Knowledge management

Knowledge management


Knowledge Management (KM) comprises a range of practices used in an organisation to identify, create, represent, distribute and enable adoption of insights and experiences. Such insights and experiences comprise knowledge, either embodied in individuals or embedded in organisational processes or practice. KM has been an established discipline since 1995 with a body of courses in universities to include business administration, information systems, management, and library and information sciences [1]. More recently, other schools, to include those focused on information and media, computer science, public health, and public policy, also have started to contribute. Many large companies and non-profit organisations have resources dedicated to internal KM efforts, often as a part of their 'Business Strategy', 'Information Technology', or 'Human Resource Management' departments [2]. Several consulting companies also exist that provide strategy and advice regarding KM to these organisations.

KM efforts typically focus on organisational objectives such as improved performance, competitive advantage, innovation, developmental processes, the sharing of lessons learned, and continuous improvement of the organisation. KM efforts overlap with Organisational Learning, and may be distinguished from by a greater focus on the management of knowledge as a strategic asset and a focus on encouraging the exchange of knowledge. KM efforts can help individuals and groups to share valuable organisational insights, to reduce redundant work, to avoid 're-inventing the wheel' per se, to reduce training time for new employees, to retain intellectual capital as employees turnover in an organisation, and to adapt to changing environments and markets [3] [4].




History and research

KM efforts have a long history, to include on-the-job discussions, formal apprenticeship, discussion forums, corporate libraries, professional training and mentoring programs. More recently, with computers becoming more widespread in the second half of the 20th century, specific adaptations of technologies such as knowledge bases, expert systems, knowledge repositories, group decision support systems, and computer supported cooperative work have been introduced to further enhance the process [5][6].

There is a broad range of thoughts on the KM discipline with no unanimous agreement; approaches vary by author and school. As the discipline is maturing, academic debates have increased regarding both the theory and practice of KM, to include the following perspectives:

Techno-centric with a focus on technology, ideally those that enhance knowledge sharing and creation.
Organisational with a focus on how an organisation can be designed to facilitate knowledge processes; which organisations work best with what processes?
Ecological with a focus on the interaction of people, identity, knowledge, and environmental factors as a complex adaptive system akin to a natural ecosystem.
Regardless of the school of thought, core components of KM include People, Processes, Technology (or) Culture, Structure, Technology, depending on the specific perspective [7]. Different KM schools of thought include various lenses through which KM can be viewed and explained, to include:

community of practice [8] [9]
social network analysis [10] [11]
intellectual capital [12] [13]
information theory [14] [15]
complexity science [16] [17]
constructivism [18] [19]

form http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Knowledge_management