How Effective is Second-Hand Knowledge Sharing vs First-Hand Experience - Research Paper Example

[Your full full April 18, How effective is Second-Hand Knowledge Sharing vs. First-Hand Experience? Knowledge is an asset, which plays a significant role in personal, as well as professional success of a person. A person can never achieve his/her goals and objectives without having sufficient amount of knowledge because knowledge is the key to achievement of goals. Knowledge management also plays a considerable role in success of a project management team. The reason is that knowledge helps both managers and employees attain optimum business performance using relevant knowledge required to run different types of business processes.

Knowledge can be in the form of second-hand knowledge or first-hand experience. Both second-hand knowledge and first-hand experience provide a lot of help to managers and employees. However, first-hand experience is considered somewhat more effective than the second-hand knowledge. In this paper, we will discuss how first-hand experience is more effective as compared to the second-hand knowledge for a project manager. First-hand experience is imperative for the success of a person. The reason is that first-hand experience makes a person aware of the ways to deal with real-life problems that may come in his/her life.

If we talk about project managers, we can say that project managers have to deal with a number of issues while working on any particular project. They need to be skilled in resolving complex issues related to project management. Now, the point here is that whether second-hand knowledge is sufficient for a project manager to deal with complex issues or first-hand experience proves more effective. Researches reveal that first-hand experience is more effective for a project manager as he/she can deal with complex situations based on real experiences.

Second-hand knowledge just tells the ways to resolve business issues. However, when a person applies that knowledge in real-life issues, the situation become different because not everything written in books is always applicable in real situations. Real-life brings a different experience for every person. Second-hand knowledge is the knowledge based on experiences of a single person based on his/her personality (Fricker). Such knowledge is not always applicable to the ways that other people use to deal with personal or professional issues.

However, second-hand knowledge sharing methods can prove effective for project managers as they make them aware of what other people had done to deal with project related issues. Second-hand knowledge sharing methods, such as assigning case studies and relating personal experiences are better than just reading the books because they are based on real-life experiences of different people. Through books, one can only get the knowledge about required skills and abilities to deal with project related issues.

He/she can never learn the ways to apply those skills in real-life situations. On the other hand, through first-hand experience, a person can learn the ways and approaches based on his/her personality to take effective decisions on different project related issues. First-hand experience is effective because it leads to the applicable knowledge of self, as well as to the direct knowledge of others. One can use written knowledge in real-life situations provided that his/her personal approach of applying knowledge matches with that of the person who has shared his/her knowledge in some book or article.

Although one cannot deny the importance of second-hand knowledge, but the fact is that first-hand experience provides a person with confidence and mental strength that one cannot get through second-hand knowledge. Today, the concept of using first-hand experiences is founding its base in almost every organization because of their effectiveness in dealing with business and global collaboration issues. The reason behind increase in the use of first-hand experiences is that they make people confident and convinced about their actions and approaches.

For project managers, second-hand knowledge provides just an awareness of different project related issues. The real help for project managers occurs through their first-hand experiences of supervising business matters, preparing budgets, and scheduling work related activities. Of course, second-hand knowledge cannot help managers perform these activities because everything needs some practical experience that can be obtained through real situations. For project managers, second-hand knowledge is also effective to some extent but it can only tell them the ways to carry out different business activities.

The real knowledge comes through practice and experiences which one gets using the combination of personal approach and second-hand knowledge. Summing it up, first-hand experience is more effective as compared to second-hand knowledge for project managers because second-hand knowledge provides just written knowledge based on approaches and experiences of other people, whereas first-hand experience provides them with the practical knowledge of dealing with complex situations and project related issues confidently.

Works Cited Fricker, Elizabeth. "Second-Hand Knowledge." Philosophy and Phenomenological Research 73.3 (2006): 592-618. Print.