1. Knowledge Management (INSY 521)By
Dr. Temtim Assefa
School of Information Science
Addis Ababa University
2015

2. Course Objective
Explain basic concepts in the field of knowledge management
explain historical and societal challenges that lead for the development of KM discipline
understand the different theories, principles and approaches used to in knowledge management
Identify the different knowledge taxonomies
describe knowledge management cycles

3. Course Objective Identify the different knowledge management tools
Able to explain knowledge acquisition methods such as from domain experts
Develop basic skills to analyze and design a KMS
Develop a skill to manage a KMS within the organization

4. Chapter 1 - Introduction
Chapter 1: Introduction to Knowledge Management
Knowledge Management Definition?
Alternative views of knowledge
Different types of knowledge
Location of knowledge
Forces driving knowledge management
Knowledge management systems

5. Knowledge
Software
Capability

6. What is KM?
Knowledge management (KM) is a process that helps organizations identify, select, organize, disseminate, and transfer important information and expertise that are part of the organization’s memory and that typically reside within the organization in an unstructured manner.
It is a process through which organizations generate value from their intellectual property and knowledge-based assets

7. KM?
KM involves the creation, dissemination, and utilization of knowledge
It is also viewed as the intersection between People, Processes and Technology
The information technologies that together make knowledge management available throughout an organization are referred to as a knowledge management system (KMS).

8. Knowledge Management Components
Knowledge management components, cycles and technologies
Technologies:
Cycles:
Knowledge creation, capturing, storing, disseminating, applying and evaluating
Components
People
Strategies
Processes
Metrics
Expert systems
Collaboration
Training
None of these things were endorsed by military acquisitions, but all have gradually started happening out of necessity and user requirements.
Web

9. Alternative Views of Knowledge
There is interchangeable use of the terms data, information and knowledge
These concepts are not the same
Data is a raw facts on any thing
Example - Addis Ababa, 1000, 1.8cm
Information is
a processed data meaningful to the user
A relationship between data sets
Example
Tigist’s height is 1.8 cm
The Programmer salary is 2000 birr

10. Alternative views …
Information can have different meanings in different contexts
40 degrees can have different meanings.
Is the context Medical, Geographical or Technical?
Example
40 deg Celsius (is a sign of fever in Medicine);
40 deg Angle (has a shape like V in Geometry)

11. Knowledge Knowledge is a justified personal belief.
Knowledge is information combined with experience, interpretation and reflection of an individual
Knowledge is a justified personal belief.
Knowledge is relative to the knower
More structured information in the human mind
A capability to apply information
Example
The programmer salary is small, I will not be a programmer
Actionable information

12. Wisdom
It is Knowledge that is combined with Learning, Insight, Intuition and Judgmental abilities.
Almost exclusive to our own minds.
An Ability to make wise decisions and judgment using one’s knowledge
Example – King Solomon’s decision for two mothers

13. Data to Knowledge Hierarchy
Wisdom
Knowledge
Information
Data

14. From Facts to Wisdom one example of the hierarchy

15. The relationships between data, information, and knowledge.

16. Types of Knowledge There are different classification of knowledge
Example
Know how and know what
Procedural and declarative knowledge
Tacit and explicit
Tacit, implicit and explicit
Etc
Commonly knowledge is classified as tacit and explicit knowledge

17. Tacit versus Explicit knowledge
Tacit knowledge
Explicit knowledge

18. Tacit Knowledge A knowledge that is embedded with the knower
Highly contextual knowledge
Unstructured as compared to explicit knowledge
Difficult to verbalize and codify on knowledge repositories
It contains the largest part of our knowledge
As Polanyi Said “We know more than we can say”

19. Explicit knowledge Knowledge that can be verbalized and codified
Knowledge that we found in books, databases
Structured compared to tacit knowledge
Easy to store in databases and documents
It is easily accessible to every one
Knowledge that is detached from the Knower
Some Researcher label it as Information
The Issue is not resolved among philosophers and scholars
The smaller part of our knowledge

20. Location of knowledge
Knowledge is classified as individual, group and organizational knowledge by possession
Individual knowledge is knowledge created and possessed by individuals
It is the base for other categories of knowledge
It is more of personal belief which may or may not be accepted by the group and the organization
More of tacit type knowledge
Emanates from experience by doing tasks

21. Location … Group Knowledge
Individual knowledge shared among groups
Group knowledge is a relationship among individuals
Constructed through collective actions and owned by all members of the group.
Dialog is the main form of group knowledge creation
Community of Practices (CoP) are examples of groups that create and possess group knowledge in an organization
Knowledge created in the group is largely tacit knowledge and “its presence is reflected by an ability to collaborate effectively” (De Long and Fahey, 2000)

22. Location …. Organizational knowledge
Organization knowledge is knowledge that is institutionalized as organizations procedures, rules and policies
Emerges from individual or group knowledge
Largely explicit knowledge and easily accessible to anyone
The tacit type of organization knowledge is often embedded in work processes which are hard to imitate by other organizations
Organizations knowledge is also internalized by individuals so that they behave according to the organizations norms and standards

23. Factors to consider in Knowledge Management
Information and knowledge have become the fields in which businesses compete.
Several important factors include:
Sharing Best Practice
Globalization
Rapid Change
Downsizing
Managing Information and Communication Overload
Knowledge Embedded in Products
Sustainable Competitive Advantage

24. Sharing Best Practices
Sharing best practices means leveraging the knowledge gained by a subset of the organization.
Increasingly important in organizations who depend on applying their expertise such as accounting, consulting and training firms.
KM systems capture best practices to disseminate their experience within the firm.
Problems often arise from employees who may be reluctant to share their knowledge (managers must encourage and reward open sharing).

25. Globalization
Historically three factors, land, labor and capital were the key to economic success
Knowledge has become a fourth factor.
Low international labor costs are driving globalization (as is telecom) and pushing companies that fail to take part out of business.
Knowledge has become the key resource for any organization (government, financial, production, etc.).
Lastly, knowledge is portable and must be managed carefully.

26. Other factors
Rapid change: firms must be nimble and adaptive to compete
Downsizing: sometimes the wrong people get fired when creating a leaner organization
Managing Info Overload: data must be categorized in some manner if it is to be useful rather than overwhelming
Knowledge Embedded in Products: the intangibles that add the most value to goods and services are becoming increasingly knowledge-based
Sustainable Competitive Advantage: KM is the way to do this. Shorter innovation life cycles keep companies ahead of the competition.

27. Reasons for Managing Knowledge.

28. Top Reason’s for Adopting KM
Creating easy access and visibility to organizational knowledge
retaining expertise of personnel,
increasing customer satisfaction,
improving profits or increasing revenues. KM is clearly suited to capturing both internal (employees’) and external (customers’) knowledge.

29. Knowledge Management Systems
The term Knowledge management started to be used in 1980s
However activities were practiced before that by Librarians, philosophers, teachers, and writers
Denning (2000) relates how from
“time immemorial, the elder, the traditional healer and the midwife in the village have been the living repositories of distilled experience in the life of the community”

30. KMS …
The use of leading-edge information technologies (e.g., Web-based conferencing) to support KM mechanisms enables dramatic improvement in KM.
Knowledge management mechanisms are organizational or structural means used to promote knowledge management.
knowledge management systems (KMS): the synergy between latest technologies and social/structural mechanisms
Technology + Social Mechanisms = KMS

31. Review questions What is knowledge? What is knowledge management?
Explain the difference between KM and KMS?
What is the driving force for adopting KM solutions
What are the main reasons for adopting KM in the organizations