Design of a Knowledge Management System - Report Example

Design of a Knowledge Management System Name Course Tutor Date Introduction Knowledge management is defined as a management technique of effectively creating, developing and sharing knowledge in an organization. It is composed of gathering of knowledge generated within an organization and also from external sources which is then organized in such a way that it is easily accessible to all those in the organization, who need it, on time (Cheema, 2010). In other words, a management system maintains critical information which can be used by anyone in the organization when needed. In this report I sought to create a different knowledge management system based on the case study I conducted on the Fairport farm software, the grape forecaster. In early 2004, Fairport was approached by the Cooperative Research Centre for Viticulture, who had developed the “AusVit” program, on a partnership which led to the development of the PAM AusVit program. Later on that same year, Grape and Wine Research and Development Corporation and the Victorian Department of Primary Industry also struck a partnership with Fairport for the commercialization of their Grape Forecaster technology. This new Grape Forecaster software was released in October 2004.  Grape Forecaster's features enable grape farmers in to:  Sample and forecast over multiple vineyards and patches. Generate their sample sites without bias. Enter their data and adjust the sampling to meet accuracy targets in the vineyard. Keep all their data in one database and manage it easily. Produce their forecasts using a large range of scientifically-proven methods Evaluate and analyze their performance Store their historical data and use it to continually improve forecasting The knowledge management system of the Fairport organization appears as shown in the diagram below; I hence sought to create a new knowledge management system that would be more effective to the grape farming organization. The design appeared as shown below; In the design, I sought to develop a way in which grape farming organizations can generate knowledge about grape farming, analyze and develop it, and finally share the knowledge to other grape farming members. This system would be divided into knowledge source, knowledge analysis and knowledge sharing. These blocks are the backbone of my design. They are explained in this report. I chose to name it the Grape Farming Knowledge System. Methodology Knowledge management entails strategies used to develop, analyze, represent and share knowledge in an organization or firm. Grape farming in Australia has been a major success due to the services offered by Fairport farming system. However, from the case study conducted in the first part of the assignment, it is recommended that several factors be addressed in the knowledge system currently in place to improve on grape growing practices. I hence sort to develop a different knowledge management system to address and include other components and strategies. I divided the system into the different sections namely knowledge sourcing, knowledge management and knowledge sharing. Knowledge Source Knowledge source is vital in any organization’s success. Different types of questions require different sources of information. Knowledge sources may both be internal of external to the organization (Cheema,2010) Internally, firms acquire knowledge through in-house research and development activities and by learning from continuous improvements in processes. Field research and survey is the main external source of knowledge. Research, as illustrated in the diagram, is a form of knowledge input to the organization, which involves undertaking work on a systematic basis in order to increase the stock of knowledge of grape farming. This can be undertaken by the grape farming organization to gain more knowledge concerning the practice of grape growing in Australia and the rest of the world. Research on factors such as climatic conditions conducive for grape farming can prove vital to the growers and the grape farming organization as whole. Contribution is another knowledge source where the grape farmers can be given a platform to send information concerning their different farming methodology and practices to the organization. Interacting with the members of the organization is beneficial to the firm as it may source for external knowledge from the farmers through, say, accepting both written and mails. Acquisition of knowledge is a crucial form of obtaining knowledge to the firm. Here, farmers are paid for contributing knowledge, in this case, about grape farming. This can be done in both internal and external level of the organization, that is, both direct employees working in the organization and grape growers, who are only members of the organization, can be allowed to contribute their various innovations and ways of increasing grape yield. They are then paid for knowledge contribution. This serves as a reward to knowledge contribution. At the end of the day, every party is a winner as the contributor is paid for the services and the organization expands its knowledge basis. Knowledge management Having sourced for knowledge, the organization is required to input the knowledge management section for analysis and further development. This is usually a role played by the organization itself. These components are described below. Market analysis Market analysis is the study of the attractiveness and the dynamics of a special market within a special industry. When it comes to economic studies, it is worth noting that the assessment of agricultural marketing and price analysis may be viewed at different vantage points. Emphasis is mainly on the analysis of marketing systems, food processing, as well as the fundamental institutions required for vertical coordination and supply chain management in the agricultural and food marketing system (Hendriks,1999). The organization in my design includes market analysis as a form of knowledge management since it is one of the first and most important reasons to do a business plan. The organization should renew their market analysis at least every year. Since markets change, a business needs to watch for changes in its market (Cheema, 2010). The organization should implement this module of market analysis to keep up with the rapid market changes in the world. This will enable the grape farming organization to include new changes to cater for the markets and hence keep profitable. Ways of expanding the wine market through advertisements should also be conducted. Knowledge database It is of practical significance to intensify the understanding of knowledge storage by explaining organizational memory. Memory is defined as a scheme of cognition and abilities that preserves and stores perceptual experience beyond the time at which they happen, so that they can be retrieved at a later time (Alvi, 1991). Bender, (2000) contends that an organization’s ability to preserve knowledge has important consequences for its performance. Organizations recognize the value of knowledge storage for present and future use. In this case, storage of information concerning grape farming is vital and is the major building block to create, implement and re-use knowledge. Various technological components such as computers are used to store explicit knowledge, such as grape farming techniques, chemicals used in treating pests, which can also be retrievable mostly using technologies. It is argued that computer-based technologies are significant in the storage of knowledge and its accessibility in large organizations. Such, which include, but are not limited to shared electronic databases and electronic bulletin boards, find applications in collecting, storing and making explicit knowledge accessible. In my design, the grape farming organization must use a database to store records of the management structure, workers, market analysis reports and research findings carried out in the field and also under survey, list of members of the organization among others. Such information is vital for the organization growth and development. Membership Co-operative ownership stands out as the economic model which is capable of offering the most gain for the owners and communities at large. It is, however, only powerful if organizations focus proper attention on the owner side of that compound word, “member-owners.” (Hendriks, 1999) Grape farmers can be given the chance to register as members of the grape farming organization which might come with several benefits to them. Such benefits include access to new updates about grape farming and also new research findings. Typically, members pay fees or dues and get something, such as purchase discounts, in exchange. Owners invest and benefit if the business prospers. The grape farming organization can create economic linkages with their member-owners by undertaking activities that make clear the close connection between the prosperity of the co-op and the prosperity of the member. Registered members can be given the chance to participate in competitions to win prizes, hence encouraging more farmers to register and be part of the organization. Knowledge Sharing Knowledge sharing is the act of exchanging noesis, which may take the form of skills, experience, or understanding within researchers, policy-makers, or service providers (Alvi, 1991) It is gaining massive popularity when it comes to ensuring that practice and policy are compliant with sound evidence. This is only possible if the gaps existing in research, practice, and policy are appropriately bridged. It therefore serves as a tool that can be used to promote evidence-based practice and decision making, while at the same time facilitating exchange and dialogue among researchers, policy-makers, as well as service providers involved. The various aspects of knowledge sharing may include the following: All activities that are geared towards the dissemination of knowledge and expertise among the above mentioned categories of individuals, that is researchers, policy-makers, service providers, in addition to other stakeholders, who help in bringing about evidence based practice coupled with suitable decision making processes It may also involve those cases that may not have knowledge sharing as the denotative goal, only that to some extent there is sharing of knowledge and skills. Peer assist Peer assist was introduced in 1994 by British Petroleum (BP). It is the kind of practice based on dialogue and mutual respect among colleagues. Peer Assist has to do with meetings planned by individual work teams to start up new projects (the hosts).These will then need to bring on board another group with experience in a similar project. Such will introduce to them the background and data of their project as well as their capabilities as the group prepares to communicate the specific needs. The aftermath is that both teams work in unison in order to come up with possible solutions to the problem (Alvession, 2001). In the grape farming situation as discussed in this report, peer assist may incorporate the experienced farmers meeting up with the younger grape growers who have different ideas concerning ways to improve yield. The new farmers present their methods while the experienced farmers watch and take note. In the end, discussions can be made on how to improve the technology to, say, increase grape yield and market. Mentoring Mentoring refers to the learning relationship which exists between two employees whereby the experienced ones are the mentors, who share their expertise, experience and ideas with less experienced employees, also known as associates (Alvession, 2001). The less experienced employees are in most cases shown what they can do, and they have a general desire to acquire new knowledge and skills. Mentorship is based on mutual commitment, respect and trust. The employee’s manager does not always turn out to be the best mentor as mentoring occurs outside any formal employer-employee relationship. Successful grape farmers in this case are the mentors and associates are the young farmers who have not quite established themselves in the field. The more skilled farmers can organize events where they will educate the younger grape growers on the general farming and marketing demands that lie ahead Websites and social media platform Social media is used by a large percentage of the population to increase networks and gather information. It is largely expanding and finding its way into the business world as most organizations are joining them. Use of social media is hence positively related to knowledge sharing. The grape farming organization can join the social media in knowledge sharing as many people are on it. They can post updates on how to start grape farming on a small scale and also how to increase fruit yield. Farmers will be allowed to join the discussions online and contribute on certain experiences related to grape farming. The organization may also use this platform as a knowledge source from the farmers themselves. Website design and online technologies are resulting in increased website interactivity. Contents of websites are typically authored by one or several individuals, sometimes representing an organization, and may leave users with little input as to the content available online. Websites are like lectures and presentations in that they primarily put information to users for consumption, and also provide an opportunity for feedback from viewers. They are the present day online libraries. Anyone interested in a particular topic or organization can access a website as long as they have a computer and an internet connection (Alvi, 1991). Given the sheer amount of information available online, well-designed websites are necessary to keep users interested and engaged with the content. In the case stated in this report, the grape farming organization can use websites to share knowledge by post information related to grape farming. Farmers can then check out the site for useful information and also provide feedback to the organization on their experience, analysis and findings. Therefore, websites, like social media, also function as knowledge sources. Conclusion Knowledge Management therefore consists of the initiatives and systems that sustain and support the storage, dissemination assessment, application, refinement and creation of relevant knowledge. It involves the intensive understanding of what forms of knowledge exists, how to make the right knowledge available to the right people, what the organization needs to know about a particular field they are dealing in, how to best generate and acquire new relevant knowledge and also how to promote a culture conducive for learning, knowledge sharing and knowledge creation. For knowledge management systems to be effective, organizations should learn how to manage all these factors and enhance performance in light of the organization’s strategic goals and short term opportunities and threats. The knowledge management system designed and discussed above is intended to open up the possibility for a robust framework to be developed and advocated. It will encourage particularly vendors and software developers to designing new solutions that may allow them to promote knowledge management systems. New and great innovations in the field of grape farming will also be encouraged in my new design. Different organizations can also use this design as a backbone to develop their own knowledge management systems. Bibliography Alvari, Maryam & Leidner, Dorothy E (2001) "Knowledge Management and Knowledge Management Systems: Conceptual Foundations and Research Issues" MIS Quarterly Vol 25 No 1, 18-30 Alvession Mand Kareman D (2001). “Odd Couple: Making sense of Curious Concept of Knowledge Management”, 1-54 Alvi M (1991), “Knowledge Management Systems: Issues, Challenges and Benefits”, Communication of the Association for Information Systems, Vol.1. 1-28. Bender, S and Fish, A (2000) ”, Journal of Knowledge Management; “The transfer of knowledge and the retention of expertise: the continuing need for global assignments, 4(2), 125-137. Cheema, D. S. (2010). Knowledge management analysis, design and implementation. Rev. ed. Chandigarh [India: Abhishek Publications, 37-54 Guest Eds: Swan J and Scarbrough H, (1995) Journal of Management Studies, Vol.38,No.07, 995-1018. P. Hendriks, (1999) “Why share knowledge? The influence of ICT on the motivation for knowledge sharing”, Knowledge and Process Management, 91-100. Read More