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Knowledge & Knowledge Management

“Knowledge is power” to “Sharing K is power”

Yaseen Hayajneh, PhD

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From Data to Knowledge

DATA: Facts - dispersed elements

INFORMATION: Data organized for a purpose reduces uncertainty Patterned data

KNOWLEDGE: Capability to act That which enlightens decisions and action Organizational context

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Types of Knowledge: Explicit

Information that is organized in a particular way for future retrieval; e.g., documents, databases, spreadsheets, procedures manuals, checklists This is concrete information that some agencies are

already capturing through desk manuals, checklists, and other types of job aids.

Organizations tend to focus on this type of information more….This usually easier to capture than tacit

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Types of Knowledge : Tacit

Knowledge that people carry in their heads. It is difficult to access and most people are not

even aware of what they possess or how it is of value to others.

It provides context for ideas, experiences, people, and places and is not easily captured. Many times the experienced employee performs

functions automatically, handling situations effectively through experience they’ve gained – not through anything captured in a procedures manual

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Types of Knowledge

Another classification describes the following types of knowledge: Descriptive k Procedural k Reasoning k Linguistic k Presentation k Assimilative k

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Types of Knowledge : Descriptive K

knowledge about state of some world describes past, present, future, hypothetical

states also called data or information can be acquired via observation can be derived from existing knowledge is what makes a decision maker “informed”

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Types of Knowledge : Procedural K

knowledge about how to do something specifies step-by-step nature of accomplishing

some task can be acquired or derived is what makes a decision maker “skilled”

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Types of Knowledge : Reasoning K

knowledge about what conclusion is valid in what situation

is not procedural, is not descriptive knowing why (rather than knowing that or

knowing how to) can be acquired or derived is what makes a decision maker “expert”

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Types of Knowledge : Linguistic

knowledge that enables comprehension of incoming messages

may be characterized as one or a mix of the three primary types. lexicon (describes meaning) grammar (rules for parsing expression) parser (procedure)

can be acquired or derived

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Types of Knowledge : Presentation K

knowledge that enables production of outgoing messages

inverse of linguistic K may be characterized as one or a mix of

descriptive, procedural, reasoning knowledge can be acquired or derived

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Types of Knowledge : Assimilative

knowledge controlling what enters the knowledge store and what its impact is, the structure of the store, and its efficiency

basis for learning and filtering controls the validity and utility of a knowledge

store can be acquired or derived

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Value of Knowledge

The value of knowledge is derived from the value of the decisions with which it is associated.

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Knowledge can be:

Embedded - in procedures Embodied - in people's roles Embrained - in people's minds Encoded - on paper Encultured - in the way things are done

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Change in Perspective

From “Knowledge is power” To “Sharing K is power”.

80% of the Fortune 500 companies have KM teams and 25% have Chief Knowledge Officers (CKOs)

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Knowledge Management (KM)

The ability to create, communicate, and apply knowledge to achieve our goals. Learning from others to avoid reinventing the wheel Sharing our experiences and insights so others can

benefit Knowing who the experts are and how to find them

Knowledge management includes how knowledge is gained, maintained and shared

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Knowledge Management (KM)

is getting the right information to the right people at the right time, and helping people create knowledge and share and act upon information in ways that will measurably improve the performance of individuals and organizations.

KM is making better decisions by understanding the knowledge ingredients for decision making.

Knowledge Management is the process of developing knowledge and accumulating it

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KM Types : Competency management

One of the fastest growing areas of knowledge management.

The ability to use knowledge management to consistently facilitate the formation of new ideas, products and services that support the core competency of an organization.

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KM Types : Knowledge sharing

A process of communication between two or more participants involving the provision and acquisition of knowledge.

A growing number of firms use Intranets and online forums to spread knowledge.

Knowledge sharing involves a process of communication whereby two or more parties are involved in the transfer of knowledge.

Involves the provision of knowledge by a source, followed by the interpretation of the communication by one or more

recipients. The output of the process is the creation of new knowledge.

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Knowledge Transfer

The process of sharing knowledge between on person and another

Captures institutional memory

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Knowledge Management: Why?

Aging workforce The average age of your employees is fairly senior

Lack of mentoring program to help share and transfer K between the experts

and novices (newcomers) in the organization Weak documenting of processes and

capturing of knowledge Increased technology use New software & services More information is generated or provided

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KM leads to:

Better appreciation and expression of the skills required and available.

Improved ways of supporting people through the provision of appropriate processes and information.

Greater encouragement for learning and sharing of knowledge to build skill sets.

Higher levels of understanding. Creating a motivating environment

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Challenges to KM

KM efforts may fail if: Lack of integration of KM strategy with strategic and

business goals of the organization Lack of commitment and active involvement of

senior mgt Poor KM plan

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Knowledge Management Enabling Technology

Tools that can help manage knowledge assets: Knowledge bases – databases where knowledge is

stored. It’s important to capture the information that is in people’s heads in order for it to be useful to others.

Search engines – make the process of accessing the knowledge provided by others efficient and effective

Document management system– help ensure the integrity and accuracy of the knowledge we are sharing

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How a Knowledge Management System Works?

Example: A customer calls with a problem or a question. The Help Desk nurse searches the knowledge base

for previous instances of the same problem or question. At this point, one of two scenarios are possible.

If the problem has arisen in the past and was documented in the knowledge base, the Help Desk agent can efficiently answer the question and resolve the customer’s problem.

If it has not occurred in the past, the agent can research the problem and document the solution in the knowledge base.

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How a Knowledge Management System Works? 2

Example: A Later on, if a customer calls with the same or a

similar problem or question, the Help Desk nurse who answers that call can use the search engine to find the information in the knowledge base and efficiently answer the customers question.

Eventually, when a knowledge base has matured, it can be made available to end users directly so that they can find answers to questions on their own in a self-service manner.

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Benefits of Knowledge Management

Greater access to knowledge One place to search, but ability to search multiple

sources

Better maintenance of knowledge ensure the accuracy and integrity of knowledge

used by people in a department and made available to outside customers

Increased customer service levels efficient and more accurate answers