review of vicious and virtuous circles in the management of knowledge: the case of infosys...
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Presentation on the scholarly paper "Vicious and virtuous circles in the management of knowledge: The case of Infosys Technologies" made during KM technologies course. Original credits to Raghu Garud, Arun Kumaraswamy and MIS QuarterlyTRANSCRIPT
VICIOUS AND VIRTUOUS CIRCLES IN THE MANAGEMENT OF KNOWLEDGE: THE CASE OF INFOSYS TECHNOLOGIES
Raghu Garud and Arun KumaraswamyMIS Quarterly 2005
K6213 Reading Topic20-Sep-2011
Aravind Sesagiri RaamkumarNirmala Selvaraju
AGENDA
• Objective of the article• Key KM topics• Infosys trivia• KM in Infosys• Virtuous and Vicious Circles• Conclusion• Key takeaways from the article
Objective of the article• To showcase the diverse and dynamic nature of
KM in an organization– Through a longitudinal study conducted using a system
perspective approach
• To highlight virtuous and vicious circles formed as a result of KM processes and the strategies for steering away from virtuous circles
Key KM Topics - Dynamics
Infosys Trivia
2004• US 1 billion dollar company• 23000 employees• Global development centers• NASDAQ listed• 30 % growth YOY• Asian and Global MAKE AWARD winner
Research group conducted 56 interviews over a period of 3 years between 2001 and 2004
KM group were primarily selected for repeated interviews during the period
India’s 2nd largest IT company
Philosophy of KM in InfosysMotto - ”Learn once,use anywhere”
• Knowledge = Currency of new millennium
• Employees recruited with learnability skills
• One among the few companies in the world that values and reports its human capital on its balance sheet
• Knowledge Maturity Model
• Asking Culture
• Rich Informal Social Networks
KM through the years in Infosys
Virtuous and Vicious Circles in totality
“The very same mutually causal processes that have the potential to generate a virtuous circle can just as easily generate a vicious one”
Virtuous Circles
Reflect-in-action Learning-by-doing Single and Double Loop
learning
Communities Different Epistomologies Shared Division of
Labour Innovative Solutions
Increased Contributions Collective Intelligence Adaptive Structuration
Dynamic Balance Pre-defined templates Dynamic Capabilities
Individual Group
‘K’ Initiatives CMM
Vicious Circles
Market for Knowledgeo Extraneous contributionso Less number of reviewerso Information overload
Reduced Knowledge Re-use
o Codification becomes counterproductive
o Abstract Knowledge
Archetype Employeeso Too much of emphasis on
Knowledge Creationo Knowledge reusability
impaired
• Vicarious effect between levels 1
• Symbiotic relationships across levels amplifies process effects
2
• Impairing effects from specific initiatives are not immediately visible
3
Vicious Circles can be inherent in KM systems
Steering out of & around Vicious Circles
Steering out of Vicious circles Deviation Amplifying feedback• Identify and decoupling process (ex: KShop and
incentives scheme )• Deviation counteracting feedbacks (ex: KM prime
and Knowledge Champions)
Steering around Vicious circles• Awareness towards intangible effects of KM • Distribution of roles & responsibilities between
Knowledge Managers within KM group• Knowledge of diverse functions across the organization
Implications and Conclusion• An organization’s knowledge system comprises mutually causal
processes that unfold at and across different organizational levels.
• These mutually causal processes generate opposing forces that need to be balanced dynamically to generate a virtuous circle
• An organization’s knowledge system contains seeds of its own destruction, as the very initiatives that the organization undertakes to generate
• A virtuous circle have the potential to generate vicious circles as well
• Knowledge managers must intervene processually to steer their organization’s knowledge system around and out of vicious circles that are bound to emerge
Key Takeaways from the article• Unique in terms of its study method – systems perspective
and longitudinal study
• KM is an evolving process which needs constant monitoring
• Clear distinctions should be made between the objectives of KM at individual, group and organisational levels
• Socio-psychological and Socio-technical effects need to be taken into consideration
• Methodologies suggested by KM academicians and practitioners need to be referred before starting a KM implementation
QUESTIONS?
THANK YOU