Introduction
Knowledge management is the maximum utilization of collective wisdom to help increase innovation and responsiveness (Frappaolo, 2006). However, the social aspect of collective wisdom improves work processes. Therefore, knowledge management is all about collaborating with others to get things done well and to make work easier. After discussing knowledge management in class, I learnt that knowledge management has two distinct aspects; the aspect of knowledge and the aspect of management. Organizations put more emphasis on one of these distinct strands of knowledge management, disregarding the other. Reflecting on this, one realizes that both knowledge (view from practice) and management (view from top) have a social aspect, which makes them crucial in achieving organizational objectives. Therefore, an organization needs to employ knowledge sharing and management tools to succeed in the global community.
Discussion
Prusak (1997) claims that globalization calls for increased innovation, adaptability, and efficiency of business processes (p. 7). Prusak adds that knowledge is an individual resource and while it is easy to share, complications arise because people disagree during discussions. Management tools and information systems used to capture, store, categorize, process, and relay information facilitate expertise sharing. Other scholars put more emphasis on the human aspect of knowledge management than on tools and systems used to store and retrieve information (Ackerman, Pipek, & Wulf, 2002). Reflecting on this, one can conclude that people derive useful information from the data stored in information systems. The key point is that a collaborative relationship between information technology and the human factor makes knowledge sharing easier, which is what most organizations seek to achieve.
Globalization has led to the emphasis of technological tools in knowledge management. However, if multinationals are to survive in a cross-cultural world, management officials need to engage in collaborative conversations, discussions, and teleconferencing interviews. Given the distance between some of these multinational branches, technology proves to be a crucial aspect of knowledge sharing. Therefore, while it is important for people to talk, exchange ideas, learn, and align thoughts, it is imperative to use knowledge management tools as information systems in business (Prusak, 1997). A good example of the importance of technological advances is the interdepartmental communication between managers and staff across the organizations, which increases efficiency.
Technology only passes on the knowledge (the explicit theory) whereas expertise sharing leads to a unanimous know how. While the view from top (kM) focuses on efficiency in an organization, the view from practice approach (Km) focusses on integrating efforts towards the achievement of desired results. Sharing information is not one-way, but two-way. When communicating with superiors, desired outcomes are achieved when both parties exchange ideas and make meaning of the task at hand. Most of the group discussions in class achieve better results than individual effort, even when it is facilitated by ‘tools’ for preserving information. Therefore, one can conclude that actively engaging in collaborative activities produces better results than collectively dividing tasks (Ackerman et al., 2002).
Conclusion
As outlined in the discussion, both knowledge (view from practice) and management (view from top) have a social aspect, which makes them crucial in achieving organizational objectives. An organization needs to employ knowledge sharing and management tools to succeed in the global community. In an activity system, all the elements work towards a common objective. It is clear that collaborative efforts between the human factors lead to the achievement of desired results. Therefore, knowledge management is about sharing ideas using the available resources (view from top tools included) to get things done well.
References
Ackerman, M. S., Pipek, V., & Wulf, V. (2002). Sharing Expertise Beyond Knowledge Management. Cambridge, Mass.: MIT Press.
Frappaolo, C. (2004). Knowledge Management. Oxford: Capstone.
Prusak, L. (1997). Knowledge in Organizations. Boston: Butterworth-Heinemann.