Knowledge Management Systems - Analysis of Wheatman - Case Study Example

Name Tutor Course Date Knowledge management systems: A Case Study Analysis Executive summary Wheatman is a decision support system that is used by wheat farmers in the subtropical regions in Australia to aid them in decision making while carrying out their farming activities. The system addresses various factors that include type of soil, status of the water, and addition of fertilizer, variability of climate and variety phenology. This is a knowledge that was created by farmers for farmers. This paper shall carry out a case study analysis of a knowledge management system that will involve an analysis of the knowledge needs and identification of the knowledge sources. The case study will be a decision support system in agriculture (wheat management in subtropical Australia: Woodruff, 1992). Introduction Knowledge management is a process that comprises strategies and practices that organizations use in identifying, creating, representing and distributing insights and experiences of the organizations. The insights and experiences include knowledge in individuals and the knowledge is embedded in them in form of processes or in form of practices. From the concept of knowledge management, a knowledge management system can be developed. Alavi and Leidner (2001) appreciated that knowledge management is a key resource in the organization. It is for this reason that the knowledge management system has been developed by information systems. This development was done so as to support the creation, transfer and the application of knowledge within organizations. Knowledge management systems were defined as “Distinct but interdependent processes of knowledge creation, knowledge storage and retrieval, knowledge transfer and knowledge application.” (Alavi and Leidner, 2001). This implies that for the knowledge management system to be developed there has to be knowledge need in the organization. Understanding of knowledge management The reason for the development of knowledge management is because knowledge and information have been viewed as the major drivers that can be used to create value in an organization. In an organization that is focused on knowledge development, the principal source of improved performance is seen in the development of the intellectual capital within the organization. In a report by ADB (2007), it was contented that the intellectual capital comprises human elements, structural as well as relational elements. To analyze the knowledge in the organization, it is important to analyze what the organization knows, what it needs to know for it to be competitive and how the organization should align the capabilities it has to those that it requires. This means that to acquire knowledge, integrate and disseminate it to the organization, the concept has to be understood as a process that is dynamic and spans across the boundaries of the organization. Key to the understanding of knowledge management is the understanding of what the knowledge is. According to an article from Nblsajobfair (2013), the knowledge used in organizations is defined as the understanding that is gained from experience and one that is applied to different and new situations. This knowledge is closely tied to the individual. Going by this concept, knowledge denotes the combined knowledge of the employees in the organization. An organization would not have the brains to keep knowledge, rather, the employees and the people in the organization would. The knowledge of an organization is not limited to the employees. For an organization that is well developed, the knowledge will take other forms. These forms include past experiences as well behavioral routines developed due to the application of the knowledge in a wide range of settings. Behavioral patterns and routines store past experiences in them and it is this that develops into knowledge and wisdom that will affect the mode of operation of the organization and how the organization responds to changes in the environment. In addition to the routines and practices that add up to the experience in the organization, there is also a deep wealth of information resources that the organization has collected over the years. This is a representation of the platform of information that the employees shall process so as to develop more knowledge. This forms the database of the knowledge for the organization. This database is used by the organization as a basic resource for knowledge that shall be used by employees in advancing their growth in understanding of knowledge in the organization (Davenport and Laurence, 1998). Having knowledge within the organization is not sufficient enough for the organization to best utilize the available knowledge. There needs to be a knowledge management system that shall be used as a guide in the management of the available knowledge. It is this process of deliberate design of the tools, structures and processes that is defined as management of knowledge. This process also requires strategies that will be used in effective utilization of the knowledge in the organization. Haggie and Kingston (2003) stated that organizations are faced by different situations and these require the use of different management strategies of the knowledge. The information and knowledge that is contained in an organization requires a systematic approach that will enable the organization to best utilize them. The amount of data and information that is contained in an organization can best be utilized if there is a knowledge management application or system (Kotter and Rathgebber, 2006). Along with enhancing effective utilization of the knowledge in an organization, a knowledge management system is used to foster innovation in the organization by encouraging free flow of ideas. This enables individuals to work and to think innovatively. In addition, knowledge management system is used to enhance the decision making in the organization. The application can also be used to enhance the quality of service that is offered by the organization to its clients and to itself. This is achieved by enhancing effective working. A knowledge management system is also used to boost the revenues attained by the organization by enabling the organization to get its products and services faster and market them faster. Knowledge management also enables the organization to enhance its rate of employee retention because it recognizes the value of the knowledge its employees have and the rewards that can be obtained from them. By so doing, the organization recognized that the employees are an important part of the organization and that retaining them is key to the effective performance of the organization. Another use of knowledge management systems is in streamlining the operations of the organization and reducing the costs through elimination of the processes that are redundant and unnecessary. The importance of knowledge management is wide and undoubted. However, this does not imply that it does not have its set of issues. According to Birkinshaw (2001), knowledge management has a lot of promises but the amount that is delivered is little if it is not effectively followed up. One problem that was noted of knowledge management was that most companies struggled to make the concept work. Not all organizations have been known to be satisfied with knowledge management. Some companies have struggled to implement knowledge management and have not been satisfied with the progress noted. One of the issues that are faced during knowledge management is that it is very central to the set- up of the firm that separating it from the firm and acting on it like a single process in the firm is not possible. Every companies manages its knowledge; however, some of them do it in an informal way while some do it without really knowing that they are managing the knowledge. For knowledge management to be done better, new tools have to be developed as well as elimination of the old ways of doing things in the company. Changing the knowledge management system of a firm and developing one that will be effective in the performance of the organization requires fundamental changes in the behavior of people and takes a great deal of time to be fully achieved (Birkinshaw, 2001). Some of the reasons as to why knowledge management fails in some organizations include the following: The firms do not recognize sufficiently that they are practicing knowledge management Information technology in the organization is regarded as a replacement for social interaction The process of knowledge management focuses so much on recycling knowledge that already exists and does not generate new knowledge Most techniques used in knowledge management are traditional techniques Some of the assumptions that are made on knowledge management are not favorable to achievement of the goals that are purposed for knowledge management. Techniques used to analyze knowledge management situation The process used in analyzing knowledge management begins with reviewing the knowledge. This process involves two activities that are monitoring the performance of the knowledge and evaluating the performance. The procedures used in monitoring knowledge should be appropriate and they should be operational. The procedures depend on the type of measures that have to be taken and they have to be tailored towards the knowledge (Tiwana, 1999). The performance of the knowledge has to be done so as to ascertain that the original intended objectives are achieved. Evaluating the performance can be done based on two strategies that include fundamental strategies that provide the driving forces of the organization; and the knowledge management strategies that provide the main focus where the organization is headed to (Wiig, 1995). In addition, the knowledge is conceptualized so as to get the picture of the knowledge in the organization. Under the technique of conceptualizing, answers to questions such as what the knowledge is used for; what type of knowledge is used; where the knowledge is used; when it is used and which role of the organization provides this knowledge are discovered. By having the concept of the knowledge management, the problems that are related to knowledge can be identified and solved. Such problems include: Knowledge not being managed as an asset that is valuable Lack of sufficient knowledge at the point of action of the knowledge Learning opportunities that are missed The narrow transfer of knowledge Unnecessary division of some decisions and tasks After conceptualizing, reflection of the knowledge is done. This is done with the aim of producing plans of improvement that will be able to stand a reasonable success chance when they are executed in the phase of action. Implementation of improvement plans requires that action is taken and this requires that the organization is taken into account as well as the obstacles that the organization faces. The process of reflection shall involve defining and selecting the improvements to be done and defining and selecting the improvement plans that should be done. After reflecting, action has to be taken. The action phase is the running of the plans for improvement. This shall involve actual implementation of the plans and seeing how the plan works out for the organization. This technique involves getting the knowledge management system into action so as to get the benefits for which the system has been designed (Wiig et al, 1996). Types of knowledge According to Resnick (2004) there are three types of knowledge that are managed in the organization. These include technological knowledge, operational knowledge and managerial knowledge. It is technological knowledge that is most associated with efforts of knowledge management. This discusses the body of principles that define the organization’s workings on its services and products. When there are advances in technological knowledge, the products offered by the company can be set aside from those of its competitors and the products or services can gain the competitive edge for the company. Operational knowledge is the process that the organization uses in creating and delivering its services. When operations are excellent, the organization gains in reduced costs, reduced time of delivery, better services to customers, higher quality and less time taken to market the new products. Managerial knowledge is the way in which the organization oversees the employees, customers and partners together with their interactions. In most times, the managerial knowledge is overlooked. However, market economies require the use of all the three types of knowledge (Reisnick, 2004). Three other types of knowledge include tacit knowledge, explicit knowledge and embedded knowledge. Explicit knowledge refers to the knowledge that is obtained from tools or resources that workers need in the company. Tacit knowledge is the knowledge that is obtained through the commitments of the company and its involvement while embedded knowledge is knowledge that is obtained from the culture, the structures, the processes and the routines of the organization (Collins, 2010). Case study analysis: Decision Support Systems in Agriculture (wheatman) Nguyen et al (2006) stated that decision support systems are computer based systems that are used in supporting the process of decision making. They are also normative approaches that are based on simulation to provide information and this includes software products. These systems are also considered to be intelligent support systems (Lynch, 2003). The systems are meant to enhance the performance of Agriculture by boosting the process of decision making. This requires that knowledge is identified and then its needs analyzed before it can be implemented. Knowledge Audit in wheatman Liebowitz et al (2000) stated that knowledge audit is used in analyzing and assessing the business needs of the organization. This is followed by the examination of the type of knowledge needed by the organization. According to Burnett et al (2004), process management is vital in shaping of knowledge in an organization. This is part of a pragmatic approach to knowledge management. In a study by Bulter and Murphy (2006), managi9ng the process of the organization is one of the critical factors of success in management of knowledge. For the case study, the knowledge in question is operational knowledge. This knowledge has been identified as a need in the agriculture industry. The operations of farmers are slowed down by decision making when they are faced by some challenges. These challenges include choice of the best fertilizer for their products, the best type of soil for the crop, the status and type of soil water and the variation in climate. While some farmers have the experience to determine the best parameters for their crop, there are changes that occur and make the farmers to get their choices wrong at times. In addition, new farmers do not have to learn through the hard way of making wrong decisions before they become experienced enough to determine the best parameters for their crops. The systems are used in enhancing effective selection of the factors that will favor growth of a particular crop by farmers. This system helps in making decisions from the time of planting to harvesting time. The system helps in planning for the whole process of farming by the farmer. Types of knowledge in wheatman Through the interaction of the farmers with wheat, they were able to develop explicit knowledge that was used in the development of wheatman. In addition, they have had various farming activities that have led them to gain tacit knowledge. This has enabled them to be able to keep track of the planting time, the type of fertilizer used and the best climate. This is part of the knowledge that they used in creating wheatman. Finally, the farmers developed embedded knowledge through the culture of wheat farming that they have developed in subtropical regions. This culture has enabled them to introduce a number of factors including frost risk, protein records, nitrogen status and status of soil water during planting (Woodruff, 1992). Knowledge life cycle The lifecycle of knowledge provides an indication of the knowledge that is supposed to be captured, stored and disseminated so as to enhance decision making. Knowledge management requires capturing knowledge, sharing it and leveraging it to its employees. A basic model is as shown below: To best address an issue in the organization, the knowledge that will solve it best is selected and used. For the decision support system in wheat and cotton farming, the knowledge that was identified was operational and through this, the knowledge would be embedded in the whole agricultural sector. This knowledge was used to identify the problems that limit the decision making by farmers. Woodruff (1992) stated that the decisions that are made include choice of fertilizer, quantity of fertilizer that will be sufficient for the growth of the crops, choice of a variety of patterns that will facilitate the development of the crop and control measures for the crop. This implies that there are problems experienced by farmers when it comes to selection of some parameters. For instance, selection of the best type of fertilizer for their crop is a challenge that they experience. In addition, the quantity of fertilizer that they will require to plant their crops is a factor that should be known by the farmers. This slows down the process of farming because farmers have to take some time in making the best selection for their crop. They need to research based on their environment and find expertise advice on the best way forward. Since the process of managing agricultural production is complex, the process is daunting and complex and this created the need for a support system (Heinemann, 2004). The wheatman system in the organization introduces various factors that include the status of nitrogen, risk of frost, status of soil water, grain yield as well as records of proteins. These local measurements are used in enabling the farmers make the best choice for their crops. Knowledge usage in wheatman An analysis of the knowledge in this system indicates that the need for the support system was developed out of the need to help farmers get a system that will provide them a more direct answer to the dilemmas they might be faced with in their day to day activities. It enables their planning process to be done easily and this enhances their production. The system was developed by information systems experts in Australia together with agricultural experts who provided important information on the parameters that should be used in determining the best farming practice. Creators and users of knowledge The knowledge in the farming practice is created by the ideas of farmers in the farming field. It is the farmers who identify the need for better ways of making decisions during farming. This created knowledge is in turn beneficial to the farmers. The custodians of the knowledge are the same farmers who are taught how to use the system to their benefit in decision making. As agreed by Koulopoluos and Frappaolo (2000), it is the employees of the organization who create and benefit from the knowledge. Therefore, farmers become the main beneficiaries of the knowledge they create and manage. Conclusion The need for development of a knowledge management system comes from challenges that have been experienced in the past. These needs drive the experts in the field to combine the challenges faced and the possible solutions to the challenges so as to develop a system that can be used in enabling the organization to perform better. It is through the challenges that the organization can find out what slows down their operations and what can be done to improve the operations. Works cited Alavi, Maryam, & Leidner, Dorothy, 2001, “Review: Knowledge Management and Knowledge Management Systems: Conceptual Foundations and Research Issues,” MIS Quarterly Review, Asian Development Bank, 2007, Learning Lessons in ADB, ADB, Philippines. Vol. 25, No. 1, pp. 107-136. Birkinshaw, Julian, 2001, “Why is Knowledge Management so Difficult?” Business Strategy Review, Vol 12, Iss. 1, pp. 11-18. 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