probably no better or more succinct singleline definition has appeared since. When a nurse looks up the newest treatment guidelines before she treats her patient, she is using knowledge management. Brooking knowledge management is about enhancing the use of organisational knowledge through sound practices of information management and organisational learning. Knowledge management terms, 2009 essential managerial tasks a managers job uniquely describes the functions of management, which are most commonly cited as planning, organizing, leading, and controlling, although some managers jobs identify additional functions. Analysis of knowledge management within five key areas. Chapter 2 discusses the knowledge management assessments. The following itil terms and acronyms information objects are used in knowledge management to represent process outputs and inputs service knowledge management system skms the service knowledge management system skms is the central repository of the data, information and knowledge that the it organization needs to manage the lifecycle of its services. Knowledge management digital article back in mid2006, a friend of mine, dave senay, became ceo of one the worlds most celebrated strategic communications firms, fleishman hillard.
The field of knowledge management is the study of how firms manage the tacit and explicit knowledge and knowhow their employees have about its products, services, organizational systems and intellectual property. Knowledge management km cannot be achieved with a single definite activity. It is not about the knowledge, it is about knowledge internalization dissemination to tacit knowledge to explicit knowledge from tacit. Some knowledge is embedded in business processes, activities, and relationships that have been created over time through the implementation of a continuing series of improvements. Knowledge management km is the systematic management of processes enabling vital individual and collective knowledge resources to be identified, created, stored, shared, and used for the benefit of the actors involved glossary.
Explicit knowledge exists in the form of words, sentences, documents, organized data, computer programs and in other explicit forms. These are usually referred to be knowledge activities. Chapter 1 explains knowledge management to support the u. It is important to remember that knowledge management is not about managing knowledge for knowledge s sake. During the 1970s, researchers such as peter drucker, paul strassman, and peter senge began to develop the theories and practical applications of. Understanding the relevance of different information. Whereas information management simply provides the right information to the right people at the right time, knowledge management goes beyond that to provide insights, knowhow, experience, and guidance about that information. Knowledge management apqc is the leading source for innovative thinking and the latest research in knowledge management km. Knowledge management as a discipline is tied to the information age, and the technological tools that have increased the ability to share and spread knowledge at a rapid pace darkir, 2005, p. Knowledge management is hard to define precisely and simply. Put simply, knowledge management is the process of capturing, distributing, and effectively using knowledge.
Whether youre developing a km strategy or want best practices from organizations with longstanding km programs, apqc gives you access to an array of trusted resources and tools. Knowledge management is a field of increasing popularity, within both the academic arena and the business community. Therefore, the extent to which an organisation performs well, will depend, among other things, on. In this piece, well expand on that definition of knowledge management with some concrete examples, and then illustrate exactly why knowledge management is such an important area of focus for businesses and for. In early 1998, it was believed that few enterprises actually had a comprehensive knowledge management practice by any name in operation. Hence, this paper discusses in detail the different types of knowledge that are important in organizations and the definition of knowledge sharing. It refers to a multidisciplinary approach to achieve organisational objectives by making the best use of knowledge. Although the term knowledge management may be new to many health care workers and global health professionals, many are already practicing it every day without realizing it. Chapter 3 discusses designing knowledge management solutions. The definition also leapfrogs the task of defining knowledge itself. Note that knowledge management is related to, but differs from information management.
Knowledge management is the process of creating, sharing, using and managing the knowledge and information of an organization. What is knowledge management, and why is it important. If knowledge is a process, then the implied knowledge management focus is on knowledge flow. Based on his 20 years of experience as a ceo, fayol. Knowledge management is any system that helps people in an organization share, access, and update business knowledge and information. It is a very powerful concept, yet it has no clear definition so far. Knowledge definition is the fact or condition of knowing something with familiarity gained through experience or association. Knowledge management glossary knowledge research institute, inc.
Knowledge and the importance of knowledge sharing in. It begins with a brief overview of knowledge management foundations. The first pertains to a defined body of information. A special case of inductive reasoning resulting in specific assertions that imply the available information in context of the background knowledge without logical certainty. Specifically, knowledge management embodies the strategies and processes that a firm. At vtt electronics, knowledge management research has been part of software engineering research. Knowledge management is the activity, which is concerned with strategy and tactics to manage human centered assets. Knowledge management not only allows you and your team to gain access to data and knowledge faster, but it enables you to serve your customers better and faster as well. Risk management benchmarking a significant element of the business community also views knowledge management as a natural extension of business process reengineering, a fact underscored by the recent announcement that. What is knowledge management and why is it important.
This view is incorrect in detail, but is a reasonable jumping off point. History of knowledge management what is knowledge management. Depending on the definition, the body of information might consist of facts, opinions, ideas, theories, principles, and models or other frameworks. This definition was coined by tom davenport in 1994. We argue that practical mastery needs to be supplemented by a quasitheoretical understanding of what individuals are doing when they exercise that mastery, and this is what knowledge management should be aiming at. Knowledge management is based on the idea that an organisations most valuable resource is the knowledge of its people. Short versions in the form of a vademecum are available in english, german, french, and spanish. Knowledge management is the transformation of knowledge in the form of insights, understandings, and practical knowhow that we all possess in other manifestations like books, technology, practices, and traditions within organizations of all kinds and in society. The purpose of this paper is to discuss knowledge and the importance of knowledge sharing in organizations. May 03, 2019 knowledge management not only allows you and your team to gain access to data and knowledge faster, but it enables you to serve your customers better and faster as well.
Knowledge management is responsible for understanding. Jan 15, 2018 the classic oneline definition of knowledge management was offered up by tom davenport early on davenport, 1994. For a more comprehensive discussion and definition, see my knowledge management definition. This paper also proposes and evaluates a novel management structure that encourages knowledge sharing across an organization. There are many taxonomies that specify various kinds of knowledge. Chapter 4 discusses eveloping knowledge d management solutions. Before we explore knowledge management theories and strategies, lets start with an overview of the meaning of knowledge. Luhmann, however, pointed out that language, as a media and tool, creates tensions, which, in turn, generate further media. This chapter providesan overview on how knowledge management supports the army.
This knowledge management toolkit has been created by the sdc knowledge and learning processes division in cooperation with agridea lindau. Pdf this chapter defines knowledge and knowledge management km. This has resulted to an all new, modern and integrated definition of km from an interdisciplinary perspective. Knowledge definition of knowledge by merriamwebster. Another way to define knowledge management is the process or processes used to handle and oversee all of the knowledge that exists within a company. Knowledge management as an important tool in organisational management. Knowledge management km knowledge management km refers to a multi disciplined approach to achieve organizational objectives by making the best use of knowledge. The design and implementation of effective knowledge. Knowledge management km definitions john girard, ph. Knowledge management may also include new knowledge creation, or it may solely focus on knowledge sharing, storage, and refinement. Km focuses on processes such as acquiring, creating and shar.