What is Knowledge Management? – Tutorial Explained

Introduction of knowledge management certifications:

Knowledge management (KM) is the management of data, skill, experience, innovation, and intelligence. It is the process of producing, gathering, organizing, using, and accessing knowledge. It used more technology categories, almost none of which are exclusive to KM. KM is a top down effort (practice) to try to understand and manage knowledge. KM may use particular practices such as collaboration, content management, email, video conferencing, workplace tools, portals and business applications. The knowledge management is the one, which is to be used for planning and implementation of different government schemes and projects as shown in the figure.

Managing knowledge involves managing domains of knowledge that are valued for achieving the strategic objectives. The very nature of knowledge is that it changes fast and renders data obsolete at a rapid pace.Building knowledge management needs identifying and storing the collected data in an enterprise knowledge repository. Knowledge Management has a much wider influence as it enables people to efficiently perform their functions and for citizens, the benefits include better services, more choices, high personalization and greater accountability of how their money is spent. For the -Government projects, KM provides the major benefit of improving the performance through improved efficiency and innovation. But these benefits need the back office processes to be in the place.

Knowledge Management Process:

Knowledge Management for E-Government projects is an ongoing process which consists of different phases for proper identification, storage and usage of knowledge. These phases are:

• Undertake Knowledge Audit (Phase I) – This phase answers the questions like who gathers what information? Why is it gathered? Is it collected in time? Is collected knowledge put to any use? Is there a good way of collecting knowledge? Does information need to be collected?
• Create Knowledge (Phase II) – It focuses on taking stock of existing knowledge and assessing knowledge requirements of the organization. Determine who will generate what information, when and in what format? Utilize KM (knowledge management) tools for producing new knowledge.
• Phase III’s Capture Information involves converting tacit knowledge into storable explicit knowledge. It covers tasks including capturing one-on-one discussions, capturing a brainstorming session, capturing meeting minutes, and other activities.
• It also deals with the recording success profile of one e-government champion.
• Store Knowledge (Phase IV) – This phase of the KM cycle deals with organizing knowledge into the codifiable and non-codifiable categories.
• Use of electronic media for knowledge save is also encouraged.
• Opening a dedicated knowledge center at an office which is implementing an e-Government project is good.
• The knowledge center should identify and use “best practices” in knowledge storage and should disseminate the same to the intended audience.
• Use Knowledge (Phase V) – Knowledge captured and stored should be made accessible to all the concerned personnel.
• A culture of knowledge sharing should be promoted within an organization.
• Setting up the knowledge distribution and knowledge sharing mechanisms within the organization will help the KM cause.
• Providing knowledge inputs to policy makers and screening knowledge use will help in taking mid-course correction measures.
• Review Knowledge (Phase VI) – This phase deals with anticipating future knowledge needs by reviewing the existing stock and flow of knowledge by making use of easy but effective knowledge indicators.

Types of knowledge:

It is helpful to consider the various types of knowledge and how it is possible to share them within an organization. The information data management covers can generally be broken down into 3 main types:

1. 1. Explicit knowledge is knowledge and data that can be simply codified and taught, such as how to modify the toner in a printer and mathematical equations.
2. 2. Implicit knowledge is knowledge that defines how best to implement explicit knowledge. For example, discussing a task with an experienced co-worker. They may provide explicit steps detailing how to finish the job. But they may also use their understanding of the situation to consider various options and decide the best approach for your given circumstances. The experienced employee utilizes and shares the implicit knowledge to increase how the team operates.
3. 3. Tacit knowledge is knowledge gained through experience. It is more intuitive and less simple to share with others. Examples of tacit knowledge are “know-hows”, new thinking, and understanding body language.

While knowledge management for implicit and tacit knowledge can be difficult to implement, with correct procedures in place, can ensure all relevant data is shared around the company and retained as staff retire or move on. Utilizing all the expertise in the company benefits the business as a whole, creating best practices for everyday tasks, increasing situational awareness, developing employee intuition for course corrections, and enhancing organizational capacity.

Benefits of knowledge management:

A survey of over 286 people working in knowledge management across a range of industries, locations, and company sizes found the most benefits to be:

• Reduced time to find data
• Reduced time for innovative staff to become competent
• Reduced the operational costs
• Improved the customer satisfaction
• Improved bid win/loss ratio

Making knowledge management a significant part of a company’s leadership approach produces a highly streamlined workforce with faster onboarding and well-informed staff that provide a better experience for customers. Knowledge management is a critical tool for any company that needs to increase its bottom line and market share.

Organizational Knowledge Management:

It includes the use of appropriate software to support and enforce the process of knowledge capture. Adaptable software may promote the identification of new knowledge and ensure that it is appropriately categorized for ease of access and availability for use in future projects. The use of appropriate knowledge management software may permit the capture and storage of knowledge to be integrated into everyday procedures, and reminders to staff may be built into the software. The integration of knowledge arising within a business through the acquisition of knowledge from external networking achieves an earlier recognition of industry trends and a simpler implementation of innovative technology and processes.

The increase in external collaboration may lead to a more sensitivity to customer feedback, resulting in an improved customer service culture. Products and processes may be closely aligned to the needs of customers and the marketing effort may be better aligned to the needs of potential buyers. The feedback cycle may be increased and a greater proportion of the lessons learned can be processed and implemented in improved rules.

The steps in knowledge management:

1. 1. Collection of information
2. 2. Organization of data in logical categories and with well-explained rules
3. 3. Summarization of information
4. 4. Analyze of data leading information creation
5. 5. Synthesizing of a information
6. 6. Decision making with data created

Advantages of Knowledge Management:

1. 1. Making available improved knowledge and content in the development of products and services
2. 2. Achieving shorter the development cycles
3. 3. Facilitating and managing new and organizational learning
4. 4. Leveraging expertise and knowledge across an organization
5. 5. Managing business environments and allowing employees to find relevant insights and ideas appropriate to their work in a timely manner
6. 6. Solving complex problems
7. 7. Managing intellectual capital and assets in the organization .

What are Knowledge Management Certifications?

Knowledge management certifications are professional Secure that certify an individual’s skills and competencies in managing organizational data and knowledge. These certificates are designed by the experts of universities, professional organizations, and other institutions. The course curriculum of these certifications covers different aspects of knowledge management. They help to gain insights into the key competencies and expertise required for managing organizational data and knowledge

Following are the core competencies and skills, knowledge management certificates offers:

• Managing data, information, and knowledge effectively in the organization
• Maintaining pace with the latest trends and technologies in KM
• Applying the good practices of KM
• Designing and implementing the knowledge management strategies
• Evaluating and increasing organizational KM processes
• Contributing to the strategic development of the organization
• Understand knowledge management theories and models

These skills and competencies are very crucial for KM managers in the current business environment. They allow the creation of effective knowledge management programs within the organization and contribute to its success.

Why is knowledge management important?

Knowledge management streamlines company knowledge, making it accessible and actionable for everyone in the organization.With a good knowledge management system, the entire company can say goodbye to lost or siloed information. A company that fosters a knowledge-sharing culture is one that makes an adaptable, aligned, engaged, resilient, and high-functioning team.

1. Increases efficiency and productivity:

Think about all the hours wasted finding through multiple systems trying to find the information needed. Was it in a paper, email, or a chat? When do you find that data, how do you know it’s correct when company knowledge is scattered across all these systems?

A knowledge management system aims to make a single, reliable source of truth where everyone can go to find the data they need without conducting multiple searches in several sources or constantly interrupting essential personnel with repeated questions.

A great knowledge management tool made a night and day difference in operational efficiency, saving service and IT teams time and driving high revenue for the organization.

2. Enables informed decision-making:

Decisions should never be made in data silos. A company has knowledge transparency across the full organization ensures that everyone is working with similar information and toward the same goals. It unites all employees, making sure they have all the information they require to make the best decisions possible.

3. Reduces duplicate or outdated information:

After spending time searching for information and finally finding it, how can I tell that it’s the most reliable and recent information? When company information lives across more systems, run the risk of making decisions or referencing data that isn’t accurate. A single source of truth like Guru made a space for reliable data to live so it can adapt quickly and keep resilient without the risk of using outdated information.

4. Prevents company silos:

Good knowledge management removes the risk of information silos and support. A culture of transparency and communication. An information silo is when information is only known to a single person or team, potentially preventing other departments from knowing the information they need to collaborate effectively. Managing knowledge effectively ensures everyone has access to the knowledge they want to work in alignment with company goals and stay productive.

Conclusion:

KM is difficult for global organizations. Maintaining knowledge needs capturing knowledge. Explicit knowledge can be captured well and managed well, capturing tacit knowledge from an individual is always challenging. KM will need an organization wide culture and belief about the significance of it and the value KM will bring to the organization. Knowledge management will use different automated tofloat tools and techniques for efficient collection and management of data.