Knowledge Management Has Been Practiced

Knowledge management has been practiced for quite a long time. Indeed it's a function that is naturally practiced in all human organizations. It is done in informal ways by all the people who undertake activities so as to improve integration tasks and knowledge production. There is need to realize that the main of knowledge management is not to enhance the effectiveness of the workers or the bottom line of organization.

Its major aim is to improve the processing of knowledge (Firestone and Mcelroy, 2003) expecting enhancements like such to result into improved quality solutions. When this is done, worker effectiveness and bottom line will be improved. Like several other business processes that are emerging, knowledge management may be defined differently by businesses and organizations. It may also be defined and understood differently by different people in the organizations. A number of organizations view knowledge management to be a kind of document management.

This refers to the systems that enable consultants to share the best practices, engineers to allocate design data and so forth. To call center administrators and the customer service, it could mean an easy, database that can be searched or a complicated problem resolution tool that is guided. Knowledge management may be defined as the practices that are capable of maximizing the organization's knowledge value by assembling, structuring, and conveying to the critical points of consumer interaction.

The systems of knowledge management are not linked by nature to particular communication channels. Knowledge ought to be a resource with multi-channels. The systems for knowledge management are normally deployed in order to attain goals that are measurable and specific in a number of areas like lowering service costs. It is true that knowledge management enables firms to minimize customer service costs through the reduction of repeat calls, wrap-up times, call handling and training of agents, and also by maximizing the capability of level 1 agents to provide solution to problems.

The enhancement of the performance of level 1 agent improves the overall efficiency and effectiveness of call center workers. It also provides firms and organizations with access to a larger pool of labor since the need to get people with domain knowledge and interpersonal skills is reduced. Knowledge management also results into improved service. This is because it also results into improved quality of the services that are provided by the organizations. Customers will receive the correct answers quickly.

Similarly, there will be no need to transfer customers to other agents or putting the customers on hold. The value of customer service will be great. A survey that was conducted by Dr.

Jon Anton who is a call center expert illustrated that the customers buying goods and services that have defects but get customer care service that is superb when their problems are being resolved are more likely to buy the products again from the organization than the customers who purchase perfect products that are having no defects at all. Knowledge management ensures that there is consistency in the services that are provided by the organizations.

It is extremely hard for organizations be aware of the response from customers if these organizations are not having knowledge management systems. knowledge management make sure that the customers having similar questions get similar responses even if the problems are being tackled by different agents, the channels for interactions like web, phone, email are different. When there is consistency within the organizations, it is possible to provide the best responses to customer problems responses. This will boost quality and efficiency of the organizations.

When there is enhanced customer service, the operational areas will make the organizations to achieve their goals and objectives.

Major milestones in the evolution of knowledge management that have proven useful to me Some of the major in the evolution of knowledge management that has proven useful to me are mainly in the KM 2.0 category which includes; knowledge aping using the latest ICT technologies, expert directories, knowledge fairs, collaborative technologies such as groupware, knowledge repositories as well as social software such as wikis and blogs Knowledge Management as a Set of Processes A three-tier structure of organizational processes and results distinguishing knowledge processes, operational organizational processes and the processes for administering knowledge processes have been developed (McElroy, 2003 and Firestone and McElroy, 2003, 2003a).

Operational processes refer to those that apply knowledge but neither produces nor integrates the knowledge. Outcomes include market share, sales revenue, Retention of customers and compliance to the Environment. The Three-tier Structure Two knowledge processes are in existence. The first one is knowledge production. It is the process that firms executes to result into fresh general knowledge and also other knowledge created through non-routine processes. The second process is knowledge integration. It is this process that provides the fresh knowledge to people and groups that comprises the firm.

Examples of results are fresh strategies of the organizations that are communicated all through the organization through the use of e-mail and new policies of health insurance that are communicated new releases of the firm's personnel manual. Knowledge management refers to the processes that endeavor to alter the present pattern of the processing of knowledge in the organizations so as to improve its outcomes.

A distinct knowledge management action refers to that having similar goals as the ones that are stated above or the others that are meant to participate in the processes. KM involves the study of processes like such and their effects on operational processing and knowledge. this is implying that KM's role is not to directly create, manage or integrate a number of the outcomes of the knowledge in firms, but it only impact the knowledge processes. This in turn affects the outcomes of knowledge.

For instance, when the knowledge manager alters the regulations that affect knowledge production, knowledge claim's value is capable of improving. Examples of activities that, while not specifically denoted as "KM" nevertheless represented key KM activities in organizations are; The usage of emails by employees to communicate with each other or other experts without the e express knowledge of the firm. The hosting of corporate events such as sports and luncheons with other industry leads as guests.

This is because some of the activities lead to indirect passage of information from employee to employee as well as the gaining of insight from key KM leaders who may be presents as participants or speakers Some key KM leaders that I consider influential in this field are; a. Verna Allee, the President of Integral Performance Group b. Michael Burtha, the Executive Director, Knowledge Networking Worldwide, Johnson & Johnson c. Baruch Lev, the Philip Bardes Professor of Accounting and Finance-New York University d.

David Owens, the Chief Knowledge Officer and Vice President at The St. Paul Companies e.

Ray Ozzie, the CEO of Groove Networks Q2 2) How to compare and contrast the major KM cycle frameworks, taking the best One would compare and contrast the major KM cycle frameworks by considering the differences and similarities that exists in the major phases involved in them such as the encompassing of the capture, data creation, the codification, information sharing, access, application as well as how the knowledge is reused in the within as well as between organizations.

The main approaches are the Wiig (1993).Meyer and Zack (1996), McElroy (2003), and Bukowitz and Williams (2000) approaches. Knowledge is managed in these by the systematic adherence to the necessary processes of knowledge encompassing up to its usage and reuse.

This is done by following strictly the path that the information follows in order for it to develop to become a valuable asset to a given individual or organization (Dalkir,2005) Q3 The two KM models that I feel are comprehensive and therefore easy to implements are the Zack KM cycle and the Bukowitz and Williams KM Cycle. The Zack KM cycle The Zack KM cycle is useful since it provides various analogies that are useful.

Such an analogy is the product platform analogy (knowledge repository) as well as the information process platform (refers to the knowledge refinery) so as to emphasize the idea of value-added processing that is necessary for the leveraging of knowledge in a given organization. The Zack KM cycle is made up primarily of processes that leads to the creation of higher value added "organizational products" at each and every stage of the knowledge processing procedure.

Example is the addition of value from information by extracting information such as trends from the data. Competitive intelligence too can be effectively gathered as well as synthesized so as to repackage the "unprocessed" data into a meaningful and interpreted knowledge that is validated too. The Bukowitz and Williams KM Cycle The The Bukowitz and Williams KM Cycle (Bukowitz and Williams,2000) describes the knowledge management framework that outlines how a given organization generates, maintains as well as deploys the strategically sufficient knowledge stock towards the creation of value.

It consists of knowledge repositories, processes, relationships, external sources, functional skills, organizational intelligence and information technologies. The functions of this cycle are triggred by the market opportunities and demands. The shift in the market macroenvironment engages these function for the strategic advantage of the organization. The Zack KM cycle and the Bukowitz and Williams KM Cycle are complementary by the fact that the Zack KM cycle can provide the information (external) to be utilized by the Bukowitz and Williams KM Cycle.

Q4 Knowledge capture strategies The knowledge possessed by experts and employees could be tacit (Cairns, 2010) and can be captured using a variety of techniques. For the One who is highly outgoing, very social and has been actively involved in a variety of training activities., the technique that can be employed are the active one such as on-site observation and blackboarding.

As for the one who prefers to be given a list of questions that he will have to answer before each interview and seems fairly reluctant to embark upon the project, a repertory grid can be used in which the would conceptualize the problems presented using their own models .I anticipate the major obstacles to the strategies and techniques to be employed for each of the individuals is their personal preferences and feelings. As an example, some experts don't like being observed thereby ruling out the employment of on-site observation.

The base technique would be achieved by using other knowledge capture tools such as electronic brainstorming should the others fail. CSLO 2 Q5 The Organizational factors that could help facilitate the forming of a CoP A community of practice (CoP) may be defined as a group of individuals sharing a craft, an interest, a profession and a craft. The group may come up naturally since the member is interested in particular areas and domains.

Besides, it may be specifically created with the aim of acquiring knowledge that is related to the fields of the individuals involved. When the group shares experiences and information amongst themselves, the members get learn from one another. They also have the opportunity of developing themselves both professionally and personally (Lave & Wenger, 1991). Interventions that based on CoP are falling among the preferred plans of the knowledge managers. CoP intervention is directed at the enhancement of the sharing of knowledge.

When it does not succeed in providing a distinction between the knowledge produced by CoP and the information that is produced from CoP, then it should not be an intervention of KM but an intervention of information management (IM). A number of CoP interventions are always intended to improve the sharing of knowledge. They however do not offer ways of differentiating information and knowledge. Hence, a number of them are not interventions of KM at all.The members of CoPs are more effective and efficient conduits of experiences and information.

As organizations try to give manuals that meet employees training needs, CoP improves the storytelling process among the workers. This in turn, enables the workers to improve on their skills (Seely Brown & Duguid, 1991) Studies indicate that employees spend 30% of their total time to look for information. The employees will always turn to their co-workers than turning to other explicit information sources like manuals, books or databases.Davenport & Prusak, 2000). In CoPs, the workers are capable of discussing and brainstorming openly regarding a project.

This is capable of leading which to fresh capabilities. There are a number of reasons that may make an organization to come up with a CoP. The following are some of the key reasons for the formation of CoPs in organizations. Motivation is one of the reasons that make organizations to come up with CoPs. Sharing of knowledge is vital for success. Studies indicate that people are motivated to be active participants when they perceive knowledge to be for the good of the public, or a moral requirement.

CoP members may be motivated to take part through the use of techniques like tangible returns such as bonuses, intangible returns like reputation and the interest of the community. Collaboration is also a reason that makes organizations to come up with CoPs. Collaboration is vital as it ensures that CoP is thriving. Research has established that a number of factors may show a greater collaboration level in the exchange if knowledge in business networks likes the organizations (Sveiby & Simon, 2002).

Communication with other people in CoP involves the creation of social presence. social presence is believed to influence the likelihood of a person's participation in CoPs, majorly in online marketing. (Tu, 2002). Q6 Some of the organizational constraints that could hinder the successful development of a CoP and how would you address these.

Management of CoP always faces numerous barriers that are capable of inhibiting people from taking part in the exchange of knowledge interventions of KM that try to come up with the application of storytelling to be a tool of sharing knowledge are experiencing similar difficulties with the interventions of CoP. The difficulty that is shared is that both of them are not helping in the provision of distinctions between knowledge and information.

Social network enablement is a management intervention that is directed to enhance the formation and the maintenance of social network. Hence, it can't be a KM intervention method except when applied in the building of KM external relationships or when used as a help in team building interventions or as a help in CoP. The combination of CoPs and journals are capable of creating systems that are capable of bringing new knowledge while at the same time balancing the knowledge with a rationale scheme.

The CoP and the journal should meet through a multi-tiered validation system that transports CoP style informal conversational knowledge into fully validated explicit knowledge. It is vital for organizations and firms to nurture acknowledge and apply the probable pool of knowledge residing both in teams and also in individuals. Despite the fact that CoPs have been identified as effective and efficient vehicles for exploiting the tacit and explicit knowledge in the organizations, very little information is known regarding the factors facilitating and impeding their growth and birth.

Q7 The knowledge support systems for the company with over 20 years of existence and that of company that is a recent start-up should be both ontology-based to allow for the evolution of the systems with the changes in data, information as well as knowledge (Vines et al.2011).The differences in these knowledge management systems would be that the one for the older organization must have ways of capturing and processing mostly explicit information and fewer tacit inputs while the younger organization would have more tacit inputs and few explicit inputs.

This is due to the fact that the older information already and a knowledgebase stored in explicit forms. CSLO 3 Q8 Job description Job title: Knowledge and Information Manager Grade: A Responsible to: Chief Manager, Knowledge Sharing Group Purpose To provide support to the Knowledge Sharing Manager in coming up with work programs regarding knowledge and information management. This entails giving technical assistance to both consultancy clients and partners to enhance their capability in the management of knowledge and information. 1. Enhancing and supporting programs that are funded by grants. 2.

To come up with plans, manage and develop collection of consultancy programs, grants and projects, that ought to be receptive to the needs of the clients and partners that have been identified, participating in the enhancement of their knowledge and information management capability. 3. To offer technical support to consultancy programs and grants. This should include information needs evaluation, providing advice on information management systems and the development of the resource centre. 4. To promote the development of training modules for the training of technical advisers. 5.

To promote the growth of strategies and relationships with the new and existing clients and partners. 5. To manage and commission consultants to provide technical support that is related to Knowledge Management and Information Management. Person Specification.