Knowledge Management System Design - Telstra Company - Case Study Example

Knowledge Management System Design By Name Course Instructor Institution City/State Date Table of Contents Table of Contents 2 Knowledge Management System Design 3 Introduction 3 Key issues from knowledge need analysis 4 Knowledge management systems – components: A scenario approach 5 Scenario 1: digging of pits and replacement of asbestos cables 5 Taxonomy 5 Review and updating 6 Mentoring and coaching 6 Scenario 2: containing the spread of asbestos fibres 6 Community of practice 7 Conferencing 7 Competence management 7 Repositories 8 Knowledge management design 8 Recreating Knowledge 11 Implicit & Explicit knowledge Auditing measuring intellect. 11 Social & Technical communication infrastructure Service/work pro. 11 Information mapping, storing and retrieving 11 Conclusion 12 References 12 Knowledge Management System Design Introduction In the previous report, some very key issues were discovered in relation to the company’s operations in laying down fibre optic cables. However, the laying of fibre optic cables by the company had to come to a standstill due to the presence of asbestos in some of the laying pits. Asbestos could be harmful to one’s health if not properly handled. Therefore, it was necessary for the company to ensure that the individuals working on this pits had the knowledge of working with asbestos. This was further complicated by the fact that the contractors tasked with dealing with laying of fibre optic cables lacked the knowledge and skills in handling asbestos fibres, which are quite harmful to the public who lack protective gears. This could be attributed to the fact that the knowledge part of the company was missing after the exit of permanent technical staff. The technical staff was the one tasked with dealing with matters such as laying of fibre optic cables and also possessed the knowledge of dealing asbestos fibres (Taylor, 2013) Therefore, in trying to provide a remedy for this situation this paper provides a knowledge management system design. Knowledge management system brings together all the knowledge that a company possess and with the help of such knowledge guide the company in its operations. Knowledge may be obtained from individuals working in the company or some of the processes being undertaken by the company in how they conduct their operations. Therefore, with the help of knowledge management system it becomes easier to integrate all this knowledge and focus it on the company’s operations. This in turn, improves the operations of the company and makes it easier for the company to handle issues that might arise in relation to its operations (Akhavan et al 2006, p. 100). Knowledge management systems tries to increase staff retention which in this case is attained by putting emphasis on knowledge and experience. In doing so, employees with knowledge and experience do not have to worry about being laid off as witnessed with Telstra company. Additionally, knowledge management system ensures that productivity is enhanced through the application of knowledge in completing the various undertakings. Therefore, this makes it easier for companies to fulfill their operations without foregoing too much expenses. Knowledge management Key issues from knowledge need analysis The case study mainly touches on issues relating to the exposure of asbestos fibres by the public and those working on the line pits. Asbestos have been used for decades before the arrival of fibre optic cables in transmitting information. However, due to the asbestos cables being buried for so long they start wearing out and realizing asbestos fibres. These fibres pose great health challenges to the people surrounding them as they are hazardous. The other key issue that this report seeks to remedy is the lack of knowledge in dealing with asbestos cables and asbestos fibres on the part of the contractors. The Telstra permanent staff were laid off, and they were the only people who had an understanding of how to deal with asbestos fibres. This is because most of them were tasked with the laying of asbestos cables before the rise of fibre optic cables. Therefore, they are the ones who should have been tasked with the replacement of asbestos cables and laying of fibre optic cables. This is in contrast to the contractors deployed to work on the line pits as they have no skills or knowledge in with asbestos cables or fibres. This, in turn, exposes them and the public to asbestos fibres, which is quite harmful to their health (Taylor 2013). Knowledge management systems – components: A scenario approach As earlier stated, knowledge management systems are incorporated into the activities and operations of companies to assist companies with the smooth running of operations. However, it should be noted that knowledge management system is made up of numerous components. Therefore, it is the task of any given company to integrate the component which it deems fit and align to its operations. This ensures that the main problems facing the company are handles with ease and completely (Akhavan et al 2006, p. 92). In relation to Telstra company and the presence of asbestos cables in some of the line pits there are certain components of knowledge management that would be of great significance. These components are; Scenario 1: digging of pits and replacement of asbestos cables As fibre optic cables were being laid, it became apparent to the company that some pits contained asbestos cable that were used to transmit information. Therefore, this meant that such cables needed to be removed and be replaced with fibre optic cables (Taylor 2013). Some of the knowledge management system that would best apply for this scenario include: Taxonomy This component is of great significance since it provides the company with the necessary information regarding asbestos cables and the manner in which they are disposed of. Workers to the pits must be given clear guidelines on how they are to handle asbestos cables and protect themselves from exposure to asbestos fibres. This could be achieved by placing a person with the requisite knowledge in each and every pit, and whose objective would be to guide the workers as they undertake their duties at the pits. Additionally, the experiences from the replacement of the asbestos should be recorded as they could form guidance to others in the future when they are faced with the same problem (Bergeron 2003, p. 100) Review and updating As the world gradually shift in terms of technology Telstra Company, should also align itself with the changes that are happening. Therefore, this means that Telstra should conduct a review of its infrastructure and how operations are conducted. In doing so, this ensures that the company is capable of avoiding instances where it is relying on outdated information. Knowledge management requires that knowledge in any organization should be subjected to review. Therefore, this ensures that the knowledge management system existing in any organization is capable handling the shifting dynamics of the organization (Bergeron 2003, 150). Mentoring and coaching According to Bergeron (2003, p. 120) knowledge management recognizes that there are instances where knowledge can only be found in certain individuals within an organization. For instance, the in Telstra Company the permanent technical staff possessed the knowledge required to safely replace asbestos cables with fibre optic cables. Therefore, the company should rely on such individuals to mentor and coach employees who may not have the requisite knowledge to deal with asbestos cables and asbestos fibres. Scenario 2: containing the spread of asbestos fibres As the contractors worked on the pits, it became apparent that they lacked the knowledge of containing the spread of asbestos fibres originating from the pits. Therefore, this means that the company has to come up with clear strategies on how to undertake such an activity. However, Telstra have to be careful on the sought of strategy they adopt in handling the spread of asbestos fibres. According to Hansen et al (1999, p. 90), different situation require different knowledge management techniques and Telstra should select a strategy that best suits them and their operations. Some of the components that could be integrated for this scenario include: Community of practice Community of practice is of great significance since it provides an opportunity for exchange of ideas and information in a particular field. This means that individuals get the opportunity of interact with others on certain matters thereby enhancing their knowledge in dealing with various issues or aspects of any undertaking (Durant-Law, 2010) Conferencing Conferencing allows exchange of information on how to tackle certain tasks, which might prove difficult if left to individuals or organization with no knowledge. Therefore, Telstra should encourage conferencing, whereby it employees are subjected to conferences which in this case relate to management of asbestos. In doing so the company shall have a workforce that is adequately informed on the various measures it has to undertake when handling asbestos fibres thus reducing contaminating the environment around them (Durant-Law, 2010) Competence management Competence management tries to ensure that individuals working in any given organization are competent to conduct the operations of the company. Competent employees should possess the skills and knowledge that is required in fulfilling certain tasks. This tool is of great significance as it avoids scenarios where an organization issues tasks to individuals with no knowledge or skills to tackle them. In relation to the case study, Telstra should have conducted competence management on the contractors they were hiring in laying of their fibre optic cables. In doing so they would have avoided the situation they are faced with at the moment. Additionally, they should have ensured that they retain the permanent technical staff as they had the necessary knowledge and skill in handling asbestos cables (Durant-Law, 2010) Repositories Additionally, Telstra Company should have a storage mechanism that would ensure that information regarding the removal and disposal of asbestos cables is well documented. This is of significance if they are faced with a similar scenario and require information to overcome it. This information should be captured and stored in safe and secure locations such as vaults. Additionally, the company should have a place where they can store the asbestos cables once removed from the pits to avoid exposing the public to asbestos fibres (Hahn & Wang 2009, p. 335) Knowledge management design In trying to come up with a suitable knowledge management system design, this report incorporates the use of knowledge management life cycle. The knowledge management life cycle differs from the conventional life cycle in that it is result oriented. This means that it aims to grow gradually as the knowledge system comes into force and understood by those within the organization. In addition to these, this model puts knowledge system to the test right from the start rather than waiting at the end of the cycle to test the system. However, there are certain similarities to the conventional life cycle in relation to how the test are conducted. Additionally, both cycles begin with a problem and aim at providing a solution any given organization (Bergeron 2003, 200). The first stage of the cycle relates with the evaluation of the existing infrastructure in the given organization. This stage tries to determine whether the existing infrastructure is to blame for the problems facing the organization. This could as a result of the necessary infrastructure or the inefficiency of the required infrastructure in undertaking certain tasks within the organization. It is at this stage that one notices the lack of human resource in Telstra Company to deal with the disposal of asbestos cables. This stage analyses the effect that would impact on a company if the knowledge part of the company was eliminated and in this case the technical staff formed the knowledge of the company. This is because the technical staff possessed the knowledge of how to dispose asbestos cable as they laid down fibre optic cables. In addition to this, this stage tries to determine whether the required goal is a long term and whether it is attainable as a whole or has to be divided into smaller goals. The disposal of asbestos cable could be termed as long term as Telstra could be faced with the same situation if it were to lay fibre optic cables in other areas. Therefore, Telstra should invest in ensuring infrastructure which in this case would be employees with expertise. This could be achieved through coaching of employees who lack the skills and knowledge in dealing with asbestos cables (Linger et al 2007, p. 62) The next stage is the formation of the knowledge management team. This team will be tasked with overseeing the implementation of the knowledge management system. The team can be composed of various departments of the organization which ensures that there team has more knowledge in what they are dealing with. However, the knowledge management team has to realistic on the various possible outcomes that they can achieve by incorporating knowledge management system in the organization (Linger et al 2007, p. 62) The third stage involves the capturing of the required knowledge that is to be incorporated into the organization. Knowledge is normally in two formats explicit or tacit. Explicit knowledge can be obtained from the existing repositories. Tacit knowledge, on the other hand, refers to knowledge that can be obtained from company experts or company services. Technical staff in this case study would be good sources of tacit knowledge as they have the expertise in dealing with asbestos cables. However, the knowledge managements system should have the ability convert to convert tacit knowledge into explicit knowledge as there is always the possibility of a company expert leaving which could pose challenges In the future. This illustrates the environmental aspect of knowledge management whereby the model puts into consideration the competency of the employees in handling the task at hand. It tries to ensure that the company is always afforded the required knowledge when it comes to disposal of asbestos cables (Collins 2001, p. 83) The fourth stage involves putting into use the knowledge that has been obtained. According to Linger et al (2007, pp. 64) organization make use of knowledge for three reasons: 1) organization can use the knowledge to gain an advantage over their competitors. 2) Knowledge can also be used by organization to improve quality of its operations. 3) Organizations also use knowledge make their products or services marketable. This could be achieved by restructuring the manner in which the company conducted its operations. In doing so, this ensures that the company aligns itself with the knowledge management system. Therefore, the operations of the company become easier in fulfilling its operations. However, at this stage it should be noted that there is no transfer of knowledge but rather direction on the application of knowledge. This is evident on the various procedures and rules that may be formulated in relation to the disposal of asbestos cables (Linger et al 2007, p. 65) The last stage of knowledge management life cycle is knowledge auditing, whereby the knowledge is evaluated. Evaluation of the knowledge is necessary as it elaborates whether the knowledge applied in the providing the solution is efficient or is subjected to various changes in the near future. In doing so, the company is able to make the necessary changes if the knowledge proves to be insufficient in dealing with the problem should the problem persist. Recreating Knowledge Implicit & Explicit knowledge Auditing measuring intellect. Social & Technical communication infrastructure Service/work pro. Information mapping, storing and retrieving Fig.1 Knowledge management life cycle Conclusion In conclusion, this report has elaborated a knowledge management system which it deems suitable to assist Telstra company overcome the hurdles that plague it in relation to disposal of asbestos cables. In doing, so the report covers various components, which it perceives would be suitable to operations of the company. In addition to these, the report also incorporates the use of knowledge management life cycle in providing a solution to the company. The model demonstrates the existing interactions between the various components and how such interaction could be of benefit to the company. Furthermore, the report has been able to provide a solution that could be used to tackle the main problem and also ensures that it does not become a problem in the near future. References Akhavan, P, Jafari, M, & Mohammad, F 2006, Critical Success Factors of Knowledge Management Systems: a Multi-Case Analysis, European Business Review Journal, Vol. 18, No. 2, pp. 97-113. Bergeron, B 2003, Essentials of Knowledge Management, John Wiley & Sons, Hoboken, NJ. Collins, HM 2001, “Tacit Knowledge, Trust and the Q Sapphire”, Social Studies of Science, Vol.31, No. 1: 71-85. Davenport, TH & Prusak, L 2000, Working Knowledge: How organizations manage what they know. Harvard Business School Press, New York. Durant-Law, G, 2010, The Essential Components of a Knowledge Management System | Knowledge Matters. Available at: http://www.durantlaw.info/essential-components-of--knowledge-management-system Hahn, J & Wang, T 2009, Knowledge management systems and organizational knowledge processing challenges: A field experiment , Decision Support Systems, vol. 47, no. 4, pp. 332-342. Linger, H, Hasan, H & Burstein, F, 2007, Integrating doing and thinking in a work context: an Australian knowledge management perspective, Scandinavian Journal of Information Systems, vol. 19, no. 1, pp. 59-86. Taylor, P 2013, Federal workplace safety agency Comcare inspects 80 sites south of Perth, The Australia, 31 May, viewed 25 July 2013, http://www.theaustralian.com.au/business/in-depth/federal-workplace-safety-agency-comcare-inspects-80-sites-south-of-perth/story-e6frgaif-1226654085614 Tiwana, A 2000, The Knowledge Management Toolkit: Practical Techniques for Building Knowledge Management System, Prentice Hall PTR, Upper Saddle River, NJ. Read More