Strategic Knowledge Management Academy

From Information Management to Knowledge Management

2011-05-20T04:34:00.000-07:00

By Tan Thai Soon

1. The differences in classification between "information" and "knowledge" can be important and sometimes confusing.

2. Information
2.1. In general, information can appear in many forms: traditional media like paper; information media like data mining; and online media like web blog and web directory.

2.2. In the information age, it is often claimed that we are being flooded by too much information, relevant and irrelevant.

3.Information Management
3.1. Information technology provides the tools for information management system.

3.2. Technology associated with the computer is "not passive but active tools that manage the process of work" (Sviokla, 1996). Information technology tools that help in the "process of work" can be managed through information management.

4. Information Management to Knowledge Management
4.1. Information management can be transformed into knowledge management by synthesizing the information technology tool with human capacities, or by "integrating qualitative and quantitative" aspects of a knowledge management system (Liao, 2003)

4.2. According to Alavi and Leidner (2001) " information is converted to knowledge once it is processed in the mind of individuals"

4.3. When information being "internalized" into the human mind, it is part of the knowledge creation process.

5. Summary
In summary, both information management process and knowledge management process play an important role in the knowledge creation process. Effective "knowledge creation process" needs both information management system/tools and human knowledge capacity building.

From Human Resource Management to Knowledge Management

2011-04-08T01:17:00.000-07:00

By Tan Thai Soon

1. The similarity between the human resource management (HRM) and knowledge management (KM) is that both are involved in the development of the human capital, but they are difference in the way in which the human capital are being manage.

2.Knowledge can not be managed in the same way as we manage the human capital or the "people". Rather, it is being manage as a "process", a process of sharing and transferring of knowledge.

3. For example, HRM focus on training and retaining of human capital, but KM focus on the process of sharing and transferring of knowledge.

From Knowledge of Management to Management of Knowledge

2011-03-20T16:36:00.000-07:00

By Tan Thai Soon

Knowledge management is not restricted to knowledge of management,
but the management of all knowledge includes:

social science to pure science
individual knowledge to organizational knowledge
tacit knowledge to explicit knowledge

Individual knowledge if not manage may become out of date and irrelevant,
Organizational knowledge if not manage may be lost forever.

Management of knowledge is a "process", therefore need continuous update. It is a lifelong learning process.

From Data to Information, and Knowledge to Wisdom

2010-09-09T00:58:00.000-07:00

By Tan Thai Soon

1.Introduction
There is a long tradition among writers and philosophers of distinguishing the meaning of "knowledge" from data, information and wisdom (Fahey and Prusak, 1998; Ackoff, 1989). The resulting classifications sometimes may be confusing, but it is important and necessary. As in the words of Fahey and Prusak (1998) "if knowledge is not something that is different from data or information, then there is nothing new or interesting in knowledge management."

2. Form Data to Information
In general, data can be described as symbols, or raw number and words. In itself, "data does not carry meaning unless one understands the context in which the data was gathered" (Godbout, 1999). On the other hand, information is "data endowed with relevance and purpose." To have any meaning, it must be processed within a context with purpose; thus "information extends the concept of data in a broader context" (Godbout, 1999)

3. From Knowledge to Wisdom
The meaning of knowledge is easy to understand, but difficult to define. In addition, the classification between information and knowledge can sometimes confusing. In the information age, it is often claimed that "we are being flooded by too much information, relevant and irrelevant" (Tan, 2010). In this respect, a definition of knowledge is that it is " information combined with experience" (Davenport, De Long and Beers, 1998) or " a fluid mix of framed experience, values and contextual information" (Davenport and Prusak, 1998). According to Alavi and Leidner (2001) "information is converted to knowledge once it is processed in the mind of individuals." It follows that, for it to become knowledge, information needs to be processed, only then can it be used to gain experience, up to date and use in the right context for the right purpose.

The final classification is "wisdom". According to Bellinger, Castro and Mills (2004) wisdom is " the process by which we can discern, or judge, between right and wrong, good and bad"; it relates to human consciousness of morality and ethics. As a recent example of its importance, it can be noted that U.S. financial systems possess the best information systems and the best knowledge workers in the world. However, the systems have proved not to be sustainable in the absence of "wisdom". In the absence of wisdom, "the greediness of U.S. subprime mortgage operators and hedge funds companies have brought otherwise good financial systems to near collapse" (Tan, 2010)

There was a lack of wisdom among both financial operators and financial regulators. Super profits and super payouts induced "Wall Street" bankers to purchase an excess of structured products from the subprime mortgage operators while lending excessively to hedge funds companies. As Alan Greenspan, has since confessed, his entire "intellectual edifice" has been "demolished" by recent events.

4. Summary
In summary, the progression in classification from data to wisdom shows differences in meaning and can be classified as a separate terms, but they are integral parts and inter-linked in the knowledge process. In other words, there must be basis data and information before these becomes knowledge through a "process".

The current developments of knowlege management

2010-05-16T04:09:00.000-07:00

By Tan Thai Soon

1. The Concept of Knowledge Management (KM)

The concept of "Knowledge Management" has been perhaps the most important phenomenon to emerge in recent years in the study of management. KM has been defined as the process involved in seeking to "understand, focus on, and manage systematic, explicit, and deliberate knowledge building, renewal, and application, that is, manage effective knowledge processes" (Wiig, 1997) and the process of "continually managing knowledge of all kinds to meet existing and emerging needs, to identify and exploit existing and acquired knowledge assets and to develop new opportunities" (Quintas, Lefrere and Jones, 1997).

The objective of developing a KM model is to "create knowledge repositories, attempts to improve knowledge access, and attempts to improve knowledge cultures and environments" (Davenport and Prusak, 1998). Broadbent (1998) indicates that "knowledge management is about enhancing the use of organizational knowledge through sound practices of information management and organizational learning."

The KM can be personal KM or organizational KM.

2. The Development of Knowledge Management

2.1. First-generation KM
The rapid development of Information Technology in the late 1990s has accelerated the development of KM, as can be seen from the works of many management writers (Sviokla, 1996; Davenport, 1997; Alavi and Leidner, 1999). Information technology has been used as a knowledge creation tools (Nonaka et al., 1996); as a basis for information management (Broadbent, 1998); for information systems (Alavi and Leidner, 1999); and for codefication tools (Hansen, Nohria and Tierney, 1999).

The development of information technology provides a new means for the subsequent development of information management into KM. In short, the KM practitioners use information technology as a tool, a systems, data based and repository, and for information management. It is all about "delivering information to support a task" and about "individual performance in the field" to get the job done (McElroy, 2000). In this respect, it has been referred to as "first-generation KM" (McElroy, 2000)

2.2. Second-generation KM
The next generation of KM saw the management writers integrating the organizational learning and KM (McElroy, 2000). According to McElroy (2000) "many practitioners of KM are now turning to the organizational learning community as a source for what it means for an organization to learn." In short, KM writers try to integrate organizational learning into KM. This development of KM thus put the focus more on organization learning rather than on the individual in the workplace. This trend can be regarded as "second-generation KM" (McElroy, 2000).

2.3. Strategic KM
Current developments in KM have seen many writers argue that KM is best represented as "strategic knowledge management". Snyman and Kruger (2004) have argued that KM strategy should be an integral part of business strategy. With others, they argue that strategic KM needs to be integrated with organizational performance in order to increase efficiency and thus the competitive advantage of firms. This development can be seen as deriving from the globalization of the world economy and the increased competitive nature of modern business.

Strategic KM includes leadership direction on KM vision & mission, communication (internal & external), and control & feedback. Example of the current development of strategic KM includes e-business, e-commerce, e-banking and e-solution. It is an integral approach to knowledge management which involves strategy and other knowledge enablers, knowledge creation process, organizational creativity and organizational performance.

2.4. Summary
The early development of KM has been related to the development of information technology in the late 1990s. The subsequent development of the KM focus on the learning process, which covers people aspect of the knowledge learning process, knowledge sharing and knowledge retention. The current development of KM includes the strategy aspect of KM which involves leadership involvement, communication and control and feedback. These latest development, includes strategy, technology and people aspects of knowledge management.

Strategic Knowledge Management

2009-06-20T06:43:00.000-07:00

Strategic Knowledge Management-An Overview
By Tan Thai Soon

The concept of "knowledge management" has been perhaps the most important phenomenon in the current development of the management study. The knowledge management initiative have been implemented, in both the public and the private sector; and its programmes have been adopted in many manufacturing and ICT sectors. The intention of this article is to provides an overview of the terms and concepts use in the knowledge management literature.

Knowledge
A simple and common term, but problematic to define.

Knowledge Management
A popular concept and phenomenon being developed by many learners and academics. Some of the programmes are practical , but other initiatives are not sustainable. Knowledge is useful when it is relevent, but irrelevent when information is out of date. Knowledge management is therefore a process cycle that need continuous improvement and updating.

Strategic Knowledge Management
The term strategic includes many aspects of management process, such as leadership involvement; predetermined course of action and plan; vision and mission; internal and external communication; and control and feedback.