Information Management and Knowledge Management - Essay Example

 Table of Contents Table of Contents 2 Introduction 3 Importance of information flow and knowledge management 3 Barriers in appropriate information and knowledge management processes 5 Role of Communication in information flow 6 Managing information and knowledge base 7 Key factors influencing the process of information and knowledge management process 8 Conclusion 9 Reference List 11 Introduction The aspect and scope of knowledge management and information networking is mainly based on three key processes namely, gathering, sharing and storing (Alavi, Kayworth and Leidner, 2005). With the growth of technology, the process of information management has changed. Benson, Stacie and Richard (2007) added that the companies have realised the value addition in the organisational process done by appropriate information and knowledge management networks. However, embedding information management in the work culture of a company is one of the most complicated tasks and can also hamper the existing operations of a firm. On the other hand, operational processes of the firms may also hamper information and knowledge management system. The cases of Danone, NASA and Xerox will be studied in the following segment of the report for evaluating the nature and process of information and knowledge management. Importance of information flow and knowledge management In order to evaluate the importance of information flow and knowledge management both the concepts should be properly understood and analysed. According to Duan, Nie and Coakes (2010), knowledge management concept is a further modelling of the information management which focuses on developing the database system of a firm whereas information management processes are used to ensure that the right person is having the right information. On the other hand, BegonaLloria (2008) stated that use of knowledge and information management practices are used in a correlated manner. It has been observed in case of Danone who use their customised Networking Attitude for sharing of information among their employee base and also measure the accuracy of the information. Danone initially implemented the Networking Attitude only on the managers to test the suitability and compatibility of the process with the organisational structure and culture of the company (Emondson et al. 2011). In the 21st century, the operational process of Danone experienced many changes that were focused on enhancing diversity and also improve their knowledge management process (Emondson et al. 2011). The introduction of Riboud as the CEO of Danone was such a step which enabled the company to maintain communication with the local markets and gather relevant information regarding the market conditions (Emondson et al. 2011). Riboud’s belief was that having a proper information network through the operational channels will help the organisation in designing an accurate business measures. However, there was more to Riboud’s strategy for knowledge management which not only created opportunity for gathering market information but also developed a strong scope for leveraging the internal talent within the organisation. The company introduced the Growth Program in the year 2003 which would allow them to align their knowledge management activities with the growth of the organisation (Emondson et al. 2011). The Growth Program was focused on helping build the organisational process through identification of best practices in the work process and the outcome resulted in development of 5% consistent growth on a year on year basis (Emondson et al. 2011). The Growth Program in a manner was an extension of the Networking Attitude. The Networking Attitude was established in the year 2002 for promoting and sharing of best work practices in the work place (Emondson et al. 2011). The practices of Danone reflect a strong focus on information flow by identifying the knowledge and working habits of their employees. Also the consideration for collecting market information and sharing it with the employees created the opportunity for developing services and products related to the needs and expectations of the consumers. The importance and role of knowledge management and information flow can thus be observed by focusing on the growth and development of Danone with their focused approach. Barriers in appropriate information and knowledge management processes In the words of Cox (2007), knowledge and information management practices are implemented and operated appropriately when the internal structure of a company is supportive towards the process of sharing, storing and gathering of information. The example of Danone given in the above segment reflects a tight connection between the internal structure of the firm which helped them in developing a positive outcome from their information and knowledge management processes. Considering the various aspects involved in knowledge management processes, it is essential for business firms to function as a single unit to ensure that the desired results can be obtained from their knowledge and information management strategies. The barriers in knowledge management and information management identified by Hislop (2005) are mostly related with the internal operations of the business such as differences in employee opinions, employee work style, alignment of organisational culture with the knowledge and information management practices. Some of these factors can be identified in Xerox when they were trying to focus on transforming their functions from quality driven to knowledge driven (Cox, 2007). However, Xerox’s knowledge management was primarily supported by quality aspects of their products. Xerox believed that the curiosity to diversify and gather knowledge induces an individual most for achieving quality and also develops a proper direction for working. The operations of Xerox were focused on creating knowledge sharing and information management processes. Rick Thoman, Ex President and CEO of Xerox stated that only 12% of the overall corporate information being processed in a company can be managed with the help of the technological resources databases (Cox, 2007). On the other hand, the remaining 88% is created and organised by manual activities which does not involve any adequate or specific process of information sharing and gathering. The entire work process towards knowledge management process began when Paul Allaire joined the company as CEO in the year 1997 which was later carried on by Thoman (Cox, 2007). The primary barriers faced by Xerox were to establish quality in each of the activities being performed. On the contrary, this also introduced many changes in their existing work process which was difficult to manage both in terms of productivity and performance of the employees. Thus, knowledge management was included in the strategic planning of the organisation which helped them in creating the time required for following their knowledge based vision. Role of Communication in information flow Communication as has been mentioned above is the most important criterion in developing an effective knowledge and information management process within the culture of an organisation. Communication has been defined by Schultze and Stabell (2004) is the primary factor that allows functionality of various activities may it be in the social or corporate sphere. Klein (2008) stated that communication of an organisation should be clear and transparent in order to increase the accuracy in the work process and reduce misunderstanding among the workforce. Errors in communication can be serious consequence as was observed in the case of Colombia space shuttle accident of NASA (Bohmer, Edmondson, and Roverto, 2010). The Columbia space shuttle exploded in the year 2003 while it was entering the earth’s atmosphere (Bohmer, Edmondson, and Roverto, 2010). Later it was identified that there was a flaw in the technical structure of the shuttle that was recognised but not rectified by the crew and hence the shuttle overheated from inside and resulted in the explosion. The flow in information resulted in loss of lives and also monetary losses (Bohmer, Edmondson, and Roverto, 2010). Apart from this, NASA also reflected many other examples of information mismanagement which concluded in awful results for the organisation as well as its operatives. Klein (2008) noticed that communication process of the business depends on the structural forms of the organisation. The development of the communication system of a firm also depends on the compatibility of the technological and human resources of the business. Hislop (2005) stated that communication processes used in the contemporary scenario of the business are often developed in relation to their database management process of the firm. The utilisation of the database system is connected by the communication process which is mostly technological. On the other hand, Benson, Stacie and Richard (2007) criticised that manual communication process used in organisations such as NASA have resulted in disastrous outcomes. However, manual communication is the best process of verifying the validity of the communication system. Observing the nature of information management in the companies in the modern day, BegonaLloria (2008) stated that technological systems such as MYSQL, IBS and SAP are developed with a proper communicative platform which allows the users to verify the authenticity of the business and also support the requirements of the business. Managing information and knowledge base Information and knowledge base of a company is managed based on the requirements of the organisation. The techniques utilised are mostly developed on technological platforms which allow the different persons of the business to measure the effectiveness of information on the productivity and performance of the organisation (Duan, Nie and Coakes, 2010). This was observed in the case of Xerox who have restructured their culture and made it knowledge driven. Furthermore, the knowledge and information flow of Danone is focused on utilisation of information and appropriate storing, gathering and sharing. It can be observed that the differences in knowledge and information management networks are based on the intention of using them. However, the way of utilisation determines the capability of knowledge management process to fulfil the expected requirements of the business (Bohmer, Edmondson, and Roverto, 2010). Another factor that helps the organisation in managing the information base is the support of the workforce. The employee base should have a clear understanding of their role in the knowledge management process which also helps them in aligning their operational skills with the database management system of the organisation (Benson, Stacie and Richard, 2007). The outcome of this aspect was observed in all the three cases mentioned above. In case of Danone, the employees were considered to be an essential part of the organisation which also helped them in bagging their support. On the other hand, Xerox’s strategy was to embed knowledge and quality in each and every function of the business. This concept automatically forced the work structure into a knowledge driven system. However, NASA’s information management was a classic example of the negative outcomes of improper knowledge management and flaws in communication. The information generation process of NASA is well established; however they are not able to transfer this information to the responsible sources and signify an inefficient tracking process (BegonaLloria, 2008). Hislop (2005) also considered that organisational structure of an organisation can also be a major barrier in the managerial aspects of information and knowledge management database. Key factors influencing the process of information and knowledge management process The information and knowledge management process are governed by many factors that are directly or indirectly related with the operational aspect of a company (Duan, Nie and Coakes, 2010). As reflected in the earlier portions of the study, the development of information and knowledge management networks are dependent on internal factors such as employee management and organisational structure as well as the ability of the technological resources of the firm. In the words of Benson, Stacie and Richard (2007), the primary factor influencing the information flow is the organisational structure of the organisation. The organisational structure illustrates the capacity to convey the communication of the firm. Apart from this, communication which is an essential aspect of information flow is also influenced by the organisational structure. Moreover, the support of the workforce towards management of information and knowledge in the business will also impact the efficacy of the knowledge management process within the organisation. Conclusion The case of Danone, Xerox and NASA has been used in the study for assessing the knowledge management process and their effectiveness in the business. The essentiality of information and knowledge management processes depends on the requirements within the organisation. However, they also tend to differ based on the organisational structure, work practices and employee management processes of the firm. The case of Danone and Xerox highlighted the use of information and knowledge management practices with positive outcomes. However, NASA’s case mainly was developed to identify the gaps in the information flow which has caused various accidents. The barriers in the information and knowledge management process being used in the contemporary scenario, is highly influenced by technological resources. However, manual intervention is needed in order to ensure accuracy of the knowledge management processes. Reference List Alavi, M., Kayworth, T.R. and Leidner D.E., 2005. Empirical examination of the influence of organizational culture on knowledge management practices, Journal of Management Information Systems, 22 (3), pp. 191–224. BegonaLloria, M., 2008. A review of the main approaches to Knowledge Managemnt. Knowledge Management Research & Practice, 6, pp.77-89. Benson, R., Stacie, F. and Richard, B., 2007. Overcoming barriers to knowledge sharing in virtual teams. Organizational Dynamics, 36 (3), pp. 259–273. Bohmer, R. M. J., Edmondson, A.C. and Roverto, M. A., 2010. Columbia’s Final Mission. Harvard Business School, May, pp. 1-24. Cox, A., 2007. Reproducing knowledge: Xerox and the story of Knowledge Management. Knowledge Management Research and Practice, 5 (1), pp. 3-12. Duan, Y., Nie, W. and Coakes, E., 2010. Identifying key factors affecting transnational knowledge transfer, Information & Management, 47 (7/8), pp. 356–363 Emondson, A.C., Moingeon, B., Dessain, V. and Jensen, D., 2011. Global Knowledge Management at Danone, September, pp. 1-18. Hislop, D., 2005. Knowledge management in organizations: a critical introduction. Oxford: OUP. Klein, J.H., 2008. Some directions for research in knowledge sharing. Knowledge Management Research & Practice, 6, pp.41-46. Schultze, U. and Stabell, C., 2004. Knowing what you don’t know? Discourses and contradictions in Knowledge Management research. Journal of Management Studies, 41(4), pp. 549-573. Read More