Transcript Organizational culture and Knowledge management

Organizational culture and
Knowledge management
B.V.L.Narayana
Sr Professor (T M )
RSC/BRC
Definitions
The set of shared attitudes, values,
goals, and practices that characterizes
an institution, organization or group
(Wikipedia)
Wilkins and Dyer (1988) suggest that
culture "is [composed] of the values,
competencies, and beliefs of a group of
people that strongly influence whether
and how organizational strategies are
implemented. (p. 522)."
Definitions
Schein (1990) defines culture as, "…a) a
pattern of basic assumptions, b) invented,
discovered, or developed by a given group, c)
as it learns to cope with its problems of
external adaptation and internal integration,
d) that has worked well enough to be
considered valid and, therefore e) is to be
taught to new members as the f) correct way
to perceive, think, and feel in relation to
those problems
Importance of culture
Karlsen & Gottschalk (2004) view culture as
important because it shapes assumptions
about what knowledge is worth exchanging;
it defines relationships between individual
and organizational knowledge; it creates the
context for social interaction that determines
how knowledge will be shared in particular
situations; and it shapes the processes by
which new knowledge is created, legitimated,
and distributed in organizations. Lack of
technology does not prevent KM activity – it
just means that KM activity must be
accomplished in different ways.
Importance of culture
Without the benefit of a culture that
recognizes, encourages, and rewards
KM activities, consistent performance of
KM activities will not occur. Interaction
and collaboration among employees is
important when attempting to transmit
tacit knowledge between individuals or
convert tacit knowledge into explicit
knowledge, thereby transforming it
from the individual to the organizational
level (Gold, et. al., 2001).
Model of knowledge
categories(Hedlund and Nonaka)
Knowledge
Indivi Group
characteristics dual
Organiz Inter
ation
organizat
ion
domain
Articulated
knowledge
information
embodied cognitive
skills
Organizati
on chart
Suppliers
patents and
documented
practices
Corporate
culture
Customers
attitudes to
products and
expectations
Knowing Quality circles
calculus documented
analysis of its
performance
Tacit knowledge and Cross
information,
cultural
cognitive skills
negotiat
embedded
ion skills
Team
coordination
in complex
work
Factors in culture and impact
Information Systems
Combine people, processes, and technology
Must be flexible and tailored to the type of
knowledge being captured, shared, or
created
Include formal and informal approaches
Impact
Build networks that foster
conversation,relationships, and trust among
employees.Generate a collaborative environment
in which employees know who knows what,know
what was done before, and use this knowledge to
resolve problems quickly and effectively.
Factors in culture and impact
Organizational Structure
Must be permeable and minimize the focus on
organizational silos
Must support learning and sharing of knowledge
Encourages the formation of teams, work groups,
and communities of practice
Impact
Allows the flow of knowledge regardless of
employee role, job function, or other traditional
boundaries. Facilitates sharing of knowledge and
learning to create even more knowledge. Allows
employees to bond socially and technically to
share information, build on each others
knowledge, and to solve problems.
Factors in culture and impact
Reward Systems
Consist of a balance between intrinsic and extrinsic
motivators
Encourage knowledge sharing across role and functional
boundaries; Must not trivialize knowledge sharing efforts
Include a formal assessment of achievements against
knowledge management objectives
Impact
Encourage knowledge sharing through formal systems,
such as financial incentives and compensation structures;
and through informal systems such as peer-to-peer
recognition. Acknowledge the value of sharing knowledge,
the contributions people make, and the importance of not
hoarding information or knowledge. Motivate employees to
develop innovations that would help them do things right
Factors in culture and impact
Processes
Connect people with other knowledge people
Connect people with information
Enable conversation of information to knowledge
Encapsulate knowledge
Disseminate knowledge throughout organization
Impact
Promote collaborative problem solving, streamlined
workload, consolidated information, and enhanced
performance.Enable learning, sharing of crossfunctional expertise, and sharing of worker-to-worker
knowledge. Develop information systems that enable
information to seamlessly cross traditional silos.
Factors in culture and impact
People
Most significant element of a knowledge management
system
Employees need reassurances that they are still valued after
they give up their knowledge
Level of trust greatly influences the amount of knowledge
that is shared
Impact
Fosters an environment where employees trust that their knowledge
is valued and ensures that the culture grows at the right pace, with
the right people, and in the right mix. Allows employees to do a better
job of aggregating useful information, and make it available to others
who need it when they need it.
Factors in culture and impact
Leadership
Provides strong and dedicated commitment to knowledge
management initiatives
Leads by example
Fosters open knowledge sharing by creating an environment built on
trust
Fosters a belief that organizational learning and knowledge
management are critical
Develops a customer-centered business orientation
Impact
Creates the vision, mission, objectives, and ethics code for the
organization as it develops its knowledge management system.
Endorses and sustains knowledge management initiatives by taking
on the role of coach and mentor. Removes barriers to progress.
Reinforces and rewards positive behaviors and promotes the right
people.Moves the entire organization toward knowledge management.
Factors in culture and impact
Factors in culture and impact