Knowledge Management: An Introduction

1
Knowledge Management An Introduction

• The premise of knowledge management
• Designing for knowledge management architectures
  and design methods
• Implementing knowledge management
• Industry perspective
• DoN/DoD Perspective
• Issues and Challenges

2
IT and Organizations Fads and Fashions
3
What is Knowledge?

• Epistemological convolutions
• Pragmatic, intuitive notions of knowledge
• Distinct from data and information
• Example 36 122
• The line between knowledge and information can be
  blurred
• The importance of context

4
Why Manage Knowledge?

• Shift from industrial to knowledge economy
• Knowledge as a driver of endogenous economic
  growth, and therefore, productivity (Romer)
• Factors of production capital, labor, and
  knowledge
• Use of knowledge results in increasing returns to
  scale
• Hence the perception that knowledge is a valuable
  organizational resource that needs to be managed

5
What Exactly is being Managed?

• Managing the knowledge resources of an
  organization requires attention to several
  aspects
• Optimizing the use of resident knowledge within
  and across organizations creating and nurturing
  communities of practice, recording and
  disseminating best practices, lessons learned
• Minimizing dissipation of knowledge from
  turnover/shifting of personnel
• Preserving continuity in knowledge structures
  across successive organizational forms

6
Classifications of Knowledge

• Structure of representation declarative,
  procedural, causal
• Explicability Explicit - Tacit
• Tacit-explicit Articulation
• Explicit-tacit Internalization
• Domain of residence individual -
  organizational
• Individual-organizational extension
• Organizational-individual Appropriation

7
Can Knowledge Really be Managed?

• Maybe
• Explicable knowledge is easier to manage than
  tacit knowledge
• Knowledge that is resident with individuals can
  be managed well group-level knowledge domains
  are more difficult to manage
• The challenge of knowledge management extend the
  reach toward tacit and group/organizational levels

8
So, What does it Take?

• IT
• Culture
• Leadership
• Measures

9
Managing Knowledge A Life Cycle Perspective
10
Knowledge Management Examples

• Create
• Mechanisms Data mining, benchmarking, product
  design rationale
• Examples Rules about customers
• Organize
• Mechanisms Knowledge map, grapevines, semantic
  networks, classification ontologies
• Examples Engineering Book of Knowledge

11
Knowledge Management Examples

• Formalize
• Mechanisms Data warehouses, reports
• Examples customer data cubes
• Distribute
• Mechanisms FAQs, best practices, lessons learned
• Examples Communities of practice (Xerox),
  discussion groups/bulletin boards
• Apply
• Mechanisms BPR

12
Designing for Knowledge Management Architectural
Blocks

• Repositories of knowledge
• Knowledge content
• Declarative knowledge concepts, definitions
• Procedural knowledge processes, actions,
  sequences of events
• Causal knowledge rationale for actions
• Knowledge structure Context for interpreting
  content (e.g., object hierarchies)
• Refinery The knowledge acquired needs to be
  refined and updated on a continual basis
• Quality
• Relevance
• Acquisition, distribution and presentation
  mechanisms

13
Designing for KM Perspectives from Extant
Approaches
14
Implementing Knowledge Management in
Organizations
Analysis of tasks/ processes
Learning Knowledge Transfer
Design of KM Systems
Assessment of Impact
Application to Combat and Support Activities
15
Typical Projects in Industry

• Create knowledge repositories
• Improve knowledge access
• Enhance knowledge environment
• Manage knowledge as an asset

16
Navy KM Projects Examples
17
Navy KM Projects (Contd)
18
Implementing Knowledge Management in DoD NPS Role

• Analysis of tasks/
• processes
• Framework for classifying and evaluating KM
  opportunities
• Business process redesign in procurement
  activities
• Process knowledge in virtual organizations

• Design of KM Systems
• Expert Diagnostic Advisor
• Process support for procurement
• Retention of process knowledge
• Data inter-operability
• Managing knowledge in war games

• Assessment of Impact
• Measurable changes in process and performance
• Lessons Learned

• Application to Combat and Support Activities
• Shipboard combat operations
• War gaming/planning/strategy
• Shore support activities

19
What Makes Successful Knowledge Management
Projects?

• Clarity of purpose
• Resources
• Knowledge content and growth
• Evidence of financial or other return
• Sponsorship/commitment of top management
• Incentives for knowledge capture and dispersion
• IT infrastructure

20
Implementing Knowledge Management Challenges

• Motivators
• Knowledge acquisition/capture is an upstream
  endeavor, whereas the benefits occur downstream
• Reward structures, internal market mechanisms for
  knowledge
• Inhibitors
• Attitudes and beliefs
• Culture
• Top management Commitment
• Lack of IT infrastructure