2. Objectives for this
session
To explore the history & theory of
Knowledge Management (KM)
To understand the controversies
around KM
To learn about how KM programs are
implemented through different models
To discuss the ideas in the readings
4. One Perspective of KM
âKM [Knowledge Management]
involves blending a companyâs
internal and external information and
turning it into actionable knowledge
via a technology platform.â
Susan DiMattia and Norman Oder in Library
Journal, September 15, 1997.
7. From Facts to Wisdom
(Haeckel & Nolan, 1993)
one example of the hierarchy
Facts
Information
Intelligence
Knowledge
Wisdom
Less is
More
Volume
Completeness
Objectivity
Value
Structure
Subjectivity
9. History of Information
Professionals as Knowledge
Managers
Knowledge management is a new
business strategy, but its techniques
can be traced to the work of
documentalists in the early part of
the twentieth century.
10. Documentalists as
Knowledge Managers
In Europe and America in the first
part of the twentieth century,
documentalists had grand visions of
collecting, codifying and organizing
the worldâs knowledge for the
purpose of world peace.
11. Information Professionals as
Knowledge Managers
The documentalists were the original multimedia
professionals.
Paul Otlet â began the International Federation for
Documentation. He wanted libraries to stop being
depositories and to become more dynamic in
information transfer.
Under the leadership of Otlet the Europeans not
only collected and codified documents, they
developed networks and worked to exchange
knowledge among people.
12. Documentalists and
Special Librarians
Suzanne Briet, sometimes called
âMadame Documentationâ drew the
comparison between American special
librarians and European documentalists
after a visit to America in 1954.
13. Briet & the Documentalists
âIn Qu'est-ce que la documentation? Briet
brilliantly defined documents in terms of
indexical signs. In this, she was adopting an
argument that previous documentalists of her
time had suggested and which was present in
the cultural air, as she states, through
âlinguists and philosophers,â surely in the form
of structural linguistics and semiotics.â
14. Caution
It would be a mistake,
though, to define Knowledge
Management as solely the
domain of documents and
documentalists.
15. KM as a Technological
Solution
Is KM
ďŹ Big business?
ďŹ A competitive advantage?
ďŹ Intellectual capital?
ďŹ An intranet solution?
ďŹ An asset dimension?
ďŹ A technological infrastructure?
16. Contentnets
have a role to play in KM
As knowledge repositories for tacit
knowledge that has been made explicit
For best practices databases
For expert âyellow pagesâ
Online learning and knowledge sharing
Knowledge sharing âboardsâ
17. Peoplenets &
Processnets
have a role to play in KM
For group learning applications
To connect individuals with each other
for mentoring and knowledge sharing
For decision support & decision making
To sense, share, and respond to the
âsignalsâ coming from the environment
To capture ideas and turn them into
action
18. Caution
It would be a mistake,
though, to define Knowledge
Management as solely the KM
technology infrastructure.
19. The Challenges of
Electronic Collaboration
in Knowledge Sharing
âFocusing exclusively on the technical issues
of electronic collaboration is a sure way to a
very expensive failure.â
âA focus on the people issues dramatically
increases the potential for success.â
David Coleman, IBM Manager, San Francisco in Knowledge
Management, a Real Business Guide, London:IBM, nd.
20. The Learning and
Communication Process Model
Innovation is a way of life
Flexibility and the ability
to act quickly is
necessary in a changing
environment
New projects can benefit
from alliances and
learning from in-house
experts and creative
thinkers.
21. KM: Learning and
Communication Process
In simple language KM is an effort to
capture not only explicit factual
information but also the tacit information
and knowledge that exists in an
organization, usually based on the
experience and learning of individual
employees, in order to advance the
organization's mission. The eventual
goal is to share knowledge among
members of the organization.
22. Value to
Organization
Organizational
Learning
Active Knowledge
Transfer
Expert Knowledge
Base
Contact Links
Expert Assistance as
Needed
Communities of
Practice Index
Decision Making
Tools
Profiles for
Customization
Pushed Reports &
News
Collaboration Tools
Repositories
Best Practices
Reports
Documents
Presentation Slides
Tips
23. SoâŚwhat is knowledge
management?
âKnowledge management (KM) is an
effort to increase useful knowledge
within the organization. Ways to do this
include encouraging communication,
offering opportunities to learn, and
promoting the sharing of appropriate
knowledge artifacts.â McInerney, C. (2002). Knowledge
management and the dynamic nature
of knowledge. JASIST, 53 (2).
24. Some other key ideas
⢠Knowledge as a Social Value
⢠Knowledge artifacts
⢠Knowledge as an intellectual
activity & the mind/body
connection
⢠Common knowledge
⢠Process & things
⢠KM as a fad
25. âProcessing data can be
performed by machine, but only
the human mind can process
knowledge or even information.â