3.

What is Knowledge
Management
ETL525 Knowledge Management
Tutorial One

5 December 2008

K.T. Lam
[email protected]

Last updated: 4 December 2008

 KM History
• The subject of KM was originally arisen in the field of expert
systems, described as “knowledge-based systems” [in late
1980s].
• The term became associated with the consultancy companies
[around 1997], and diverged into three streams:
– IT-focused consultancy companies promote KM as
something to be accomplished through technology.
– Those previously worked in organization development
seized upon the „learning organization‟ as a vehicle for
promoting effective sharing of information in organization.
– The nature of intangible assets and intellectual capital in
companies and the need to account for them in the
balance sheet emerged as a subject of concern to
corporations. KM was used as an alternative way of
speaking about this phenomenon.
Source: Maceviciute and Wilson (2005)
 KM History (cont.)

• Knowledge Innovation Timeline

<http://www.entovation.com/timeline/timeline.htm>
• Books on KM began to appear by the early
1990s.
• The field picked up momentum in the mid-1990s
with the development of a number of large,
international KM conferences and consortia.
• KM became an academic discipline in 2003. Many
universities offer courses in KM, including
business and library schools.
Source: Dalkir (2005)
 Multidisciplinary nature of KM
• Some of the disciplines that contribute to KM:
– Organizational science
– Cognitive science
– Linguistics and computational linguistics
– Document and information management
– Information and library sciences
– Technical writing
– Education and training
– Communication studies
– Collaborative technologies
– Decision support systems
 Topics covered in ICICKM 2008
• ICICKM 2008 (5th International Conference on Intellectual Capital,
Knowledge Management & Organizational Learning):
– Frameworks for conceptualizing KM
– Parameters of the field of study
– Knowledge creation and sharing mechanisms
– Knowledge asset valuation models
– Impact on organizational learning
– Impact on business strategy
– Architectures for KM systems
– Integration of knowledge from different groups in an organization
– Knowledge sharing between different groups in an organization
– How to initiate KM value of tacit knowledge
– Resourcing KM
– Competitive advantages
– KM case studies
Topics covered in ICICKM 2008
(cont.)

– The evaluation of KM
– KM and the Web and e-Business
– Structural capital
– Inter-organizational relationships
– Strategic alignment
– Intangible assets and resources
– Human capital
– Organizational learning
– Experiential learning
– Participatory learning
– Intellectual capital
– Economic intangible assets
– Organizational coaching
– Ethics of KM
Topics covered in ICICKM 2008
(cont.)

– Knowledge acquisition
– KM readiness
– Knowledge cities
– Knowledge sharing for the public sector
– The role of KM in crafting marketing strategy
– The role of KM in crafting management strategy
– Intellectual capital and the family business
– Mapping social networks
– Social networks analysis
– Intangible assets identification and valuation in strategic operations
– KM in design
– Socio-technical frameworks for knowledge sharing
– Metrics and measurement of intangible assets
– Collaboration and communication in KM

Source: <http://academic-conferences.org/icickm/icickm2008/icickm08-home.htm>
Topics covered in ICKM 2007
• ICKM 2007 (4th International Conference on Knowledge
Management):
– KM processes
– Data mining (store/discover/propagate)
– Technologies for knowledge sharing
– Learning technologies
– Management and measurement of intangibles
– Optimization of organizations (business process
management)
– Assessment methods
– Innovation methods
– Social networks and psychological dimensions
– Case studies on collaboration tools for KM
Source: <http://www.executiveacademy.at/executive-academy-mainsite/ickm/>
 Topics covered in KMPA 2006
• KMPA 2006 (3rd Asia-Pacific International
Conference on Knowledge Management) held in
Hong Kong:
– The Day 1 of the Conference features renowned keynote
speakers who will explore multi-dimensional issues in
Knowledge Management (KM), namely collaboration and
societal issues, knowledge discovery through data mining and
taxonomy, and tapping into intangible assets. The keynote
speeches will be followed by a forum to address the
management issues and the assessment of intellectual capital.
– On Day 2 of the Conference the relationship between
innovation and knowledge management and topics such as
connectedness, organizational effectiveness, leadership,
knowledge networks and clusters, learning and unlearning will
be discussed.

Source: <http://www.ise.polyu.edu.hk/kmap2006/>
 KM Definitions
• It is impossible to adequately define KM in a
sentence or in a paragraph. Why?
– KM covers multiple disciplines
– KM involves multiple professions
– KM has multiple interpretations
 Group Discussion
What is KM?
• Questions
– What is KM and what is not?
– Knowledge management = management of
knowledge?
– Knowledge management = information management?
– Should KM technology-focused or people-focused?
Are they mutually exclusive?
– Does KM mean managing an organization‟s intellectual
capital?
– Is KM just a fad?
– What is your own definition/views of KM?
 Managing knowledge activities
Activities involving knowledge:
– Knowledge creation
– Knowledge capture
– Knowledge sharing
– Knowledge dissemination
– Knowledge acquisition
– Knowledge application
KM = these activities?
KM = effort (activities) to facilitate/organize these
activities?
Dalkir’s and Park’s views on KM
• KM is the deliberate and systematic
coordination of an organization‟s people,
technology, processes and organizational
structure in order to add value through reuse
and innovation. (Dalkir 2005)
• KM is a discipline used to systematically
leverage expertise and knowledge to enhance
effectiveness, facilitate innovation, and improve
efficiency and competency. (Park 2005)
 Wiig’s View on KM
• Knowledge is the primary driver of enterprise
performance. Knowledge affects performance by
making it possible for people to perform good
and effective actions. Application of better
knowledge provides opportunities for better
performance.
• Knowledge must be managed – the efforts to
facilitate and organize knowledge production and
utilization is KM.
• Effective KM must be people-focused.
Source: Wiig (2004)
Sallis and Jones’ View on KM
• KM as being about learning to know what we
know.
• Knowing what we know, and using it creatively
and productively, is the major source of
economic value and competitive advantage at
the disposal of any organization.
• Organization need to have a process to know
what they do not know but should know.

Source: Sallis and Jones(2002)

 KM views in Halawi’s article
The following are views as collected in Halawi et
al (2005):
• It has become clear that the term „Knowledge
Management‟ has been applied to a very broad
spectrum of activities designed to manage, exchange
and create or enhance intellectual assets within an
organization, and that there is no widespread
agreement on what KM actually is (Haggie and
Kingston, 2003) .
 KM views in Halawi’s article
(cont.)

• KM can be presented as a convergence of ideas

promulgated over the past decade, including core
competencies and resource-based theories of the
firm, „info-mapping‟ and information resource
management, the „balanced scorecard‟ and
intangible/intellectual assets, the learning organization
and „communities of practice‟, total quality
management and business process reengineering, the
networked organization and the „boundary less firm‟
(Corrall, 1998).
 KM views in Halawi’s article
(cont.)

• KM is a conscious strategy of getting the right

knowledge to the right people at the right time and
helping people share and put information into action
in ways that will improve organizational performance
(van Ewyk, 2000).
• KM is about encouraging individuals to communicate
their knowledge by creating environments and
systems for capturing, organizing, and sharing
knowledge throughout the company (Martinez,
1998).
KM views in Halawi’s article
(cont.)

– KM has two main objectives: (1) to make the

organization act as intelligently as possible in
order to secure its viability and overall success,
and (2) to otherwise realize the best value of its
knowledge assets (Wiig, 1997).
 Views from AS5037-2005
• Standards Australia on knowledge management
(AS 5037-2005):
– A trans-disciplinary approach to improving
organisational outcomes and learning, through
maximising the use of knowledge. It involves the
design, implementation and review of social and
technological activities and processes to improve the
creating, sharing, and applying or using of knowledge.
– KM is concerned with innovation and sharing
behaviours, managing complexity and ambiguity
through knowledge networks and connections,
exploring smart processes, and deploying people-
centric technologies.
Source: Ferguson S (2006)
 CIKM’s view on KM
• CIKM (Conference of Information and
Knowledge Management; annual conference since
1994) defines KM in an organization:
– We define KM as business activity that attempts to
build a direct connection between an organization‟s
intellectual assets - be they in the form of employees
(tacit) or in the form of record (explicit).
– Within an organizational context, it would mean
managing the collective information expertise in the
form of employees and the organizational processes.
 CIKM’s view on KM (cont.)

– KM covers identifying and mapping intellectual

assets within an organization, generating up-to-
date expertise for competitive advantage, making
vast amounts of corporate information accessible,
sharing of best practices, and technology that
enables managing all of the above including
groupware and intranets.

Source: <http://www.cikm.org/Knowledge-Management.html>
 KM views in Chan’s article
Dressing down KM, views collected in Chan (2003):
• Vendors have bandied their technology too much in
pushing KM.
• If building technology was the point of the KM
programs then they were doomed to fail. KM is not
just about technology.
• KM is about people, not the technology. Vendors say
KM is IT and people, with IT at the core – that is
simply not true.
KM views in Chan’s article (cont.)

• KM can contribute to financial performance – this

critical point needs to be shown to senior
management in Hong Kong.
• KM focuses on existing internal resources and
processes, enhancing and improving them to create
competitive advantage.
• There is a cultural barrier here in Hong Kong that
prevents knowledge sharing. People here are so
afraid to speak up.
KM views in Chan’s article (cont.)

• KM is a function that people in an organization

should add onto what they do everyday - rather than
create a whole new defined role, such as the Chief
Knowledge Officer.
 Case Study – Systems Staff
• The HKUST Library Systems Department is responsible
for the development and management of the Library's
digital library and automation environment, which is the
core platform for delivering library services and enabling
access to electronic journals, e-books, reference
databases, and Internet resources. It is also responsible
for providing IT and computing support within the
Library.
• Systems staff is one of the most valuable knowledge asset
to the Department. Their expertise, talent and work
culture have been the key elements contributing to the
success of the Department as well as meeting the
missions and strategic goals of the Library.
 Case Study – Systems Staff
(cont.)

• Systems Department experiences continual staff loss, due

to their highly marketable knowledge and experience,
and attractive promotion opportunities available
elsewhere.
• At the same time, there is a need to focus more on the
knowledge requirements for competent execution of
increasingly more complex systems tasks in a rapidly
changing environment.
• KM strategies were developed to enhance and maintain
these intangible knowledge assets:
– Documentation - staff are required to write up full
documentation on all developed programs and server
installations.
Case Study – Systems Staff
(cont.)

– Backing up - every systems task has a backup person, so that

when one staff is unavailable, the backup staff can take up the
task right away.
– Training – whenever a new system or application is rolled
out, the involved staff will conduct training or briefing to
other relevant staff.
– Intranet – maintain a Systems Department “staff manual”
website as a repository of systems knowledge, policies,
procedures and documentations.
– Innovation – cultivate the culture of software trial and
evaluation, by enabling testing platform and encouraging
downloading of emerging and advanced software for
testing.
Case Study – Systems Staff
(cont.)

– Idea sharing – cultivate the culture of sharing of ideas,

showing off new programs developed, discussing views
on emerging technologies, etc. among systems staff as
well as with the peers from other libraries.
– Open-source motivation – encourage software
development and sharing by creating a Shared
Software Pool, to host source codes and programs
produced by the Systems Department, and making
them available for download on the Internet.
 Case Study – Systems Staff
(cont.)

• Outstanding factors affecting KM of systems staff

– Uncompetitive salaries
– Lacking promotion opportunities
– Insufficient work space
 References
• Chan 2003, „Dressing down knowledge management‟,
Computerworld Hong Kong, May 2003. Available online at:
<www.hkkms.org/ChanMay03.doc>.
• Dalkir, K 2005,, „Introduction to knowledge management in
theory and practice‟ in Knowledge management in theory and
practice, Elsevier, Burlington, M.A.
• Ferguson, S 2006, „AS 5037-2005: knowledge management
blueprint for Australian oganisations?‟, The Australian Library
Journal.
 References (cont.)

• Halawi, L, Aronson, J and McCarthy, R 2005, „Resource-based

view of knowledge management for competitive advantage‟,
The electronic journal of knowledge management, vol. 3, issue 2,
pp. 75-86. Available online at: <http://www.ejkm.com/volume-
3/v3i2/v3i2-art2-leila.pdf>.
• Maceviciute, E & Wilson, T (2005), „Part D Knowledge
management‟ in Introducing information management: an
information research reader, Facet Publishing, London.
• Park, H 2005, „Knowledge management technology and
organizational culture‟ in M Stankowsky (ed), Creating the
discipline of knowledge management: the latest in university
research, Elsevier Butterworth-Heinemann, Amsterdam.
 References (cont.)

• Sallis, E & Jones, G (2002), „What is knowledge management?‟

in Knowledge management in education: enhancing learning &
education, Kogan Page, London.
• Wiig, K 2004, „People focused knowledge management in daily
operations‟ in People focused knowledge management: how
effective decision making leads to corporate success, Elsevier
Butterworth-Heinemann, Amsterdam.