Knowledge Management in Practice: An Exploratory Case Study by Shan L. Pan & Harry Scarbrough by Shan L. Pan & Harry Scarbrough Presented by: Jonathan Cullum Kelly Powell & Kelly Powell & LaPortia James LaPortia James

Case Study of Buckman Laboratories Introduction: Researchers have outlined the theoretical case for knowledge management. Claim: with product life-cycles shortening and technologies becoming more imitable, organizational knowledge emerges as a competitive advantage by virtues of its tacitness, difficult in being copied, and immobility.

Problem: Difficult to relate to business Partly due to the very qualities of tacitness which lend this importance is an elusive item for practitioners. Absence of a framework for managing knowledge is becoming a more critical problem for managers

An attempt to shed some light 2 Specific objectives: Develops an analysis of knowledge management from an integrated socio-technical perspective. Study uses case study of Buckman Laboratories to examine the dynamics of successful knowledge management practices, and to consider the extent to which these practices can be used by other companies.

Towards a Socio-technical Perspective on Knowledge Management In proposing the socio-technical perspective there are some considerations. 1- number of studies recognizes holistic view (more than sum of parts) between social and technical factors. 2- refocuses attention on the work process itself 3- compatibility between social and technical subsystems is the key to meeting the needs of customers 4- provides a suitably synthetic analytical space to consider all factors in a even-handed way.

Socio-technical perspective (aka STS) defined Describes a method of viewing organizations emphasizing the interrelated functioning of the social and technological subsystems of the organization and the relation of the organization as a whole to the environment in which it operates.

Analyzing Knowledge Management Socio-technical thinking originated from the “systems perspective” on organization. More recently analyses stress the interplay between technology and the organization.

Relevancy Need to distinguish between different types of knowledge- tacit and explicit Explicit knowledge is systematic and hard data. Tacit knowledge- resides in the heads of those working

Structuring of Knowledge Management Systems Three major layers or interaction: Infrastructure: hardware/software enabling contact Infostructure: formal rules governing exchange of network Infoculture: stock of background knowledge

Method of Research Qualitative approach Single Case Study Single Case Study Semi-structured Interviews Semi-structured Interviews On-site Observations (6 Weeks) On-site Observations (6 Weeks) Secondary Data Secondary Data

Case Study: Buckman Laboratories Organizational Background Manufacturer of specialist chemicals for aqueous industrial systems $300 million company (Sept 1999) International – 102 countries 1000 specialty chemicals

K’NETIX® Customer knowledge Competitive intelligence Process knowledge Product knowledge

Corporate Knowledge Factual corporate knowledge Technological know-how Technological know-how Market know-how Market know-how Behavioral corporate knowledge Social interaction of individuals and organizations Social interaction of individuals and organizations Proprietary knowledge Codified Codified

KM Development Historical ( ) International expansion International expansion Problem-solving Problem-solving Knowledge vision Knowledge vision Transformative ( ) Knowledge sharing Knowledge sharing Organizational learning Organizational learning

Analysis of Infrastructure Knowledge Architecture Elements: humans, organizational entities, documents, books, other knowledge repositories, and operating entities Elements: humans, organizational entities, documents, books, other knowledge repositories, and operating entities Process: Knowledge Management Transfer Department Process: Knowledge Management Transfer Department K’Netix®: connecting knowledge suppliers and users worldwide K’Netix®: connecting knowledge suppliers and users worldwide Organizational Knowledge Repository (Memory) K’Netix®: electronic forums, bulletin boards, virtual conference rooms, libraries, and K’Netix®: electronic forums, bulletin boards, virtual conference rooms, libraries, and

Analysis of Infostructure Knowledge sharing process

Analysis of Infostructure Global Access Region-focus Forums Region-focus Forums TechForum (US) EuroForum (Europe) LatinoForum (Latin America) AAAForum (Asia, Australia, & Africa)

Outcome At Buckman, the system encouraged trust and far ranged thinking. Many associates credit Bob Buckman with getting managers thinking 5 to 10 years ahead rather than just 60 days.

Conclusion The Buckman case study shows an example of how one organization successfully developed its systemic capability to effectively share tacit knowledge from on-going practice and created organizational knowledge for future events.