...Selection of KM Approaches and Business Case for KM strategy Madeline Martinez George Washington University Author Note Madeline Martinez, Department of Engineering Management & Systems Engineering, George Washington University. Correspondence concerning this article should be addressed to Madeline Martinez, Department of Engineering Management and Systems Engineering, George Washington University. Contact: madeline1@gwu.edu Abstract This paper presents the selection and design of KM approaches to address. To select the appropriate approaches company objectives and current gaps were analyzed and link with their respective or tentative approaches. For each approach three KM objectives were presented using the SMART approach to ensure that our KM strategy meets the needs and requirements of the organization. A business case was also made using the information gained from knowledge maps, the letter from the CEO, and the agency maturity assessments. Keywords: SMART objectives, KM approaches, Case Study, Communities of Practice, Lessons Learned. Supporting the Flow of Critical Knowledge by Designing KM Approaches Now we are ready to select and design KM approaches after having a call to action and a gap analysis in place. Previously, we have analyzed Vivint’s strategic knowledge needs, and its gaps and opportunities. This study will help us focus our KM approaches in the right direction, stablishing the most appropriate KM core group and addressing the...
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...CHAPTER ONE 1.0 INTRODUCTION 2 Background Information of the Study The true importance of knowledge and Knowledge Management in today’s organizations cannot be overstated. Knowledge has been recognized as a form of capital for the organization and provides the only sustainable basis of competitive advantage that many organizations possess. Unlike many of the other types of capital that appear on an organizations’ balance sheet, existing knowledge more-readily lends itself to “recycling” to generate new intellectual capital for the benefit of the organization. Knowledge is truly re- usable and can be integrated in many different ways in order to make it maximize its value. If we are to take full advantage of the existing knowledge within an organization, then we must develop strategies and implement policies and procedures to manage the knowledge environment. An organization can help itself make optimal use of this strategic resource by first understanding the environment in which the knowledge processes will be operating, and then implementing effective and efficient knowledge management techniques to support the environment. The question of “how” knowledge management is implemented to create value within organizations has been studied in recent years. These studies have evaluated knowledge management styles, enablers, and processes with respect to their impact on organizational performance as well as the structure of the organization itself. The theory and models...
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...Approach to Knowledge Management at Tata Steel Name Institution Table of Contents Introduction 3 Background to Tata Steel 4 Knowledge Management Initiative at Tata Steel 5 Knowledge Management Phases at Tata Steel 5 Tata Steel Knowledge Management Stakeholders 7 Knowledge Transfer Opportunities 7 Tata Steel Knowledge Transfer Strategies and Instruments 8 Tata Steel Knowledge Management Portal 11 Tata Steel’s Knowledge Management Approaches Achievements 11 Conclusion 12 References 13 Introduction Knowledge management has arisen as an essential aspect that business establishments must consider if they hope to enjoy unimpeded success. In fact, it could turn into a bottleneck if not well managed. Schwartz (2006, p. 3) defines knowledge as a malleable combination of expert interpretation, contextual information, values and experiences that offers an outline for appraising and integrating information with new experiences. Essentially, knowledge is the information that the business entity has collected on their successes, mistakes, business processes, and stakeholders such as customers, suppliers and investors (Schwartz 2006, pp. 3-4). Tata Steel is aware of the importance of knowledge management and has developed unique approaches towards the same. McInerney and Koenig (2011, p. 45) points out that knowledge can exist in either of two forms: explicit or tacit knowledge. Explicit knowledge is tangible knowledge that is embedded in data storage tools such...
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..._____________________________________________________________________ M. Mokhtaripour _________________________________________________________________ R. Hoveida _____________________________________________________________________ 8 8 8 8 Quality: From Where to Where? ___________________________________________ 12 Alan Brown ___________________________________________________________________ 12 The Impact of Educational Quality Models on Schools’ Performance in Dubai ________ 20 Kalthoom Al Balooshi ____________________________________________________________ 20 Wafi Dawood __________________________________________________________________ 20 Management Education and Development in the United Kingdom _________________ 25 Daniel O' Hare _________________________________________________________________ 25 Global Quality Management Systems and the Impact on Service Quality and Brand ___ 35 Jonathan M. A. Ward ____________________________________________________________ 35 Resilience: From Product to Corporate Strategy _______________________________ 42 Mehran Sepehri...
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...IMPACT OF KNOWLEDGE MANAGEMENT ON ORGANISATIONAL PERFORMANCE jeLena RašULa1 vesna BosiLj vUkšić2 Mojca inDiHaR šteMBeRGeR3 a B st R ac t: Knowledge management is a process that transforms individual knowledge into organisational knowledge. The aim of this paper is to show that through creating, accumulating, organising and utilising knowledge, organisations can enhance organisa- tional performance. The impact of knowledge management practices on performance was empirically tested through structural equation modelling. The sample included 329 com- panies both in Slovenia and Croatia with more than 50 employees. The results show that knowledge management practices measured through. information technology, organisa- tion and knowledge positively affect organisational performance. ke ywords: knowledge management maturity, information technology, organisational performance, structural equation modelling, survey research. 1. intRoDUction For many companies, the time of rapid technological change is also the time of incessant struggle for maintaining a competitive advantage. It is obvious that knowledge is slowly becoming the most important factor of production, next to labour, land and capital [39]. Even though some forms of intellectual capital are transferable, internal knowledge is not easily copied. This means that the knowledge anchored in employees’ minds can get lost if they decide to leave the organisation. Therefore, the key objective of management is to improve...
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...MANAGING FOR THE LONG TERM | BEST OF HBR | November–December 1991 The Knowledge-Creating Company by Ikujiro Nonaka Editor’s Note: This 1991 article helped popularize the notion of “tacit” knowledge – the valuable and highly subjective insights and intuitions that are difficult to capture and share because people carry them in their heads. Years later, the piece can still startle a reader with its views of organizations and of the types of knowledge that inform them. For example, the advice on how to distill objective and transferable, or “explicit,” knowledge from tacit knowledge – with a vivid illustration of Matsushita Electric’s efforts to build a better bread-making machine – is both arresting and actionable. The next step: ensuring that explicit knowledge is translated back into tacit knowledge that will then go on to yield yet another innovative solution. 162 Harvard Business Review 1284 Nonaka.indd 162 | July–August 2007 I the one sure source of lasting competitive advantage is knowledge. When markets shift, technologies proliferate, competitors multiply, and products become obsolete almost overnight, successful companies are those that consistently create new knowledge, disseminate it widely throughout the organization, and quickly embody it in new technologies and products. These activities define the “knowledge-creating” company, whose sole business is continuous innovation. And yet, despite all the talk about “brainpower”...
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...think, feel and act in a society. Companies act not only according to their identity but also their culture and internal structure. That is, as a person, the "personality" of the company (Way of being and behaving) depends on the interaction between their structures and identity culture. Organizational culture is the way of thinking, feeling and doing shared members of the company. Culture is a good or intangible capital, consisting of shared values, which, to the extent that generates motivation, collaboration and commitment, will have a greater value for the company. It is a system of assumptions and shared meanings, such as identity, distinguishes the organization from any another. Culture not formally indicates how to do things in the company and what is their importance (Wilson, 1989, P. 303-319). It is a social construction based on customs, learning, experiences and traditions. This culture may or may not further the objectives of the company. Culture becomes visible and / or strengthened through different aspects, such as: Identification The degree of commitment of staff to the company as a whole, and not just with your type of work or specific field performance. Group organization The extent to which work activities are organized in around groups rather than individuals. Consideration of the person The degree to which decisions management taking into account the impact that will have on the results members of the company. Internal integration The extent...
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...RUNNING HEAD: THE CONCEPT OF KNOWLEDGE IN KM The concept of knowledge in KM: A dimensional model Forthcoming in the Journal of Knowledge Management, Volume 10, No 6, 2006 Bertolt Meyer1 and Kozo Sugiyama2 1 Department of Organizational and Social Psychology, Institute of Psychology, Humboldt University Berlin Unter den Linden 6, 10099 Berlin, Germany bmeyer@psychologie.hu-berlin.de 2 School of Knowledge Science, Japan Advanced Institute of Science and Technology 1-1 Asahidai, Nomi, Ishikawa 923-1292, Japan sugi@jaist.ac.jp Abstract Purpose: To sharpen the concepts of tacit, implicit and explicit knowledge by linking them to findings from cognitive psychology and memory science and thus finding a possibility for measuring non-explicit knowledge. Methodology/Approach: A review of KM and cognitive science literature leads to a dimensional model of knowledge types that links the concepts from KM to more specific concepts from psychology. One central assumption of the model was empirically tested and put into practice in one small-scale KM project. Findings: The concepts in KM can be linked to concepts from psychology and thus receive theoretical support. The developed model enables psychometric access to a part of non-explicit knowledge through structural assessment techniques. Furthermore, the model has proven to be of value in a practical application in KM. Research limitations: The experiment and the practical application are too small in scope to provide full...
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...Coping with Continuous Change in the Business Environment CHANDOS KNOWLEDGE MANAGEMENT SERIES Series Editor: Melinda Taylor (email: melindataylor@chandospublishing.com) Chandos’ new series of books are aimed at all those individuals interested in knowledge management. They have been specially commissioned to provide the reader with an authoritative view of current thinking. If you would like a full listing of current and forthcoming titles, please visit our web site www.chandospublishing.com or contact Hannah Grace-Williams on email info@chandospublishing.com or telephone number +44 (0) 1993 848726. New authors: we are always pleased to receive ideas for new titles; if you would like to write a book for Chandos, please contact Dr Glyn Jones on email gjones@chandospublishing.com or telephone number +44 (0) 1993 848726. Bulk orders: some organisations buy a number of copies of our books. If you are interested in doing this, we would be pleased to discuss a discount. Please contact Hannah Grace-Williams on email info@chandospublishing.com or telephone number +44 (0) 1993 848726. Coping with Continuous Change in the Business Environment Knowledge management and knowledge management technology ANTONIE BOTHA DERRICK KOURIE AND RETHA SNYMAN Chandos Publishing Oxford · England Chandos Publishing (Oxford) Limited TBAC Business Centre Avenue 4 Station Lane Witney Oxford OX28 4BN UK Tel: +44 (0) 1993 848726 Fax: +44 (0) 1865 884448 Email:...
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...Definition of Knowledge Management 2.1. Contribution of KM to organizations 2.2. KM creates Learning Organization 2.3. KM as Communities of Practise 2.4. KM as Information Technologies like KMS 2.5. KM as HR issue 2.6. KM as combination of all of the above 2.7. KM provides competitive advantage 2. KM as an IT fad 3.8. Failures of KM 3.9. Promises of KM vs what it has delivered Conclusion References Introduction With the changing trends in the field of business management one can see Knowledge management emerging as one of the major areas of importance. Many organizations have learnt the importance of implementing the KM initiatives to gain competitive advantage over their rivals and reaped the benefits while some other companies have gained bitter fruits. When few companies gained competitive advantage, how is it that the others had bitter experiences? This question has led to many people voicing their opinions against the KM initiatives. The aim of this paper is to clarify this question, without any prejudice, by providing both the pros and cons of KM initiatives. 1. Definition of Knowledge Management Srikantaiah & Koenig (2000) defined knowledge management as a ‘discipline that promotes an integrated approach to identifying, capturing, evaluating, retrieving, and sharing all of an enterprise’s information assets.’ Successful organizations are realizing the importance of knowledge management. Coulson...
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...Management knowledge and knowledge management: realism and forms of truth John Mingers1 1Kent Business School, University of Kent, Canterbury, U.K. Correspondence: John Mingers, Kent Business School, University of Kent, Canterbury, Kent, CT2 7PE, U.K. Tel: þ44 1227 824008; E-mail: j.mingers@kent.ac.uk Received: 24 July 2007 Accepted: 15 October 2007 Abstract This paper addresses the issue of truth and knowledge in management generally and knowledge management in particular. Based on ideas from critical realism and critical theory, it argues against the monovalent conceptualization of knowledge implicitly or explicitly held by many authors and aims instead to develop a characterization that recognizes the rich and varied ways in which human beings may be said ‘to know’. It points out and conceptualizes a fundamental dimension of knowledge that is generally ignored or cursorily treated within the literature, that is, ‘truth’. It identifies four forms of knowledge – propositional, experiential, performative and epistemological – and explores their characteristics, especially in terms of truth and validity. It points out some implications for knowledge management. Knowledge Management Research & Practice (2008) 6, 62–76. doi:10.1057/palgrave.kmrp.8500161 Keywords: knowledge management; knowledge; information; critical realism; critical theory; truth Introduction Although knowledge management (KM) has established itself as a bona fide subject both in practice...
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...Introduction: The following three cases discuss information management within three very different types of organizations: (1) a national, online manufacturer/retailer of clothing and sportswear; (2) a major integrated healthcare provider; and (3) a global architectural design and construction firm. Consider each organization in terms of its information management needs at the following three levels of operations: • transacting – operational needs • management and control needs • planning, transformation, and innovation needs From this perspective, consider the following questions for each case study: 1. What information is critical at each level of operations? 2. How is this information collected/created? 3. What role(s) does either data-driven decision making (DSS systems) or knowledge management (KMS systems) play in each of these scenarios? 4. What are the challenges associated with accessing and leveraging business intelligence (BI) - either data-driven or knowledge-based within each enterprise? 5. What are the paybacks from the successful uses of BI? Case 1: CUSTOM MADE APPAREL AND INDIVIDUALIZED SERVICE AT LANDS’ END [adapted from the article by Blake Ives and Gabriele Piccoli, Communications of the Association for Information Systems (Volume 11, 2003)79-93] A Kurt Salmon and Associates study in 1997 found that 36% of consumers were willing to pay 12 to 15% more for custom apparel and footwear...
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...Academy of Management Review 2007, Vol. 32, No. 4, 1041–1059. GROUP LEARNING JEANNE M. WILSON The College of William & Mary PAUL S. GOODMAN Carnegie Mellon University MATTHEW A. CRONIN George Mason University We clarify the construct of group learning, encouraging new directions for research. Definitions of group learning vary considerably across studies, making it difficult to systematically accumulate evidence. To reconcile disparate approaches, we first present a set of features for distinguishing group learning from other concepts. We then develop a framework for understanding group learning that focuses on learning’s basic processes at the group level of analysis: sharing, storage, and retrieval. By doing so, we define the construct space, identify gaps in current treatments of group learning, and illuminate new possibilities for measurement. • In an eight-person product development team, one member from Engineering learns a new method for three-dimensional graphing and starts using it in her rough product designs. As a result, the team’s development costs decrease. • Based on its experience with the Love Me cybervirus, a national internet security team agrees that, in the future, the team should wait to send out alerts until it has a tested fix to recommend. Seven weeks later, when the Me Too bug strikes, the team delays sending out an alert for an extra four hours while it develops a patch. This response is roundly criticized in the internet security community. ...
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...PAPERS How Effective Are Project Management Methodologies? An Explorative Evaluation of Their Benefits in Practice Hany Wells, Business School, University of Hertfordshire, Hatfield, Hertfordshire, England ABSTRACT I INTRODUCTION I This article investigates the benefits and supports provided by project management methodologies (PMMs) to project managers for the management and delivery of information technology/ information system (IT/IS) projects. Using a qualitative approach, through case study strategy, the role of PMMs is examined in different business and project contexts. This article evaluates the benefit of PMMs based on their traits and characteristics and investigates PMMs in their operational context: where PMMs come from and how they support practitioners. The findings suggest a misalignment between the intended benefit of PMMs at the strategic level and the reported benefits by project managers at the project level. Additionally, it is shown that practitioners’ expertise, accountability, and attitudes all have a direct influence on the extent to which PMMs contribute to and benefit the management of projects. report from former UK Health Secretary Andrew Lansley captured the attention of many by highlighting that “Labour’s IT programme let down the NHS [National Health Service] and wasted taxpayers’ money by imposing a top-down IT system on the local NHS, which didn’t fit their needs” (BBC News, 2011). This report highlighted...
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...Journal of Management, Vol. 16, 175–194 (2005) DOI: 10.1111/j.1467-8551.2005.00453.x Revisiting Fayol: Anticipating Contemporary Management Lee D. Parker* and Philip A. Ritson *Corresponding author: Lee D. Parker, School of Commerce, Security House, North Terrace, The University of Adelaide, SA 5005 Australia Email: lee.parker@adelaide.edu.au This study argues that in classifying Fayol as a founding father of the Classical Management School, we have to some extent misrepresented this still important management theorist. The received Fayol portrayed in contemporary texts invariably emerges as a caricature of a much more insightful, complex, visionary and rounded management thinker. This study re-examines Fayol’s personal and career history, as well as the arguments presented in his original work, General and Industrial Management. It finds that he was a much more complex and multidimensional figure than his conventional stereotype today, and that his management theories embraced a wider spectrum of approaches and concepts than traditionally identified with the classical management school of thought. In marked contrast to his traditional portrayal, this study uncovers traces of ideas and concepts that anticipated aspects of the human relations movement, systems-based contingency theory, the movement towards greater employee involvement in decision-making and elements of knowledge management. Henri Fayol, the French industrialist and management thinker of...
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