Transcript Design of Agent-based Systems using UML Sequence Diagrams

Knowledge Management Strategies
Prof Elaine Ferneley
Knowledge Management: an Overview
1990s management realised knowledge
rather than land, machines or capital was
the firm’s critical resource
Broadly Knowledge management can be
centred on:
 Computer science
 Economics
 Sociology
Elaine Ferneley
Earl’s (2001)Taxonomy of Knowledge
Management Approaches
School
Technocratic
Economic
Behavioural
Attribute
Systems
Cartographic
Engineering
Commercial
Organization
Spatial
Focus
Technology
Maps
Processes
Income
Networks
Space
Aim
Knowledge
Bases
Knowledge
Directories
Knowledge
Flows
Knowledge
Assets
Knowledge
Pooling
Knowledge
Exchange
Knowledge
Capabilities
Principle
IT Element
Knowledge
-based
Systems
Profiles &
Directories on
Intranets
Shared
Databases
Intellectual
Asset Register &
Processing
System
Groupware &
Intranets
Representati
onal Tools
Eclectic
Philosophy
Codify
Connect
Capability
Commercialize
Collaborate
Contact
Consciousness
Elaine Ferneley
Strategic
Mindset
Technocratic – based on IT
Systems School - Knowledge Bases
 Capture specialist knowledge in
knowledge bases for other
‘specialists’ to access, evolved
over 25yrs
 Codification to allow others to
access and use in association
with their own professional
expertise
 Examples:
 Skandia database to
support underwriters’
decision making;
 Airbus CD-ROMS for
airplane maintenance
technical expertise
Elaine Ferneley
Technocratic – based on IT
Systems School - Knowledge Bases
 Advantages:
 Explicit, verifiable
 Shortcomings:
 Maintenance & updates,
 needs reward mechanism of
providing
updates/amendments – often
these are highly technical
systems so reward is individual
publicity
 Not all knowledge is objective
so difficult to codify
 Very domain specific – difficult
to generalise from
Elaine Ferneley
Technocratic – based on IT
Cartographic School - Knowledge Directories
 Mapping organizational knowledge
– building knowledge directories
or ‘yellow pages’
 Connecting knowledgeable people
– gateways to knowledge rather
than knowledge repositories –
knowledge is as likely to be tacit
as explicit
 Examples:
 McKinsey & Co early adopters
– all employees must state 3
areas of expertise
 WS Atkins – inclusion of
personality traits e.g. good
negotiator
Elaine Ferneley
Technocratic – based on IT
Cartographic School - Knowledge Directories
 Advantages:
 Continuous self editing,
cheap
 Shortcomings:
 Assessment of expertise
 People process,
technology provides
connectivity and possibly
search capabilities
 Internal ‘yellow pages’
can be regulated but
how to regulate external
‘yellow pages’ e.g.
ISWORLD!
Elaine Ferneley
Technocratic – based on IT
Process School - Knowledge Flows
 Derived from Business Process
Reengineering – enhance
business performance by
providing personnel with as
much information as possible
 Workers are Capable of making
decisions if they have the
information – give decision
relevant, contextual and best
practice knowledge
 Examples:
 Hewlett-Packard open
access databases
 Fire Service mobile
computing
 Storytelling
Elaine Ferneley
Technocratic – based on IT
Process School - Knowledge Flows
 Advantages:
 Empowered workforce
 False departmental walls are
broken down
 Shortcomings:
 Information overload,
requires alternative modes of
delivery
 Employee scepticism
 Information taken out of
context
Elaine Ferneley
Economic – based on Profit
Commercial School - Intellectual Assets
 Focus on protecting and exploiting
intellectual assets of the firm
 Knowledge should be exploited for
commercial gain
 Examples:
 Dow chemicals exploitation of
its patent portfolio. Had 25k
patents that cost $30m p.a. to
maintain with a licensing income
of only $25m. In 5 years
increased revenue to $125m
p.a. through sales and licensing
 Cap Gemini – rent of technical
subcontractors to health and
local authorities. 2003 revenue
£87m
Elaine Ferneley
Economic – based on Profit
Commercial School - Intellectual Assets
 Advantages:
 Quick win
 Inclusion of corporate
knowledge as a company
asset on the balance sheet
 Shortcomings:
 Ongoing management of
the ‘knowledge property’ –
how do you manage
knowledge efficiently and
effectively
 How to avoid employees
feeling exploited
Elaine Ferneley
Behavioural – based on Sociology
Organizational School - Community
 Use organizational structures &
networks to share or pool
knowledge
 Collaboration within communities
(of practice) to encourage sharing
and exchange of knowledge
 Examples:
 BP Amoco through Lotus notes
and video conferencing
developed the drilling platform
expertise global community –
saving $27m in one year
 Ford’s knowledge and best
practice forums, self regulating,
anyone can join
Elaine Ferneley
Behavioural – based on Sociology
Organizational School - Community
 Advantages:
 Break down organisational
barriers
 Members ‘should’ be there
because they choose to be
 Shortcomings:
 Will only work if there is a
tradition of sociability and
networking, BP and Ford are
famous for connectivity, expat
communities, graduate entry
networks etc
 Moderators or brokers may be
required
 IT must be an enabler not a
regulator
Elaine Ferneley
Behavioural – based on Sociology
Spatial School
 Use of space to facilitate
knowledge exchange – the water
cooler
 Contactivity – people are social
animals who prefer conversations
to documents or IT
 Examples:
 Yahoo’s kitchen, bar, bean bag
environment
 British Airways at Waterside
medieval street inc. café,
newsagent, grocery store
Elaine Ferneley
British Airways (Waterside) and
Google Offices
Elaine Ferneley
Behavioural – based on Sociology
Spatial School
 Advantages:
 Meet people you would
not normally encounter
 Level of informality that
encourages innovation
 Shortcomings:
 Yahoo drank the bar dry
 Other metrics take over
so spatial features are
slowly withdrawn
 Resentment from ‘havenots’
Elaine Ferneley
Behavioural – based on Sociology
Strategic School
 Knowledge management as the
‘essence’ of the firm’s strategy
 Consciousness raising – the
organisation moves to being the
‘intelligent organisation’ or the ‘life
long learning’ organisation
 Examples:
 Skandia is THE example – they
embrace all the former schools
and view the development of
intellectual capital as their core
mission
 Buckman Labs (see case study)
Elaine Ferneley
People
ProcessesInformation
Information &
Communication
Technology
The Knowledge Organisation
Culture
Competition
Create
Technology
Collect
Knowledge
Maintain Organizatio
n
Organize
Intelligence
Refine
Knowledge
Management
Process
Disseminate
Elaine Ferneley
Leadership
KM Drivers
 The middle layer
addresses the KM life
cycle
 A knowledge organization
derives knowledge from
customer, product, and
financial knowledge.
Also from financial
practices
 Indicators of knowledge:
thinking actively and
ahead, not passively and
behind
 Using technology to
facilitate knowledge
sharing and innovation
Knowledge Value Chain
Create
Codify
•Learning organizations
•Stimulating working
environments
•Time to think
•Trust
•Reward & Recognition
•Organise
•Classify
•Hard or soft
structure –
database
friendly/free text
Diffuse
•Access – who/how
•Transfer
•Share
•Examples – email,
knowledge maps
(yellow pages), best
practice, discussion
groups
Hard Infrastructure - technology platform
Soft Infrastructure - skills, processes etc.
Asset Management - measure, protect, exploit
Elaine Ferneley
Use
•Product
development
•Service provision
•Process
improvement
•Measures of
success
Knowledge Map Example (Corporate Yellow Pages)
– Assumption that it’s Web-based
Create
•Who
•Why
•Reward
Codify
•Content
•Searchability
Diffuse
•Access – who/how
•Transfer/push
•Share
•Update
Use
•For what
•Measures of
success
65% of Corporate intranets fall into disuse between 1 & 2 years
(KPMG, Parlby 2006)
Elaine Ferneley
Earl’s (2001)Taxonomy of Knowledge
Management Approaches
School
Technocratic
Economic
Behavioural
Attribute
Systems
Cartographic
Engineering
Commercial
Organization
Spatial
Focus
Technology
Maps
Processes
Income
Networks
Space
Aim
Knowledge
Bases
Knowledge
Directories
Knowledge
Flows
Knowledge
Assets
Knowledge
Pooling
Knowledge
Exchange
Knowledge
Capabilities
Principle
IT Element
Knowledge
-based
Systems
Profiles &
Directories on
Intranets
Shared
Databases
Intellectual
Asset Register &
Processing
System
Groupware &
Intranets
Representati
onal Tools
Eclectic
Philosophy
Codify
Connect
Capability
Commercialize
Collaborate
Contact
Consciousness
Elaine Ferneley
Strategic
Mindset
Summary
Elaine Ferneley