Knowledge Management - Tools - Essay Example

? Knowledge Management Introduction Knowledge management refers to the process which is used for the purpose of capturing, distributing and effectively using the knowledge. The major focus of the paper is to throw light on the concept of knowledge management. In order to explain the concept in detail, the paper constitutes of discussion on the definition of knowledge management, two knowledge management tools, their functioning pattern, uses and drawback of these methods. Knowledge management The concept of knowledge management was generated in 1990s. The holistic management of the knowledge and information that an organisation comprises defines the crux of the working of the concept of knowledge management. The focus of this approach is on integrated approach which deals with identification, capturing, evaluating and sharing knowledge for gaining maximum result (Wallace 2007). The major components of the knowledge management includes the data and information of an organisation which is made available to all it employees through the use of electronic and traditional mediums. The exact definition of the concept is not easy to define because it constitutes of the concept of knowledge which is very wide and difficult to define Knowledge management is that discipline which aims at making the individuals and teams enable for collectively creating, sharing and applying Knowledge. This plays an implant role in helping the organisation in achieving the organisational goals and objectives.  With the aid and sue of knowledge management the organisation aims at creating intellectual base and knowledge based assets which play an essential role in increasing the returns and profits of the company. The major focus is on sharing of knowledge amongst the employees in order to devise the best working strategies. There are two major activities which play an important role in the arena of knowledge management which involves, capturing and documentation of both types of knowledge which includes tacit and explicit and disseminating the collecting information in the organisation for generating desirable results. The concept of knowledge management indicates that there exist a strong relation between the goals of the organisation and its strategy. The management of the intellectual knowledge of the organisation for some meaningful purpose so that it creates value and meaning for the business is the major focus of knowledge management (Civi 2000). Thus, the concept of knowledge management can be defined as the systematic and well planned management of knowledge assets which an organization has that play an important role in creation of value and meets the strategic requirements of the company. The following diagram explains the concept and major constituents of knowledge management: (Source: Civi 2000) Various tools and techniques have been used for the selection of knowledge management initiatives in small and medium sized organisations. The tools of knowledge management are divided into two parts that include information technology tools and web based tools (Debowski 2007). The purpose of knowledge management is to improve the performance of the organisation by providing certain tools, processes and systems for creation, and sharing of knowledge. These tools of knowledge management are effective for decision making processes of the organisation. An effective knowledge management tool ensures ease of use by the people. Knowledge management tool provides specialised knowledge for the management of organisation in an effective manner. These tools also ensure management of technical issues in an effective manner. These tools provide adequate access to the right knowledge at the right time (Awad 2004). Brainstorming is one of the tools of knowledge management, which is used by people for generating new ideas for a particular project or event. It is considered as an appropriate tool that is resilient in nature and provides a wide range of options to people. The process of brainstorming starts with taking the initiatives from people to give their ideas. These ideas are documented and then sent to all employees for review (Awad 2004). A meeting is organised with a group of people and for producing creative ideas. This tool of knowledge management is used for the purpose of generating large number of options and ideas. The following diagram shows the collective efforts which an organisation is able to gain after the sessions of brainstorming. (Source: http://firmerground.wordpress.com/category/knowledge-management/ ) On the other hand, storytelling is another tool that used for enhancement and management of knowledge in the organisation. This tool involves the practices in which events are conveyed with the help of words, images and sounds. As a tool for knowledge management, storytelling is used as an effective tool for sharing and transfer of knowledge that includes experiential and tacit knowledge. This tool facilitates sharing of deeper level of knowledge including the experience of individuals and other effective stories. Organisations use this tool of knowledge management for the purpose of sharing lessons with regarding the project with colleagues (Becerra-Fernandez et al. 2010). This tool is used for generating the interests of participants and develops such systems that provide advantage of creating and sharing of knowledge. The tool of storytelling is simple and easy to use. In this tool, a person with specialised knowledge is held for sharing his experiences and knowledge with the audience that have similar interests. The story teller has rich work experience that he shares with organisation. There are various benefits of using storytelling as a tool for enabling knowledge sharing and knowledge management within the organization. It is beneficial in transferring tacit knowledge as the person shares his experiential knowledge with the use of this tool. This tool of knowledge management helps in building and nurturing of good relationships between employees within the organisation. The person shares his personal feelings and experiences by using certain gestures and facial expressions. This helps in building of trust with the audiences and leads to sharing and creation of knowledge (Mertins, Heisig and Vorbeck 2003). One of the major benefits of storytelling is that it has an impact on the logical as well as emotional part of the human mind. In this manner, an effective process of storytelling is successful in bringing change in the mindset and behaviour of people in sharing and creation of more knowledge within the organisation. Storytelling is an effective tool for facilitating communication within the organisation. Organisations have been using narrative tools of storytelling in order to achieve a particular organisational outcome. This tool is considered to be a key ingredient for managing communications, education, training and innovation within the organisations. it is considered to be an agent for undertaking change within the organisation. With the help of effective communication regarding the need and outcomes of change employees can be informed and given knowledge about the importance of change to be undertaken. For the effective functioning of knowledge management in an organisation there are some suppresses which are highly interactive in nature are used. These sub process play an important role in maintain the efficiency of the knowledge management process that is adopted by the company. The sub processes include knowledge seeking, knowledge access, knowledge capture, knowledge transfer and knowledge sharing (Mertins, Heisig and Vorbeck 2003). These sub process are not sequential in nature but have an important role to play in helping the concept of knowledge management achieve its goals. There are some drawbacks of using the technique of knowledge management which an organisation may have to face. Some of the main disadvantages of knowledge management include inability to deliver expected performance, usability tough to understand, keeping up with the pace of changes that are taking place; cultural differences might create problem, etc. (Becerra-Fernandez et al. 2010). These are some of the major changes which have to be faced by the organisation and it should make use of effective strategies for handling such types of limitations in an effective manner. Conclusion The major focus of the above paper is to highlight the major facts and information about knowledge management and its tools. Overall, the information has been very helpful in expanding the intellectual base in context of knowledge management and its tool and their effectiveness. References Awad, E.M. 2004. Knowledge Management. US: Pearson Education. Becerra-Fernandez, I. et al. 2010. Knowledge Management: Systems and Processes. CA: M.E. Sharpe. Civi, E. 2000. Knowledge management as a competitive asset: a review. Marketing Intelligence & Planning 18(4), pp.166 – 174. Debowski, S. 2007. Knowledge Management. NY: John Wiley & Sons. Mertins, K., Heisig, P. and Vorbeck, J. 2003. Knowledge Management: Concepts and Best Practices. US: Springer. Wallace, D.P. 2007. Knowledge Management: Historical and Cross-Disciplinary Themes. US: Libraries Unlimited. Read More