Transcript Knowledge Management: Organizational and Systems perspectives

Decision Support &
Executive Information
Systems:
LECTURE 8
Amare Michael Desta
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Managing knowledge in knowledge work:
How operations are organized in “traditional”
work e.g. in manufacturing sector
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Different operations follow each others in
logical order until the task is completed
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Managing knowledge in knowledge work -
(Contd….)
Could the same happen in knowledge
work or is it “chaotic” or less
organized by its nature?
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What is the difference between the logistics of
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physical components
information / knowledge components?
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Knowledge flow (logistic) and
utilization of knowledge resources
Available tacit
knowledge resources
Knowledge acquisition
-defining the requirements
-localizing knowledge
-accessing knowledge
-absorptive capacity
Knowledge creation &
reuse
-skills & competencies
-tools & methods
Available explicit
knowledge resources
Unavailable tacit
knowledge resources
Knowledge outcomes
-embrained knowledge
-embodied knowledge
-encultured knowledge
-embedded knowledge
-encoded knowledge
Unavailable explicit
knowledge resources
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Knowledge Management, (KM)
- the need and the reality
The move from an industrially-based
economy to a knowledge or informationbased one in the 21st Century demands a
top-notch KM System to secure a
competitive edge and a capacity for learning.
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Knowledge Management
– the importance
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The new source of wealth is K, and
not labor, land, or financial capital. It
is the intangible, intellectual assets
that must be managed.
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The key challenge of the Knowledge based economy is to foster
innovation
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The Knowledge Economy
For several decades the world's best-known
forecasters of societal change have predicted
the emergence of a new economy in which
brainpower, not machine power, is the critical
resource.
But the future has already turned into the
present, and the era of K has arrived.
"The Learning Organization," Economist Intelligence Unit”
But do you all agree?
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The Knowledge Economy
– rest on THREE pillars
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The role that K plays in transactions: it
is what is being bought and sold; both
the raw material and the finished goods
The concurrent rise in importance of K
assets, which transform and add value
to knowledge products
The emergence of ways to manage
these materials and assets, or KM
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Two Kinds of Knowledge
K is intangible, dynamic, & difficult to measure,
BUT without it no organization can survive.
 Tacit: or unarticulated K is more personal,
experiential, context specific, and hard to
formalize; is difficult to communicate or share
with others; and is generally embedded in
the heads of individuals and teams.
 Explicit: K can easily be written down and
codified.
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The main issues are – how to
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Design and install techniques and
processes to create, protect, and use
known K.
Design and create environments and
activities to discover and release K that is
not known, or tacit K.
Articulate the purpose and nature of
managing K as a resource & embodying it
in other initiatives and programs.
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Do we really need KM System?
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Competitive success will be based on how
strategically intellectual capital is managed
Capturing the knowledge residing in the
minds of employees so that it can be
easily shared across the enterprise
Leveraging organizational knowledge is
emerging as the solution to an increasingly
fragmented and globally-dispersed
workplace
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Do we really need KM System?
(Contd…)
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Instead of constantly reengineering and
downsizing: talented people are assets to
be developed for a global 21st Century
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The reuse of knowledge saves work,
reduces communications costs, and allows
a company to take on more projects.
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The Successful Managing of
Knowledge
Focus on FIVE tasks:
1.
Generating knowledge
2.
Accessing knowledge
3.
Representing and embedding knowledge
4.
Facilitating knowledge
5.
Transferring knowledge
It is a process of instilling the culture and
helping the people in it find ways to share and
utilize their collective knowledge.
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KM – the enablers
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Leadership
Knowledge champions, such as CKOs
Culture
Access
Technology
Learning Culture
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More on the importance of
Corporate Culture
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Changing the culture is imperative.
To create a climate in which employees
volunteer their creativity and expertise,
managers need to look beyond the traditional
tools at their disposal: finding ways to build
trust and develop fair process.
That means getting the gatekeepers to
facilitate the flow of information rather than
hoard it.
And offering rewards and incentives
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The technological divide
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Generating organizational K invariably
means converting the tacit K of the
individual into explicit K accessible by all.
IT is most effective when it enables this
social process.
 Organizations must think through their
technological systems.
 Technology such as Intranets and
advanced collaborative software have
made KM possible.
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Organizational Changes
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Lines between departments and operating
divisions blur
KM even completely collapses boundaries
A KM system cannot work through
hierarchies
Individual and team learning process must
become the true driver of organizational
learning
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Organizational Knowledge
- Why is it Important?
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Knowledge can be embedded in processes,
products, systems, and controls
Knowledge can be accessed as it is needed
from sources inside or outside the firm
It is versatile and can be transferred
formally, through training, or informally, by
way of workplace socialization
It is the essence of the competitive edge!
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Why KM? What’s the big deal?
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By instituting a learning organization (KMintensive), there is an increase in employee
satisfaction due to greater personal
development and empowerment.
Keep your employees longer and thereby,
reduce the loss of intellectual capital from
people leaving the company.
Save money by not reinventing the wheel for
each new project
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Why KM? What’s the big deal?
(Contd….)
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Reduce costs by decreasing and achieving
economies of scale in obtaining information
from external providers.
Increase productivity by making K available
more quickly and easily.
Provides workers with a more democratic
place to work by allowing everyone access to
K
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Why KM? What’s the big deal?
(Contd….)
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Learning Faster With KM
Learning fast to stay competitive
KM software and technological
infrastructures allow for global access to
an organization’s K, at a keystroke
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Successful KM programs –
the indications
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Information is widely disseminated throughout the
organization
Accessible at a fast rate of speed.
Virtual communities of practice share what is
known in a global fashion, independent of time
zones and other geographic limitations.
Business without boundaries broad, often virtual
in nature.
Collaboration to support continuous innovation
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and new K creation.
KM and future scenarios
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Where are we going? What are we here for?
People need awareness of the whole: in what
direction is the organization going?
To have a goal to reach in the future can
provide great incentive for a KM initiative.
Effective leveraging lies within an
organization’s capacity for rethinking and
recreating. Scenario thinking can help us see
the blind spots, and help us create the future
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Sustainability of a KM endeavor
There are three fundamental processes that
sustain profound changes such as the
introduction of a KM system:
- developing networks of committed people
- improving business results
- enhancing personal results
To achieve sustainability, there must be a
focus on learning and learning how to harness
the learning capabilities that lead to innovation.
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Sustainability of a KM Endeavor
(Contd….)
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For significant change to lead to
sustainability, hierarchical control must be
put aside.
The emergence and development of
informal networks must be supported so
that people can share their tacit knowledge
and help one another.
Managers need to surrender control.
And mental models need to be examined.
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KM Software Tools
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Globalserve
Knowcorp
Hyperknowledge
MicroStrategy
The Molloy Group
KnowledgeX Inc.
WebFarming.com
Softlab Enabling
Tools
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Imagination
Excalibur
Technologies
Imaging Solutions
Grapevine
Technologies
Intraspect Software
Milagro: The Power
of Imagination
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Knowledge Management - the essence
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Is understanding and valuing intangible
assets over tangible.
Understanding that human and intellectual
capital are the greatest resources
Managing the skills and competencies that
lie within an organization, and allowing
them to blossom
Allowing people to be the best that they can
be; optimizing performance.
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KM & Systems – the main focus
Key questions I’d like to raise:
 What is the relationship between KM &
systems?
 Can “knowledge” serve as a unifying concept
for understanding organizations and systems?
 Can there be design principles and techniques
based on KM concepts, for designing
organizations and their systems?
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KM as a management concept
/ approach
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A parade of management ideas
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Classical administrative theories 1940’s
Scientific management (e.g. Taylor) 1950’s
Human relations approach
…
TQM 1980’s
BPR 1990’s
KM !! 2000~
… ??
Is KM one among many approaches?
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Shouldn’t knowledge be a fundamental concept
for understanding and managing organizations?
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Knowledge in Computing & IS
The trend is toward (increasingly explicit)
“knowledge representation” in systems
Programs 1960’sDatabase schemas (data independence from programs)1970’sConceptual data modeling (domains, enterprises) 1980’sKnowledge-based systems (knowledge about world separate from
inference engine) 1980’sKnowledge sharing among systems (“ontologies”) 1990’sSoftware agents 1990’sSemantic web 2000’sThe Question is: What is the role of knowledge in IS? Shouldn’t
knowledge be a fundamental concept in IS?
-
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What is the role of knowledge
in IS, and IS development?
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Where is the knowledge?
 There is knowledge in:
What kinds of knowledge?
 User organization
Whose knowledge?
 Developer organization
How does knowledge get “into” the systems?
 Various artifacts
What is change effected?
Requirements
Analysis
Systems
Design
Software
Implementation
Custo mer
Forms
Or der
Spec
ERD
Pr o duct
Customer
Order
Schedu led
Deliver y
Product
Scheduled
Delivery
Salesperson
Salesp er son
Architecture
Update
Marketing
Authorize
Credit
Tables
Order
Entry
Bill
Customer
VB Code
VC++ Code
Schedule
Delivery
Abstractions
about world
Inventory
Knowledge
about world
Abstractions
about system
Operations on
system
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Knowledge in
organizations and systems
-Management is about achieving effectiveness through
K and action
- Info systems (development) is about converting
(organizational) K into (automated) action.
Can there be a theory of K and action to help understand,
analyze, and design organizations and their systems?
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Limited KM perspective:
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How to manage the
knowledge in organizations
and systems
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Broader perspective –
K as unifying concept:
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How to design effective
organizations and systems?
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KM systems as specialized classes of
systems or “applications”
e.g., [Alavi Leidner 01] [Marwick 01] [Smith Farquhar 00]
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Groupware
 Taxonomies
Data mining
 Document classification
Learning tools
 Portals & metadata
E-bulletin boards
 Text search
Knowledge repositories
 Summarization
and databases, FAQs
 Relationships discovery
Discussion forums
 Visualization
Knowledge directories
 …
Expert systems
Workflow systems
Contrasted with more conventional
information systems
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Five Paradigms of IT Support
- a rough typology
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1. the “processing” paradigm
Here, the focus is on the processing (usually fixed a priori)
E.g. sales orders processing, bank account statements, teller machine
processing...
Info. operations:
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calculate
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transform
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...
Info. structures:
data items
lists
arrays
trees
...
Qualities
emphasized:
 speed
 accuracy
 correctness
 ...
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2. the “repository” paradigm
Here, the focus is on the storage and retrieval
E.g. document management systems, online catalogues, databases...
Info. structures:
Info. operations: records
links/
 create/read/
update/delete relationships
indexes
 lookup
catalogues
 navigate
...
 integrate
 ...
Qualities
emphasized:
 persistence
 accessibility
 integrity
 security
 ...
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3. the “tool” paradigm
The focus is on enabling the user
E.g. spreadsheet, word processing...
Info. operations:
 manipulation of
user’s information
representations
 ...
Info. structures:
conceptual
information
structures
e.g., cells in
spreadsheets
...
Qualities
emphasized:
 usability
 flexibility
 extensibility
 ...
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4. the “medium” paradigm
Here the focus is on communication
E.g. email, teleconferencing, groupware
Info. operations:
 send/receive
 share
 ...
Info. structures:
message
conversation
conference
...
Qualities
emphasized:
 presence
 fidelity
 authenticity
 privacy
 ...
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5. the “agent” paradigm
Here the focus is on assisting the user
Qualities
emphasized:
 ability
 intelligence
 trustworthine
ss
 ...
E.g. mail filters, web crawlers, knowledge discovery...
Info. operations:
 planning & goal
achievement
 “understanding”
 delegation
 ...
Info. structures:
Goals tasks/plans
conceptual structures
interdependencies
among agents...
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How much domain knowledge
is embedded in the system?
Least
Embedded
knowledge
Most
Embedded
knowledge
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Knowledge Media? A provocative concept
Suggests that we need to span the full range
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Major design questions
for organizational information systems
The term “K Media” suggests that an organization’s IS
would be a mix of systems with more/less embedded
K
Major design questions
- Who needs what K to achieve what objectives /
responsibilities?
- How much to embed in machines?
- Where in the organization?
- How to make tradeoffs – benefits vs. risks vulnerabilities?
E.g. speed, accuracy, economy vs. inflexibility, privacy
risks, loss of control, …
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What design methods and
techniques are available?
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Most conventional IS analysis and design
techniques are focused on “data” &
“processing”
HCI research has strengthened design
methods especially for “media” and “tool”
The Key Question is:
 How to bring in knowledge concepts for
designing organizations and systems?
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Modelling Strategic Actor
Relationships and Rationales
- modeling framework
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have goals, beliefs, abilities, commitments
are semi-autonomous
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freedom of action, constrained by relationships with others
not fully knowable or controllable
has knowledge to guide action, but only partially explicit
depend on each other
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for goals to be achieved, tasks to be performed, resources
to be furnished
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Modelling systems & organizations in
terms of Strategic Dependencies among actors
(Patient & Health Service provider)
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Strategic Dependency
Relationship
I want
…
Actor A
D
I can
…
Car Be Repaired
D
Actor B
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Strategic Rationales about alternative
configurations of relationships with other actors
– Why? How? How else?
[Yu AOSE01]
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Analysis and Design Support
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opportunities and vulnerabilities
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ability, workability, viability, believability
insurance, assurance, enforceability
node and loop analysis
design support
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raising issues
exploring alternatives
evaluating, making tradeoffs
justifying, settling
based on qualitative reasoning
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Compare:
conventional
systems modeling
modeling
agents – implicit knowledge
D
inputs
outputs
D
wants and
abilities
2. goals & (limited)
explicit knowledge
functional
decomposition
means-ends
alternatives
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Premises, key concepts
D
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Actors are semi-autonomous, partially
knowable
Strategic actors, intentional dependencies
have choice, reasons about alternate means
to ends
Intentionality
Autonomy
Sociality
Identity & Boundaries
Strategic Reflectivity
Rational Self-Interest
D
wants and
abilities
means-ends
alternatives
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In conclusion: Question for you
In the context of KM and systems
- What is organizational knowledge?
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Org. knowledge is in people and machines
- How is it collected, structured, and managed?
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Includes human & automated processes
- How does this impact an organization?
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Systems need to be designed in organizational
context, with attention to K & action of strategic
actors
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In conclusion: Contd….
In the context of KM and systems
- What tools do AI & KM provide to do the above?
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Various technologies offer different capabilities with
limitations & risks; need analysis & design tradeoffs
Conventional systems analysis and design techniques
are ill-equipped for analyzing knowledge & action of
strategic actors
AI and KM offer ideas for new frameworks
How are the issues of KM related to DSS?
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References
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R. Smith & A. Farquhar. The Road Ahead for
Knowledge management – An AI perspective. AI
Magazine. Winter 2000.
A.D. Marwick. Knowledge Management
Technology. IBM Systems Journal. 40(4):814-830.
2001.
M. Alavi & D.E. Leidner. Knowledge Management &
Knowledge Management Systems: Conceptual
Foundations and Research Issues. MIS Quarterly.
25(1):107-136. 2001.
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