Knowledge management is one of the basic concepts of management. Knowledge management definitions and concepts Reasons for the emergence of knowledge management as a science
The new role of science as a decisive factor in the development of the economy and society is a natural consequence of the scientific and technological revolution, its new stage - the information revolution and the formation and development of the information society associated with it. Scientific and information potential has become the main indicator of the current level of socio-economic development.
This is the reason for the special attention to science and knowledge around the world. Scientific, educational, information and intellectual potential, on which only high technologies of the 21st century can be based. in all spheres of society, it is impossible to create in a short time, even with significant capital. Stable operation of the system of scientific institutions, education, enterprises, professional management structures equipped with modern information technologies is necessary.
The most promising theoretical developments in recent years are associated with the decisive importance of knowledge for the development of organizations, whose activities are increasingly dependent on the accumulation and analysis of information, staff training and the assimilation of innovations. Numerous and multi-scale surveys of enterprises show that tangible assets form only a visible, relatively small part of the assets of enterprises, their market value.
The "invisible" property of enterprises is intellectual assets that can and do bring real dividends to companies. These are patents and copyrights, knowledge and professional qualities of employees, trademarks, a client base, a network of reliable ones.
Recently, in a market economy, it is knowledge that begins to play a decisive role in achieving the effective use of the potential of organizations. In this regard, it is necessary to familiarize yourself with the basic concepts associated with modern ideas about knowledge. To this end, consider the following historical example.
When control companies British Petroleum(BP) decided to analyze why the level of oil production at the same technically equipped deepwater wells varies significantly, it turned out that the matter is in different level of knowledge employees of these wells. Moreover, this knowledge was not documented; were mostly in the minds of the company's employees.
Discovering this management BP decided to distribute valuable knowledge among employees of lagging wells. The result was a significant rise in the level of productivity and profitability of the company. In the future, VR was developed knowledge management program (Knowledge Management— KM).
Knowledge management is the creation and valuable knowledge management(intellectual assets) of the company.
In the field of studying knowledge management, there are the following main questions:
1) definition valuable knowledge(intellectual assets) of the company;
2) distribution valuable knowledge(CZ) among the company's employees and the transfer of this knowledge to new employees;
3) concentration of central locks for solving non-standard, including innovative tasks;
4) increase level of knowledge companies and generation new knowledge.
The birth of the knowledge management program as a new direction in management sciences can be considered 1993, when the first conference was held in Boston, specifically dedicated to the problems of knowledge management in companies and organizations. At present, this is one of the most promising and rapidly developing areas of management, both science and practice.
Historical reasons and theoretical background for the emergence of a knowledge management program:
Globalization and increased competition, prompting corporations to seek competitive advantages;
Rapid development and implementation of information technologies;
Raising the overall technological level of production.
When organizing work with knowledge, it is necessary to differentiate them.
Knowledge Management
Goal-setting knowledge answer the question "why?" and are used to determine the possibilities for the formation of goals and values.
Systematic knowledge represent the answer to the question "what?" and are used to analyze causes and synthesize new methods and alternatives.
Pragmatic Knowledge answer the question "how?", are used in decision-making processes and are factual knowledge.
Automatic knowledge are applied when performing tasks automatically, without conscious justification. Most of this knowledge is subconscious.
There are three main types of knowledge:
- "Earned knowledge" is manifested only in their influence on behavior.
- "Expressed knowledge" can be formed on the basis of behavior.
- “Exact knowledge” is knowledge that is formulated.
In the context of accelerated changes in technology and economics of production, competition, information technology and management methods, it is necessary to understand the mechanisms for mastering knowledge, using intellectual, intangible assets. It is the knowledge and competence of the personnel that underlie the development of organizations and allow finding solutions to technical, economic, organizational and managerial problems, both current and future ones.
Knowledge management is becoming an important tool for improving the performance of organizations. Modern information and communication technologies provide a constant and reliable exchange of ideas and information. In addition, management decisions are made more quickly and reasonably, cooperation is strengthened with the help of self-organizing groups.
Knowledge about consumers increases the degree of effectiveness of relations with them, and knowledge obtained jointly with the consumer opens the way for the introduction of innovations, goods and services of higher quality. Learning organizations become an effective form of managing constant change.
The value of knowledge for the development of organizations
It is these conditions that give new impetus to the development of scientific research and technical development, marketing and the formation of a long-term strategy for organizations.
Many organizations are willing to invest capital in education, infrastructural and organizational changes without requiring an immediate return on such investments. They are convinced that the future ability to meet the customer's needs for new, improved products (and ensure the survival of the firm) is based on such initiatives. Recognizing knowledge as capital, they are convinced that the price that will have to be paid for the unwillingness to manage knowledge may turn out to be unacceptably high.
A growing share of the value of products and services comes from the knowledge that creates them and the knowledge they contain. Software, for example, is the most striking example of a new kind of product, characterized as "frozen knowledge", as opposed to traditional industrial goods, called "frozen resources".
Knowledge is an increasing part of the cost and price of many traditional goods. The growth of the service sector contributes to a shift in business value towards knowledge, rather than “frozen resources”. Increasingly, the success of organizations depends on a comprehensive knowledge of the needs of consumers and the level of specialized services offered to them.
Knowledge is a valuable resource that many organizations are increasingly creating, selling and acquiring. Businesses face complex challenges that force them to develop cutting-edge knowledge and make the most of it.
This is dictated by a number of conditions:
The rapid, unpredictable change in market demand means that organizations must learn to adapt to the external environment and engage in learning on an ongoing basis;
Global competition requires a level of efficiency and innovation that can only be achieved through the fullest use of knowledge;
Modern information technologies have made it possible to involve small segments of the market and individual consumers in the economic turnover, creating a tough competitive environment to meet the specific needs of the consumer.
Of course, organizations in their work have always relied on the knowledge of what to do and how to do it, but often took it for granted. The economic importance of knowledge and its fundamental role for corporate survival is growing. Modern organizations are interested in knowledge management, making significant investments in the creation, preservation and use of knowledge, which has become the most important resource.
Large organizations operating on a global scale rely on knowledge to solve problems that arise because of their size and complexity. Employees of such organizations have more knowledge than those that the organization can effectively use. Geographical dispersion, organizational and cultural barriers, a huge number of groups, subcultures and a variety of projects make it difficult to ensure the production and dissemination of knowledge. In many organizations, deeply rooted organizational beliefs and ways of working often prevent new ideas from breaking through.
Although the exact monetary value of knowledge in an organization cannot be calculated, there are some criteria for measuring its economic value. The difference between the market value of an organization and the value of its tangible assets is one measure of the value of intangible assets, most of which are organizational knowledge.
For example, in the US, only 6 to 30% of a company's value comes from assets listed on traditional balance sheets; the rest value is intangible assets. As a result, 50% of the investments of manufacturing companies are in non-material areas: research and development, training, etc.
Many large companies spend more on salaries than on other items of expenditure, and pay certain employees much more than others. What does the company gain by incurring such high costs? Professional experience and knowledge that develop empirical rules, form judgments and guide the search for models and semantic solutions.
Knowledge management has two main tasks.
The first task is efficiency improvement, using knowledge to increase productivity by increasing speed or reducing costs.
Second - promotion of innovations, creation of new products and services, new businesses and business processes.
The first task was called “do it right”, or “knowledge for application”, and the second - “think it up”, or “knowledge for research”.
The task of "do it right" should systematize and transfer knowledge; it implies the creation of a technological infrastructure for the transfer of certain knowledge. This takes into account such processes and issues as developing methods for acquiring and grouping knowledge, providing opportunities and encouraging the exchange of knowledge, working with other cultural and organizational factors that may influence the exchange and use of knowledge.
Knowledge repositories, scientific databases, and programs for managing knowledge assets such as patents generally fall into the "do it right" category. They increase productivity by reducing the time spent searching for knowledge, eliminating duplication of activities and finding new opportunities to use existing knowledge.
The “do it yourself” challenge (which encourages the creation of new knowledge) takes a different approach. The likelihood of innovation can be increased by creating conditions for people to work together, encouraging creative risk taking. Sharing innovative knowledge often involves the exchange of complex information between people who have been working together for a long time. Any exchange of knowledge can lead to innovation. By making existing knowledge widely available in an organization, both innovation and repetition can be achieved—individuals accessing existing knowledge for the first time can create new combinations of ideas.
Most knowledge theorists and practitioners believe that innovation-oriented knowledge has a greater prospective value than efficiency-oriented knowledge. However, most knowledge projects are focused more on performance and operation than research. This paradox is not difficult to explain. Managing certain knowledge assets seems simpler and more concrete than creating a creative learning environment. The focus on immediate action and practical results promotes the application of existing knowledge, rather than the creation of new ones.
Successful companies abroad prefer to focus on what they do best (ie efficiency) than on finding a new product or new methods of obtaining it. Many, however, believe that the future belongs to the most innovative, not the most efficient companies.
To create the future potential of an organization, it is necessary to focus not only on solving current problems and making short-term profits. Knowledge management researchers in the US, referring to survey materials, note that 42% of corporate knowledge is "locked" in the minds of employees, and only 24% exist in the form of paper documents. Attention is also drawn to the fact that the total losses of the top 500 US companies due to inefficient knowledge management amount to 12 billion dollars a year.
Of particular importance is the approach to knowledge management, which balances and integrates the organizational, human and technological components of knowledge. Ignoring the elements of the human factor, the production process and technology generates various kinds of errors and failures.
Culture is the most important issue in the field of knowledge, because human factor(i.e. behavior, values, level of connections or isolation within the organization) determines the level of knowledge management. Any initiative that neglects this factor is likely to be unfeasible.
Human relationships and trust are what some researchers call "social capital". Trust, defined as “expected reciprocity,” gives confidence that efforts to help others will be recognized and rewarded. Trust allows you to reduce operating costs and is the basis of economic growth. When trust is lost, it is difficult to restore it.
Time spent together builds trust and helps people develop cohesion, which is essential for building social capital. A single language of communication and a common understanding of the content and direction of activities allow people to work together. Some part of this community may be provided by leadership and deep corporate beliefs, but the cohesion of people depends on the thoughts and experiences they directly share. A healthy knowledge-sharing environment accepts all mistakes and learns from them instead of punishing or hiding them. A fear-based culture encourages neither creativity nor collaboration.
Speaking about the human components of knowledge, attention should be paid to organizational training, become part of the work.
Abroad, companies, being decentralized, with fierce internal competition and confrontation, are currently learning communication and cooperation. They create long-term university programs. There are examples of universities turning into a virtual system providing education for all on a global scale.
Leaders have a great influence on organizational culture and learning. Senior leaders must continually enforce cultural change. They should be agents of change, responsible for making the company knowledge-driven. Leaders can have a powerful impact on organizational culture if they communicate plans for development and dissemination of knowledge to their employees. Modern knowledge management systems essentially cross organizational boundaries, enhancing communication and transforming local knowledge into organizational knowledge.
Availability of information (especially in large organizations) is the main problem of improving the process of access to knowledge. Therefore, their distribution is the goal of many projects. Although the availability of information implies the need for a standard approach to knowledge, too close similarity threatens non-standard knowledge. On the other hand, the value of knowledge often lies in its specific content and particular point of view. To maintain the effectiveness of knowledge management, management processes must be flexible and able to balance these opposites.
Concerning technological components knowledge, technology alone cannot solve emerging problems or create an environment for knowledge sharing. At the same time, there is a temptation to focus on the material, technical part of knowledge management and ignore difficult organizational problems. Implementing technology for group work is much easier than developing a collaborative culture, and individual managers still rely on the right technology to do most of the work.
Since the effectiveness of knowledge management depends on the successful integration of people, processes and technologies, a lack of development in any of these areas can limit the dissemination and use of knowledge. As a result, problems can arise - from a slight decrease in work efficiency to a state-level disaster.
The significant expansion of access to knowledge, made possible by the information revolution, is changing the very nature of the relationship between specialist and non-professional, between organization and worker, between source and recipient of benefits. Knowledge excludes staticness, since it creates the basis for the continuous exchange of information with the participation of both its creators and users.
Basic education, vocational training and qualifications, raising the level of professional skills and knowledge in accordance with the needs of the labor market, and supporting the development of innovative thinking are of great importance for economic and technological progress in the process of creating a knowledge-based information society.
Let us specifically highlight the so-called organizational knowledge, on which the organization's ability to change for the purpose of survival and development is based. Organizational knowledge develops thanks to the knowledge of each employee and includes a set of principles, rules, methods and skills that ensure the business activity of the organization and its personnel potential.
The structure of organizational knowledge includes practical, theoretical, strategic, commercial and industrial knowledge. They constitute the intelligence of the organization, based on information technology, decision-making technologies and the speed of perception of innovations. The organization collects information, builds inferences and generates new knowledge in order to improve the quality of manufactured products and satisfy customer needs.
As a result of the use of new information and telecommunication technologies, the level of interconnections in the market environment has increased dramatically. The time for satisfying any social needs has drastically “shrunk”. Scientific and technological progress has become a real driving force for the development of production, investments in high-tech industries are growing on a large scale.
There is an integration of material and non-material production, as high technologies are increasingly spread in the service sector, and the material sector is the largest consumer of specialized services. Expands like an avalanche e-commerce- contractual relations (purchase and sale, deliveries, agreements, factoring, leasing, investment contracts, banking services, etc.), carried out only in electronic form, without the help of paper carriers of corporate strategies (business partnerships and cooperation), often you - cut down on fierce competition.
Under the influence of these and other factors, new, often revolutionary changes take place in management. Horizontal structures, network organizations, "internal markets" of corporations, virtual systems are born in different scales and modifications. The requirements for professional training and the role of leaders, their behavior, skills and intellectual potential are growing significantly.
Under these conditions, the acquisition of knowledge, its distribution and use become the main source and key factor in the development of material and non-material production, ensuring sustainable economic growth. The management of new knowledge and new knowledge in the field of management are interrelated factors designed to fundamentally change the organization of human activity and dramatically increase its efficiency in the 21st century.
Economic and managerial relations are based on knowledge, preferences of economic entities are revealed, exchange takes place and information is supplied to the markets. Lack of information leads to the collapse of markets and hinders their creation. That is why ensuring the adaptability of knowledge management to new conditions is one of the important tasks of the modern manager.
The sources of mobility are the ability to change the profession, cultural and social environment, education and lifelong learning of the individual. The use of educational technologies, for example, through distance learning, comes to the fore.
In recent years, a number of industrialized countries have implemented knowledge management programs in companies of various sizes and in various sectors of the economy. The results of the implementation of these programs, the implementation of the knowledge management function open up new opportunities for increasing production efficiency and meeting dynamically changing consumer demand. This is evidenced by the data of sociological surveys.
A similar survey conducted in the United States in 1998-1999. magazine management review and research organization AMA Research, showed that more than 1/3 of American companies implement knowledge management programs. The survey covered 1626 managing companies. The effectiveness of programs for individual elements of knowledge management is reflected in Table. 11.1.
TABLE 11.1 Key elements of knowledge management
The impact that knowledge management programs had on the main performance indicators of companies is evidenced by the data in Table. 11.2.
TABLE 11.2 Goals and results of knowledge management programs
The central task of the knowledge management function is to identify and additionally use the resources available in the organization by constantly searching for best practices. Organizations usually use such types of knowledge as professional knowledge and practical experience of employees, creative solutions, etc.
To become a knowledge-based company, an organization must create "spiral of knowledge" where unknown (implicit) knowledge must be revealed and disseminated in order to become part of the individualized knowledge base of each employee. The spiral is renewed every time to rise to a new level, expanding the knowledge base applicable to different areas of the organization.
Modern information technologies play an important role in this. Unlike information management, knowledge management is aimed at giving additional value to information through its filtering, synthesis, generalization and presentation in the required form. This should be facilitated by openness of management and trust.
An organization's ability to absorb knowledge, disseminate it, and act in concert on that knowledge determines its ability to learn. The potential uses of organizational learning or extension systems are often limited by both technical factors and cultural conditions. In recent decades, the practice of continuous education has become widespread in the world as a set of measures that enable a person to learn throughout life according to the principle "any education is valuable, anywhere, at any time and of any content."
It is expedient to distribute the educational resources of an individual throughout life, and not to concentrate them in a strictly defined period. This involves the formation of a system of continuous education, taking into account self-learning with consulting and methodological support (organization of a network of open universities, distance learning, etc.).
Generalization of knowledge management experience, its comprehensive analysis, identification of opportunities for using new organizational models and methods, taking into account specific situations and characteristics of business entities, become one of the key tasks of organization and management.
Questions to check
1. What is the role of knowledge for the development of organizations in the era of the information revolution?
2. What questions are in the field of studying knowledge management?
3. What were the historical reasons and theoretical prerequisites for the emergence of a knowledge management program?
4. List the three main types of knowledge.
5. What conditions dictate the need to develop and effectively use knowledge?
6. What tasks does knowledge management solve?
7. What is meant by organizational learning?
8. What are the main elements of knowledge management?
Knowledge is the source of productivity, innovation and competitive advantage. The accumulation of knowledge and information leads to the formation of intellectual capital, which becomes the main source of creating sustainable competitive advantages for organizations and enterprises, enhancing their potential value and meeting dynamically developing consumer demand.
Unlike information, knowledge does not belong entirely to the organization (since it is not only in a formalized form, but also largely in the heads of employees). Since the roots of knowledge lie in the experience and intellectual capabilities of a person in his social context, their successful management is possible only with an attentive attitude to the person, to the country's culture and organizational culture.
In essence, knowledge is concentrated and socially (and sometimes personally or collectively) tested information that forms a kind of micromodel of the surrounding world. That is why the management of an enterprise, a company based on the manipulation of knowledge is initially associated with significant complexity. Each model is built on the basis of certain prerequisites, the researcher's own view and experience; to build an integral model of the enterprise and its environment from heterogeneous components is a task as difficult as it is necessary.
At present, many Russian leaders have begun to experience a qualitative leap in thinking. There is an understanding that the introduction of automated systems, programs, network and telecommunications equipment should be accompanied by a restructuring of the entire internal functional structure of the organization.
Functions and stages of knowledge management
Knowledge Management- this is the creation of such conditions under which the right people receive the knowledge and information they need at the right time to achieve their strategic and tactical goals. Knowledge management is the organization of management decisions based on information technology.
For effective knowledge management, both technological infrastructure (repositories of information, means of communication and collaboration, discussions and forums, information products) and organizational tools (training events, employee motivation and evaluation system, meetings and meetings, tests) are important. , internships and practices, business games and competitions).
In order for knowledge to really work for a particular organization, it is advisable to preserve the knowledge, information and experience that are already known; transfer your experience and knowledge to those who need them; work collaboratively and create new knowledge; well navigate in the sources of knowledge and information.
As the Russian business developed, both the tasks and the set of knowledge management tools changed. For example, in the mid-1990s, when analysts began working with knowledge and information in Russia, it was about overcoming information overload. After a few years, when certain experience and knowledge were accumulated, the tasks of knowledge managers changed.
Along with the performance of functions related to overcoming information overload, they faced the task of preserving the experience already gained and a deeper use of external and internal resources:
Development of so-called knowledge profiles - special information products containing only the information and knowledge necessary for the target group of users;
Structuring existing knowledge and accumulated experience;
Business information support - work with requests from internal customers.
During this period, an increasing number of companies become learning organizations, developing their intellectual assets and hiring senior knowledge management officials.
The uneven distribution of technological knowledge among workers and organizations is considered a knowledge deficit. The difficulties caused by the incompleteness of socio-economic knowledge are information problems.
Knowledge deficit and information problems are inextricably linked. To unlock the potential of knowledge, organizations must address both challenges simultaneously.
Scientific and educational activities consist of the following three functions:
Creation and acquisition of knowledge as such and verification of its value;
Accumulation, assimilation and preservation of knowledge;
Transferring knowledge to others.
The implementation of each of these functions is based on a certain technology and economy and is performed by certain public institutions. If technology and the economy change, these institutions also change.
Function one: creating and acquiring knowledge as such and testing its value.
From an organizational point of view, this function means taking advantage of the knowledge already available in the world and adapting it to the needs of the enterprise (for example, through an open trade regime, attracting foreign investment and concluding licensing agreements), as well as obtaining new knowledge through research and development. and development work.
As for the educational aspect itself - the beginning of obtaining knowledge, here we can distinguish the following trends observed at the present time:
1. There is an exponential growth in research in most fields of science. According to American analysts, it ranges from 4% to 8% per year with a doubling period of 10 to 15 years.
The reaction of education to the rapidly increasing amount of information was the improvement of its processing by such methods:
Better education;
Increased headcount;
Internal reorganization;
Investments in information technology.
2. The main strategy of educational institutions is becoming a narrower specialization. The inexorably advancing specialization of scientists means that even large universities are no longer able to cover all areas of science, unless, of course, they increase staff as new knowledge is accumulated.
But it is impossible, both for economic and organizational reasons, to double the staff every five to ten years. As a result, universities still hold their own in the major academic disciplines, but are strong only in a very limited number of required specialties.
Specialists of a certain profile find less and less colleagues in their educational institution and are forced to communicate more with colleagues of similar specialties outside their native walls. Professional, rather than geographical, proximity becomes a decisive factor in the unification of scientists.
As this happens, the advantage that comes from face-to-face interactions with academic colleagues diminishes.
Function two: accumulation, assimilation and preservation of knowledge.
Means the provision of universal primary education, the creation of opportunities for lifelong learning and the development of a system of higher education.
There is an opinion that the university is strong to the extent that its library is strong. But here, too, the economy and technology are changing everything.
As knowledge grows exponentially, the cost of gathering and searching for information rises exponentially.
While print publications are becoming too expensive for university libraries, their electronic competitors in terms of the amount of information stored, the breadth of coverage and the convenience of searching are being put forward in the first place. Educational institutions are gradually transferring investments instead of replenishing libraries to providing electronic access to information.
Thus, the traditional role of universities as reservoirs of specialized knowledge is being undermined, and the quality of access to information will soon play a major role here.
Function three: transferring knowledge to others.
This implies the use of new information and telecommunication technologies, appropriate legal regulation and access to information resources.
In the conditions of revolutionary changes in production and information technologies, a new management function is being formed, the task of which is to accumulate intellectual capital, identify and disseminate existing information and experience, and create prerequisites for the dissemination and transfer of knowledge.
There are the following stages of obtaining, assimilation and transfer of knowledge:
Define.
Collect.
Choose.
Keep.
Distribute.
Apply.
Create.
Sell.
At the stage "Define" it is necessary to establish which core knowledge is critical to success. For example, every organization needs accurate knowledge about customer needs and expectations, products and services, finance, technology, management, employees, and so on. Then the appropriate strategic opportunities and knowledge domains are identified.
Knowledge Domains- These are specialized subject areas of knowledge in which recognized experts can demonstrate the best results. After that, the existing level of competence of employees in each field of knowledge is determined. When the difference between the existing and required level of competence is determined, specialists in the relevant fields of knowledge, together with specialists in training and information technology, can begin to create training programs and support systems.
The Define phase focuses on strategic issues, such as which core knowledge is important for success. Basic knowledge is a set of expert knowledge, tools and methods necessary to develop appropriate strategic opportunities for production or service specialization. Such knowledge should reflect, support and focus on the company's mission and values. Once the core knowledge has been identified, a decision can be made about where to get it.
The core knowledge selected for internal development is further divided into knowledge domains. Once the appropriate knowledge domains needed to provide core knowledge have been identified, the question of capabilities arises. Knowledge domains provide an operational level at which enterprises are formed not only around structural forms called center of expertise, but also around the electronic corporate memory called knowledge repository.
In addition to the strategic aspect, this stage also affects operational issues, such as whether the employee has sufficient knowledge and experience to achieve a high result. An expert assessment of professional skills (knowledge, experience) must be made. There are two types of evaluation: operational— considering the current skills and performance required to support existing core competencies, and strategic- defining what practical experience can be transferred to provide future basic knowledge. The next step is to start creating a knowledge repository for the domains that each organization needs.
Moving on to the stage "Collect", it is necessary to acquire the existing knowledge, experience, methods and qualifications necessary to create the domains of the selected core knowledge. To become usable, knowledge, experience, competence must be streamlined and refined. In addition, practitioners must know where and how to obtain the necessary knowledge and experience in the form of databases and expert systems. To master professional knowledge, it is necessary to establish effective sources of knowledge. For example, employee suggestion programs, domain experts, and best practice databases can be valuable sources of knowledge.
At the stage "Choose" considers the constant flow of collected, ordered knowledge and evaluates their usefulness. Domain experts must evaluate and select the knowledge to be added to the organization's memory. Without a filtering mechanism, valuable bits of knowledge will be lost in a sea of data and information. However, it is important that the diverse perspectives of domain experts be represented when appropriate. Initially, a single structure should be defined as the basis for the organization and classification of knowledge intended for storage in corporate memory.
Stage "Keep" is allocated so that the selected knowledge is classified and entered into the corporate memory. Such corporate memory exists in three forms: in human memory, on paper and in electronic form. To use the knowledge stored in human memory, they must be clear and ordered. This means that knowledge must be organized and presented in various structures within a knowledge repository, just as data and information are organized and presented in various types of databases. Most of this knowledge can be represented in electronic form in the form of expert systems.
At the stage "Distribute" knowledge is retrieved from corporate memory and made available for use. Employees enter their requests and personal interests into corporate memory It is important that such a potentially useful part of communication, discussions, discussions and cooperation be available at the stage of obtaining information in the knowledge management process. For example, different points of view and their rationale should be recorded as part of any decision-making process, as well as the method used to make the final decision.
Within the stage "Apply" the necessary knowledge is found and applied in carrying out tasks, solving problems, making decisions, searching for ideas and learning. In order to easily find, access and apply the right piece of knowledge at the right time and in the right form, a query language is needed. Integrated 'enablement' systems are being used by many leading companies to dramatically increase worker productivity and empowerment.
To facilitate access, understandable classification and navigation systems should be created for quick browsing and knowledge acquisition. To obtain accurate knowledge, it is necessary that the system understands the user's task and conditions. For timely acquisition of knowledge, a system is needed that monitors user actions and determines when work support or the use of a training module is needed. Users can also order the format in which the knowledge will be presented. Finally, users can request help, consultation, test, and evaluation modules.
At the stage "Create" new knowledge is unearthed through many means such as customer observation, customer feedback and analysis, causal analysis, benchmarking, best practices, lessons learned from business process upgrades and process streamlining projects , research, experimentation, creative thinking, automated knowledge generation and data mining.
This stage also defines how to get non-verbal, implicit knowledge from domain experts and turn it into documentary, official knowledge. At the same time, new sources of knowledge should be formalized, fixed in the process of knowledge management and available to users.
The last stage is the stage "Sell". Within its framework, on the basis of intellectual capital, new products are created that can be sold outside the enterprise. Before this stage becomes possible, the other stages must reach a certain phase of maturity.
Level Up competencies- the main measure of the amount of knowledge and the degree of mastery of them.
Competence- This is the degree of understanding, based on existing knowledge, of what is necessary to complete the work. This is what the diverse activities associated with the performance of the knowledge management function at each stage are aimed at.
The implementation of the knowledge management function cannot be subject to standard recipes and rules. Despite little experience in using knowledge management mechanisms, practice has already developed some basic principles which underlie the entire range of this type of activity:
integrating approach. Efforts to work with knowledge are simultaneously related to people, processes and technologies. The latter are considered as a single system, and not just as separate elements. Only top-level corporate leaders can make decisions about investing in areas on which competent knowledge management depends. Knowledge by its very nature has an integrative capacity. It helps a person to understand the meaning of complex and sometimes contradictory information. Knowledge management seeks to connect, communicate and collaborate.
Structural flexibility and simplicity. Large firms trying to create and disseminate knowledge should take care of its structure. They need to have a conceptual framework to guide their activities and measure the process, share common views and use knowledge to enable different groups to have a common basis for knowledge sharing and collaboration.
These structures, at the same time, must be flexible enough to adapt to the individual characteristics of people. Complex procedures and technologies that increase the burden on employees can make knowledge management difficult. It is important to strive for a clear interpretation of creative and communicative knowledge.
Center of attention. The task of knowledge management is to create tangible and intangible benefits. It is not enough just to increase the volume of knowledge, they must become an effective tool of activity. Knowledge is not valuable until it is used. Moreover, it should be used where it will have the highest economic potential.
It is important to use knowledge management in those business processes that will bring a significant return on investment due to the introduced improvements. Many significant processes create very obvious value for the customer or strengthen the connection between the knowledge of the seller and the buyer. In some cases, the return on investment in knowledge is a rapid increase in productivity or efficiency. In other cases, where investments in learning and innovation do not pay off in the short term, they can set the stage for the future success and economic recovery of the firm.
For clarity, the above provisions can be represented in the form of the following diagrams:
MINISTRY OF EDUCATION AND SCIENCE OF UKRAINE
DONETSK STATE UNIVERSITY OF MANAGEMENT
TORES COLLEGE
Essay
discipline: "Knowledge Management"
on the topic: "Knowledge management essence and concept"
Completed by a student:
Groups MB-07-01
Lyulka E.E.
| Introduction |
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| Chapter 1. The essence of organizational knowledge management |
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| 1.1. The concept of knowledge management |
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| 1.2. Knowledge Management Technologies |
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| 1.3. Development of knowledge management systems |
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| Chapter 2. The value of knowledge management in improving the performance of the organization |
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| 2.1. Knowledge in an organization |
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| 2.2. Enterprise knowledge management process |
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| 2.3. Knowledge management is a prerequisite for strategic success |
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| 2.4. Prospects for the development of knowledge management |
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| Conclusion |
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| Bibliography |
Introduction
Surprisingly, there is still an opinion that knowledge management in Russia is unpromising and there are no successful projects in this area in our country. However, reality constantly refutes such assertions.
As Russian business developed, both the tasks and the set of knowledge management tools changed. For example, in the mid-1990s, it was primarily about overcoming information overload. A few years later, when certain experience and knowledge were accumulated, the tasks of knowledge managers changed. Along with the performance of functions related to overcoming information overload, they faced the task of preserving the experience already gained and deeper customization (from the English customize - “customization”) of external and internal resources:
Development of so-called knowledge profiles - special information products containing only the information and knowledge necessary for the target group of users;
Structuring existing knowledge and accumulated experience;
Business information support - work with requests from internal customers.
And only about five years ago, this area was first named by the term, which has been used abroad for more than a dozen years - “knowledge management”. It was then that knowledge centers appeared - units whose employees perform functions related to knowledge management: structuring and customizing knowledge sources, developing "knowledge maps", creating conditions for identifying experts, creating new knowledge, etc. Sometimes they also provide business information support (research at the request of internal customers, search for optimal information and knowledge resources, monitoring the use of available sources, training employees in the use of resources). In this course work, knowledge management is considered as a tool to improve the efficiency of the organization.
Chapter 1. The essence of organizational knowledge management
1.1. The concept of knowledge management
Today, in an environment of intense competition, in order to make adequate decisions, it is important to clearly know how much knowledge an organization has. Now it is a necessary condition for survival. Fortunately, almost all companies have a wealth of background data and experience. So far, this information is dispersed in databases, document repositories, emails, sales reports, and, of course, in the minds of employees. The problem is to organize access to this data, giving it a convenient form for use. This is not always easy, and when you also need to solve both problems quickly, so that you can make an urgent decision based on information analysis, the task can be almost impossible - if you do not have a system for managing this information.
The concept of knowledge management is one of those vague concepts that can seem both comprehensive and meaningless at the same time. In recent years, this concept has been identified with document management, business information systems, collaboration tools, corporate portals and many other fashionable innovations. But a knowledge management system is not just a single product. Rather, it is an overarching enterprise strategy that seeks to identify and capitalize on all of the information, experience, and skills of the firm's employees in order to improve customer service and reduce response times to changing market conditions.
The concept of "knowledge management" (Knowledge Management, KM) was born in the mid-90s in large corporations, where the problems of information processing became especially acute, becoming critical. It turned out that the main bottleneck is the processing of knowledge accumulated by the company's specialists (it is this knowledge that provides it with an advantage over competitors). Knowledge that is not used and does not increase will eventually become obsolete and useless, just as money that is stored without being turned into working capital eventually depreciates. Knowledge that is distributed, acquired and exchanged, on the contrary, generates new knowledge. There are dozens of definitions of knowledge, but in KM systems, knowledge is a fundamental resource based on the practical experience of specialists and on the data used in a particular enterprise.
Knowledge resources differ depending on industries and applications, but, as a rule, they include methods, technologies, information processing procedures that have accumulated during the operation of the enterprise; manuals, letters, news, information about customers and competitors, diagrams, drawings and other data. Traditionally, designers of knowledge management systems have focused primarily on managers, although there is a tendency to take into account a wider range of people in the organization.
Thus, knowledge management is a common name for methods that organize the communication process (targeted communication) in corporate communities, directing it to extract new and update existing knowledge and help company employees solve problems in time, make decisions and take the necessary actions, obtaining the necessary knowledge in right time. Such methods use 80% humanitarian technologies, and only 20% use information technology solutions.
The application of knowledge management techniques makes it possible to use collective experience and knowledge and turn them into corporate capital.
To integrate knowledge management systems into a single complex, a number of technologies are used:
Traditional automation systems and information retrieval systems;
E-mail, corporate networks and Internet services;
Databases and data warehouses (data warehouse);
Electronic document management systems;
Specialized data processing programs (for example, statistical analysis);
Expert systems and knowledge bases.
Each company has a mission, which formulates the tasks that it sets for itself and reflects its positioning. It is reasonable to assume that the staff of the company is made up of employees whose total knowledge allows them to follow the mission.
The experience and knowledge of a particular employee who is assigned a task may not be sufficient to solve it, but in a properly organized company, the total knowledge of the staff ensures the achievement of the goal.
Therefore, knowledge management methods in the company require the formation of communities.
Experts believe that only 20% of all knowledge that becomes “explicit” is used in organizations in one form or another; this means, however, that 80% remain unclaimed. They remain in the hearts and minds of the employees of these organizations. Access to this "unexpressed" knowledge can only be obtained in the process of human interaction. The main mechanism for creating high-value knowledge and its application is communication among employees who work together within a given organization, and such communication is entirely in the sphere of influence of communities.
In companies where knowledge management techniques are not applied, problem solving and decision-making are regularly carried out in conditions of insufficient awareness of employees who use only their own experience and knowledge, which does not always correspond to the competence necessary to solve new problems.
People are the bearers of knowledge. It is the value of their knowledge and experience that is ultimately converted into company profits.
The transfer of knowledge occurs during communication or communication between people, aimed at obtaining the necessary knowledge for solving problems or making decisions.
Communications can be personal and group, direct or remote.
Personal communications (communication) are used by you in everyday life, for example, when you seek advice or advice from a colleague.
To ensure the effectiveness of group communications, humanitarian measures are used that organize the process of communication in groups, directing it to extract the necessary knowledge from the minds of employees and transfer it to colleagues who need it to solve urgent problems. Such events include the usual meetings, seminars, conferences, congresses, etc.
Correspondence communications can take place, for example, through paper or electronic documents and messages.
1.2. Knowledge Management Technologies
The role of humanitarian technologies is to create special conditions under which the exchange of knowledge is not chaotic, but purposeful.
There is some difference between information and knowledge. Information by itself can be basically useless if, faced with a task, you do not have an understanding of where to look for the necessary information, how to use it and whom to turn to for help. Knowledge is in the minds of people and reveals itself at the moment of interaction between them. In the process of communication, employees share knowledge that cannot be gleaned from documentation and other sources of information. It is necessary to direct this interaction towards achieving the goal, generating new ideas and updating existing knowledge.
Knowledge is implied, not directly expressed, it is difficult to isolate it in isolation from the context of relationships between people (we mean relationships in the interaction of people both within the company and with customers, suppliers and partners).
Since the transfer of knowledge occurs only during the interaction between specific people, the formation of a community as an environment of people united by a common professional interest or a common goal, which makes it possible to establish contact between those who seek knowledge and a source of knowledge in conditions of trust and using established personal relationships with each other - is the most important task.
An obstacle to the implementation of knowledge management techniques can be internal competition. Therefore, the formation of an atmosphere of communication in the community, a corporate culture should take into account this peculiarity of people and aim to ensure that they share knowledge with joy.
If the main motive of an employee is not individual leadership, but the achievement of a goal, then the team is able, under favorable conditions, to achieve greater results than the sum of the results achieved in the absence of cooperation.
Solutions in the field of information technology (IT-solutions) support the rules that accompany the knowledge management process, help remove barriers to solving the problems of creating a unified working environment, implementing the mechanism for alienating, accumulating, using and modifying knowledge, supporting innovations and communicating information about them to all interested employees in them.
However, IT solutions do not play a dominant role in knowledge management practices: if your company does not take measures to create a culture of collaboration and data sharing, then no IT solutions will produce tangible results. As well as the use of only humanitarian technologies without the involvement of information technologies will not lead to effective knowledge management.
The form of knowledge representation should make it possible to search for and master them for the purpose of subsequent use. This means that explicitly formalized knowledge, once mastered, can become part of the employee's experience and be used by him to solve problems and make decisions.
Here are just some of the challenges that cannot be solved without using information technology solutions for knowledge management.
1. A knowledge management system stores knowledge in the context of problem solving, project implementation, and human relationships. The context reflects the business process that led to the desired result. The context also reveals the background information, the alternatives that were tried, and the reasons why they did not bring the desired results. Knowledge that can be used to improve the business process is transferred to new products and services.
2. The knowledge management system directs the actions of users in order to place information according to certain rules, allowing them to be successfully found and used in the future;
3. It becomes possible to use the "people/content" relationships stored in the system. Even if you could not find the full knowledge in the system that is ideal for solving your new task, you can use the “person/content” relationship and thus find the person who is the bearer of the knowledge you need.
4. Reducing the dependence of knowledge on the people who own it. You can feel this by instructing new employees. In addition, losses associated with the departure of employees to other companies are minimized (loss of knowledge important for doing business; loss of relationships with key customers/suppliers)
5. Remote communications will not only reduce the need to spend time on face-to-face meetings. The knowledge gained in the process of personal correspondence consultations will be stored in the system along with the context and can then be used by the entire community or group.
6. Anytime, anywhere access does not create restrictions on the duration of distance communications and ensures that you can access the knowledge accumulated by the company at the right time, and not just at the time of personal communication or group communication events.
1.3. Development of knowledge management systems
Figure 1 shows a simplified diagram of the main cycles of knowledge management processes.
Figure 1. Main cycles of knowledge management processes
Implementation is usually preceded by a procedure for formalizing the activities of an enterprise by the method of ontological analysis, which boils down to describing typical entities (information objects for an IT system) and identifying reasonable relationships between them.
The knowledge management system automatically directs user actions in accordance with the ontology that was obtained at the formalization stage. This is expressed in the fact that, when filling the system, meaningless structures are not created, since the rules for linking objects are described in the ontology.
The two main processes that are in constant cycle and supported by the IT system are:
The process of accumulation and use of knowledge;
The process of continuous improvement of formal descriptions (ontologies).
These two processes are interconnected, so the system provides for the possibility of modifying the ontological description during the operation of the system without the need for its reprogramming.
It is the creation of knowledge management systems that makes one wonder, which remains a stumbling block for the second generation of developers of automated systems - where and how to get information (data and knowledge)?
Corporate information can be stored in two forms. Tangible, or explicit, information is data and knowledge that can be found in the organization's documents in the form of messages, letters, articles, reference books, patents, drawings, video and audio recordings, software, etc. Personal or hidden information is personal knowledge that is inextricably linked to individual experience. It can be transmitted through direct contact - "eye to eye", with the help of special procedures for extracting knowledge. It is hidden knowledge that is practical knowledge, which is key for decision-making and management. In fact, these two types of information, like two sides of the same coin, are equally important in the structure of a knowledge management system.
When developing knowledge management systems, the following stages can be distinguished.
1. Accumulation. Spontaneous and unsystematic accumulation of information in the organization.
2. Extraction. The process of transferring the competence of specialists to the analyst. This is one of the most complex and time-consuming stages; the further viability of the system depends on its success.
3. Structuring and formalization. At this stage, the main concepts should be identified, the structure of information presentation should be developed. It should be as clear as possible and be easy to modify and supplement. It is at this stage that descriptions and models of business processes and the structure of information flows are created.
4. System design. Subject statement of the problem, development of architecture and specifications for programming.
5. Software implementation. Development of the actual software complex of the system.
6. Service. It is understood as the correction of formalized data and knowledge (adding, updating); "cleaning" - removal of obsolete information; filtering data and knowledge to find the information users need.
This is not the only possible description of the development process, but it allows you to understand what happens when you create real knowledge management systems. In the literature, only the stages of design and implementation are described in sufficient detail, while the main difficulty is the stages of extraction and structuring. Few of the developers know that there is a science called “knowledge engineering”, which arose in line with the development of intelligent systems, or knowledge-based systems, about 15-20 years ago.
Since the main problem of knowledge engineering is the process of extracting knowledge, the developers of KM systems and, first of all, the analyst, need to clearly understand the nature and features of these processes. There are three main aspects of the knowledge extraction process:
Psychological;
Linguistic;
Epistemological.
It should be noted that even if we are talking about the development of a traditional information system, and not a KM system, the problems of knowledge engineering do not lose their relevance.
Of the three aspects of knowledge extraction, the psychological one is the most important, since it determines the success and effectiveness of the interaction (communication) of the analyst with the main source of knowledge - the specialists of the enterprise.
Chapter 2. The value of knowledge management in improving the performance of the organization
2.1. Knowledge in an organization
So, today, knowledge management and the organization's ability to learn are becoming a key competency of corporate management. Among human resource managers, especially those involved in personnel development, the concept of a “learning organization” has been very popular since the 80s. The models and methods developed on its basis have a high heuristic value, help managers to organize educational processes in enterprises more deeply and fruitfully.
However, the analysis of the extensive literature on the problems of the “learning organization”, as well as the practice of developing and implementing specific projects based on the corresponding concept, reveal the specific limitations of this method. Although the concept of organizational learning remains at the center of attention in the field of human resource management and industrial pedagogy, it has not yet become a paradigm of management and management science. Because of this, the potential of organizational learning is still not fully exploited, despite the large heuristic content of the method itself.
In this regard, of particular interest is the fact that a new concept has come to the fore in management research. It is based on three components - training, labor and organizational process, i.e. derivatives of knowledge.
New approaches to the definition and content of the concept of "knowledge production" are of great importance for the "knowledge" paradigm in the context of a wide variety of managerial tasks and forms of their solution. Two approaches stand out here. The first is implemented in the spirit of the Newtonian traditions and includes a set of ideas, methods, values and norms within one or more scientific disciplines. It is basically a cognitive approach that is relevant to science in general.
The other approach, on the contrary, is applicable in a broad social and economic context that goes beyond the boundaries of one discipline. It is characterized by the applied application of knowledge, interdisciplinarity, heterogeneity and organizational diversity, connection with the cultural and social spheres of production and use of knowledge, understanding the importance of quality assurance, taking into account social criteria.
The tasks of managing the production of knowledge are twofold, but interrelated. On the one hand, the internal aspect is important for management, i.e. intra-company dependencies of subsystems within the framework of the "organization" system throughout the cycle "costs - production - output". On the other hand, it must also take into account the external factor in the form of transactions of the "organization" system with its external environment and the corresponding feedbacks.
In analyzing the differences between financial and intellectual capital, some researchers point to a number of important elements of the theory of knowledge of the organization. Specifically, they describe the five fundamental attributes of knowledge about and within an organization.
1. Knowledge is the ability of an organization, on the basis of internal and external observations, to constantly recognize phenomena in all areas of its activity. This should be reflected in her assessments, impressions, preferences and the resulting conditions.
2. Knowledge is a state of constant vigilance of the organization, attentive and sensitive attitude to the most "insignificant" signs of change, signals of "early warning". Knowledge also means a cautious attitude towards too hasty assessments, otherwise it is superfluous and the point of acquiring it is lost. Metaphorically, this aspect of knowledge is increasingly likened to the cultivation of the landscape by an experienced gardener in accordance with the relief of the surrounding area. Such a comparison indicates that knowledge and ethics must go hand in hand.
3. Knowledge is the creator of language. New experiences and ideas often cannot be expressed and communicated with sufficient accuracy using generally accepted symbols and concepts. In this case, the organization must find its own language and forms of expression of knowledge specific to it. If such a method of communication is found, then this means that the organization follows the rule: the development of a commonly understood language is more important than the search for an answer to the question of which side is right. A common language is the result of a difficult, lengthy process. It cannot arise by chance or by order from above.
4. Knowledge also means the organization's ability to anticipate events, "shape" the future. The dynamics of knowledge should be aimed at developing the ability of the organization to see the future, and not at the conservation of the existing, not at what is already known.
5. From the position of knowledge, competence as a point of intersection of a task or situation with human abilities is not a stable advantage, but a dynamic event, i.e. product of the interplay of challenge, responsibility, creativity, and the problem-solving process itself. In this sense, competence cannot be created by learning alone. It is formed and is fruitful only in favorable conditions. Creating such conditions is an important task of knowledge management.
2.2. Enterprise knowledge management process
The model of the knowledge management process proposed here proceeds from the fact that the analysis and understanding of reality, and, consequently, the creation of a new reality in an enterprise, are possible only on the basis of three main processes - labor, training and organization. The linearity (from left to right and top to bottom) of our written method of communication (texts) implies (primarily in graphical form) the linear nature of the process and the construction of hierarchical relationships. The model can be correctly understood only when the processes are presented as simultaneous, closed and synchronously implemented (see Fig. 2).
Figure 2. Knowledge management process model
The diagram shows communication and reflection as metaprocesses. Communication as the flow and exchange of information of all kinds and in all directions determines the quality of contacts and connections throughout the organization, which not only arise due to it, but also affect it. Feedback is an essential part of communication. Highly developed communication processes are characterized by many types of feedback. In management practice, there are various difficulties in the field of communication. Monologue modes instead of dialogue modes, problems of acceptability of information and its reliability are just a few of the symptoms of the presence of communication barriers in learning and applying knowledge.
Reflection, unlike learning, is a metaprocess of complex learning. In the Kantian sense, reflection is a state of anxiety that arises under the influence of questioning “absolute” truths, speculative models, constructive principles of the surrounding reality, knowledge, values, direct and indirect consequences, etc. Communication and reflection are, in fact, metaprocesses that, in principle, have no end and cannot be completed.
The sub-processes of this model can, on the one hand, proceed smoothly and consistently, on the other hand, they can have a recursive, circular character. At the same time, they are easily combined, giving different results each time.
Sub-processes are implemented at three levels. In "learning organizations" they are relatively common at the individual and group levels. The key task of knowledge management is the organization of the third, institutional level, i.e. structures and policies in relation to internal and external processes of production, distribution and use of knowledge (research and development, professionalization, human resource management, etc.). At these three levels, a number of private processes are carried out.
Perception in this context is understood as sensitivity. This is the ability to early recognition of problems, chances, threats, resources; knowledge of different perspectives and needs for means to support them; knowledge of the possible disintegration of a complex reality into its constituent parts, the emergence of false dynamics and "pseudo-production" as a result of fundamental contradictions in the structure of the organization.
The search and analysis of information (data, messages, knowledge, etc.) is primarily fraught with problems of a scientific-strategic, methodological and economic nature related to the identification of knowledge and its sources (including hypothetical ones) and the costs of information processing. Management faces the question of the priority of knowledge: what kind of knowledge to recognize, prefer, or ignore and exclude as suspicious in terms of quality or reliability. Sociology argues that in any system there is privileged knowledge, while other knowledge, the so-called amateur (for example, young or, conversely, old people), is not taken into account.
During the sub-process "planning and decision making", the need for a new paradigm of knowledge management, which would exclude the segmentation of labor, training and organizational process, is especially expressive. These three fundamental processes will be effective if they are integrated, i.e. synchronized and linked to each other. The strategic importance of the “organization” process in the form of plans and decisions within the framework of the “labor” and “training” processes becomes immediately obvious if it is not limited to the individual (personal) level, but moves to the group (cultural) and institutional (political) levels. This is the main task of knowledge management in the enterprise.
The “action” sub-process should be understood as the use of knowledge, as actions, methods, approaches. Although the action often needs to be corrected and corrected, in fact, it is irreversible. This applies primarily to an action that has already taken place. Necessary adjustments can be made to new, different actions, so every action carries with it the chance for a fresh start.
The action is extremely closely related to the sub-process, which is indicated in the diagram as desire. Within the framework of this sub-process, the question of power arises: is it possible to effectively act against one's own and others' will. For successful actions in the organization, it is necessary, first of all, to have a desire. This is possible only with the consistency of explicit and implicit knowledge, with the availability of work skills and experience. The acceptability of the desire for the organization must be ensured by the correspondence between the expectations and the possibility of their fulfillment.
The classic organizational-psychological themes of motivation, resistance, identification, participation or non-participation are manifested in the question of how real intention (individual, group or institutional) can be built, how the process and what relations of tension or sources of rupture should be taken into account.
If desire comes into conflict with power, then various evaluation systems are involved, which form the basis of the evaluation process. Evaluation in the context under consideration reflects the personal attitude of people, which is formed consciously or unconsciously. This setup is in a dual horizon dynamic:
First, it is something given, real, the so-called actual state;
Secondly, there is also a "non-factual state" that should be, something desirable (in the psychoanalytic sense), a kind of foresight, a "real utopia".
Therefore, evaluation is the true engine of development.
The proposed knowledge management model is designed primarily for small and medium enterprises. The need for its development is caused, in particular, by the fact that the knowledge management system in large concerns with their tradition of differentiation of production and distribution of knowledge and the corresponding structures (the presence of a chief manager for science at the level of the board or board of directors of the concern) is unrealistic for small and medium-sized companies.
2.3. Knowledge management is a prerequisite for strategic success
The subject of knowledge management at the enterprise level in the social-scientific, economic and legal context is presented in the diagram (see Fig. 3). It specifies the main parameters, tasks, structures, processes and framework conditions for in-house knowledge management, as well as a set of related management responsibilities.
Figure 3. Content of knowledge management in an organization
Knowledge management turns into the most important factor in creating wealth and provides competitive advantages only if, in the concept itself, it is not considered as a structural element of control, but is understood and formed in the light of a paradigm shift orientation.
The classical paradigm of knowledge management, which was formed on the basis of a detailed division of labor, is, in fact, the differentiation and segmentation of the processes of learning, labor and organizational activity. As a result, these three main areas of activity of the enterprise have developed their own scientific disciplines (or coding systems), including pedagogy, labor science and organization theory, as well as related behaviors (practices).
The rapid growth of deep theoretical and practical knowledge for a long time obscured the fact that, within the framework of this paradigm, a distinction was made between technological, psychological, and socio-cultural components, which, in principle, constitute a single whole. Accordingly, communication proceeded and proceeds mainly within individual segments.
Differentiation and segmentation of learning, labor and organizational process takes time and adherence to certain hierarchical rules. In the classical version, segmentation usually begins with learning (acquisition of knowledge), which is documented in qualifications that determine the admission to perform a certain type of work (functions). Although today the idea of the need for study throughout the working life is affirmed, nevertheless, it is believed that labor (opportunity) as a fundamental structure can become productive in solving problems and problems if it is preceded by the assimilation of the necessary special knowledge.
Again, the organizational process is separated from labor, i.e. domineering aspect. Organization is typically a managerial task. Thus, in the practice of fragmentation of the training of the worker, due to the high degree of specialization of labor, his alienation from the management of the enterprise is also added. Before this, any qualification obtained is powerless, as evidenced by various structural adjustments, reorganizations and mass layoffs.
However, the general development, especially the introduction of information technology, leads to the creation of a new initial environment. Education, work, organization are closed, parallel processes. Education is work and it must be organized. At the same time, the individual is increasingly required to work while constantly learning, and in order to cope with the challenges that arise, the relative autonomy of organizational competence in the field is required. And, finally, the frequent failure of managers in solving organizational problems shows how important education is for managers themselves.
The classic answer to these questions is organizational development. But even it becomes ineffective, as it shifts more and more towards relationship management instead of solving specific problems and thereby engaging in knowledge management. Such phenomena, which have already been widely covered in the specialized literature, such as the “phenomenon of group thinking”, “limited rationality”, various kinds of prejudices (for example, prejudices, stereotypes of perception) lead in the field of management to the fact that failures, difficulties and complications are considered, first of all. only as a hindrance or the result of errors, and not as an occasion or indication of the need for individual or collective learning. This is also the socio-psychological explanation for the fact that, in the topology of management and training problems, most enterprises give a clear preference to routine and transfer solutions.
2.3. Knowledge Management Effectiveness
Can the effectiveness of knowledge management be measured? There is no single answer. Someone is sure that it is impossible to calculate the benefits received as a result of knowledge management. It's like evaluating the contribution of marketing, human resources or information technology. However, it was estimated that in 1998 BP's Chief Knowledge Officer saved employers $260 million. respondents noted more effective decision-making, 64% improved the quality of customer service, etc.
Knowledge management, as a rule, leads to more efficient use of working time, cost reduction. It also provides additional benefits.
It is known that employees spend about 30% of their working time on searching for the necessary information, and another 15% on communication in order to obtain it. Knowledge and information management provides constant access to the right knowledge - employees do not waste time "reinventing the wheel". In the Russian company "Ruyan", which actively develops new brands and products, knowledge about existing samples of an interesting company's product range is stored in the "library", and this allows you to speed up the development process.
The directory of useful links (Smart Sites Directory), compiled in accordance with the most frequently asked questions (FAQs) of the analysts of the investment company, has significantly reduced the time spent not only by the analysts themselves, but also by the employees of the business information support unit. In another company, the development of a similar directory allowed to reduce Internet traffic, and the company's costs were reduced.
A typical situation is when employees of different departments of a large company, working on similar problems, spend time looking for the same information, subscribe to the same media and electronic resources. Knowledge management reduces wasted time and money by centralizing access to knowledge.
Many managers feel the so-called information overload, that is, they are forced to spend their time searching for the necessary data in a large information flow. Knowledge customization—providing only the information you need—enables leaders to make decisions faster and more efficiently.
The indirect benefits that a company derives from knowledge management are less obvious and harder to quantify. Preserving and using the past experience of employees in many cases contributes to obtaining a competitive advantage for the company in the market.
It is really difficult to assess how profitable knowledge management is for a company, but it is quite possible if the goals of knowledge management in a particular company are defined.
2.4. Prospects for the development of knowledge management
According to the Gartner Group, in 1998 the mass implementation of knowledge management systems began, and now such systems are deployed in almost all large companies.
Key ideas influencing modern business development trends include organizational learning, knowledge management, virtual corporations, reengineering and innovation in business processes, complex system applications for business, self-adapting systems, e-commerce, Internet strategies, intellectual property rights, technologies outsourcing, information portals, etc.
These ideas can be summed up in one simple phrase: radical, ongoing change. Ideas such as change management, formal and informal learning, adaptation, mobility and flexibility have been popular over the past few years. However, in recent years, the accelerating and global nature of change has reached unprecedented proportions, driven by the logic of predestination and planning. This fact has added relevance to the creation of new business models that are independent of the nature and processes of change.
Knowledge management, from a strategic business perspective, is about alienating everything you know before others do, and taking advantage by creating opportunities that others have not yet thought of. In general, knowledge management is focused on the constantly changing environment (environment) in which societies, organizations, people work, adapt and survive.
In this case, knowledge management should be seen more as a discipline, methodology, rather than as a "panacea" or a technological solution. The very ideas of knowledge management became popular precisely because business models built on the principles of automation and on the logic of the memory of the past turned out to be inadequate to the realities of the time, distorted the future forecast and trends. More problematic is the impact of such models on content generation, data entry than on business processes and data output from systems. And, as the popularity of IT systems grows around the world, the use of knowledge management solutions becomes the most critical in terms of the flow of business processes and the people involved in them.
Knowledge management solutions become more relevant the less business processes and people are tied to the structure of the organization and geographical boundaries. And only through comparison do corporations realize that knowledge management ensures adaptation, survival and preservation of competencies against the backdrop of ever-increasing global changes. To succeed in such an environment, a company must build its business not only and not so much on the potential of IT systems in the field of data, but also on the "creativity" and innovation of people inside and outside the company. The key solution is to constantly evaluate and re-evaluate the monotonous business process, "pulling" out of it and correcting the points that can hinder continuous learning and innovation.
Knowledge management can only be seen as a powerful competitive advantage in a firm focused on constant business process change. No information technology or data itself can provide long-term competitive advantage, nor can decisions be made (if decisions are made at all based on the understanding and insight of information and data). Competitive advantage can only be achieved by "translating" information into valuable, meaningful guides to action.
Thus, in the long term, knowledge consists in action: in the effective presentation of data and information resources for decision-making, and, in general, in the very implementation of the decision made. Managers need to define and continuously improve their guidelines for action (methodologies, job descriptions, etc.), make sure that they are not limited in development and opportunities in a changing business environment. Only such a knowledge management strategy and its implementation with the help of information and communication technologies provides the greatest probability of being the first.
Of the most recent most notable business trends, one can single out the unification under the theme of knowledge management of various areas of management and technology. That is why it is difficult to find a "usual" or most accepted understanding of the topic of knowledge management in various companies. The consensus that unites the key concepts of knowledge management is as follows: the company's employees and the processes in which they are involved are the main and critical objects of knowledge management.
Knowledge management is necessary for survival and functioning in a crisis economy. Will knowledge management become obsolete, will it be replaced by a different business strategy that is more appropriate for the new business environment. Drawing the first analogy on this topic, the strategies of customer relationship management, quality management, business process reengineering and many others come to mind: have they fallen into disuse? There is no single answer.
Yes, they are obsolete in the form in which the scope of their use was defined and in which they were implemented in practice. However, there are areas of implementation of the knowledge management strategy that are strongly associated with the use of technologies focused on the conditions of the business environment of the past. Relying on the practice of introducing knowledge management in many companies, I would like to believe that knowledge management will have a longer life span than any of the listed technologies.
In conclusion, I would like to note that any business strategy must link its main provisions to the current situation in the business environment. A strategy that can ensure a more complete fulfillment of these conditions will be eligible to take the place of knowledge management.
Conclusion
So, in order to make adequate decisions in a timely manner in a rapidly changing market, it is important to be able to use the huge store of knowledge that almost any modern company has. However, not all companies have implemented a knowledge management methodology, without which it is impossible to effectively use information dispersed in the heads of employees, databases, document repositories, e-mails, sales reports, data about customers, partners and competitors of the organization.
The modern company operates in an increasingly competitive environment that is chaotic, complex and global in nature, requiring a reduction in response time in an environment of limited resources. The knowledge of employees and organizations as a whole becomes a valuable resource that begins to be taken into account along with other material resources. Modern methods of knowledge management make it possible to achieve measurable business results from their implementation.
Knowledge management firms are increasingly outperforming companies that simply collect and store information in a semi-structured 'bale'.
Obviously, the presence in the organization of such a concept as knowledge management helps to bring the enterprise to a new, high-quality level of business. Unfortunately, the basic principles of knowledge management have been recognized quite recently, when many Russian and foreign concerns, due to the absence or ignorance of such a system, have failed. Therefore, the main task is the absolute implementation of such a program in every enterprise. Moreover, it does not matter whether it is the private sector or the public sector, it is important to have such a system as mandatory and inalienable. It should also be noted that it is easier for Russian businessmen to adapt to this program. Due to the fact that Russian business is relatively young, it will not have to get rid of the old principles in management, which will allow it to succinctly adjust to the ideal model that the knowledge management program represents today.
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The material is more likely to present conceptual points that are significant in the process of knowledge transfer than to model another system of sequence of actions in knowledge transfer. In my opinion, understanding and keeping in mind the fundamental concepts in the transfer of knowledge (novice adaptation) is more important and allows them to do the right thing.
The knowledge transfer system has already become part of the onboarding process and is essential to reduce the time it usually takes for a new employee to settle into a new location and work to their full potential.
When using a well-built adaptation system, a person feels more comfortable in a new place, and the management gets the most out of it in their work. Moreover, the adaptation of personnel is, first of all, people who directly help the employee to get in the know; who organize and control this process; daily surrounding the new employee.
KEY PRINCIPLES OF THE KNOWLEDGE TRANSFER SYSTEM
Knowledge transfer is based on the following key principles.
- The transfer of knowledge is purely voluntary. Learning cannot be forced, and experts cannot be forced to share knowledge.
- People strive for real contact, so relationships and contact are of primary importance in the transfer of knowledge.
- The recipient must show an interest in gaining knowledge, only then will he want to ask the right questions and have deeper knowledge. It has been established that in a lifetime, 80% of knowledge people receive through asking questions.
- Experts should be interested and motivated in quality transfer of knowledge.
- The transfer and assimilation of knowledge is more effective when a beginner uses the acquired knowledge in practice.
PROBLEMS IN THE WAY OF KNOWLEDGE TRANSFER?
Problems can be both organizational and caused by broken communications, personal fears.
- Organizational problems most often lie in and in cases where mentoring is not prescribed as a business process. As a result, an experienced employee, at the personal will of the management, is given, in addition to the usual duties, mentoring, which is not supported by remuneration. This state of affairs does not cause anything but discontent, tk. I don't have the time or desire for it.
- The personal fears of an expert mentor may be related to the fear of losing their place and position: “if I tell them everything I know, why would they need me?” Personal fears of a beginner may be associated with the fear of asking "stupid" questions, so as not to look like a laughingstock in the eyes of others.
- Communication problems are more extensive and can basically be associated with both the personal characteristics of the participants in the process and their violation of the principles of supporting communications. Typical situations might look like this:
- the mentor conducts training (transfer of knowledge) in a frankly humiliating, peremptory, categorical style of behavior, or a novice (recipient of knowledge) behaves disinterestedly, pretentiously and thereby causes irritation and hostility;
- the beginner does not know what questions to ask, and expects an experienced employee to solve this problem for him. The expert, on the other hand, waits for questions from the beginner and, when he does not receive them, regards the behavior as disinterest. Often a showdown does not occur, and the contact itself is curtailed or limited to giving general information;
- communications are episodic and short-term in nature and are considered by the recipient of knowledge as insufficient, which leads to the emergence of prejudices and conjectures: “the mentor does not want to share knowledge so as not to produce competitors for himself”, “he does not want to just give away the knowledge that he himself got at the cost of hard labor." At the same time, on the part of the mentor, the reasons for curtailing communications can be explained by the fact that the beginner simply does not show interest in this, or no one appreciates the knowledge transferred, or the mentor simply does not like the beginner due to some individual characteristics.
WHAT SHOULD PEOPLE BE GUIDED TO MAKE KNOWLEDGE TRANSFER MORE EFFECTIVE?
An alarming symptom that says that knowledge in the company is not accumulated and, moreover, is not transferred to other employees is the search for the same information by different people working together. To avoid this, you must adhere to the following rules.
1. Formalized knowledge is not enough for knowledge transfer.
Knowledge within the organization must also be transferred personally. Formalized knowledge is only 20-30% of all available information necessary for work. The rest of it is informal, intuitive knowledge.
Not all knowledge and competencies can be learned through regulations, guidelines and codes. Formalized knowledge, as a rule, is an information squeeze, the result of collective experience. Many examples on the basis of which conclusions were drawn disappear without a trace. It is difficult for a beginner to immediately understand what would seem obvious to everyone, it is difficult to understand the intricacies of procedures and regulations. Some skills are best transferred through a supportive and personal approach.
Forms of personal transfer of knowledge include:
- mentoring: a less trained employee is attached to a more experienced one so that he professionally grows and develops;
- cross-training: an employee who has passed the training transfers his experience to colleagues;
- lectures, discussions on a given topic: employees have the opportunity to exchange information and come to a common solution to the tasks. The advantage of seminars, cross-training is that the specialists who conduct them structure the information and convey it to colleagues in a convenient form.
2. Take care of communications in the process of transferring knowledge.
The transfer of knowledge is a contact process and requires a respectful attitude to each other and taking responsibility by the parties for the quality of communications.
From a beginner in such communications, attentiveness, inquisitiveness, interest in the topic under study, respect for the experience and personality of the mentor as a whole are required. The beginner's attitude in the process of transferring knowledge is to absorb the maximum of knowledge and skills.
And the reverse picture. When the process of transferring knowledge from learning itself turns into a competition of ambitions “who among us is cooler!?”
The beginner boasts of his past skills, often interrupts the mentor, tries to impose the game “And with us ... and with you”, emphasize his own and belittle the mentor's significance. What experience and knowledge will he gain in the end? Most likely, everything will be limited to the satisfaction of one's vanity and ambition, nothing more.
The mentor tries to impose his superiority, dismisses the beginner's past experience, demonstrates complacency; not so much teaches as boasts of his merits. When a beginner makes a mistake, he may be ironically surprised: “how can you not know such obvious things!”.
3. The willingness of the mentor to openly discuss his successes and shortcomings with the novice being trained.
The personality of an expert is not perfect. It is formed on the basis of experience of successes and failures. The ability to share your successes helps the beginner shape the required behavior, and the ability to talk about your failures and mistakes helps you see the consequences of wrong strategies and learn to avoid them.
4. Encourage and reward those who share their experience and knowledge with others.
Specialists are not always ready to transfer their knowledge and experience for several reasons:
- expert knowledge gives an advantage - the ability to be ahead (to receive better and higher-paid orders, to be always "in sight", among the first to be promoted to higher positions, etc.);
- a sense of indispensability and the associated ability to influence others, to have power based on authority, sole possession of information. Employees are more willing to share their accumulated knowledge when they are interested in: and in the success of teamwork; and in increasing prestige among colleagues; and financial reward.
In order for experts to be interested in transferring knowledge, it is necessary to pay attention to their motivation:
- bonuses, accrue interest from the salary for mentoring;
- raise prestige. The very process of transferring knowledge automatically implies that the mentor is superior in some matters to others - and this, in fact, is public recognition of him as an expert in this field;
- form a bonus system for team results. In this case, the transfer of knowledge will become a necessary component for more effective work.
Voluntary transfer of knowledge is possible where employees feel they are part of a team, where respect is a key moment that gives rise to trust between its members. Then there is no reason to fear that you will turn out to be unnecessary, as soon as everything that is possible is pulled out of you.
5. Apply the shadowing technique.
The technique, which implies that a newcomer becomes a constant companion of a successful employee for a short period, observes his actions.
Many experts have been in their fields for decades, so they act almost instinctively. The newbie's task is to reflect on their actions and decisions, i.e., how do they know when to do something; this indicates that something is wrong, etc. Working hand in hand with experts, the newcomer has a unique opportunity to absorb much of their knowledge.
6. As soon as possible, involve the newcomer in projects, set practical tasks and discuss the observed behavior, decisions made.
The value of the approach lies in the fact that the beginner learns by acting. For him, this is a kind of training in combat conditions, where active training takes place in the skills necessary for work. And the uncertainty in which the mentor plunges the beginner teaches him to ask relevant questions and comprehend the observed processes more deeply.
As a valuable teaching approach, a mentor may deliberately provoke a newcomer into making mistakes and wrong actions, only to have an opportunity to discuss important aspects that will save him from negative consequences in the future. For example, in dealing with a client, promising more than required and then discussing the consequences of such decisions.
7. Support what has been said (provisions/principles) with real examples.
A living example, a story told from personal experience, is more likely to engage the imagination and be more deeply fixed in the mind of a beginner than a dry presentation of academic information.
8. Do not overload with information.
No need to overwhelm people with information - it is better to captivate them. This is especially true during the adaptation period. A beginner faces everything new and uncertain, experiences stress and anxiety. This does not contribute to the full assimilation of information, and it disappears without a trace (it concerns information that is not supported by practical examples and is not tied to the work being done). In this period, it should be taken as a rule that information for a beginner should be dosed, be relevant and relate to what he needs to know and do right now.
9. Keep in touch with your retirees. You may need their help.
WHOM TO ADAPT: THE BEGINNER TO THE TEAM OR THE TEAM TO THE BEGINNER?
High-quality transfer of knowledge, especially in the case of a new employee entering the company/division, will not take place if the environment in which he enters is not prepared, i.e. team.
Traditionally, there has been confusion on this issue. And many human resource specialists (HRs), when asked who needs to be adapted: a newcomer to the team in which he will work, or a team to a newcomer who upsets the balance in the group, usually tend to say that the newcomer to the team. This is partly true, but only partly. A team/team is always stronger than one person. The team carries the corporate culture, established norms of relationships, behavior in the organization. And when a newcomer enters the team, then no matter what socio-psychological information the HR “pumped” him before, the newcomer will perceive the real culture that exists in the team. Or otherwise (if he doesn’t accept) he will quit. And then any system of knowledge transfer, which is called "down the drain."
Therefore, in order for the knowledge transfer system to work well and for the beginner to effectively assimilate the experience and knowledge transferred by mentors and the team, HR managers need to take care of preparing the team for the entry of the newcomer.
First of all, to ensure the safety of the entry of a newcomer into the team in order to neutralize the group effect of the confrontation "I - they."
This effect often comes from the uncertainty of what a new rookie will bring to an established team, or how the team will treat the rookie. Both sides are concerned, and this disrupts the work in the unit for some time, and prevents the newcomer from perceiving the transferred knowledge in a qualitative way. It is no secret that often the arrival of a newcomer significantly changes the balance of power in the unit due to the redistribution of power and functional duties. This is especially important when an employee from among the management staff comes to the company.
The sooner the HR realizes the importance of this concept and gets involved in the process of establishing productive relationships, the better the process of mastering knowledge will be for the beginner.
Which ones should be used in this case is a topic for another article.
In his book "The Eighth Habit" S. Covey gives an interesting cognitive case. “When someone asked Einstein what question he would ask God if given the opportunity, he replied: “I would ask where the universe began, because everything after is pure mathematics.” But then, after a little thought, he changed his mind: “No, I would rather ask why the Universe was created, because then I would understand the meaning of my life” (6, 83). So now, in order to understand the reasons for the increased interest in knowledge management today, we should ask ourselves a similar question: For what?
In the literature on knowledge management, one can find a great variety of arguments and points of view that explain the increased interest in the problem under study. Some call it causes, others - goals. If we talk about an organization or a company, then for them, according to B. Gates, “knowledge management is a means, not an end goal” (4). It is impossible not to agree with this. Indeed, knowledge management is one of the strategic directions in the activities of modern business.
This does not diverge from the fact that knowledge management, as a specific type of activity, may also have its own goals. Achieving these goals can serve the interests of not only business organizations, but it is also beneficial for each individual and society as a whole. Therefore, knowledge management can be viewed as in the broad sense of the word, meaning the entire chain of "individual - organization - society", and from the position of each of these links separately. In this article, we will be interested in knowledge management in business organizations. Although, one way or another, this implies the development of knowledge of both the individual and society as a whole.
With business in mind, CEO of PWC, a leader in the audit business, D. Shiro clearly states that “in modern business, knowledge and managing it to create competitive advantage is becoming a top corporate priority” (25). Along with this, “knowledge management provides an opportunity to take a fresh look at the organization and management process” (3, 491). The author of many works in the field of knowledge management, K. Wiig, believes that “the goals of knowledge management are: to encourage an enterprise to act as reasonably as possible in order to ensure its viability and success and realize the value of its intellectual capital in the best way” (65).
Because of the complexity and ambiguity of knowledge management work, there is a real challenge in measuring the impact by which a business could determine not only importance, but also utility knowledge management in the organization. According to research by the IBM Institute for Business Value, the implementation of knowledge management systems can reduce costs by 25-30% (49). S. Covey points out that “80% of the added value of products and services today is created thanks to intellectual activity” (6). In addition, I. Nonaka names among the indicators that determine the value of new knowledge: efficiency growth, cost reduction, increase in return on investment (27). More than one statement can be cited on this topic. However, I would like to dwell on the most important circumstances or reasons that caused the rapid development of the phenomenon under consideration.
In the modern world, in an increasingly complex environment, there are three fundamental prerequisites for the emergence and application of the concept of knowledge management in an organization. First, this is globalization, breaking the boundaries of not only markets, but also the boundaries of the knowledge space. As a result, there has been an explosive growth of new knowledge and the dynamics of its dissemination in organizations. P. Senge believes that it is “not knowing how to disseminate knowledge and experience in working groups and in an organization that explains the interest in knowledge management” (8).
The large-scale internalization of knowledge that followed all this gave rise to problems of intercultural understanding of the new information space and gave a powerful impetus to the creation of global knowledge networks. Today we can observe how the economy has begun to generously reward those who not only create, but also disseminate new knowledge. Examples of successful activities of Microsoft, Apple, Facebook and other well-known players in this market clearly indicate a steady trend in the development of the knowledge business in this area.
The next premise is - computerization and everything related to information and computer technologies. Computerization has provided tools, both hard and soft, that have made it possible to tame the information explosion and channel it into a creative direction. As a result, humanity has entered the information society.
So, if in the pre-information society everyone knew a part of everything, and everyone together knew everything, then in the information society everyone should know everything and at the intersections of expanded individual knowledge new knowledge is created, the appearance of which in the first case is not possible (Fig. 1).
Rice. 1.
And finally, this is herself organization or its synonym - People are both carriers, producers and consumers of knowledge. And here it is important to understand that their potential capabilities under the conditions of the first two prerequisites increase exponentially and these capabilities become a powerful impetus to the continuous development of the organization, based on the continuous training of people in new knowledge. When an organization embarks on a path of knowledge management, its boundaries are blurred and new ways of creating value emerge (3,496).
“While knowledge is often discussed in terms of management, it is rarely spoken of as a valuable asset that is required for specific knowledge management systems. Knowledge should be considered as an essential fundamental quality of an organization that needs to be managed and used. 200 Management: XXI century
to work effectively” (11). Like management, knowledge management, as part of management activities in general, can only exist in a particular organization, and in each individual case this work will have its own "algorithm" of creation and functioning. The authors will demonstrate this with numerous examples and the organization of such work at IBM.
Knowledge management is critical for organizational adaptation, survival and development of the qualities required by a radically changing external environment. Of particular importance in the acquisition and creation of new knowledge is the emergence in business practice of adhocracy (Toffler E.), as well as virtual and learning organizations (Warner M. and Witzel M.). First, “in organizations that have implemented the best methods of knowledge management, employees have the opportunity to learn from each other and through joint activities create new knowledge” (11). Second, in the future, the ability learn faster than competitors may be the only competitive advantage of a company worth supporting (46). K. Arjiris is sure that “success in the market increasingly depends on the ability to learn (2, p. 183).
noted above competitiveness represents a universal reason for the attention to a more active application of the concept of knowledge management in the practice of modern business. However, this versatility requires the company to have such economic and organizational characteristics as efficiency, learning, profitability, enterprise, dynamism, development and growth.
Many organizations today manage their knowledge, but those that do it consciously do it better (44). What underlies this characteristic? Experts offer several criteria for assessing the best knowledge management in an organization (31):
- creating a culture driven by knowledge in the company and developing values based on knowledge management;
- creating a trusting working environment for the free and collaborative exchange of knowledge;
- development of intellectual capital and competencies of employees through knowledge management;
- the adoption by employees of the philosophy of continuous learning and the learning organization;
- creation of added value in the work with knowledge in the company.
It should be borne in mind that all these criteria are critical and are not subject to ranking, since their application is systemic.
At the turn of the 1980s-1990s, in Sweden, USA and Japan appear almost simultaneously three different approaches to the concept of "knowledge management", which later received the appropriate names: Scandinavian, or European, American and Japanese. During this period, the first monographs and publications in the media on this issue appear, and in 1986 Carl Wiig introduces the concept of knowledge management.
In 1990, in the book Fifth Discipline: Art and Practice learning organization » Peter Senge Presents the concept of a learning organization - a company capable of continuous self-learning. Knowledge management reaches a practical level: in 1991, the Swedish insurance company Scandia officially approved the post of Chief Knowledge Officer. A great contribution to the development of the concept of knowledge management in 1995 is made by the work of I. Nonaki and H. Takeuchi "The Knowledge Creator Company: The Origin and Development of Innovation in Japanese Firms".
Features of knowledge
Knowledge is the necessary information used according to certain rules and in accordance with certain procedures and taking into account the attitude (understanding, approval, ignoring, consent, denial, etc.) of the using subjects to this information. Today, organizational knowledge is considered both as an information stock and as a flow (the movement of this information) at the same time.
Information and knowledge, which form the basis of intellectual capital, have a number of specific characteristics, in contrast to the monetary, natural, labor and technical resources of an organization:
knowledge exists regardless of space, but is extremely sensitive to the time factor;
the value of knowledge lies in its abundance, while other resources are valued based on the concept of rarity;
Types of knowledge in an organization
Nonaka and Takeuchi note the existence within the firm of two types of knowledge - formalized (explicit) and non-formalized (implicit):
formalized knowledge - knowledge contained in letters, reports, reports, that is, the knowledge that can be displayed in the form of documents;
implicit knowledge - "subjective knowledge that accumulates in the minds of people", that is, intuitive knowledge, sensations, impressions, opinions.
The main attention is paid to non-formalized knowledge - premonition, understanding, conjectures, emotions, ideals. This type of knowledge allows the organization to solve many important problems, makes it possible to see the company as a living organism, and not as a machine for processing information. In this regard, the desire of many modern organizations to translate implicit knowledge into formalized ones will not have the same result as in the case of the existence of this knowledge in its original form.
Davenport and Prusak note that “knowledge is a fluid mixture of formalized experiences, values, contextual information, and expert perspectives that provides a framework for evaluating and combining new experiences and information. In organizations, they often end up not only in documents or repositories, but also in organizational procedures, processes, practices and norms.
Ikujiro Nonaka has developed a knowledge spiral - a model that explains how, when creating new knowledge, explicit and implicit knowledge interact in an organization through four processes of their transformation:
socialization (transformation of implicit knowledge into implicit);
externalization (transformation of implicit knowledge into explicit);
combinations (turning explicit knowledge into explicit);
internalization (turning explicit knowledge into implicit).
In the process of socialization, there is a non-verbal transmission of hidden knowledge from one member of the organization to another, for example, by observing one person after another. Externalization is the process of turning hidden knowledge into explicit knowledge through unusual use of language, various metaphors and analogies. Combination is the transfer of explicit, codified knowledge from one person to another with the help of books, newspapers, lectures, computer technologies, and internalization is the transformation of explicit knowledge into a latent form, for example, through the practical implementation of some activity.