Collaboration among Knowledge Workers - Essay Example

DQ-4 TERENCE Introduction Today, most organizations have knowledge workers who do not fully exploit their potential and it’s up for the management to take action; nonetheless, this paper is a comprehensive analysis and study of collaboration among knowledge workers, integrated enterprise resource planning system and the use of corporate portals for the development of an organization. 1. What is the meaning of collaboration among knowledge workers? Significantly, it is clear that knowledge workers are not good at following instructions, they do their work secretly and it is hard to establish the results and depth of their work. However, the knowledge workers have extra-ordinary capabilities and are knowledgeable in most of the working environment aspects more than their fellow employees are. Collaboration among knowledge workers entails an organization encouraging this type of employees to work together and with integrated systems so that they can be able to exploit their full potential as a foundation the company’s development (Davenport 2005). The collaboration of knowledge workers is very essential to an organization because the results are fulfilling; usually, great minds put together is one best thing and core source of growth and improvement for decision-making and innovation in marketing and production. (2) How might knowledge workers collaborate to support management decision making? Decision-making is a significant feature for any organization but most of the time, management is left all the issues involving decision-making and it is their duty to come up with processes best for the task. Despite the drawbacks, if perfectly used, knowledge workers are can be an important facet of the decision-making process but specifically when their abilities merge through collaboration. This can be effective if they get time to ponder individually on matters at hand, evaluate, research and finally come up with strategies; thereafter, the collaboration makes a significant impact as they work on a final decision together through considering and evaluating individual strategies. Additionally, an improvement can be made in the decision making process between knowledge workers by encouraging them socialize more and outside the working environment, which enhances the structure knowledge and makes learning a part of the organization’s, culture. 2. Many firms use an integrated enterprise resource planning system. Is such as system a collaboration system for knowledge workers? The integrated ERP is one of the core structures of a company since without it most of the corporate functions are hard to achieve; moreover, it enhances the organization’s shape and centers information circulation using its technological advancements. On the other hand, knowledge workers focus on modern interventions in the aspect that their knowledge bases on the current reality, which makes managing them hard (Kreonke 2011). (2) Why? Using the integrated ERP together with the knowledge workers is a significant move for any company as it would be the foundation for development in all the sectors. In the past, it has been a major problem integrating ERP with other business and enterprise software, making it hard for organizations to exchange trading information and documents; however, knowledge workers can analyze and determine solutions that will counter this. (3) Can one improve on this basis? There are different non-technological ways of improving the collaboration between the knowledge workers and the integrated system; however, most people argue that the utter solution is coming up with a way that the different systems and software can integrate. As for today, the first way of improve would be evaluating cultures in the organization and the surrounding environment; as a result, the analysis of the cultures will affect the processes involving solving tasks and acquiring knowledge. Additionally, for the collaboration to be effectual, coordination and communication are the main aspects so the best next step is the organization augmenting them to the maximum through ensuring that the workers’ ethics, customs and traits are not in the way. Communication barriers in collaborations emerge from these features of the workers leading to misconstructions, complications and disagreements; resultantly, coordination becomes eliminated from the equation (McNurlin et al 2009). Significantly, the collaboration of knowledge workers and the integrated enterprise resource planning system relies on utter coordination whose improvement entails the management ensuring that the workers have a clear interpretation of all the supporting tools and appliances. The overall collaboration is about knowledge management from every corner and not only between the workers but also the stakeholders. 3. The Davenport text discusses the concept of portals. What is a portal? According to Davenport, the concept of portals creates a completely new outlook on the perspective of business; portals are the next generation of development and technological advancements for business. A portal is a product of the internet that operates with same technology as that of the social network but this is more corporate-like and offers every operator a custom-made and joined view of information concerning an organization or a certain application (Davenport 2005). Additionally, the portals also have applications that people use to solve tasks and in decision-making; the core aspect under portals is flexibility where it gives admission to corporate information or facilities on the internet. There are different types of portals that a person can consider depending on the interest; the most common are the comprehensive portals that offer access of standard facts to a wide variety of people. The second less common portals are the tailored and distinct portals mostly used for corporate advertising and making income through selling space for ads and commercials; thirdly, there are the parallel and kinship portals that also aim at making income from advertisers who pay extraordinary benefits to reach their target audience. (2) How mobile and remote workers can use it? Most people are under the notion, that adverts and information are the main agendas for portals; however, there are other corporate ways to apply and take advantage of the portals. For starters, the portals offer adequate sovereignty in any organization progressions due to the vast range of information making it easier for mobile and remote workers to attend to their duties with very few inconveniences (Pawlowski 2011). Moreover, organization portals give right of entry to umpire databases through the internet; for instance, a worker nowhere near the office will easily access banking information for the company when negotiating with an investment banker. Knowledge workers in different locations will have the ability to share information and ideas through applications and other office efficiency software (both integrated and part of the portal). Typically, the use of portals in a company or organization is profitable since they put workers at the focal point of the information surface and create a portable working environment. Conclusion Assertively, collaboration of workers and integrated Enterprise Resource Planning Systems is an essential process for any organization due to its infinite advantages that bring development in most areas; moreover, the use of portals is the most convenient and beneficial when it comes to doing corporate work online. REFERENCES Davenport, T. H (2005) How to Get Better Performance and Results from Knowledge Workers: Thinking for a Living. Boston, MA: Harvard Business School Press Kreonke, D (2011) Using MIS. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson Prentice Hall McNurlin, B. C., Sprague, R. H & Bui, T.X (Eds.) (2009) Information Systems Management in Practice, Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice Hall Fareed, H (2012) Managing Knowledge Effectively: Journal of Knowledge Management Practice, 39(2), 1-3 Palwowski, M (2011) Global Technology Competency Framework for the Knowledge Worker: Global Communications, 24(1), 21-33 Read More