KNOWLEDGE MANAGEMENT

Knowledge Management

Knowledge Management

Knowledge Management

Knowledge management programs have had mixed success. The Bain and Co (Mitra, and Tong, 2009, 49-62). study mentioned earlier found that satisfaction with knowledge management was "below average" when compared to other management tools. Of course, there were many firms who rated themselves "extremely satisfied" as well. However, clearly, knowledge management is no panacea. Below are my observations on why this is the case, drawn from five years of experience working with firms engaged in knowledge management. (Mullins,2002, 85-99).

Transferring best practices

Everyone recognizes how important this is in principle, but few firms actually do it well. One industrial products company took a management tool that had worked very well in its Canadian headquarters and imported it into its Spanish and German subsidiaries. While moderately successful in Spain, the tool failed miserably in Germany (Mintzberg, 2006, 52-96).

Knowledge databases

These are great when they work, but the reality for most firms is that they do not. There are often problems with the quality and volume of information they contain, so that searching is a slow or useless exercise. And many are simply underused, because people find different ways of getting access to the information they need. One executive called this the "ignorance is bliss" syndrome.

Most knowledge management techniques end up looking just like the traditional techniques you have been using for years. The deeper that firms get into these sorts of tools, the more they find that managing knowledge is integral to the working of the entire organization (Mitra, and Tong, 2009, 49-62).

The management of knowledge

The management of knowledge involves various tasks and activities that are performed to ensure that knowledge is generated and/or captured, stored, disseminated or shared, and retired. However, this may not necessarily be a linear process, as the context of use and supporting infrastructure and tools also have to be considered (Laudon and Laudon, 1998; Webb, 1998).

Figure 1 is a conceptual (theoretical) framework that illustrates the interrelationships between the various factors involved in the management of knowledge.

[Figure 1. Conceptual framework for knowledge management.]

The 'knowledge base' refers to the kind of information, data or project knowledge that is to be managed. 'Knowledge management processes' refer to the tasks and activities that are implemented to manage knowledge, within the context of the project and/or organisation ('process shaping factors'). 'Performance measurement' deals with the assessment of the real-time usefulness of knowledge management efforts, since KM is not an end in itself, but a means to add value and increase competitive advantage (Laudon, 2006, 52-258).

Organisational Implications

In recent times, the UK construction industry has been forced to critically examine its performance. The Latham and Egan Reports (Latham, 1994; Egan, 1998) have both highlighted the plight of the UK construction industry. Client's dissatisfaction, low profitability, and over-capacity are a few of the many ills described. The industry is beset with solving short-term problems. Historically, financial indicators were seen by many as the key performance indicator. However, the signs are that there may be a ...