Systems Development and Management - Essay Example

and number] in format: 12 May 2002] Systems Development and Management Knowledge management within systems development and management is an important resource for any organization that needs to have the "distinction between managerial knowledge and professional" (Sveiby, 2004).The interview by Alex Bennet with Karl-Erik Sveiby is descriptive only in respect to the person being interviewed, Sveiby, points out very briefly the background to why he became involved with KM (knowledge management) but falls short of explaining what knowledge management is and how it has been effectual in systems development and management.

Although the interview does not necessarily delve into the aspects of what knowledge management can do for an organization, it does set the stage for further investigation by the audience.Within the interview, Bennet brings to light where KM is considered to be similar in management initiatives much like TQ, Six Sigma, BPR, to name a few, but Sveiby points out that although the concept may be similar, the interpretation is to be considered far different. As Sveiby advises the "difference between learning organization theory and KM in [my] interpretation of it is the fact that KM includes the outer world, the customer, and how to approach the customer, which learning organization theory does not" (p 2).

The interview touches on another important point about KM called the transfer of tacit knowledge with respect to computers and Sveiby makes an important point that the "challenge is to create tools that help us be more creative, for instance, thinking tools, more educational tools like simulations" (p 2). This type of change in KM forms the tools for other large corporations to take note of how effectual KM is in within the framework of each organization.At IBM, technologies are being developed for "technologies that can be applied to knowledge management and to assess their actual or potential contribution to the basic processes of knowledge creation and sharing within organizations" (Marwick, 2001) and such look toward better utilizing this to encourage further systems development.

As Marwick (2001) discusses, "the processes by which knowledge is transformed within and between forms usable by people are: Socialization (tacit to tacit): Socialization includes the shared formation and communication of tacit knowledge between people, e.g., in meetings. Knowledge sharing is often done without ever producing explicit knowledge and, to be most effective, should take place between people who have a common culture and can work together effectively (see Davenport and Prusak, p. 96). Externalization (tacit to explicit): By its nature, tacit knowledge is difficult to convert into explicit knowledge.

Through conceptualization, elicitation, and ultimately articulation, typically in collaboration with others, some proportion of a person's tacit knowledge may be captured in explicit form. Typical activities in which the conversion takes place are in dialog among team members, in responding to questions, or through the elicitation of stories. Combination: (explicit to explicit): Explicit knowledge can be shared in meetings, via documents, e-mails, etc., or through education and training. The use of technology to manage and search collections of explicit knowledge is well established.

However, there is a further opportunity to foster knowledge creation, namely to enrich the collected information in some way, such as by reconfiguring it, so that it is more usable. Internalization (explicit to tacit): In order to act on information, individuals have to understand and internalize it, which involves creating their own tacit knowledge. By reading documents, they can to some extent re-experience what others previously learned. (Marwick, 2001)Source: Nonaka, I. and Takeuchi, H. (1994).

"A Dynamic Theory of Organizational Knowledge Creation". Organizational Science. No. 1, pp. 14-37ConclusionThe interview with a KM expert Karl-Erik Sveiby, provided an excellent historical reference to why he decided to make knowledge management a management technique, but, unfortunately does not provide the audience with further application of this methodology within a systems development and management schema. It is up to the audience member to continue with the research should they decide to do so.

As the research continues, the IBM website provides an extremely informative backdrop for what the application of knowledge management principles can improve management styles within an organization.Works CitedBennet, A. (2004). "Karl-Erik Sveiby: KM Today and Tomorrow - What Makes me Passionate." [Interview]Davenport, T.H. and Prusak, L. (1998). "Working Knowledge: How Organizations Manage What They Know". Harvard Business School Press, Boston, MA.Marwick , AD (2001). "Knowledge management technology".

IBM Systems Journal. Volume 40, Number 4. Retrieved 06 Jun 2006 from Nonaka, I. and Takeuchi, H. (1994). "A Dynamic Theory of Organizational Knowledge Creation". Organizational Science. No. 1, pp. 14-37.