CS 314 Intelligent System

INTRODUCING KNOWLEDGE MANAGEMENT

Objectives

What is Knowledge Management (KM)?

What are the driving forces?
Role of KM in todays organization
What is Knowledge Management System (KMS)?
Classification of Knowledge Management Systems
Effective Knowledge Management

Knowledge Management Motivation

The 20th anniversary of the landing of an American on the surface of the Moon occasioned many
bittersweet reflections. Sweet was the celebration of the historic event itself... Bitter, for those same
enthusiasts, was the knowledge that during the twenty intervening years much of the national
consensus that launched this country on its first lunar adventure had evaporated... [Fries,S. 1992].
What is Knowledge?

The Old Pyramid

o

data

o
o
o

information
knowledge
wisdom

Information that changes something or somebodybecoming

grounds for action by making an individual, or institution capable
of different, more effective action

Drucker, The New Realities

What is Knowledge Management?

Knowledge as a Key Source

Knowledge has become the key resource, for a nations military strength as well as for its
economic strength is fundamentally different from the traditional key resources of the economist
land, labor, and even capitalwe need systematic work on the quality of knowledge and the
productivity of knowledge the performance capacity, if not the survival, of any organization in the
knowledge society will come increasingly to depend on those two factors [Drucker, 1994]

More definitions than Webster

- Wiig
- Drucker
- Rumizen
- Neilson
- My Take
More varieties that Heinz 57

British Petroleum
Buckman Labs
Ford
Others

What is Knowledge Management?

Knowledge management (KM) may be defined simply as doing what is needed to get the most out of
knowledge resources.
KM focuses on organizing and making available important knowledge, wherever and whenever it is
needed.
Related to the concept of intellectual capital (both human and structural).

Forces Driving Knowledge Management

Increasing Domain Complexity

Accelerating Market Volatility
Intensified Speed of Responsiveness
Diminishing Individual Experience

Role of Knowledge Management in Todays Organization

KM is important for organizations that continually face downsizing or a high turnover percentage due
to the nature of the industry.

A Few Foundation Principles and Building Concepts

Knowledge influences success
Knowledge resides in the heads of people
Two Types of Knowledge:
- Codified
- Personalized
Knowledge sharing requires a conduit to happen systemically
Technology is the conduit
Knowledge sharing requires trust
KM embraces both the Knowledge Based organization and the Learning Organization
KM has planned architectural frameworks
Knowledge Influences Success

Peter Drucker (the one factor)

Toffler (Survival in Knowledge Age is not who can read or write but who can learn and unlearn quicker)

Nonaka (the cutting edge)

Tom Peters (sum total of value-added)

Handy, Drucker (primary factor of productivity)

Knowledge Originates and Resides in the Heads of People and the Two Types of Knowledge

Explicit knowledge that is codified, recorded, or actualized into some form outside of the head
o

Books, periodicals, journals, maps, photographs, audio-recordings

Webpages, websites, portals

Tacit Knowledge from experience and insight, not in a recorded form, but in our heads, intuition

Intellectual capital
o

Doesnt mean much unless packaged in useful ways

technology and global environment is redefining useful ways

Technology Enables New Knowledge Behaviors

Technology shapes how we live (radio, television, computer, biotechnology)

Pushes KM, doesnt drive it

Facilitates flow of knowledge

o

One look, one feel

Easy access

Easy dissemination (push-pull)

Different storage (from paper to digits)

Knowledge Sharing and Transfer Requires Trust

Trust is hard to build in cyberspace

Trust usually requires initial face-to-face

Sharing must be open and reciprocal

Based upon a commonality

Time to do so

Social identity in cyberspace

Shift from Managing Stocks of Stuff to Managing Flows of Knowledge (Nielson)

Librarians use to managing stuff
o

Books

Magazines

Cassettes

Administrators use to managing stuff

o

Buildings and furniture, land

People

Money

Automators use to managing Stuff

o

Computers

Fiber optics

Bandwidth

KM Embraces the Learning Organization and the KBO

Peter Senge, The Fifth Discipline

Learning Styles (Visual, Auditory, Kinesthetic)

Change Intervention Styles (Engineer, Teacher, Socializer, Commander)

Adult Learning Theory (Experiential, Critical Reflection, Self-Directed)

Share knowledge to learn quicker, relearn and unlearn faster

What is a KBO?

Knowledge Requires Capture, Organization, Access and Leverage

OLD WAY
- Capture form is written,
auditory or graphical
representations
- Organization is via tables
of content, indexes,
classification systems
used by publishers,
libraries, etc.
- Access when physical
body goes to where the
knowledge is locateda
library, a company, a
research laboratory, a
school
- Tacit knowledge rarely
tapped
- Leverage is a sum game

Knowledge Work Activities

- NEW WAY
Capture from is digits in
cyberspace
Organization via software
programs designed upon
engineering principles,
mathematical equations,
word associations in
cyberspace 24/7/365
Access wherever the
physical bodies link via
computers
Tacit knowledge tapped
using many different
technological tools
Leverage is exponential,
multiples upon multiples

What is Knowledge Management Systems?

Social/Structural mechanisms (e.g., mentoring and retreats, etc.) for promoting knowledge sharing.
Leading-edge information technologies (e.g., Web-based conferencing) to support KM mechanisms.
Knowledge management systems (KMS): the synergy between social/structural mechanisms and
latest technologies.

OVERLAPPING FACTORS
Effective Knowledge Management

80% - Organizational processes and human factors

PEOPLE
20% - Technology
Knowledge is first created in the peoples minds.
ORGANIZATIONAL
KM practices must first identify ways to encourage
PROCESSES
and stimulate the ability of employees to develop new
knowledge.
TECHNOLOGY
KM methodologies and technologies must enable
effective ways to elicit, represent, organize, re-use,
and renew this knowledge.
KM should not distance itself from the knowledge owners , but instead celebrate and recognize their
position as experts in the organization.

Classification of Knowledge Management Systems

Knowledge Discovery Systems

Knowledge Capture Systems
Knowledge Sharing Systems
Knowledge Application Systems

Four Pillars of Knowledge Management:

Leadership
o Business Culture
o Strategic Planning
- Vision and Goals
o Climate
o Growth
o Segmentation
o Communications

Organization
o BPR
- Processes
- Procedures
o Metrics
o MBO

o
o
o

TQM/L
Workflow
Communications

Technology
o E-mail
o OLAP
o Data Warehousing
o Search engines
o Decision support
o Process Modeling
o Management tools
o Communications

Learning
o Intuition
o Innovation vs. Invention
o Learning community
o Virtual teams
o Shared results
o Exchange forums
o Communications

Environment Influences
-

Social
Political
Governmental
Economic

Multiple Disciplines
- Systems Engineering
- Organization Development
- Systems Management
- Organization Behavior
Army Knowledge Management Goals & Structure
GOAL 1

GOAL 2

GOAL 3

GOAL 4

Governance

Best Practices

Info-structure

A.K.O.

GOAL 5

Initiatives
Enterprise Portfolio
Management
Architecture
Capital Planning &
Investment Mgmt
Army Regulations &
Policy Revisions
AKM Strategic

Elimination of
Applications
Battle Command
Knowledge System
Foxhole to Factory
Processes
Collaborative
Processes
Achieve eArmy

LandWarNet
Integrate Reserve
Component
Enterprise Directory
Services
NETOPS CONOPS
Defense In-Depth
Server and

Distributed A.K.O.
NCES Services
Key Component of
LandWarNet
Standard Army We
Presense
Common User

National Security
Personnel Sys
Home Resource
Planning
Professionalization
of Workforce
Institutionalize AKM
in Schoohouses
Information

Communications
Plan

Transformation

Processing Center
Consolidation

Interface

Operations Assets

KM is different from KMS

KM is a whole ball of wax (people, technology, processes, learning, business)

KMS is a knowledge management system that makes it happen
KMS is comprised of four components
Content management applications
Expertise locator applications
Collaboration
Portal
All tightly integrated

KM: Important Lessons Learned

KM - beyond fad a distinct management concept suggesting its prudent to manage the intellectual
assets of an enterprise, to cultivate for advantage in the marketplace
KM is complex, integrative with other disciplines
Old skills and abilities dont necessarily work in KM environment must be redefined, polished, updated
Principles and concepts are not new- whats new is the merger with technology to do so and practical
applications
Librarians have many skills that apply to KM