Knowledge Management

What Is Knowledge? DataA Record of aChange of StateInformationData organized witha purpose. A messageKnowledgeLiterally what people know

Types of KnowledgeExplicit knowledge

Tacit knowledge

Formal knowledge(Visible)

Available in the form of books, reports, audio tapes, video tapes etc.

Can be articulated

Informal knowledge(Highly Invisible)

Confined in the mind of a person

Difficult to articulate

Knowledge Management Knowledge Driven OrganizationFully leverage the "collective knowledge" in an organization Creation and sharing of knowledgeKM processes provide a framework for connecting people to people and people to information

KM helps the Organization to:Improve organizational effectiveness and ReturnsBuild competitive advantageCreate greater value See the opportunities and exploit them

The Essence of Knowledge Management

The central theme of Knowledge Management is to leverage and reuse knowledge resources that already exist in the organization so that people will seek out best practices rather than reinvent the wheel.

Why Knowledge Management?

What does leveraging "collective knowledge" involve?Working in collaborative teams, capturing and sharing knowledge and delivering business excellence.

Developing and sharing "best practices."

Faster replication of innovations through faster movement of knowledge through the organization.

Acquisition and sharing of "new knowledge."

Creating an environment that is comfortable to the idea of openness, knowledge sharing, risk of failure as well as rewards for success.

Managing organizational learning.

Knowledge Management Process

Benefits of Knowledge to Enterprise Unleash new Ideas and Creativity.

Improve and accelerate Learning.

Enhance Team Collaboration & Coordination.

Improve the Flow of knowledge.

Attract, and retain motivated, loyal, and committed talent.

Knowledge Management InitiativesHUL's Packaging Network Opportunities / Challenges: Packaging in our company is very important, both for providing protection to the product in transit and storage as well as its contribution to pack presentation / brand image. How do we make sure that the collective knowledge of the packaging professionals in the company is fully leveraged by the packaging professionals in each business, to add value to his business, through problem solving as well as innovations to reduce cost and or improve functionality?

HULs response: Formed a knowledge community. The team meets once in two months for structured knowledge sharing and monitoring progress of implementation of the charter.

The basic approach and methodology adopted by the team: Develop clarity on business expectations Appointed sub-teams to specialize / lead in each of the knowledge blocks. Knowledge workshops" with the core team and the extended team to generate new ideas and opportunities. Intranet application with collaborative working tools, to facilitate knowledge sharing on a continuous basis, in between the face to face meetings.

Results achieved:The Packaging community has been consistently delivering as per their charter.To strengthening knowledge sharing behaviour through facilitation, training and leadership.

The barriers for implementing Knowledge Management?

Conceptual / mindset related issues: We should move from hoarding of knowledge to gain power" to "sharing of knowledge to gain power."

Operational issues: KM should not be seen as a separate initiative, but should be integrated into current workflow as a more effective way to achieve business results.

The role of HR in institutionalizing KM in an organizationFocus on strengthening collaborative team effort to leverage collective knowledge of the enterprise.Corporate Education.Performance Management and nurturing (sharing, doing and caring) culture.Talent management. Recruitment, training, skill and competency development.New HRM roles are those of human capital steward, knowledge facilitator, relationship builder, and rapid deployment specialist.

Human capital stewardCreates an environment and culture in which employees voluntarily contribute skills, ideas, and energyHuman capital is not owned by organizationKnowledge facilitatorProcures necessary employee knowledge and skill sets that allow information to be acquired, developed, and disseminatedProvides a competitive advantage Must be part of strategically designed employee development plan

New HRM Roles

Relationship builderDevelops structure, work practices, and culture that allow individuals to work togetherDevelops networks that focus on strategic objectives

Rapid deployment specialistCreates fluid and adaptable structure and systemsGlobal, knowledge-based economy mandates flexibility and culture that embraces change

How then do HR processes and practices impact the knowledge sharing in a firm?Job rotations

Networked organization

Training

Knowledge communities (Teams)

E- Learning

Culture change

How do we create a knowledge sharing culture?Realign incentive and reward program:The best KM practitioners reward employees for learning, sharing and collaborating.

Step HR could implement are: Institute Team awards Xerox: Eureka Hall of Fame" Hewlett Packard Consulting: in their "vision" statement: "Our consultants feel and act as if they have the knowledge of the entire organization at their fingertips when they consult with customers. We will recognize those consultants that share and those that leverage other's knowledge and experience as most valuable members of the HP team."

HR should be the catalyst for culture changeHR will also be a key facilitator in implementing a companywide communication of value behaviours.

Team excellence workshops and process improvement (speed, simplicity and excellence) workouts are among the key initiatives that will soon be launched by HR to support the culture change. These culture change initiatives will strongly support our efforts to become a stronger knowledge driven company, committed to business excellence.

Develop "Knowledge Pull.

Some of the steps that HR could take for cultural change :

Performance Development Planning (PDP); 1.Learning from experience 2.Team commitment 3.Developing others

Develop a mechanism to communicate effectively.

Collaborative effort and knowledge.

Make KM part of the Company training modules.

Hold visible knowledge sharing events.

Conclusion:

Transformation into knowledge driven organizationHR has a key role to play in nurturing and strengthening knowledge management through "learning initiatives" and "culture change initiatives.HR is best placed to play the role of an effective facilitator, and give positive reinforcements for Knowledge Management .Knowledge management has already been embraced as a source of solutions to the problems of todays business.

**two kinds of knowledge parallel Michael Polanyis often-quoted distinction between explicit knowledge (sometimes referred to as formal knowledge), which can be articulated in language and transmitted among individuals, and tacit knowledge (also, informal knowledge), personal knowledge rooted in individual experience and involving personal belief, perspective, and values. (Polanyi, Michael. The Tacit Dimension. London: Routledge & Kegan Paul. See also Karl E. Sveibys online description, "Tacit Knowledge." In traditional perceptions of the role of knowledge in business organizations, tacit knowledge is often viewed as the real key to getting things done and creating new value. Not explicit knowledge. Thus we often encounter an emphasis on the "learning organization" and other approaches that stress internalization of information (through experience and action) and generation of new knowledge through managed interactionTacit knowledge can be shared and exchanged.

*I associate the cause of my indirection with the many companies I have been associated with in the past. These companies had pursued TQM or reengineering, not in support of what they were trying to accomplish, but as ends in themselves because they simply didn't know what they were really trying to accomplish. And, since they didn't know what they were really trying to accomplish, the misdirection was actually a relief, and pursued with a passion­­it just didn't get them anywhere in particular.According to Mike Davidson[dav96], and I agree with him, what's really important is:Mission: What are we trying to accomplish? Competition: How do we gain a competitive edge? Performance: How do we deliver the results? Change: How do we cope with change? As such, knowledge management, and everything else for that matter, is important only to the extent that it enhances an organization's ability and capacity to deal with, and develop in, these four dimensions.

*Companies derive the benefits from knowledge management. These benefits include:Companies discover the opportunities provided by the environment and exploit them with the help of knowledge created and developed.Companies can reduce the threats created by the environmentDerive more value and competencies from the intellectual property.Increase productivity, profit etc.Learn continuously and retain competenciesAbility to change and to become agentGetting maximum from the people and information technology.

*Knowledge Management is a process that, continuously and systematically, transfers knowledge from individuals and teams, who generate them, to the brain of the organisation for the benefit of the entire organisation. It is the systematic, explicit, and deliberate building, renewal, and application of knowledge to maximize an enterprise's knowledge-related effectiveness and returns from its knowledge assets.

*Changes in strategic direction may result in the loss of knowledge in a specific area.

To these paraphrases of Ms. Macintoshs observations we would add: Most of our work is information based. Organizations compete on the basis of knowledge. Products and services are increasingly complex, endowing them with a significant information component. The need for life-long learning is an inescapable reality. In brief, knowledge and information have become the medium in which business problems occur. As a result, managing knowledge represents the primary opportunity for achieving substantial savings, significant improvements in human performance, and competitive advantage. Its not just a Fortune 500 business problem. Small companies need formal approaches to knowledge management even more, because they dont have the market leverage, inertia, and resources that big companies do. They have to be much more flexible, more responsive, and more "right" (make better decisions) because even small mistakes can be fatal to them.

*KM provides an enabling framework to leverage "collective knowledge." When KM becomes "the way we work," it helps us deliver on strategic priorities and business goals - growth, innovation, speed of response, quality of response, faster time to market, strengthen organizational learning, protect functional and operational excellence in a dis-aggregated organizational structure.

*, consisting of the packaging development managers and officers and packaging buyers of various HUL businesses.

Focus on strengthening collaborative team effort to leverage collective knowledge of the enterprise.

HR has a pivotal role to play in the KM movement. Key HR processes - Corporate Education, Performance Management and nurturing (sharing, doing and caring) culture, have a very significant role in the development of the knowledge-based enterprise.These new HRM roles are those of human capital steward, knowledge facilitator, relationship builder, and rapid deployment specialist

The human capital steward recognises the value of intellectual capital, must ensure that human capital is available, effective and that it will grow in value; this means brokering the services of knowledge workers.The knowledge facilitator places emphasis on learning and development, the effective management of knowledge, and creating environments conducive to knowledge creation, sharing and dissemination.The relationship builder focuses on creating and sustaining networks and communities of practice, of joining together people in various parts of the supply chain in new ways.

The rapid deployment specialist faces the challenge of rapidly changing markets where information, business processes and organizational design can be combined in different ways to meet ever changing dynamic environments characteristic of life in the knowledge economy.

HR needs to institute a system of rewards and recognition, training and performance development practices -- activities that reinforce the discipline of sharing, documenting knowledge and reuse of others' ideas with pride to achieve business goals.

Performance Development Planning (PDP):In HUL, our PDP incorporates "knowledge - Development & Sharing as one of the key competencies to be monitored and developed.Some of the key competencies linked to knowledge development and sharing are: 1. Learning from experience 2. Developing others 3. Team commitment Develop a mechanism to communicate effectively what knowledge-related behaviour is expected from the employees.Share with all employees, success stories of collaborative effort and knowledge.Make KM part of the Company training modules.Hold visible knowledge sharing events like " Knowledge Fairs."