Innovation Impulses in Knowledge Management - Essay Example

In light of this, the paper will try to address the integral relations among knowledge management, organizational culture, and knowledge of older employees as it all work together towards a successful development of innovations. But first what is knowledge?As contemporary society is driven by knowledge, it is important that we get an understanding of what knowledge is. Although it has been continuously held that the idea or definition of knowledge is vague, it does not mean that it is beyond our comprehension.

Stehr (2002) claims that “knowledge is a universal phenomenon.” (p95) It is an anthropological capacity that involves “a person using his or her perception, skills, and experience to process information - thus converting it into knowledge in the mind of the individual.” (Ajmal & Koskinen, 2008, p 7-8) And how this knowledge inside the mind of the individual employee who is a member of the organization be transferred and converted into a new knowledge, which is highly situated and contextual, becomes the focal point of knowledge management.

Knowledge management is the “the systematic and organized approach of organizations to manipulate and take advantage of knowledge… it is the process of identifying, capturing, and transferring information and knowledge that people can use to create, compete and improve.”(Serban & Luan, 2002, p 9-10) Being such, knowledge management “spans the discipline of economics, information system, organizational behavior theory, strategic management, and sociology.” (Argote, McEvily & Reagans, 2003, p 571) The vast disciplines covered by knowledge management manifest two truisms that contemporary organizations are faced with.

First, organizations have seen themselves as not separated or removed from the actual society.            Furthermore, the idea of mentoring of older employees to the younger employees allows a clear picture of the social dynamics inhering in an organization. And that it is for this reason, it is maintained that the viability of having mentoring in the organization though not required to be encouraged as a recognized strategy. The actuality of all these ideas is not for the moment the organization culture is strong enough to allow the transformation of the workplace into work site where people can meet and exchange ideas fostering not hampering the flow of knowledge.