The Knowldege Management System

“The CEO's role in raising a company's corporate IQ is to establish an atmosphere that promotes knowledge sharing and collaboration, to prioritize the areas in which knowledge sharing is most valuable, to provide the digital tools that make knowledge sharing possible, and to reward people for contributing to a full flow of information.”Bill Gates

Knowledge management (KM) system is a phrase that is used to describe the creation of knowledge repositories, improvement of knowledge access and sharing as well as communication through collaboration, enhancing the knowledge environment and managing knowledge as an asset for an organization. Knowledge is something that comes from information processed by using data. It includes experience, values, insights, and contextual information and helps in evaluation and incorporation of new experiences and creation of new knowledge. Knowledge originates from, and is applied by knowledge workers who are involved in a particular job or task. People use their knowledge in making decisions as well as many other actions. In the last few years, many organizations realize they own a vast amount of knowledge and that this knowledge needs to be managed in order to be useful. In organizations, it becomes embedded in documents and repositories, in organizational routines, in processes, practices, and norms. One of the challenges of establishing a KM system is in categorizing knowledge.(1)

Most effective KM systems use a knowledge repository (database) accessed via the corporate intranet where experts are queried, answers are sent to the initiator of the query and stored in a database for future access. The process works like this:

Find Experts Electronically and Using Expert Location Systems

· Expert Location Systems (ELSs): are interactive computerized systems that help employees find and connect with colleagues with expertise required for specific problems---in order to solve specific, critical business problems in seconds.
· ELS process:
o Step 1: Employee submits a question into ELS
o Step 2: System searches database for answer. If not found searches previous documents and communications for an “expert”
o Step 3: Colleague either answers or passes to another colleague who does
o Step 4: Answer is reviewed and stored in the database
· Social Network Analysis (SNA): is a process of mapping a group’s contacts (whether personal or professional) to identify who knows whom and who works with whom. [2]

The following list illustrates communication techniques, applications and modes of invovement:

Synchronous Technique (ST)
• Meeting room • Discussion • Forum
Same Time, Same Place

Asynchronous Technique (AT)
• Bulletin Board System • Notice Board • Agent Based
Different Time, Same Place

Distributed Synchronous Collaboration (DSC)
• Video conferencing
• Tele-conferencing • Chatting
Same Time, Different Place

Distributed Asynchronous Collaboration (DAC)
• E-mail • Short Messaging System • Voice mail • Fax machine • Agent Based
Different Time, Different Place
[3]

Traditional knowledge dissemination is effective, but it is also time consuming. Knowledge Management software uses various strategies to allow users access to the vast store of knowledge available in most companies. This link lists 38 different vendors of KM software http://elibrary.line56.com/olist/Knowledge-Management.html

There are many Knowledge Management products and vendors. The following terms will prove helpful in evaluating options:

· Knoware: technology tools that support knowledge management
o Software Development Companies and Enterprise Information Systems Vendors
o Collaborative Computing Tools
o Knowledge Servers: contains the main knowledge management software, including the knowledge repository, and provides access to other knowledge, information, and data.
o Knowledge Repository: a (server) central location for searching and accessing information from many sources, such as the Internet, corporate intranets, databases, and file systems, thereby enabling the efficient distribution of time-sensitive information.
o Enterprise Knowledge Portals (EKP):
o Electronic Document management (EDM): focus on the document in electronic form as the collaborative focus of work.
o Content Management Systems (CMS): produces dynamic versions of documents, and automatically maintains the “current” set for use at the enterprise level.
o Knowledge Harvesting Tools: Tools for capturing knowledge unobtrusively are helpful since they allow a knowledge contributor to be minimally involved in the knowledge-harvesting efforts.
o Search Engines: perform one of the essential functions of knowledge management----locating and retrieving necessary documents from vast collections accumulated in corporate repositories
o Knowledge Management Suites: complete knowledge management solutions out-of-the-box. They integrate the communications, collaboration, and storage technologies into a single convenient package.
· Consulting Firms
· Knowledge Management Application Service Providers (ASP):


The KM system is an integral part of an effective enterprise information system. It cannot be implemented as an add-on application. The KMS and its activities must be integrated into the firm’s business processes. The real challenge is to integrate data which resides in a variety of systems and formats into the knowledge management system.[4]

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[1]Rusli Abdullah, Mohd Hasan Selamat, Shamsul Sahibudin, Rose Alinda Alias. "A Framework For Knowledge Management System Implementation In Collaborative Environment For Higher Learning Institution." Journal of Knowledge Management Practice (March 2005).

[2] Turban, Leidner, Mclean and Wetherbe. Information Technology for Management . Danvers, Ma.: John Wiley & Sons, Inc., 2007.

[3] Rusli Abdullah, Mohd Hasan Selamat, Shamsul Sahibudin, Rose Alinda Alias. "A Framework For Knowledge Management System Implementation In Collaborative Environment For Higher Learning Institution." Journal of Knowledge Management Practice (March 2005).


[4] Turban, Leidner, Mclean and Wetherbe. Information Technology for Management . Danvers, Ma.: John Wiley & Sons, Inc., 2007.