Knowledge management involves the combination of different processes and strategies within an organization which integrates data and information technology as well as distributing of employees’ potential to help the organization achieve its objectives.
It is very important for the organizations if they want to succeed in their operations. The type of knowledge management program depends on the management needs which may vary from one business to another.
It helps the organization to improve its processes from time to time as employees add knowledge to their experiences. Knowledge Managers have a great role to play; they should have skills on promoting the organizational culture, coordinating various departments within the organization and developing the marketing strategies.
This leads to high quality work that makes the organization to run efficiently and earn good returns. Employees have an opportunity to learn new approaches that they can use to improve their production in case they lack some skills necessary for the work.
Different employees can also share their knowledge and experiences. This makes them to be more innovative and make new products for the organization. On the other hand, teamwork leads to a high output as well as high quality of work.
The knowledge gained remains to be an asset to the business which can be used over time even when the employees have already left. It is an intangible asset. Therefore, the organization can continue running smoothly without any problem.
Besides, knowledge management can reduce the duration required for training new employees within the organization. Employees who work as a team can help new employees learn how to carry out their work effectively hence saving the organization unnecessary costs involved in training.
Some of the knowledge Management programs include: A Learning Organization, Performance Measurement and Pulling Strategy.
A learning Organization is, “an organization skilled at creating, acquiring, transferring knowledge and modifying its behavior to reflect new knowledge and insights” David Garvin (1993). For example, an organization should ensure that employees have a purposeful learning continuously and apply it in their practice.
Performance of employees can be evaluated. Plans can be made to measure employee performance and use the evaluation in rewarding those employees who have shown improvement and high production for motivation purposes. This enables them to learn continuously on how to be more productive as they also work towards getting the rewards promised.
Pulling Strategy is another program that requires employees and managers to request some specific knowledge from experts in certain fields. The managers can also decide on the areas that require improvement and then seek advice from experts before making any modifications. For instance, an auditor should consult an IT specialist or Programmer to assist him in developing auditing software which is too complex.
The physical location of employees can affect the knowledge management in the organizations. Some of the information shared between the employees can therefore have a positive impact as well as a negative impact if not well managed. As knowledge brokers, the organizations can take responsibility on some specific field or subjects only.
In conclusion, Knowledge Management should be given the first priority in any organization that beliefs in success. The organization can use its value systems in influencing the behavior of individuals (Kuhn.T.S, 1996). The Knowledge Managers should have appropriate skills required for branding, marketing, building an organizational structure and general Business Management skills. This will ensure success for any organization.
References
David Garvin. (1993). Harvard Business Review: Building a learning organization, pp. 77-91
Kuhn, T.S. (1996). The Structure of Scientific Revolution. Chicago, The University of Chicago Press.