Content Management.com

knowledge management (KM)

By Sarah Amsler

Knowledge management is the process by which an enterprise gathers, organizes, shares and analyzes its knowledge in a way that is easily accessible to employees. This knowledge includes technical resources, frequently asked questions, training documents and people skills.

Knowledge management involves data mining and some method of operation to push information to users to make it easily accessible. A knowledge management plan involves a survey of corporate goals and a close examination of the tools -- both traditional and technical -- to address the needs of a company. The challenge of selecting a knowledge management system is to purchase or build software that fits the context of the overall plan and encourages employees to use the system and share information.

What is the goal of knowledge management?

Improving organizational efficiency and saving knowledge in an easily accessible form are the main goals of knowledge management. Knowledge management aims to put the right information in front of someone at the right time.

This is done by:

Knowledge management enables businesses to break down siloes by putting information in a place easily accessible to all employees. It provides a place for people to put knowledge they have acquired over time, preventing a business from losing that information when individuals leave the company.

Types of knowledge

Knowledge is an understanding of information that an organization or individual acquires through education and experience. That information comes from data -- raw facts and figures that have been contextualized.

There are three types of knowledge -- explicit, tacit and embedded. However, the two most important distinctions are explicit and tacit.

Examples of knowledge management systems

A knowledge management system is a type of content management system that houses and retrieves organizational knowledge. It is commonly known as a knowledge base and helps present information to users in various ways, including:

Some knowledge management systems include:

The knowledge management process

There are four key knowledge management processes. These include:

Benefits and challenges of knowledge management

Knowledge management can reduce business operation costs and increase employee productivity. It does this in the following ways:

There are, however, also some challenges to knowledge management. Challenges include:

Knowledge management best practices

Businesses may approach knowledge management in different ways, but implementing these best practices can put organizations on the road to success:

Creating and implementing a knowledge management framework

It's necessary to have a plan before implementing a knowledge management framework. Businesses can take these steps to ensure a smooth business rollout:

  1. Establish program objectives. Leadership should identify what business processes -- such as training and onboarding -- need to be addressed and document short-term and long-term objectives.
  2. Include employees in implementation process. Employees need to learn the new process and must rethink the way they share knowledge. Businesses should appoint knowledge management "champions" to assist with this change, motivating others to share knowledge and providing feedback to the implementation team.
  3. Develop detailed procedures. This will include how businesses capture, organize and deliver knowledge. This step also includes creating knowledge management best practices.
  4. Determine technology needs. Businesses can determine their needs based on their program objectives. They also need to understand what technology employees are currently using, what does and doesn't work, and why. Organizations should ensure that existing technology isn't already meeting business needs.
  5. Build a roadmap. At this step in the process, the business should reconfirm leadership's support in this endeavor, along with program funding. This roadmap may span months, or even years.
  6. Implement the program. Once businesses have processes and technology in place and addressed organizational culture, it is time to launch the program.
  7. Measure success and improve program. Just because a knowledge management program is now live doesn't mean the work is done. Businesses need to measure the success of their program and make continual improvements for optimal efficiency. Businesses should create scorecards that address performance, quality, compliance and value. Benefits may not be immediately obvious, but the business will see results over time.

19 Jan 2021

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