What is the purpose of a learning history? What are its key components?
Dalkir (2005) states that learning history is one of the techniques that can be used to capture tacit knowledge from individuals and groups. Continous learning is useful to those who cannot remember the past. This technique is a majorly useful method of capturing tacit knowledge, especially in a group.
Learning history technique is a representation of tremendously prestigious occurrences in an organization, which took place in the recent past, and how it is described in the voices of the participants (Dalkir, 2005). Learning helps to capture the memory of the group. Learning history is vital in reviewing successes and failures, thus grasping the best practices and lessons acquired, as they pertain to a significant organization event or theme (Dalkir, 2005).
The learning history technique consists of various components. These components include, planning, reflective interviews, distillation, validation, writing, and dissemination (Dalkir, 2005). It is through planning that one establishes the magnitude of learning history that requires capturing.
Learning history mainly is concerned with the scope, which is the objective of the business goal (Dalkir, 2005). Learning history should base majorly on a problem that the organization overcame. Learning history technique answers the questions that could be disturbing. Learning history describes the occurrences, reasons for occurring, the reaction of the organization, and what the current organization members should learn, based on this experience (Nonaka & Toyama, 2003).
In the reflective interviews process, the participants narrate the experience from their opinion (Dalkir, 2005). The participation is all about analysis, estimation, and the conclusion which they used. As a result, insights emerge, which are evaluated and codification done. Consequently, there is an increase in the reflective capacity of the company (Dalkir, 2005).
Dalkir (2005) explains that the distillation process involves synthesizing information gathered from the interview, and creating a summary format. Analyzing information makes it exceptionally easy for others to use. Key ideas, sub ideas, and quotes used are obtained from the interview text. The key themes are documented at a more abstract level, and the quotes are evaluated. Consequently, authorization is obtained in order to print them with an attribution (Dalkir, 2005).
Once the authorization to print them is obtained, the content is added up, validated, and published. This ensures dissemination of learning history and anchoring in the organization’s memory (Dalkir, 2005). Learning history will help the organization review successes and failures, thus capturing best practices and lessons learned as they involve significant organizational events or projects (Dalkir, 2005).
Define knowledge continuity management and discuss its strategic implications for knowledge capture and codification
Knowledge continuity management refers to the process of passing critical knowledge from exiting employees, to their replacements (Dalkir, 2005). Nonaka and Toyama (2003) explain that there are strategic implications of knowledge continuity management to the organization and individuals, and gives the recommendable solutions (Nonaka & Toyama, 2003).
The organization needs to take into consideration the impact the departure will bring to the communities they belong (Nonaka & Toyama, 2003). The departure could be because of retiring or other reasons. A serious gap could be left in the fabric of the community network if this person leaves as explained by Nonaka and Toyama (2003).
The company has a difficult work of ensuring that there is a knowledge continuity management since it is part of it (Nonaka & Toyama, 2003). If the worker’s knowledge is complicated, it becomes difficult to pass it. However, transmitting it is vital. Important issues in regard to security and access have to be considered. Codes of ethics are obeyed as they ensure the concerned are in a professional manner (Nonaka & Toyama, 2003).
Nonaka and Toyama (2003) give recommendations for ensuring successful knowledge continuity management, which includes setting up a knowledge profile of all critical workers and fostering a mentoring relationship. More recommendations include encouraging communities of practice, ensuring the knowledge sharing is rewarded, protecting people’s privacy, and creating a bridge to organizational memory for long-term retention of the valuable content (Nonaka & Toyama, 2003).
References
Dalkir, K. (2005). Knowledge management in theory and practice. Butterworth-Heinemann.
Nonaka, I., & Toyama, R. (2003). The knowledge-creating theory revisited: knowledge creation as a synthesizing process. Knowledge Management Research & Practice, 1 (1), 2-10.