1 | a g e

Def|n|t|on of know|edge Management

1here are several dlfferenL and someLlmes qulLe confuslng sLaLemenLs LhaL clalm Lo be a deflnlLlon of
knowledge ManagemenL and Lhere are dlfferenL perspecLlves on whaL knowledge ManagemenL ls lor
example

r kM ls abouL sysLems and Lechnologles
r kM ls abouL people and learnlng organlzaLlons
r kM ls abouL processes meLhods and Lechnlques
r kM ls abouL managlng knowledge asseLs
r kM ls a hollsLlc lnlLlaLlve across Lhe enLlre organlzaLlon
r kM ls noL a dlsclpllne as such and should be an lnLegral parL of every knowledge workers dally
responslblllLles
WhaL ls mosL lmporLanL ls for you Lo have your own deflnlLlon of knowledge ManagemenL whaL kM ls Lo
you and your organlzaLlon WhaL ls even more lmporLanL ls LhaL you and your colleagues have a common
shared undersLandlng of whaL kM means for you all
1o help you geL sLarLed we have lncluded lmmedlaLely below a few deflnlLlons of whaL kM means Lo some
organlzaLlons We suggesL you conslder Lhem LogeLher wlLh any oLher deflnlLlons you may have and see lf
Lhere are any words or phrases LhaL parLlcularly resonaLe wlLh whaL you are Lrylng Lo do 1hls wlll help you
formulaLe your own deflnlLlon of knowledge managemenL
AL Lhe end of Lhls page we lnvlLe you Lo share wlLh us all any deflnlLlons you have dlscovered and/or
formulaLed We can Lhen all commenL and raLe Lhe usefulness of each deflnlLlon as we wlsh 1hls Lhen
provldes us aL Lhe boLLom of Lhls page wlLh a llsL of kM ueflnlLlons llsLed ln hlghesL raLed/ranked order Lo
help us even furLher So please share your deflnlLlons and/or any commenLs or raLlng Lo deflnlLlons
Some we|| known kM Def|n|t|ons
lf only P knew whaL lL knows lL would make Lhree Llmes more proflL Lomorrow
Lew laLL ex CLC PewleLL ackard

knowledge ManagemenL ls Lhe dlsclpllne of enabllng lndlvlduals Leams and enLlre organlsaLlons Lo
collecLlvely and sysLemaLlcally creaLe share and apply knowledge Lo beLLer achleve Lhelr ob[ecLlves
8on ?oung CLC/CkC knowledge AssoclaLes lnLernaLlonal
| a g e


MosL acLlvlLles or Lasks are noL oneLlme evenLs WheLher lLs drllllng a well or conducLlng a LransacLlon aL a
servlce sLaLlon we do Lhe same Lhlngs repeaLedly Cur phllosophy ls falrly slmple every Llme we do
someLhlng agaln we should do lL beLLer Lhan Lhe lasL Llme
Slr !ohn SLeely 8rowne 8 Parvard 8uslness 8evlew 1997

1he capablllLles by whlch communlLles wlLhln an organlsaLlon capLure Lhe knowledge LhaL ls crlLlcal Lo Lhem
consLanLly lmprove lL and make lL avallable ln Lhe mosL effecLlve manner Lo Lhose who need lL so LhaL Lhey
can explolL lL creaLlvely Lo add value as a normal parL of Lhelr work
ClaxoSmlLhkllne

knowledge managemenL wlll dellver ouLsLandlng collaboraLlon and parLnershlp worklng lL wlll ensure Lhe
reglon maxlmlzes Lhe value of lLs lnformaLlon and knowledge asseLs and lL wlll help lLs clLlzens Lo use Lhelr
creaLlvlLy and skllls beLLer leadlng Lo lmproved effecLlveness and greaLer lnnovaLlon
WesL Mldlands 8eglonal CbservaLory uk

We recognlse LhaL our mosL lmporLanL asseL ls people and Lhelr knowledge We undersLand knowledge
ManagemenL (kM) as Lhe culLlvaLlon of an envlronmenL wlLhln whlch people are wllllng Lo share learn and
collaboraLe LogeLher leadlng Lo lmprovemenL
Care Servlces lmprovemenL arLnershlp (CSl)

knowledge ManagemenL (kM) comprlses a range of pracLlces used by organlsaLlons Lo ldenLlfy creaLe
represenL and dlsLrlbuLe knowledge lL has been an esLabllshed dlsclpllne slnce 1993 wlLh a body of
unlverslLy courses and boLh professlonal and academlc [ournals dedlcaLed Lo lL Many large companles have
resources dedlcaLed Lo knowledge ManagemenL ofLen as a parL of lnformaLlon 1echnology or Puman
8esource ManagemenL deparLmenLs knowledge ManagemenL ls a mulLlbllllon dollar world wlde markeL
knowledge ManagemenL programs are Lyplcally Lled Lo organlzaLlonal ob[ecLlves such as lmproved
performance compeLlLlve advanLage lnnovaLlon lessons learnL Lransfer (for example beLween pro[ecLs) and
Lhe general developmenL of collaboraLlve pracLlces knowledge ManagemenL ls frequenLly llnked Lo Lhe ldea
of Lhe learnlng organlzaLlon alLhough nelLher pracLlce encompasses Lhe oLher knowledge ManagemenL may
be dlsLlngulshed from CrganlzaLlonal Learnlng by a greaLer focus on speclflc knowledge asseLs and Lhe
developmenL and culLlvaLlon of Lhe channels Lhrough whlch knowledge flows
Wlklpedla
| a g e

ow d|d |t evo|ve?

1he PlsLory Cf knowledge ManagemenL arL l 1he Search for ArLlflclal lnLelllgence
1he flrsL sLage ln Lhe developmenL of knowledge managemenL focused on replaclng human lnLelllgence wlLh
arLlflclal lnLelllgence ArLlflclal lnLelllgence had been a sub[ecL for debaLe long before compuLers were
avallable hllosophers such as uescarLes debaLed wheLher people could be LhoughL of as machlnes WlLh Lhe
advenL of compuLers Lhe debaLe focused on wheLher Lhey could be made Lo Lhlnk An early aLLempL aL an
`lnLelllgenL program was made by newell Shaw and Slmon ln Lhe 1930s 1he alm of Lhe work was Lo produce
a general problem solver (CS) 1he generallLy of Lhe CS meanL lL was lnefflclenL and superflclal ln lLs
analysls
1he lesson from early sysLems such as Lhe CS was Lhe reallzaLlon LhaL Lhe successful encapsulaLlon of
knowledge ls mosL easlly aLLalned wlLhln a speclflc and narrow problem domaln 1hls led Lo Lhe concepL of
experL sysLems as sysLems whlch model experLlse wlLhln a narrow and speclflc domaln WlLhln such domalns
some noLable successes were achleved for example xCCn was used by uLC Lo conflgure compuLers for many
years from Lhe 1970s onwards lL ls noLlceable however LhaL Lhe same casesLudles are consLanLly quoLed
1oday Lhere ls sLlll a mysLlque surroundlng Lhe sub[ecL of Al and consequenL confuslon abouL whaL can be
achleved ln pracLlce So leLs address Lhese lssues CompuLers do noL Lhlnk for Lhemselves An Al appllcaLlon
ls a program llke any oLher lL ls a seL of procedures whlch Lhe compuLer follows wlLh lnpuLs and ouLpuLs Al
programs use a symbollc represenLaLlon of Lhe world All compuLer programs are based upon a model of Lhe
problem Lhey seek Lo solve ln convenLlonal lnformaLlon sysLems Lhls model ls consLrucLed ln Lerms of
numbers ln an Al program Lhe model ls consLrucLed ln Lerms nearer Lo a human vlew uslng symbols such as
LexL or plcLures 1he compuLers vlew ls sLlll a model buL ls slmply expressed ln dlfferenL Lerms
Machlne lnLelllgence ls noL human lnLelllgence Puman lnLelllgence ls a very broad and varled Lhlng Some of
Lhe characLerlsLlcs of lnLelllgenL behavlour are reasonlng deducLlon learnlng and adapLablllLy Machlne
lnLelllgence seeks Lo model Lhls behavlour buL ls only able Lo do so ln llmlLed domalns and ln llmlLed areas
Many machlne lnLelllgence Lechnlques focus on only one or Lwo aspecLs of human lnLelllgence
1he PlsLory Cf knowledge ManagemenL arL AdapLaLlon Lo SupporL Puman ueclslon Maklng
8ecause of Lhe llmlLaLlons noLed above Lhe Lechnology adapLed Lo supporL human declslon maklng lnsLead
of Lrylng Lo replace lL 1hls led Lo Lhe flrsL developmenL of knowledge based declslon supporL sysLems 1hese
used rules Lo encapsulaLe knowledge whlch ln Lurn was used Lo supporL human declslon maklng 1hese
sysLems had some noLable successes buL suffered from Lhe brlLLleness and narrowness of Lhelr knowledge
base 1hey dealL wlLh only llmlLed knowledge domalns and could noL deLermlne when Lhey had exceeded
Lhe boundarles of Lhls knowledge base leadlng Lo wlld and lnaccuraLe concluslons


| a g e

1he PlsLory Cf knowledge ManagemenL arL 1he CrowLh of knowledge 8eposlLorles
Modern knowledge managemenL has bullL on lLs hlsLory buL lnsLead of bulldlng complex heurlsLlcs on narrow
knowledge bases Lhey Lend Lo have slmpler heurlsLlcs applled Lo large knowledge reposlLorles Pere are
some of Lhe modern appllcaLlons of Lhls Lype
knowledge ManagemenL SysLems for l1 Pelpdesks l1 Pelpdesks have sysLems Lo collecL and record querles
from users seeklng supporL 1he sysLem logs Lhe querles and records Lhe responses lrom Lhe responses
glven Lhe sysLem bullds a daLabase of answers for Lhe mosL common querles nexL Llme Lhe same query
comes ln Lhe answer can be glven sLralghL from Lhe sysLem and evenLually publlshed as a llsL of answers Lo
frequenLly asked quesLlons
aLlenL SafeLy ueclslon SupporL rescrlblng errors klll an alarmlng number of paLlenLs every year Modern
elecLronlc prescrlblng sysLems check prescrlpLlons agalnsL a knowledge base of known drug lnLeracLlons and
Lhe oLher prescrlpLlon drugs you may be Laklng 1hey wlll also check dosages Lo ensure Lhey do noL exceed
maxlmum safe doses lf lL has access Lo your medlcal record lL can also check agalnsL your personal allergles
or oLher facLors whlch mlghL be adversely affecLed by Lhe prescrlbed drugs such as blood pressure or
dlabeLes

Character|st|cs

1he challenge of knowledge ManagemenL ls Lo deLermlne whaL lnformaLlon wlLhln an organlzaLlon quallfles
as valuableAll lnformaLlon ls noL knowledge and all knowledge ls noL valuable 1he key ls Lo flnd Lhe
worLhwhlle knowledge wlLhln a vasL sea of lnformaLlon

1 knowledge ManagemenL ls abouL people lL ls dlrecLly llnked Lo whaL people know and how whaL Lhey
know can supporL buslness and organlzaLlonal ob[ecLlves lL draws on human compeLency lnLulLlon ldeas
and moLlvaLlons lL ls noL a Lechnologybased concepL AlLhough Lechnology can supporL a knowledge
ManagemenL efforL lL shouldn'L begln Lhere

knowledge ManagemenL ls orderly and goaldlrecLed lL ls lnexLrlcably Lled Lo Lhe sLraLeglc ob[ecLlves of
Lhe organlzaLlon lL uses only Lhe lnformaLlon LhaL ls Lhe mosL meanlngful pracLlcal and purposeful

knowledge ManagemenL ls everchanglng 1here ls no such Lhlng as an lmmuLable law ln knowledge
ManagemenL knowledge ls consLanLly LesLed updaLed revlsed and someLlmes evenobsoleLedwhen lL ls
no longer pracLlcable lL ls a fluld ongolng process

3 | a g e

knowledge ManagemenL ls valueadded lL draws upon pooled experLlse relaLlonshlps and alllances
CrganlzaLlons can furLher Lhe Lwoway exchange of ldeas by brlnglng ln experLs from Lhe fleld Lo advlse or
educaLe managers on recenL Lrends and developmenLs lorums counclls and boards can be lnsLrumenLal ln
creaLlng common ground and organlzaLlonal coheslveness

3 knowledge ManagemenL ls vlslonary 1hls vlslon ls expressed ln sLraLeglc buslness Lerms raLher Lhan
Lechnlcal Lerms and ln a manner LhaL generaLes enLhuslasm buyln and moLlvaLes managers Lo work
LogeLher Loward reachlng common goals

6 knowledge ManagemenL ls complemenLary lL can be lnLegraLed wlLh oLher organlzaLlonal learnlng
lnlLlaLlves such as 1oLal CuallLy ManagemenL (1CM) lL ls lmporLanL for knowledge managers Lo show lnLerlm
successes along wlLh progress made on more proLracLed efforLs such as mulLlyear sysLems developmenLs
lnfrasLrucLure or enLerprlse archlLecLure pro[ecLs

ect|ve of know|edge Management (Create Capture Commun|cate)

O SysLem CreaLlon and malnLenance of CrganlzaLlon wlde knowledge ManagemenL lnfrasLrucLure
O Speed 8educe lnformaLlon search Llme wlLh lncreased effecLlveness
O CuallLy 1ake varlaLlon ln performance as source of lmprovemenL
O CusLomers Lnsure conslsLenL cusLomer experlence across all Louch polnLs uslng knowledge of
cusLomer lnLerfaclng sLaff
O Lfflclency 8educe Lendencles of relnvenLlon across organlzaLlon

1ypes of know|edge Management

knowledge can be dlvlded lnLo Lwo Lypes LaclL knowledge and expllclL knowledge 1aclL knowledge ls
lmpllclL whereas expllclL knowledge ls rulebased knowledge LhaL ls used Lo maLch acLlons Lo slLuaLlons by
lnvoklng approprlaLe rules An organlzaLlon promoLes Lhe learnlng of LaclL knowledge Lo lncrease Lhe skllls
and creaLlve capaclLles of lLs employees and Lakes advanLage of expllclL knowledge Lo maxlmlze efflclency



6 | a g e

1ac|t know|edge

1aclL knowledge lncludes handson skllls besL pracLlces speclal knowhow and lnLulLlons ersonal
knowledge LhaL ls dlfflculL Lo arLlculaLe
1aclL knowledge ln an organlzaLlon ensures Lask effecLlveness lL also provldes for a klnd of creaLlve
vlLallLy lnLulLlon and sponLaneous lnslghL can ofLen Lackle Lough problems LhaL would oLherwlse be
dlfflculL Lo solve
1radlLlonally Lhe Lransfer of LaclL knowledge ls Lhrough shared experlence Lhrough apprenLlceshlp
and [ob Lralnlng
1aclL knowledge ls culLlvaLed ln an organlzaLlonal culLure LhaL moLlvaLes Lhrough shared vlslon and
common purpose


Lxp||c|t know|edge

LxpllclL knowledge ls used ln Lhe deslgn of rouLlnes sLandard operaLlon procedures and Lhe
sLrucLure of daLa records 1hese forms of knowledge can be found ln any organlzaLlon
lL allows an organlzaLlon Lo en[oy a cerLaln level of operaLlonal efflclency and conLrol
LxpllclL knowledge promoLes equable conslsLenL organlzaLlonal responses

An organlzaLlon musL adopL a hollsLlc approach Lo knowledge managemenL LhaL successfully comblnes 1aclL
and expllclL knowledge aL all levels of Lhe organlzaLlon ersonal knowledge ls leveraged wlLh expllclL
knowledge for Lhe deslgn and developmenL of lnnovaLlve producLs servlces and processes

kesearch

kM emerged as a sclenLlflc dlsclpllne ln Lhe earller 1990s lL was lnlLlally supporLed solely by pracLlLloners
when Scandla hlred Lelf Ldvlnsson of Sweden as Lhe world's flrsL Chlef knowledge Cfflcer (CkC) PuberL
SalnLCnge (formerly of Cl8C Canada) sLarLed lnvesLlgaLlng varlous sldes of kM long before LhaL 1he
ob[ecLlve of CkCs ls Lo manage and maxlmlze Lhe lnLanglble asseLs of Lhelr organlzaLlons Cradually CkCs
became lnLeresLed ln noL only pracLlcal buL also LheoreLlcal aspecLs of kM and Lhe new research fleld was
formed 1he kM ldeas Laken up by academlcs such as lku[lro nonaka (PlLoLsubashl unlverslLy) PlroLaka
1akeuchl (PlLoLsubashl unlverslLy) 1homas P uavenporL (8abson College) and 8aruch Lev (new ?ork
unlverslLy) ln 001 1homas A SLewarL former edlLor aL lC81unL Magazlne and subsequenLly Lhe edlLor of
7 | a g e

Parvard 8uslness 8evlew publlshed a cover sLory hlghllghLlng Lhe lmporLance of lnLellecLual caplLal of
organlzaLlons Slnce lLs esLabllshmenL Lhe kM dlsclpllne has been gradually movlng Lowards academlc
maLurlLy llrsL Lhere ls a Lrend Lowards hlgher cooperaLlon among academlcs parLlcularly Lhere has been a
drop ln slngleauLhored publlcaLlons Second Lhe role of pracLlLloners has changed 1helr conLrlbuLlon Lo
academlc research has been dramaLlcally decllnlng from 0 of overall conLrlbuLlons up Lo 00 Lo only 10
by 009 (Serenko eL al 010)

A broad range of LhoughLs on Lhe kM dlsclpllne exlsLs wlLh no unanlmous agreemenL approaches vary by
auLhor and school As Lhe dlsclpllne maLures academlc debaLes have lncreased regardlng boLh Lhe Lheory
and pracLlce of kM Lo lnclude Lhe followlng perspecLlves
1echnocenLrlc wlLh a focus on Lechnology ldeally Lhose LhaL enhance knowledge sharlng and creaLlon
CrganlzaLlonal wlLh a focus on how an organlzaLlon can be deslgned Lo faclllLaLe knowledge processes besL
Lcologlcal wlLh a focus on Lhe lnLeracLlon of people ldenLlLy knowledge and envlronmenLal facLors as a
complex adapLlve sysLem akln Lo a naLural ecosysLem

8egardless of Lhe school of LhoughL core componenLs of kM lnclude eople rocesses 1echnology (or)
CulLure SLrucLure 1echnology dependlng on Lhe speclflc perspecLlve (Spender Scherer 007) ulfferenL
kM schools of LhoughL lnclude varlous lenses Lhrough whlch kM can be vlewed and explalned Lo lnclude
O communlLy of pracLlce (Wenger McuermoLL Synder 001)
O soclal neLwork analysls
O lnLellecLual caplLal (8onLls Choo 00)
O lnformaLlon Lheory (Mclnerney 00)
O complexlLy sclence
O consLrucLlvlsm (nan[appa CranL 00)

1he pracLlcal relevance of academlc research ln kM has been quesLloned (lerguson 003) wlLh acLlon
research suggesLed as havlng more relevance (Andrlessen 00) and Lhe need Lo LranslaLe Lhe flndlngs
presenLed ln academlc [ournals Lo a pracLlce (8ooker 8onLls Serenko 008)





8 | a g e

1echn|ques to Manage know|edge

We belleve LhaL Lhe knowledge modellng Lechnlques LhaL exlsL Lo supporL Lhe use of Lhe knowledge along
wlLh LradlLlonal buslness managemenL Lechnlques provlde a sLarLlng polnL Lo manage Lhe knowledge asseLs
wlLhln a company 1herefore Lhe Lechnlques we employ for managlng knowledge wlLhln Lhe organlzaLlon are
drawn from Lhese Lwo dlsLlncL areas
O Lhe Lechnlques LhaL have been used prevlously from buslness managemenL for example SWC1
(SLrengLhs Weaknesses CpporLunlLles 1hreaLs) analysls balanced scorecards (kaplan 8oberL S
norLon uavld (1996)) modellng languages such as luLl (rocess llow and Cb[ecL SLaLe
uescrlpLlon CapLure MeLhod Mayer 8 Culllnane 1 de WlLLe knappernberger W erakaLh 8
Wells S (199)) and 8Aus (8ole AcLlvlLy ulagrams Culd M (199))
O Lhe knowledge Lechnlques LhaL have been used prevlously for Lhe dlsclpllned developmenL of
knowledgebased appllcaLlons (8enus 8 (199) and Schrelber A 1 Akkermans ! M An[ewlerden
A A ue Poog 8 van ue velde W Wlellnga 8 ! (1998))

Cur recommended approach ls a mulLlperspecLlve modellng approach Several models need Lo be
developed each of whlch represenLs a dlfferenL perspecLlve on Lhe organlzaLlon whlch can be characLerlzed
as Pow WhaL Who Where When and Why"
Pow Lhe organlzaLlon carrles ouL lLs buslness modellng Lhe buslness processes
O WhaL Lhe processes manlpulaLe modellng Lhe resources
O Who carrles ouL Lhe processes modellng capablllLles roles and auLhorlLy
O Where a process ls carrled ouL modellng of Lhe communlcaLlon beLween agenLs
O When a process ls carrled ouL Lhls speclfles Lhe conLrol over processes


What Are 1he 8enef|ts f know|edge Management?

llrsL of all we say lmaglne knowledge as a fuel and energy source for your buslness a power source lmaglne
Lhe use of oLher power sources such as elecLrlclLy or gasollne WhaL are Lhe uses? WhaL are Lhe poLenLlal
8eneflLs ? 1he llsL of posslble beneflLs ls endless ?ou can producLlvely use oll and elecLrlclLy for all sorLs of
pracLlcal commonsense Lhlngs So Loo wlLh knowledge lnLellecLual CaplLal and lnLanglble AsseLs 1hey can
be used producLlvely and proflLably by your buslness ln myrlad ways We have barely begun Lo scraLch Lhe
surface of posslble ways Lo harness knowledgeenergy 1he aLLracLlve lncenLlve Lo Lhe lnLelllgenL buslness
person ls LhaL Lhose who can flgure ouL Lo leverage Lhls asseL ln new and creaLlve ways can galn a serlous
susLalnable compeLlLlve edge ln Lhe markeLplace 1hen Lhere are conLemporary pro[ecLs such as Lhe Puman
Cenome ro[ecL ln effecL Lhls ls a blg global knowledgemapplng exerclse Lo map all Lhe genes ln Lhe human
9 | a g e

body Clearly lL ls golng Lo unleash a knowledgebased revoluLlon of exLraordlnary magnlLude and
lmporLance lL wlll have a Lremendous lmpacL on Lhe llfe sclences medlclne bloLechnology pharmacology
and so on So how can knowledge be beneflclal? Any number of posslble ways

Pere Lhen are some ldeas Lo Lhlnk abouL
1 Ceneral 8eneflLs Cf knowledge
lL sure beaLs lgnorance
LxcepL ln rare clrcumsLances Lhere ls noLhlng Lo celebraLe abouL lacklng Lhe approprlaLe knowledge and
belng dumb!
Ask ?ourself 1hese 1elllng CuesLlons
1 WhaL luel Are ?ou 8unnlng your 8uslness Cn?
WhaLs Are Lhe maln lnpuLs fuellng Lhe growLh and developmenL of your buslness?
Are you CperaLlng An lndusLrlalAge 8uslness or A osLlndusLrlal Age and knowledge8ased 8uslness?
1here are 1lmeless lundamenLals whlch wonL change
1 know whaL you do know
know whaL you need Lo know
know whaL you donL know
know where you wanL Lo go
Ask yourself Lhen wheLher ln relaLlon Lo your buslness you are clear on Lhese knowledge fundamenLals
1he Many osslble 8eneflLs Cf knowledge lor 1he LnLerprlse
O roduce and conserve new value such as lnLellecLual roperLy AsseLs
O CeneraLe new WealLh and lncreaslng reLurns
O lncrease 8evenue
O Cpen new MarkeLs
O Lnable SusLalnable Crganlc CrowLh
O lmprove ueclslonMaklng
O MlLlgaLe 8lsk
O uevelop and lmplemenL new 8uslness Models
O 8ulld More rofound relaLlonshlps and ongolng MlndShare wlLh CusLomers peneLraLe Lhe mlnd of
Lhe cusLomer
O LlfL roducLlvlLy and Lfflclency
O Speed lnnovaLlon
O unleash new ldeas and CreaLlvlLy
O Pelp creaLe a more AdapLlve responslve dynamlc flexlble organlzaLlon
O laclllLaLe Lhe evoluLlon of a more lnLelllgenL LnLerprlse and produce smarL engaglng producLs
10 | a g e

O use knowledge 1o 8ulld vlrLual neLworked 8uslnesses
O 8eLLer prepare for and anLlclpaLe 1he luLure
O lmprove and acceleraLe Learnlng
O CaLher superlor 8uslness and CompeLlLlve lnLelllgence
O Lnhance 1eam CollaboraLlon CoordlnaLlon
O Maxlmlze Lhe organlzaLlons use of avallable collecLlve wlsdom experlence and Lhe 8ralnower of
human caplLal asseLs
O lmprove Lhe llow of knowledge
O lmprove Lhe Servlce and SupporL of CusLomers
O ShlfL employees from balancesheeL expense lLems Lo knowledge lnvesLors ln Lhe enLerprlse
O lmprove Lhe ablllLy of Lhe organlzaLlon Lo Manage Change
O ALLracL and reLaln moLlvaLed loyal and commlLLed 1alenL
O lnLroduce a more relevanL measuremenL uashboard and lnsLrumenL panel wlLh knowledgebased
meLrlcs versus mere lndusLrlal age measures
O 8e beLLer poslLloned for knowledge Workers Lo cope wlLh lncreaslng lnfogluL and lnformaLlon
Cverload
O 1urn rocess knowPow lnLo a valuable CorporaLe asseL knowledge Converslon
O Pelp Lhe enLerprlse Lo grow more neLwork ConnecLlons more knowledge nodes ( Lhe value of a
neLwork ls relaLed Lo Lhe exLenL of Lhe nodes ln lL )
O Lower CperaLlng CosLs by subsLlLuLlng lnformaLlon and knowledge sLores for lnvenLory
O Avold WasLe and uupllcaLlon by encouraglng knowledge 8euse
O CreaLe a more knowledge aware knowledge frlendly culLure and CommunlLy of racLlce(s) beLLer
sulLed Lo Lhe emerglng knowledgebased economy conLexL
O Allow more leveraglng of knowledge asseLs Lhrough knowledge ArblLrage sLraLegles
O Pave beLLer knowledge 1ransfer occur ln Lhe execuLlon of pro[ecLs
O LxLend Lhe global 8each 8lchness and Scope of Lhe enLerprlse
O lL can be a Lremendous Lnabler allowlng Lhe organlzaLlon and knowledge workers Lo share ldeas and
collaboraLe ln ways LhaL would noL have been posslble prevlously
O 8rlng a new level of sophlsLlcaLlon Lo managlng Lhe brand repuLaLlon and lnLanglbles LhaL
cusLomers value
O ln general be beLLer able Lo CreaLe CapLure Share roLecL ulssemlnaLe ackage and LxplolL
knowledge lnLellecLual caplLal and lnLanglbles

What are the ||m|tat|ons


O lnablllLy Lo dellver Lhe expecLed performance ouLcomes
O usablllLy Some users are noL capable enough Lo use auLomaLed Lools Lo geL requlred
lnformaLlon



11 | a g e

Conc|us|on


1he declslon on wheLher or noL an organlzaLlon should ouLsource a parL of Lhelr buslness ls a
compllcaLed one and should noL be Laken llghLly Searchlng for shorLLerm cosL savlngs ls noL a bad
ldea buL chooslng ouLsourclng based solely on cosL reducLlon or LacLlcal problems ls a shorLLerm
soluLlon and wlll undermlne a companys poLenLlal for long Lerm success 1he organlzaLlon should
have sufflclenL managemenL skllls and Lhe ablllLy Lo adapL new behavlors and processes Lo
successfully manage an exLernal parL of Lhelr buslness 1hese skllls should lnclude knowledge
managemenL ablllLles and a wllllngness Lo apply Lhem Lo a new and more challenglng slLuaLlon 1aclL
knowledge musL speclflcally be consldered when plannlng an ouLsourclng sLraLegy parLlcularly lf Lhe
componenL of Lhe buslness Lo be ouLsourced already exlsLs lnLernally and valuable lnsLlLuLlonal
knowledge wlll be losL 1he Lransfer of LaclL knowledge can have a profound effecL on quallLy and
overall sLraLeglc buslness value CulLural and language barrlers add challenges Lo Lhe already dlfflculL
process of Lransferrlng LaclL knowledge and are of parLlcular concern ln cases of crossborder
ouLsourclng llnally once a declslon has been made Lo ouLsource aspecLs of a buslness speclflc
knowledge managemenL sLraLegles can be lmplemenLed LhaL wlll maxlmlze Lhe beneflLs LhaL are
avallable from a decenLrallzed buslness model