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Sifikile Songo
Post Correspondent
KNOWLEDGE is defined as a justified set of beliefs and knowledge management is the process through which organisations generate value from their intellectual and knowledge based assets.
Knowledge–based assets include anything that can be documented, archived and codified with the help of information technology patents, trademarks, business plans, marketing research and customer lists.
Knowledge management aims at improving knowledge related practices and ultimately improved organisational performance.
It is important to the organisation because the scale of information is increasing and needs to be stored in a structured format
Furthermore, knowledge is a special commodity which is in short supply.
Knowledge management enables better and faster decision-making and it helps in streamlining work.
However, its challenges include failure to collaborate and failure of management support and sponsorship.
Thus, implementing too many knowledge components should be avoided, rather a new knowledge management initiative should be tested.
Knowledge has the following levels:
Know-what: This specifies what action to talk when one is presented with a set of stimuli.
Know-why: it entails having a deeper understanding of casual relationships, interactive effects and the uncertainty levels associated with observed stimuli symptoms.
Know-how: deciding how to respond to certain stimuli.
Knowledge plays an essential role in the overall performance of the organisation and its competitiveness.
Therefore, the knowledge culture of an organisation enables and motivates people to create, share and utilise knowledge for the benefit and enduring success of the organisation.
Knowledge management
This is an organisation activity that focuses on what managers can do to enable knowledge management goals to be achieved.
It is the planning, organising, motivating and controlling of people, processes and systems in an organisation to ensure that its knowledge asserts are improved and effectively employed.
It is based on the assertion that organisations are generally not able to fully utilise the knowledge they process.
Knowledge management seeks to ensure better decisions are made for the purposes of achieving improved organisational performance.
It also ensures Improved organisation behaviour.
Why knowledge management
The scale of information is increasing and some of it is stored in an unstructured format.
It is a tangible asset at the core of business’s success and survival.
It is a special commodity which is in short supply.
Developing plans for knowledge transfer
Define critical knowledge and risk areas like skills sets or individuals who are at risk of leaving.
Define how knowledge will be gathered and who it will be shared.
Action should be taken to assure that critical knowledge is retained or transferred during notice periods for resignations and retirements.
Define the system for sharing knowledge.
Define users of the system, give access to them and educate them on its use.
Make knowledge transfer an ongoing requirement of the job, a learning requirement. Evaluate how well it is accomplished.
Characteristics of effective management in the workplace
A vibrant environment where people are active.
A social atmosphere where everyone is working together.
Work is being done because of the relevance of the knowledge.
Keys to the success of a knowledge management programme
Setting simple goals and sticking to them.
Incorporating them in different parts of the organisation and communicating them regularly.
Keeping all the components of the knowledge management programme in balance.
Management should lead by example by modelling the collaboration and knowledge sharing behaviours that are expected to be adopted on running the knowledge management programme.
Benefits of knowledge management
It enables better and faster decision making.
Re-use of stored knowledge helps employees to make decisions based on actual experience and practical lessons learned.
Relevant information can easily be retrieved.
Knowledge management can help to minimise re-work, save time and accelerate progress by re-using expertise’s ideas.
Innovation and growth is stimulated by creating new knowledge through effective knowledge sharing collaboration and information delivery can stimulate innovation.
Best practices can be continually applied by re-using the organisations best problem-solving experiences to improve the results of the organisation.
Knowledge management helps to avoid redundant effort, and duplication of effort. This boost employee morale and streamline work.
As the organisation, it can benefit from the use the knowledge of all its employees.
Demonstrating expertise through knowledge management can convince potential customers to start business and current customers to continue business.
Knowledge management supports organisational processes involving innovation, individual learning collective learning and collaborative decision-making.
Knowledge management allows us to share lessons learned both about failures and successes.
Remedies to pitfalls in knowledge management
Avoid implementing too many knowledge management components
Having the support of the people or process components aside from favouring on technology only.
The new knowledge management initiative should be tested.
Taking advantage of a wide variety of knowledge management resource to re-use ideas and experiences of others.
Sifikile Tsongo is a psychologist and a lecturer at the Manicaland State University of Applied Sciences. She writes in her personal capacity
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