1. The Nature of Knowledge and its Sharing through Models
Peter Bernus (Griffith University, Australia)
Brane Kalpic (ETI, Slovenia)
ICEIMT’04 Toronto
October 9-11, 2004

2. Overview The role of models in enterprise integration
Capture knowledge and share it
Model-based control of processes
Models and knowledge sharing –
Knowledge categories
Knowledge-processes and knowledge resources
A knowledge life-cycle model
The role of enterprise models
Conclusion

3. The role of models in enterprise integration
During the course of enterprise engineering models are produced for analysis, design – and even execution (if model-based control is the intention)
Since models describe how processes are done, what resources and information they use and produce, etc it is often assumed (without much further thought) that enterprise models capture knowledge that can be used in the operation of the enterprise
If this is the case (which is desirable) then enterprise modelling is an important knowledge management tool!

4. Capture knowledge? However, what do we mean by capturing knowledge?
Should this mean that models as artefacts contain (like a tin of preserves) the knowledge in question?
Can anyone produce, store, transfer / sell and someone else buy, and eventually open this container and have the captured knowledge – off the shelf and ready to use, just as a commodity?
Knowledge
No artificial colours
or preservatives

5. To answer these questions we need a good understanding of different categories of knowledge and of the processes involved in creating, using and sharing knowledge

6. Categories of knowledge
Baker et al (1997) (Journal of KM):
(1) Knowledge = Information + [Skills + Experience + Personal Capability] howewer, is Knowledge a sum of the above? …

7. However, the intention is clearly to suggest that knowledge is an outcome of a process performed by an individual, i.e. knowledge is a function of the listed components
(2) Knowledge = f (Information, Skills, Previous Experience, Personal Capability)

8. Still, equation (2) is not clear about the role of pre-existing knowledge in gaining new knowledge nor about the role of unlearning / transforming existing knowledge
Also neither of equation (1) or (2) explain what knowledge is – they only state that knowledge is created using these components
We would at least expect an equation that would have the pattern as below
(3) Knowledget2= f (Information t<t1-t2>, … , Knowledget1, … )

9. KM literature defines two main knowledge categories: explicit and tacit
Polanyi (1958, 1966): tacit knowledge as a personal form of knowledge, obtained from direct experience in a domain, held in a non-verbal form, and the holder cannot provide a useful verbal explanation to another individual
Skryme and Amidon (1997) explicit knowledge as formal, systematic and objective (written form, can be stored, transmitted, etc)

10. Several categorisations exist for knowledge processes
E.g. Nonaka and Takeuchi (1995) [see more in paper…]
Internalisation: an individual internalises explicit knowledge to create tacit knowledge
Externalisation: an individual turns their tacit knowledge into explicit knowledge through documentation, verbalisation, etc
Combination: create new explicit knowledge through the combination of other explicit knowledge
Socialisation: transferring tacit knowledge between individuals through observations and working with a mentor or a more skilled / knowledgeable individual

11. Proposed knowledge categories (Bernus/Kalpic)
Participant’s
knowledge
Knowledge artefacts
Explicit (aware)
Formalisable
Formal awareness
Formal explanations & models
Formal
Formalisation
select
Informal awareness
Informal explanations & incomplete models
Internalise
acquire
Not-formal
Externalise
Awareness
Ability to act in situations; no awareness
Observable actions,
demonstrations / recounts
Non- formalisable
Tacit (unaware)
Domains of knowledge

12. Knowledege life-cycle model (Bernus/Kalpic)

13. Outcome of the improved knowledge categorisation and the model of knowledge life-cycle processes
We gained a
Better understanding of knowledge categories and of the types of processes that create or share knowledge (using external formal representations – models – or other forms of externalisations)
Better understanding of the conditions for these processes to work

14. Application
Corporate intranets to share business process models may support knowledge sharing if the prerequisite conditions are met
Model interpretation skills
Formalisation skills
Articulation and presentation skills
Motivation of discovery processes
Establishment of baseline (what can be considered culturally shared / situation knowledge in the given enterprise?)

15. Conclusion
Literature concentrates too much on the tools necessary to use explicit business process models for knowledge management
The conditions that make this possible are not analysed sufficiently
The authors attempted to
refine the available models of knowledge processes (which includes the model of knowledge sharing), and to
develop a more detailed knowledge categorisation then presently available in literature

16. The end