Management Knowledge-Based Organizations - Assignment Example

Management knowledge-based organizations Introduction Profit making is a core reason for establishment of organization, achievement of this goal would necessitate vigilance in management to ensure the operational activities of the organizations are structured in a manner to realize both the short-term, medium-term and the long-term objective. Management of communication and flow of information is one of the integral managerial duties that influence the outcome of the organizational goals. An information management system in an organization that works to ensure the elimination of time wastage and provide efficiency in the operational modality would be crucial for the smooth flow of the organizational operations (Daudigeos, T; Valiorgue 2010, pp. 123). Operating on a regional or international basis, companies that can be considered to be relatively large require an appropriate knowledge management system that is in line with its operations. These kind of services can thus be acquired through a liaison with an appropriate international consultancy company. Knowledge management is thus the process of collecting, development, sharing and effectively utilizing the organizational knowledge in an appropriate manner. Management of knowledge in an organization begins with an articulate communication system that is coupled with a multi-disciplinary approach to making the best of the organizational objectives through an appropriate utilization of the existent knowledge (Sedera & Gable 2010, pp. 296). Successful organizations have resources dedicated to knowledge management; this is usually part of the business strategy, human resource or information management department. Management of knowledge thus focuses on the organizational objectives such as innovation, performance improvement as well as maintenance of a competitive advantage. Manipulation of the existence resources of an organization such as the available database, as well as the human resource, is significant for the success in the achievement of proper knowledge management strategies. In an attempt to intrinsically understand the modalities and the implications of appropriate knowledge management, this paper will provide a discussion of the knowledge management. This will be through a focus on the significance of simplicity of access to database in an organization, importance of availing information when demanded in a timely manner and the importance of training the employees to facilitate retirement of information that are perceived to be complex in acquisition in an organization (S & Joy 2011, pp. 15). Additionally, analysis provided in this paper will prove the significance of contextualizing information in an organization to eliminate the necessity of constant contacting of the authors of various projects in the wake of retrieving information necessary for initiation of a new project. The significance of eliminating time wasting in the process of retrieving the already existence information will equally be provided in this paper as well as a recommendation on the best modalities of managing knowledge and information in an organization. Strategic approach to managing knowledge at XYZ international company The XYZ international company is an organization that operates on an international basis with offices both in the Unites States and in the United Kingdome. Having six offices and approximately two thousand employees, strategic management of information is crucial to this organization for the achievement of the organizational goals as well as to save time in retrieving information. A simple mechanism for retrieving and availing knowledge for all employee in both markets where the firm operates would be important to synchronize the projects of the firm and ensure the products the firm trades on are uniform (Soosay & Hyland 2008, pp. 157). Information communication technology is a significant component in facilitating knowledge management. In the current business environment, management of knowledge has become easier with the employment of information communication technology. The value of knowledge management increases when appropriate information is availed to the right people ate the right time. Inferring to the situation at XYZ international firm, all the information in the company that is relevant to the completed tasks are stored and often drawn upon in new projects. Nevertheless, the knowledge management system does not permit retrieving of classical information that the authors of projects in the organization have undertaken despite the firm making an opportunity for everyone to access the database. A strategic management of knowledge in a bid to facilitate the availability of the classical information relevant to undertaking projects in an organization would be significant for the success of the firm ( Evanschitzky et al. 2007, pp. 265). Approaches in strategic management of information in the firm To achieve an optimal functionality of the XYZ international firm, a radical approach must be undertaken to improve the knowledge management system. Technology is a vital component in enabling communication; thus, the use of technology in knowledge management facilitates access to rising volume to communication. Two divergent approaches can be used for improvement of access information that lies at the core of the work of knowledge. A more feasible approach in the management of knowledge would be one that gives workers free access to multiples of information resources. Such a method presumes that the employees will determine their work process and needs. Another approach to knowledge management that could be applicable to the firm is one, which is a structured provision of information and knowledge. The approach involves the delivery of necessary information to the employees within a well-defined context of the task. At the right level of granularity, leaders and managers of the organization must pursue information technology and productivity opportunities. Nevertheless, application of a single approach may not work entirely for the benefit of the organization; thus, an amalgamation of the two approaches may be necessary for the achievement of the organizational goals. The free access approach Equipping knowledge workers to freedom of access to information and knowledge is the primary mechanism of arming the employees to do their job better. With the rise of the internet technology, the advancement of the social media and the establishment of the establishment of the organizational knowledge management system, there is a provision of the knowledge workers with a vast array of information for public and private success. Using a free access model in the integration and management of information, the authors of various projects will be forced to publicize their information in a common medium where the right people in the company can retrieve the information at the right time for enhancing the initiation of other subsequent projects (Davenport 2011, pp. 11). In the free access model approach of the strategic knowledge management, workers define and integrate their information environment. The use of the approach is common among the autonomous workers in the high expertise of the investment banks. Nevertheless, the strategies used in the approach can equally be replicated in the XYZ Company to give the firm an opportunity of benefiting from the resourcefulness of all the employees who participate in the initiation and implementation of projects. According to Durcikova et al. (2011, pp. 855), application of a free access approach in the management of knowledge works on the presumption that knowledge workers are expert individuals who know what information is available and can be searched thus managing the information themselves. In a common pool where the workers of the organization retrieve information relevant to their work practice, a free radical approach will demand that the experts in the projects equally submit their knowledge to the platform thus the ideas and the details of the projects will be availed to all workers who will have access to the platform. Nevertheless, despite being a free access approach, the accessibility of the platform where the classical information that are core to the operation of a firm will only be permitted to the right employees at the right time. Significance of the free access approach in knowledge management Application of free access approach in knowledge management in an organization provides the knowledge workers with an opportunity of exercising autonomy in their work and in how information is used. In reference to the XYZ international company, using a free access approach in information management will liberate the employees from the act of contacting the authors every time a reference is to be made on the previous project. Working in an environment that promotes autonomy for the workers increases the level of motivation thus improves the productivity of the employees. In an instance, when it is difficult to predict contingency in the advancement of the organizational undertakings, free access model is suited. It is easy to implement the information technology behind the free access model, as the social media and the internet are readily available to everyone. Additionally access to a third party database is possible to any web browser thus the management system of the organization through application of the free access approach in knowledge management will be able to equip its employees with the necessary tools for utilization of information (Chadwick & Achimas Cadariu 2012, pp. 497). Limitations of the free access approach to knowledge management In as much the workers may be able to know the modalities of using technology tools; they may be unskilled at searching, sharing or using the information. Lack of an appropriate training program in the search for and utilization of information is thus a significant aspect in ensuring that the knowledge workers are equipped with sufficient skills in searching, using and sharing of the required information. The use of a free access approach in knowledge management in an organization can result in a substantial drop in productivity. Drawing an example from a 2005v survey sponsored by the American online and salary.com, workers interviewed cited a personal internet use as one of the key distractors at work. Giving employees access to unlimited internet for personal use in the workplace with intention of equipping them with the relevant tools for retrieving knowledge necessary for their work may not actualize the objectives of the organization as some of the employees may use the available internet for their activities other than the intended organizational goals. The structured provision of knowledge as an approach to knowledge management In a structured provision technology, the most important element in the management of knowledge is the workflow technology that has a control on how knowledge workers get information and job task. The workers who apply the use of structured technology may encounter supporting technology that includes document or content- management system, information portal, and collaboration tool. Increment of the modular design makes the technology to be deployed thus making it easy for the workers in an organization to retrieve classical knowledge that can be used in the initiation of projects that require knowledge from the previous projects (Wang et al. 2011, pp. 312). Application of a structured model in information management improves productivity. The method usually improves productivity by giving the workers opportunity to work on the projects without spending unnecessarily extra time in searching for information. The method equally improves efficiency in knowledge management through availing options for rooting global tasks. The structured method of information management facilitates collaboration and coordination of tasks as the employees can share the information in an international platform through a structured coordination of the organizational operational and informational structures. Despite the significances of the structured method in knowledge management in an organization, the method suffers from a negative reaction by the employees who often feel they lack autonomy in their work. Socialization can decrease dramatically when the organization deploys the use of a structured method of information management. A decrease in the art of socialization in the company may decrease the process of invention and innovation thus interfering with the development of other projects for the organization (Kuriakose et al. 2010, pp. 19). More democratic generations of new technologies have been introduced as means of managing knowledge. Organizational culture and social issues play a significant role in the determination of the appropriate knowledge management system. Modern organizations breed a culture that embraces the application of a wiki-based knowledge management system. The system initiates the workers to the democratization of organizational knowledge. Additionally, the wiki-based technology challenges the mindset of conservative organizations since an adoption of the wiki-based knowledge management system challenges the power relationship through bypassing the conventional hierarchy. Significance of knowledge management system The implication of information and communication technology has become an increasingly powerful and persuasive tool in a global platform. The application of ICT has become increasingly significant of knowledge acquisition. Knowledge management system in an organization is thus significant in streamlining the operations of the company through enhancing appropriateness in time management. Appropriately use of knowledge in an organization act as a motivator to the initiators of the information as well as acting as a development strategy for the novice employees (King & Marks 2008, pp. 131). The significance of knowledge management system can be appreciated through analysis of the generic labels of knowledge categories. “Know what” or “know that” is a knowledge management label that can be described as the “body of knowledge” this is the knowledge acquired through formal learning such as ones recorded in a curriculum vitae. The “know who” knowledge is ones that in cooperates people’s personal network, directories of expertise and contact database. An appropriate knowledge management system should devise ways of converting the expertise information into the knowledge management system (Lin et al. 2006, pp. 693). Recommendations for effective knowledge management in an organization Application of a combination of the free approach and the structured approach is significant for the functionality of the knowledge management system in an organization. Using a combination of the two approaches in the management of the knowledge would work to the benefit of an organization. Application of the two approaches to managing knowledge helps in ensuring an autonomy of the employees as well as increasing the productivity capability of the employees. A simple knowledge management program in an international firm is crucial to influencing the collaboration and cooperation of the managers and the employees of the organization across the globe in sharing information. In the initial steps of initiating a knowledge management system, a firm should in cooperate the services of experts like the international consultancy company (ICC), to help in the structuring and modulating the knowledge storage structure in the company. Additionally, more resources and efforts should be directed towards the training of employees in relation to searching, sharing and using information acquired from the knowledge management platforms (Tseng 2008, pp. 374). References Evanschitzky , H. et al., 2007. Knowledge management in knowledge-intensive service networks: A strategic management approach. Management Decision, 45, pp.265–283. Chadwick, R. & Achimas Cadariu, A., 2012. Global Access to Knowledge. In Encyclopedia of Applied Ethics. pp. 497–503. Daudigeos, T; Valiorgue, B., 2010. ORGANIZATION & MANAGEMENT THEORY Conference Paper Abstracts. Academy of Management Annual Meeting Proceedings, 8, pp.1–133. Davenport, T.H., 2011. 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