Knowledge Management Repositories the Greatest

Knowledge Management Repositories

The greatest strategic value of any knowledge management repository is in how it strengthens and provides greater insights and contributions to the strategies and initiatives companies rely on for growth and profitability (Liao, Chuang, To, 2011). From the rules-based knowledge management repositories that are used as the basis of constraint-based models (Pigott, Hobbs, 2011) to the reliance on expert systems that integrate structured and unstructured content (Koutsantonis, Panayiotopoulos, 2011) the breadth of knowledge management repositories is wide and growing.

The Many Contributions Of A Knowledge Management Repository

All enterprises today are centered on intelligence and insight as a means to compete with greater agility and speed (Liao, Chuang, To, 2011). The new competitive dynamics of businesses center on creating knowledge sharing business units that can accelerate innovation instead of relying on price as a competitive differentiator for example. Knowledge management repositories are the catalyst of greater competitiveness and speed of response to market conditions (Liao, Chuang, To, 2011).

There are a wide variety of knowledge management repositories in use today throughout organizations. One of the most common is the approach of using business rules to define constraint models that can simplify complex decision making on a product level while also navigating cost and gross margin constraints (Andreescu, Mircea, 2009). Rules-based knowledge management repositories are also extensively used in mass customization and build-to-order manufacturing systems designed to streamline the ordering of highly customizable and configurable products (Liao, Chuang, To, 2011). The inclusion of these rules-based systems as part of knowledge management repositories are also critical to the development of new product development systems and processes that are in industries dominated by product complexity (Andreescu, Mircea, 2009). Rules-based knowledge management repositories are also pervasively used for managing telecommunications routing and the optimization of networks globally. Contrasting this type of knowledge management repository are those that seek to unify structured and unstructured content into a single, cohesive expert system (Koutsantonis, Panayiotopoulos, 2011). These types of knowledge management repositories are critical for managing highly complex networks of suppliers, partners and value chain throughout enterprises (Liao, Chuang, To, 2011). An example of how effective an expert system based on knowledge management repositories is the Toyota Production System (TPS) (Dyer, Nobeoka, 2000). The TPS has been very effective as a knowledge management repository at the supply chain level as it has helped the company transform knowledge into a competitive asset (Dyer, Nobeoka, 2000).