Like water, this rising tide of data can be viewed as an abundant, vital and necessary resource. With enough preparation, we should be able to tap into that reservoir — and ride the wave — by utilizing new ways to channel raw data into meaningful information. That information, in turn, can then become the knowledge that leads to wisdom. Les Alberthal
Knowledge Management (KM) is organized/managed data, information, and knowledge of every entity in an organization. Once knowledge is organized and shared, it can result to better judgement of organizations. My organization will definitely benefit from it. We have a large amount of data to maintain from records of real property taxes of every residents to business taxes of every business establishments in Iloilo City. KM provides not just instant reports but sound decisions that may be advantageous to the organization. Moreover, an employee will not have to ask co-employees about certain information every time there are confusions or problems encountered. The value of KM relates directly with the effectiveness of with which the managed knowledge enables the members of the organization to deal with current situations and effectively predict and create future plans/programs for the organization. Without access to managed knowledge, every situation is addressed based on what the individual or group brings to the situation with them. Conversely, with access to managed knowledge, every situation is addressed with the sum total of everything anyone in the organization has ever learned about a situation of a similar nature.
There are technological, organizational and human barriers in implementing a knowledge management system (KMS) within an organization. On the side of technology, acceptance of end users is one. Yes, it requires computer literate employees, but also it is important that the software being used is simple and straight forward to avoid confusion and minimize errors in collecting relevant data, information, and knowledge. Insufficient trainings and support from programmers concerned is also a problem for KMS. The trainings should be arranged in such a way that the participants receive support while they handle the system. This will enable them to master all upcoming tasks in the future without any further assistance. Lack of this would be detrimental in accomplishing the goals and objectives of KMS.
On the organizational side, commitment and support of the chief executive should be inherent and visible. He should be the prime mover of KM in the organization. Being committed and visible can actually provide motivation and encouragement to employees. The absence of such could affect the willingness and commitment of employees to participate in the process which could in turn affect the effectiveness and reliability of the program. In addition, the availability of funds of an organization also poses a threat to the implementation of KM. Every project, requires certain amount to implement it, it is the role of the chief executive or in-charge to allocate budget, if available funds is limited, implementation of this is affected it may either be delayed or forever in paper only.
Moreover, the very core ingredient in KM is the human aspect. They play a central role in the identification, acquisition, creation, storage, distribution, and evaluation of knowledge within the organization. If employees are not knowledgeable of what is KM its purpose and process, knowledge sharing is jeopardized. Employees can be reluctant to share there tacit knowledge, which is I should say their lifelong experiences and lessons in their work. If they share all of this, they fear that they will not be needed anymore. This is a dilemma for them especially if they are in a very competitive workplace. As we all know, the knowledge of an employee is the most important factor, it is the knowledge that is in their heads that KM wanted to gather and document. If he exits from the organization he will bring along the “know-how & know-why” with him. All tacit knowledge he have will be inaccessible and is a great loss to the organization. Furthermore, employees may not be ready to perform additional work if the assurance of cooperative behavior among their coworkers is missing. It is a challenge to KM to create an environment wherein coworkers do not only have in mind the individual use, but beyond that they have a certain measure of will and commitment for the organization, so that knowledge exchange is set and maintained.
KMS that focus on only one of the main KM aspect, the codification approach, cannot overcome the barriers to successful KM. It is important to follow a holistic approach that sufficiently considers social as well as technical aspects. The barriers presented here, have their origins in the technological, organizational and human aspect, they present the different fields to consider in the creation of KM in the organization. Some of them can be overcome by minor adjustments but others require major organizational or cultural changes. Being responsive to this barriers leads the way to the development of a successful and relevant Knowledge Management System.
“Knowledge is power and knowledge sharing is empowerment”
Knowledge is indeed power, however if one has no access to knowledge you’re nothing. In the business world, having knowledge about your company is an advantage but acquiring knowledge about your competitors is another thing. Having perfect information/knowledge about your competitor gives you a competitive advantage. Knowing their secrets, their methods, and especially their weaknesses, is POWER to defeat them, to crash them and be the leader of them all. Keeping such knowledge in the closet through time rapidly losses it value. If you do not make your knowledge productive then someone else with that same knowledge will. On the other hand, knowledge sharing encourages collaboration with other people. Its not just about sharing ideas, its about improving the way things are done by sharing little things. What we learn from experiences can be shared to others. Like for example, the Memorandum of Understanding between United Arab Emirates and Morocco wherein they signed agreement to share best practices in the field of human resources. The agreement is a great step forward for both countries to learn, grow and flourish in the human resources sector. This kind of knowledge sharing is mutually beneficial and shows how much they can learn and improve by working together, rather than viewing everyone else as the competition. In addition, sharing knowledge is not about giving people something, or getting something from them. Sharing knowledge occurs when people are genuinely interested in helping one another develop new capacities for action; it is about creating learning processes. You are empowered if from the shared knowledge you are able to think, behave, take action and control what you do and can decide on your own using the shared knowledge you’ve learned, thus producing a synergistic effect.
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