Knowledge Management

Basic Concepts KM is a process through which organizations generate value from their intellectual and knowledge based assets. Km is a process of organizational learning and problem solving KM is facilitated by IT KM helps organizations identify, select, organize, disseminate & transfer important information and experience. The information available in knowledge base is generally unstructured and have information both from internal and external sources Example: The knowledge of better construction and land acquisition techniques was a core competency for DLF (major Real Estate player in India)

Knowledge Management Process Knowledge Acquisition - Identify / generate new insights, ideas & routines Unstructured docs, mails, texts & contributions Discovering patterns/hidden facts in corporate data Knowledge Storage Database or central repository Document mgt system that digitize, index and tag data to a systematic framework Expert System can preserve knowledge acquired by organizations during their lifetime Knowledge Dissemination Sharing for right and effective decision making Collaborative technologies, groupware can be used Knowledge Application - Apply this existing knowledge for adding business value

KM framework Internal Biz Opn. Data Repository External Env Web R & D Technology Acquire Store Disseminate Apply Extract Extract Inputs Inputs ERP/CRM Database Disseminate Disseminate Share & Apply Share & Apply

Challenges in KM Getting employees on board - Major prob. In getting employees participate in the KM process - Ask employees to share their everyday knowledge & experiences - Should be easy and natural for employees Updating knowledge base - Knowledge erodes over passage of time - Constantly update /upgrade knowledge Data Deluge - Participation of E/C/S in an unguided and moderated manner can lead to contradiction and confusion -Quality data should be extracted diligently w/o over-load

Tools of Knowledge Management KM activities can be clubbed together in three broad categories: Enterprise Knowledge Portals - Enterprise solution, content mgt sys., portals, search engines & collaborative tools Knowledge work Systems - CAD, CAM, dimensional visualization tools used by engineers, scientists & doctors Intelligent Techniques - Data mining, models to solve problems, gaining business insights

Intelligent Techniques of KM Artificial Intelligence Expert Systems Neural Networks Fuzzy Logic Systems Genetic Algorithms Intelligent Agents

Managerial Issues of KM Providing strategic advantage Top management support Knowledge relevance Motivation to participate Financial cost /benefit, investment Verification of knowledge contributions System design of KM Sustainability Compatibility with existing IT infrastructure Roles/responsibilities and evaluation of KM exec.