Knowledge management activities

The various knowledge management activities identified in the literature by different authors are listed in Table 2-2 below:

TABLE 2-2 SUMMARY OF KNOWLEDGE MANAGEMENT ACTIVITIES IDENTIFIED IN THE LITERATURE

Author Knowledge Management Activities

Alavi, 1997

Acquisition (knowledge creation and content development);

Indexing;

Filtering;

Linking involves screening, classification, cataloguing,

integrating, and interconnecting internal and external resources);

Distributing (packaging and delivery of knowledge in the form of Web pages);

Application (using knowledge).

Arthur Anderson and 1. Share 2. Create 3. Identify 4. Collect 5. Adapt 6. Organize 7.

APOC, 1996 Apply.

Choo, 1996

Sensemaking (includes “information interpretation”);

Knowledge creation (includes “information transformation”);

Decision-making (includes “information processing”).

Hosapple and Whinston, 1987

1. Procure 2. Organize 3. Store 4. Maintain 5. Analyze 6. Create;

7. Present 8. Distribute 9. Apply.

Leonard-Barton, 1995

Shared and creative problem solving;

Importing and absorbing technological knowledge from the outside of the firm;

Experimenting prototyping;

Implementing and integrating new methodologies and tools.

Nonaka, 1996

Socialize (convert tacit knowledge to tacit knowledge);

Internalize (convert explicit knowledge to tacit knowledge);

Combine (convert explicit knowledge to explicit knowledge);

Externalize (convert tacit knowledge to explicit knowledge).

Szulanski, 1996

Initiation (recognize knowledge need and satisfy that need);

Implementation (knowledge transfer takes place);

Ramp-up (use the transferred knowledge);

Integration (internalize the knowledge).

Van der Spek and

Sppijkervet, 1997 In the Act Process1. Develop 2. Distribute 3. Combine 4. Hold Wiig, 1993 1. Creation 2. Manifestation 3. Use 4. Transfer

Source: Holsapple, 2004, p 103-104

Among all the knowledge management activities identified in the literature, generation, creation, sharing and transfer appear as the most named and they will be explained hereafter.

2.4.3.1 KNOWLEDGE  GENERATION  

According to (Davenport & Prusak, 1998) some of the ways for generating knowledge are: acquisition, dedicated resources, adaptation and knowledge networking.

Acquiring knowledge might be done by hiring knowledgeable people or by buying an organization. Knowledge doesn't have to be new knowledge but new for the organization.

Dedicating resources to the generation of knowledge usually takes the shape of setting up groups or units for that purpose. After being created, this knowledge should be transferred but this is not always easy to accomplish. A common barrier in the transfer of knowledge is language: creators and users of knowledge do not necessarily speak the same language.

Crisis and periods of stress incite adaptation, leading to generation of new knowledge. Networks, whether they are informal and self-organizing or formal and organized within organizations also generate knowledge.

The abovementioned knowledge generation activities need time and place to occur. The acknowledgement of the importance of knowledge for an organization and the understanding that knowledge can be nurtured are essential for organizations to succeed.

2.4.3.2 KNOWLEDGE  CREATION    

Knowledge creation can boost the success and economic well being of an organization. It might happen by chance, or as a consequence of an intentional act.

This is the case of individuals or organizations reacting to rectify a lack of knowledge. Knowledge of any type or mode can be used to produce new knowledge either through knowledge discovery or through knowledge derivation.

The former has to do with finding new knowledge, the latter with the application

of procedures to reach new conclusions from existing knowledge. According to Holsapple (2003, p. 373) ‘… important characteristics for knowledge creation are having processes that allow individuals to share skills and knowledge, and fostering a culture that values knowledge building and sharing.’

2.4.3.3 KNOWLEDGE  SHARING  OR  TRANSFER  

The aim of transferring knowledge is to enhance the capabilities of a person, a community or an organization. The transference is made up of two parts: the transmission and the absorption. Meaning that it is not enough for the transference of knowledge to be available for the target but it also has to be utilized, put it in action.

Nonaka and Takeuchi (cited in Holsapple 2003) describe four processes through which knowledge is shared: socialization, externalization, combination and internalization. In the process of socialization, the tacit knowledge of an individual becomes the tacit knowledge of another through personal exchanges. In externalization, tacit knowledge became explicit. In combination, explicit knowledge becomes another type of explicit knowledge. Lastly, internalization is the process through which explicit knowledge became tacit.

2.4.3.3.1 STRATEGIES  FOR  KNOWLEDGE  TRANSFER    

There is agreement in the literature that face-to-face interactions are among the best channels for knowledge transfer. When talking among each other, knowledge holders discover what they know and share it. Moreover, knowledge is created.

Beyond the transference of knowledge, Stenning and Miyoshi (Stenning &

Miyoshi, 2012b, p. 168) establish that ‘Networking that builds bonding social

capital promotes knowledge sharing through increased face-to-face interactions and communication between community members as well as knowledge creation arising from the creative synergies of such interactions’.

Transferring can be also done through apprenticeship or mentoring and in this case, tacit knowledge is captured.

Narratives are also a strategy for knowledge transfer. People learn from stories.

‘The value of narratives: Human beings learn best from stories … “people think narratively rather than argumentatively or paradigmatically”’ (Davenport &

Prusak, 1998, p. 81). ‘A good story is often the best way to convey meaningful knowledge’ (Davenport & Prusak, 1998, p. 82).

Another strategy for sharing knowledge is demonstration. As popular wisdom says, “one picture is worth more than a thousand words”, when it comes to knowledge transfer, seeing is believing ‘… they may have felt that seeing is believing: only an actual demonstration of the new technique and its advantages was likely to convince them. Why should a few sheets of paper that come from the other side of the world persuade them there’s a better way to do what they’ve been doing for years’ (Davenport & Prusak, 1998, p. 99).

Finally, and regarding knowledge transfer or sharing, it is worth mentioning that the status of the knower matters, since one of the main criteria for judging knowledge is who is delivering it.

2.4.3.3.2 KNOWLEDGE  TRANSFER  INHIBITORS  

Some of the main factors that inhibit the transfer of knowledge are: lack of trust, differences in culture, vocabulary and frames of reference, and lack of time and meetings places. Common language seems to be crucial for the successful transfer of knowledge since its absence easily leads to lacks of trust and/ or understanding.