Xerox Corporation Knowledge Position - Case Study Example

XEROX CORPORATION KNOWLEDGE POSITION The Knowledge Audit Report Executive summary The report is a knowledge audit of Xerox Corporation. It extracts evidence provided by Vicki J. Powers’s case study and links it to five textbook subjects: learning, ICT, and leadership in the context of knowledge management as well as knowledge intensive firms and knowledge workers, and influence of socio-cultural factors in motivating workers participation in knowledge management efforts. Tools used in knowledge audit are also highlighted. Recommendations on future strategies for support and development of knowledge management have been suggested. INTRODUCTION Xerox Corporation has continuously endeavoured to incorporate knowledge management in its management processes. Vicki J. Powers has examined the company and provided a number of facts about its knowledge management. This report examines the case study to provide an audit of current knowledge position of the organization. Scope of the report This report examines Xerox Corporation current knowledge position within the context of the information provided in the case study by Vicki J. Powers, and five textbook topics. It includes recommendations on strategies that the organization would adopt to develop its knowledge management systems. Background of the knowledge audit The tasks in the report include mainly an audit of the current knowledge position of Xerox organization. This will involve extraction of evidence from the case study that justifies the following textbook topics: What is knowledge management? / Learning and knowledge Management. Information & Communication Technologies and Knowledge Management. Knowledge Intensive Firms and Knowledge Workers. The Influence of Socio-Cultural Factors in Motivating Workers to Participate in Knowledge Management Initiatives. Leadership and Knowledge Management. It also provides an overview of various tools used in knowledge auditing, and examines the knowledge audit tools used in the Xerox case. In addition, five questions have been formulated within the context of learning and knowledge management to further allow identification of knowledge gaps. Aim and purpose of the report The aims and purpose of this report is to identify and provide justification of knowledge gaps within Xerox organization. This identification is important in developing and reviewing strategies that would promote knowledge management. 1. CURRENT KNOWLEDGE POSITION OF XEROX CORPORATION The purpose of the organization Xerox Corporation is a document management firm that is involved mainly in manufactures and sale of printers and copiers as well as in associated supplies and consulting services (“about us”, xerox.com). In addition the company offers support to its customers worldwide through various representatives (Powers, 1999). Xerox Corporation is one of the organizations that have adopted the concept of knowledge management in its general business strategies. The firm has undergone undertaken various steps in developing its knowledge management and has developed systems that promote knowledge capture, sharing, retrieval, and sharing. The case study by powers (1999) provides support to various concepts and associated with knowledge management, including learning and knowledge management. information & communication technologies and knowledge management, knowledge intensive firms and knowledge workers, the influence of socio-cultural factors in motivating workers to participate in knowledge management initiatives, and leadership and knowledge management. a) Learning and knowledge management The interpretation and understanding of knowledge management as a concept is one of the critical aspects in its implementation. Kulkarni, Ravindran and Freeze (2007) have generally described knowledge management as a process through which a firm leverages and obtains “value” from its intellectual capital. Knowledge, on the other hand, is a collection of information that is intended for application. In other words, Knowledge is an integration of information with experience, interpretation, context and reflection (Kulkarni, Ravindran and Freeze, 2007), whereas information refers simply to processed, or rather, meaningful data. These distinctions are critical in implementing effective Knowledge management systems (Kulkarni, Ravindran and Freeze, 2007). For Xerox Corporation, the understanding of the concept and distinction from other closely related terms by its staff was emphasized. The organization has taken this critical step and explained to its employees the activities and strategies that constitute knowledge management. It has considerably facilitated and promoted the learning of this concept. This involved a clarification of the concept to its staff through the ten domains of knowledge management that it discovered after conducting a research (Powers, 1999). The distinction between information management (IS) and knowledge management was clarified. Furthermore, the company has made sure that its definition of knowledge management is in alignment with the understanding by its staffs. The definition and view of the concept by Xerox concurs with those in literature. b) Information & Communication Technologies and Knowledge Management Several literatures have shown the importance of information and communication technologies in proper knowledge management (Anonymous, 2006; Butler & Murphy, 2007; Cha, Pingry & Thatcher, 2008; Chait, 1999; Kulkarni, Ravindran and Freeze, 2007). ICT facilitates the development of knowledge management systems. ICT supports both the creation of fresh knowledge and the use of the existing ones (Kulkarni, Ravindran and Freeze (2007). Furthermore, it is through ICT that capture, storage, retrieval, and sharing of documents and knowledge is possible (Butler and Murphy (2007; Kulkarni, Ravindran and Freeze, 2007). Cha, Pingry and Thatcher (2008) shows that “offshoring” organizations that do not wish to disrupt their “knowledge supply chain” must utilize information and communication technologies such as internet and networking technologies. This is because it would not be practical to physically link staff working in different countries for them to share solutions. Even Chait (1999) has noted that it not possible to physically network a very huge number of staff within an organization while attempting to establish an effective knowledge management. The link between information and communication technologies (ICTs) and knowledge management is covered in the case for Xerox. The company uses technology to facilitate networking and sharing of knowledge among its workers. Eureka and Docushare are some of its platforms that fairly demonstrate the importance of information and communication technology in knowledge management. For instance, Eureka, a platform that allows Xerox’s service firms to develop and reuse its intellectual capital among its numerous representatives located globally (Powers, 1999), depends on ICT to link these workers. The service technicians often make calls to consult about a repair problem that is beyond their explicit knowledge (Powers, 1999). This platform constitutes part of Xerox’s knowledge management system that is accessible to its staff through a global network. It is also shown that sharing of knowledge through work groups has its limitation in terms of the numbers of employees that can be involved. For Xerox, only a few staffs would be able to share various solutions at a time though work groups (Powers, 1999). Xerox’s Docushare, which is a web-based platform where scientists, engineers, product designers, business planners and marketers within and outside the organization share knowledge, is also largely dependent on ICT. Therefore, both computer networks and telephone networks are useful in knowledge management. c) Knowledge Intensive Firms and Knowledge Workers Knowledge workers are a critical element in knowledge intensive firms (KIFs). Swart and Kinnie (2003) have shown that for a KIF to benefit from its intellectual resource and have a competitive advantage in the market, the knowledge possessed by these employees should be shared in the organization. Knowledge intensive firms are organization whose core tasks are of intellectual nature, and thus skilled, properly educated persons constitute the main part of its human resource (Deng, 2008; Swart & Kinnie, 2003). It is important to note that knowledge workers constitute persons who have the intellectual capacity to construe information as well as solve tasks within specific domains. Xerox d) The influence of socio-cultural factors in motivating workers to participate in KM efforts Socio-cultural factors play a key role in motivating workers to participate in knowledge management systems implementation. For instance, the behaviour and attitudes of workers and managers in an organization can greatly undermine or promote knowledge management (Deng, 2008). For instance, it is difficult to achieve success in the implementation of a knowledge management system where employees view it as a waste of time. On the contrary, employees who view such a system as beneficial would be highly motivated. Elsewhere, a competitive culture among managers and/or among knowledge workers may hinder proper sharing of knowledge (Kulkarni, Ravindran and Freeze, 2007). A shift from a competitive culture to one of knowledge sharing is, therefore, necessary in development of knowledge management. It has been noted that collaboration is beneficial for firms (including competing organizations) are involved in knowledge intensive tasks (and Pyka, Gilbert & Ahrweiler, 2007; Van de Ven, 2005). Xerox Corporation has understood this reality and endeavoured to promote a positive culture among its employees that would support effective knowledge management system. To start with, the company worked to change its employee’s mentality so that they would see the endeavour as worthwhile. The company uses incentives, including rewards to promote knowledge sharing and creation. Rewards affects on staff’s motivation to use Knowledge management systems (Lai, 2009). According to Kulkarni, Ravindran and Freeze (2007) incentives are useful in facilitating knowledge management endeavours. The company has also focused on integrating its various business entities towards a common goal of developing a knowledge management system. Thus, it has developed a community of employees who work across different entities within the general Xerox organization. The knowledge environment Xerox Corporation exists within a complex, broad external knowledge environment. It includes socio-technological aspects where scientists, engineers, product designers, marketers, and business planners within and without the organization interact virtually in building knowledge (Power, 1999). Moreover, the environment can be described as an operating environment since it provides support for the actual work and processes being performed. Both explicit and tacit knowledge are shared. e) Leadership and Knowledge Management Leadership is a critical aspect in knowledge management. Just like other areas of management, knowledge management requires proper leadership that provides support to the grassroots. A vision and proper plan that relates to an organization goals and strategies should be available (Chait, 1999). It has been shown that leadership at Xerox Corporation is supportive of knowledge management (Powers, 1999). The success of a knowledge management system should also include knowledge leaders. These are persons in an organization who are able to lead others within specific subject domains. Xerox has various knowledge leaders. For instance, it has “knowledge managers” who directly oversee knowledge initiatives in various countries, including Europe and the United States (Powers, 1999) who include directors, managers and representatives. Even though these persons are experts within their fields, they continue to seek more knowledge and high level of expertise since Xerox conducts regular assessments and gives awards to best performers. This in turn promotes proper leadership in knowledge management. The position of Xerox in knowledge management is further strengthened by the support it has from the top leadership. For instance, the knowledge management initiative that was started by the chairman of the company way back in 1996 is still supported to date (Powers, 1999). This support is crucial for the success of knowledge management (Kulkarni, Ravindran and Freeze, 2007). It has been shown that leadership styles influence the openness and willingness by employees in an organization to share information (Kulkarni, Ravindran and Freeze, 2007). The organization structure and internal knowledge culture The case study (Powers, 1999) has indicated that the organizational structure for Xerox Corporation is hierarchical. There are various levels of command and authority. For instance, the adoption of the knowledge management concept required the approval of the top management, including the chairman of the company. It is also shown that there are lower level staffs and representatives who receive directions from the director of corporate strategies (Powers, 1999). Questions These questions below are within the domain of learning and knowledge management: a) What is the importance of knowledge management in an organization? b) What do you understand by the term knowledge management? c) What is the difference between knowledge management and information management? d) What step should an organization take to determine the level of understanding of knowledge management by its employees? e) Would you understand knowledge management in the context of another organization you don’t work for? f) 2. Knowledge audit Tools Knowledge auditing is a critical aspect in knowledge management (Liebowitz, et al, 2000). It marked an important step towards the success of knowledge management initiatives at Xerox Corporation. There are a number of tools that can be used in knowledge audit. These include both face-to-face and telephone interviews, use of structured and semi-structured questionnaires, online consultations, focus groups, workshops, direct inspection or observation, and reference to documentation. The design of these tools should be such that they are able to extract the key information required. In its knowledge audit, Xerox used mainly interviews, case studies, and focus groups to audit its knowledge. This involved interviewing knowledge managers and various respondents of interests. Case studies of organization were conducted and the information used to position Xerox in terms of knowledge level and needs. The company also conducted a survey that involved knowledge managers who were recruited to perform specific tasks in its knowledge management efforts. An interview involves an appointment where previously prepared questions are presented to a respondent who provides responses to them. The feedback are later synthesised and analysed to provide useful information. While interviews may involves either face to face interaction or telephone conversations, questionnaires entail questions that are written down on paper and a respondent provides response. These questions may be structured such that the response is pre-designed. Case studies involve a critical examination of the point of interest to extract useful information, while focus groups involve getting feedbacks from a selected group of respondents. 3. Recommendations Xerox Corporation has made remarkable steps towards knowledge management efforts. To strengthen this endeavour and gain more competitive advantage, the firm should focus on broadening the participation in its knowledge management systems. For instance, it should involve knowledge workers in external service organizations in its knowledge sharing and creation. Therefore, this would involve a review of the existing systems to facilitate sharing, capture, retrieval, and storage of both tacit and explicit knowledge within and outside the organization. Xerox should also be more aggressive in adoption of a sharing and re-use culture so that its entire population of staff participates in its knowledge management initiatives. In fact, it should be incorporated into the general company policy. 4. CONCLUSION The report has examined the case study to provide evidence under a benchmark of five topics of the current knowledge position of Xerox Corporation. Learning, information and communication technologies, and leadership have been examined under the context of knowledge management. In addition, the report has linked evidence in the case study to the subject of knowledge intensive firms and knowledge workers, and the influence of social cultural aspects in encouraging workers to engage in knowledge management efforts. The tools used in knowledge auditing of the organization have also been examined, and recommendation on future strategies for knowledge management at Xerox suggested. REFERENCE LIST About us. [Online]. n.d., , [Accessed 28 September 2010]. Anonymous, 2006. Knowledge management: Intelligent discovery solution, Expert Systems, Vol. 23, No. 4 p. 245 Butler, T. & Murphy, C., 2007. Understanding the design of information technologies for knowledge management in organizations: a pragmatic perspective, Information Systems Journal, Vol. 17, pp. 143–163 Cha,H.S., Pingry, D.E. & Thatcher, M.E.,2008. Managing the knowledge supply chain: an organizational learning model of information technology offshore outsourcing, MIS Quarterly, Vol. 32 No. 2, pp. 281-306. Chait, L.P., 1999. Creating a successful knowledge management, Journal of Business Strategy, Vol.20, No.2, pp. 23-26. Deng, P., 2008. Applying a Market-Based Approach to the Development of a sharing-Enabled KM Model for Knowledge-Intensive Small Firms, Information Systems Management, Vol. 25, pp. 174–187. Kulkarni, U. R., Ravindran, S. & Freeze, R., 2007, A Knowledge Management Success Model: Theoretical Development and Empirical Validation, Journal of Management Information Systems, Vol. 23, No. 3, pp. 309–347. Lai, J., 2009. How reward, computer self-efficacy, and perceived power security affect knowledge management systems success: an empirical investigation in high-tech companies. Journal of the American Society for Information Science and Technology, Vol. 60, No. 2. 332 - 347. Liebowitz, J., Rubenstein-Montano,B., McCaw,D., Buchwalter, J. & Browning, C., 2000, case study: The Knowledge Audit. Knowledge and Process Management, Vol. 7, No. 1, pp. 3-10. Powers, V.J., 1999. Xerox creates a knowledge-sharing culture through grassroots efforts. Knowledge Management in Practice, No. 18, pp. 1-4. 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