Introduction to Knowledge Management © Ed Green Penn State University All Rights Reserved

What is Knowledge Management? Two Views 9/4/2015Introduction to Knowledge Management2

Knowledge Management Topics Why is knowledge management relevant? Definitions Knowledge Knowledge management Knowledge management systems Relationships (to other disciplines) Why is knowledge management valued? History of knowledge management; state of the practice Key knowledge management drivers What are the objectives of knowledge management? Key technologies to achieve knowledge management Knowledge management life cycle Important references 9/4/2015Introduction to Knowledge Management3

Relevancy of Knowledge Management Contemporary business success depends on knowledge Knowledge is a business asset to be managed Knowledge is a collection of experiences gained over time Knowledge from the past guides actions of the future 9/4/2015Introduction to Knowledge Management4

Important Definitions Knowledge – the sum of what is known; the set of experiences and data collected by an enterprise over time Knowledge Management – the collective set of (multi- disciplined) actions taken by an enterprise to collect, creating, preserve, sharing, and protect organizational knowledge in furtherance of business objectives Knowledge Management System – an organized (automated or semi-automated) set of processes and procedures to capture, store, preserve and retrieve organizational knowledge (manage the knowledge asset) 9/4/2015Introduction to Knowledge Management5

Viewing Knowledge Management People – increasing the ability of an individual to influence others with knowledge Process – the methods and/or techniques used by people to share knowledge Technology – the tools used by people to execute the processes that share knowledge Culture – the degree to which the organizational culture supports the conduct of knowledge- based operations Structure – the fundamental organizational structures to support knowledge sharing Technology – the use of available capabilities to enable knowledge sharing 9/4/2015Introduction to Knowledge Management6

Viewing Knowledge Management 9/4/2015Introduction to Knowledge Management7

Relationship of Knowledge Management to Other Disciplines Cognitive science Expert systems/artificial intelligence Groupware Library and information science Technical writing’ Document/records management Decision support systems Semantic networks Relational and object database management Simulation Organizational science Object-oriented information modeling Electronic publishing, hypertext, and the Internet Full text search/retrieval Performance management systems 9/4/2015Introduction to Knowledge Management8

Brief History of Knowledge Management; State of the Practice 9/4/2015Introduction to Knowledge Management Drucker – information and knowledge as organizational resources Senge – “learning organization” Leonard-Barton – knowledge management strategy case study Emergence of knowledge as a competitive asset Professional competence in understanding knowledge Realization – knowledge management relied on artificial intelligence and expert systems Appearance of published research In-house knowledge management programs Knowledge management appears in “popular press” 1994 – Knowledge Management Network 1995 – Nonaka/Takeuchi The Knowledge Creating Company: How Japanese Companies Create the Dynamics of Innovation Management consulting practices – major firms High state of growth – early adopters – business and legal services Substantial benefits documented Evolving business area

Value of Knowledge Management Foster innovation; foster free flow of ideas Improve decision making Improve customer service Streamline response time Increase MTBF Shorten MTTR Increase top-line (revenue) and bottom-line (profit) performance through improved time to market and improved competitive positioning Reduce attrition; improve employee retention rates through by recognizing and rewarding the value of employee’s knowledge Streamline operations and reduce costs; eliminate redundant and/or unnecessary operations 9/4/2015Introduction to Knowledge Management10

Knowledge Management Drivers Knowledge attrition Voluntary and involuntary turnover Knowledge merging; communications challenge Natural evolution of business organizations Increasing globalization Conflicting knowledge models Content management Digitally stored knowledge in naturally incompatible media/formats Non-digitally stored materials – formal and informal; physical and non- physical Sheer volume of information and knowledge Electronic learning; training requirements 9/4/2015 Introduction to Knowledge Management 11

Knowledge Management Constituents 9/4/2015Introduction to Knowledge Management12 CONNECTING (PEOPLE) & PERSONALIZATION Community & learning Directories (expertise locators) Findings & facilitating tools Groupware Response teams (HARNESS) Cultural support Spaces Libraries & lounges Literal Virtual Travel & meeting attendance (HYPOTHESIZE) COLLECTING (STUFF) AND CODIFICATION Databases (external & internal Content Architecture Information Support Services Training required Data mining best practices Lessons learned After action analysis (HARVEST) Cultural support Current awareness & databases Item selection for altering Data mining best practices (HUNTING) Directed information & Knowledge search Exploit Serendipity & Browsing Explore Source: Michael E. D. Koenig, What is KM? Knowledge Management Explained

Knowledge Management Objectives Improve/enhance internal collaboration Improve/enhance external collaboration Capture/record/share best practices Improve customer relations and its management Competitive intelligence Better document and protect proprietary items Create improved project workspaces and their management Enhance marketing and advertising, especially on the web and other social media outlets Document/record/enhance transactional business processes Manage legal property such as patents and brands 9/4/2015Introduction to Knowledge Management13

Knowledge Management Technologies 9/4/2015Introduction to Knowledge Management14 Knowledge Management Technologies Knowledge Management Technologies Workflow Groupware Extranets Intranets Project Management Web Conferencing Web Conferencing Document Management Document Management Data Warehouse Data Warehouse Decisions Support Decisions Support DBMS OLAP Records Management Skype Go to Meeting Shared View

Knowledge Management Life Cycle 9/4/2015Introduction to Knowledge Management15 Start Knowledge acquired Knowledge applied Knowledge distributed Organizational memory formed Intranet Extranet Groupware Conferencing Document management Refine, organize, and store knowledge using Structured stores Databases Data warehouses File formats Education Training programs Automated systems Expert networks Expert systems Decision support systems WorkflowProject Management

Knowledge Management Complexities 9/4/2015Introduction to Knowledge Management16

Types of Knowledge Explicit – information or knowledge that is set out in tangible form (physical) Implicit – information or knowledge that is not set out in tangible form but could be made explicit (derivable) Tacit – information or knowledge that would be extremely difficult (operationally) to make explicit (implied) 9/4/2015Introduction to Knowledge Management17

Operational Constituents of Knowledge Management Enterprise data and information available to authorized members Portals Content Management Systems (CMS) Lessons Learned databases/systems Operational experiences Capture knowledge embedded in persons; make explicit Expertise Locators – “yellow pages” or “411.com” directory Where is the knowledge, data, information, and/or expertise to be found? Communities of practice – teams dedicated to establishing the management of enterprise knowledge 9/4/2015Introduction to Knowledge Management18

Knowledge Management – Stages of Development First stage – information technology Evolution of capabilities  Software  Hardware Emergence of the Internet Second stage – human resources and corporate culture Changing traditional methods and processes Engaging employees Third stage – taxonomy and content management Structure development Collecting knowledge/data/information (facts) Populating the structure with collected facts 9/4/2015Introduction to Knowledge Management19

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