OBJECTIVE
Study the components and management of knowledge management in organizations
INTRODUCTION
Organizations today are struggling to position themselves in a market space that allows them to earn more.
Derived from the large number of companies that compete every day in the business environment, organizations need to have competitive advantages that allow them to be at the forefront of all the changes and needs of the environment.
Each one of the organizations assumes a strategy that will allow it to go to the front of the sector and be able to obtain the preference of the clients.
One of the main advantages of current organizations is the generation of data which, in turn, and proper management, become information that, once applied to the elements of the organization, becomes knowledge. Knowledge is a fundamental part of today's business. Organizations exchange knowledge and transact knowledge. Likewise, they get as much knowledge as possible that allows them to create and innovate in different areas of the company.
This article will address the issue of knowledge management and how companies have constituted an important competitive advantage.
BASIC CONCEPTS
MANAGEMENT
Management is the process by which a manager or management team determines the actions to be followed by the company, which are specified in the planning, also establish the strategies and goals to be achieved. Through the creation of strategies, management seeks to improve results in search of achieving objectives. (HERNANDEZ, 2014)
KNOWLEDGE
Knowledge is the sum of the abstract representations that are possessed about an aspect of reality. (ABC, 2016). Knowledge does not come out of nowhere. Organizations generate a large amount of data derived from the activities of the business scope of each organization at all times. These data by themselves have no meaning, but when the organization gives them meaning they become information. This information with proper management and applied to individuals or organizations can be converted into knowledge.
Knowledge Pyramid
Another definition states that knowledge “is a mixture of flow of framed experiences, values, contextual information that provides a framework to evaluate and incorporate new experiences and information. It originates and is applied in the minds of connoisseurs. In organizations, it often manifests itself not only in documents or repositories, but also in organizational routines, processes, practices, and standards. ” (MARULANDA, LOPEZ, & MEJIA, 2013)
As part of the definitions of knowledge, it is important to highlight a classification of knowledge dividing it into tacit knowledge and explicit knowledge:
Tacit knowledge can be described as that knowledge that people have accumulated over time derived from their different areas of intervention. This type of knowledge is not easy to materialize and on many occasions it is also known as “experience”.
On the other hand, explicit knowledge is the type of knowledge that can be transmitted through different organizational structures. This type of knowledge is represented through formats, documents, manuals, etc. explicit knowledge can be recorded in computer systems. (ECOLINK, sf)
In order to treat this knowledge, knowledge management is carried out.
MANAGEMENT
Knowledge management is the identification and use of collective knowledge in organizations in order to help the organization compete. The above through four outstanding stages such as creation, storage and recovery, transfer and application of knowledge. (MARULANDA, LOPEZ, & MEJIA, 2013)
Another definition tells us that knowledge management is a process that continuously ensures the development and application of all kinds of knowledge that are relevant to a company in order to improve its problem-solving capacity and maintain its advantages. competitive. (SIEVER, 1999).
Knowledge management is the set of processes and systems that allow to increase intellectual capital significantly and that can provide competitive advantages.
It is also a function that allows planning, coordinating and controlling the flow of knowledge. In this process, information is used to improve quality in order to develop the organization's mission.
Knowledge management refers to the transmission of knowledge that must exist in organizations among its members in order to share experiences among all its members, which can give it a competitive advantage since the entire organization goes in the same direction. (BEÑEGIL, 2004).
BACKGROUND
PRIMITIVE STAGE
From the moment that man appeared on earth, he began to acquire a series of practical experiences that over time became part of his store of knowledge. The first knowledge acquired by man was that which allowed him to survive in his daily life. Basic knowledge of hunting, fighting and survival were some of this knowledge.
With the passage of time, the information or data to which man had access continued to be very rudimentary, but through empirical learning processes, man was able to acquire other types of knowledge that allowed him to evolve into a sedentary society. Some of this knowledge was of a social nature, on activities such as gathering, agriculture, etc. During this time, man realizes that through knowledge he can form different societies in which the different associated knowledge helps them to shape social structures.
The man of this time soon realized that his own experiences were not enough, but that the new generations should have prior information that would allow them to know the actions of various phenomena before they occurred. That is why the experiences lived during one generation were transmitted to the following generations orally.
However, once again through experience, man observed that knowledge was often lost between one generation and another, since when transmitted orally, not all information could always be kept. For this reason, techniques such as writing arise through which knowledge could be transmitted and not lost over time, in addition to the fact that more people could have access to knowledge.
MODERN TIME
Today man lives in an era with a wealth of information at his fingertips. The great technological advances have allowed the human being to have at his disposal knowledge of past times and its application in the present time. It is not surprising that the organizations that compete today do so through the knowledge that their members generate. In these times, knowledge is considered as an engine to promote learning not only within the company but also outside of it. Once the company can focus knowledge towards each of its areas and its processes, there must be a change in the behavior of the members of the organization, otherwise the knowledge will not have fulfilled its mission.
Here are some contributions on knowledge management:
| YEAR | EVENT |
| 480-411 AC | Pythagoras affirmed that "Man is the measure of all things, of which they are inasmuch as they are, and of those who are not inasmuch as they are not." |
| 428-347A.C. | He affirmed that accurate knowledge could be acquired from invisible ideas |
| 384-322 AC | Aristotle sees knowledge as "an acquisition via direct, through abstraction or indirectly through rules of logic" |
| 1601-1666 | Various studies in medieval times, talk about gnosteology which is responsible for studying human knowledge |
| Present | Davenport and Prusak affirm that knowledge can only be produced in humans since it is the only one capable of converting data and information into knowledge |
LEVELS OF KNOWLEDGE
Human beings can acquire knowledge at the following levels:
- SENSITIVE: Consists of capturing an object through the use of different senses, for example, images captured through sight, sounds captured through ears, etc. The human being is capable of storing all the elements captured according to various criteria such as color, figures, etc. They are invisible and immaterial but universal and essential representations. Like conceptual knowledge, it does not have colors or dimensions. For this reason it is necessary to capture an element from a broad context as an element of a totality. (MAVAREZ, sf)
ELEMENTS OF KNOWLEDGE MANAGEMENT
The knowledge generation process is carried out only by human beings. For this to be possible, elements such as human abilities and generated information intervene.
- Information. In organizations it is generated, collected, processed and stored in the organization's information systems. Through dashboards, valuable information can be obtained to be able to make decisions, they cannot be transmitted, as this would involve acquiring new knowledge and, in many cases, not enough time.
In most cases, the transmission of information is easier than the acquisition of a skill. In order to carry out the learning of the skills, it is necessary to carry out training plans through the most valuable people who are often not found within the company, so it is possible to hire personnel from outside the company. (ARCHANCO, 2011).
Other fundamental elements for knowledge management are:
- Organizational culture. defines what values knowledge and affirms that knowledge must be maintained within the organization so that it can become a competitive advantage. Organizational structure. Through structure, knowledge can be generated or inhibited. People are the center of organizational knowledge. They must create and share knowledge. Technology. Contributes to knowledge management. Includes information and its capabilities. It is used to connect people with knowledge and can facilitate conversations between different members in order to create new knowledge.
KNOWLEDGE MANAGEMENT METHODOLOGY
The process for defining knowledge is as follows:
- Define the business in terms of knowledge. At this stage, the company must identify the intellectual capital it owns and must incorporate it into the competencies of its company. For this to happen, it is necessary for the top management of the organization to realize that its strategy must not only be based on aspects such as quality or customer satisfaction, but also on its intellectual capacity.
In order to have an organizational structure that is based on knowledge, it is also necessary that the company is based on knowledge. The company must determine how it uses the information at its disposal to be able to act, that is, to know its customers, technologies and products. The main advantage of the company should not be what it produces, but rather the knowledge it has to produce it.
- Clarify how the intellectual capital of the company is composed. The intellectual capital of a company is the sum of all the knowledge of the company's employees that can give the company an advantage over the competition. In order to have adequate knowledge management, it is necessary for the organization's managers to be able to identify the personnel who produce the capital, incentivize them so that they can generate and share it and, of course, manage it. These non-material contributions are the main asset of today's companies. Much of the intellectual capital is used for the purpose of generating future value. Despite the fact that said capital is not observable and on many occasions it is not given sufficient importance, the key processes of the company arise from its management.
Intellectual capital can be divided into:
- Human capital. It is the useful knowledge for the company that those people who work in a company possess. It also includes the ability of people to learn. It is from human capital that structural capital and relational capital are generated.
An important characteristic of human capital is that it cannot be bought or owned by the company. the organization can only hire you for some periods of time.
- Structural capital. It is the knowledge that the company manages to formalize and systematize, based on the knowledge that was previously found in the people who work in the organization. Management systems, work processes, technologies and patents are examples of structural capital. It is important that the company manages to structure the human capital since at the moment that one of the workers leaves the organization, the structured capital may remain, since it is owned by the company. Relational capital. They are those relationships that are maintained outside the organization and the value that the company assigns to these relationships. It is important that the company considers customer relationships and the creation of new future relationships that can have a positive impact on it.At the same time, there must be an analysis of the organization in relation to its competitive environment in order to generate possible alliances and agreements with suppliers or competition.
Types of Capital: Human, Structural and Relational
- Identify those employees who produce the knowledge that give the company a competitive advantage. Those people who produce knowledge of value to the organization are talented people. These people differ from the rest of the people who do the same type of work. An important part of managerial competencies lies in the fact that they must be able to identify these skills, but not in the person who produces the most ideas, but in the fact that throughout the organization there are people with great abilities than when required to do so. meet the objectives, they manage to carry out these projects. Although it is true that there are people who manage to do things beyond what their peers do in equal situations,The company should not completely depend on these people, because when for any reason any of them leave, the knowledge that this company has will have gone with it. Convert the knowledge generated by the superior employees into information: classify, distribute and make it accessible.. Make reference to converting knowledge back to information. In order for more people to access the knowledge generated, different information systems are created in order to store this information and expose it in a clear and, above all, accessible way so that the people of the organization can consult it when they need it. Identify the competencies that enable top-performing employees to use information intelligently.The analysis of the people considered to have the best abilities in the organization, allows them to identify these competences and try to institute them among all the members of the organization based on the premise that said competences can be adapted by all the members. for talents to share their knowledge. Although many believe that the member of the organization who has some valuable information will not want to share it in order to have a competitive advantage, however, the goal is not to share the information, but to provide their knowledge. This of course is difficult to apply, as well as reinventing people's thinking style. (ROJAS, 2016)It allows the same to identify these competences and try to institute them among all the members of the organization based on the premise that said competences can be adapted by all the members. To promote a cultural change so that talents share their knowledge. Although many believe that the member of the organization who has some valuable information will not want to share it in order to have a competitive advantage, however, the goal is not to share the information, but to provide their knowledge. This of course is difficult to apply, as well as reinventing people's thinking style. (ROJAS, 2016)It allows the same to identify these competences and try to institute them among all the members of the organization based on the premise that said competences can be adapted by all the members. To promote a cultural change so that talents share their knowledge. Although many believe that the member of the organization who has some valuable information will not want to share it in order to have a competitive advantage, however, the objective is not to share the information, but to provide their knowledge. This of course is difficult to apply, as well as reinventing people's thinking style. (ROJAS, 2016)Promote a cultural change so that talents share their knowledge. Although many believe that the member of the organization who has some valuable information will not want to share it in order to have a competitive advantage, however, the goal is not to share the information, but to provide their knowledge. This of course is difficult to apply, as well as reinventing people's thinking style. (ROJAS, 2016)Promote a cultural change so that talents share their knowledge. Although many believe that the member of the organization who has some valuable information will not want to share it in order to have a competitive advantage, however, the goal is not to share the information, but to provide their knowledge. This of course is difficult to apply, as well as reinventing people's thinking style. (ROJAS, 2016)as well as reinventing people's thinking style. (ROJAS, 2016)as well as reinventing people's thinking style. (ROJAS, 2016)
ADVANTAGES OF KNOWLEDGE MANAGEMENT
- Frequent use of knowledge to produce better goods and services. Development of better technologies and information systems. Innovation in products and services. Information is shared more quickly. Knowledge flow is increased. The company's actions can turn it into an intelligent company..
IMPORTANCE OF KNOWLEDGE MANAGEMENT FOR ORGANIZATIONS
Knowledge is important for the development of organizations. If it is generated and transmitted correctly, the organization can grow. The possibility of generating knowledge and developing this knowledge through the construction of different systems or the improvement of products and services is very wide and can be given easily and quickly. Knowledge must be shared before it ends. Although growth grows over time, it must be shared since failure to do so may lead to loss.
It must also be systematized, that is, it must be integrated into manuals, processes, etc. so that it remains for posterity even when the person who made the contribution is no longer in the organization.
CONCLUSIONS
Information is generated in companies. This information applied in a specific way and with an appropriate focus can become knowledge. Those people who have the competence to generate knowledge must be a fundamental part of the company. Not only that, but the work of these people must be recognized. Through knowledge management, the company's control over it is sought and its application for the benefit of the company in order to place it as a competitive advantage. It is necessary for the company to have knowledge management systems in order not to lose it or it could fall into the wrong hands.
Today's companies have the capacity to generate innovations and to manage information in such a way that it becomes knowledge. Managers must be brought together with human talent that gives them valuable information, but above all that they can share experiences with others and be able to generate institutional knowledge.
Bibliography
ABC. (2016). DEFINITION OF KNOWLEDGE. Obtained from
ARCHANCO, R. (SEPTEMBER 25, 2011). WHAT IS KNOWLEDGE MANAGEMENT? Obtained from
BEÑEGIL, T. (2004). KNOWLEDGE MANAGEMENT AND STRATEGY. COLOMBIA: PORRUA.
ECOLINK. (sf). KNOWLEDGE MANAGEMENT. Obtained from
HERNANDEZ, N. (NOVEMBER 27, 2014). THEORY OF KNOWLEDGE MANAGEMENT.
Obtained from
MARULANDA, C., LOPEZ, M., & MEJIA, M. (APRIL 29, 2013). ANALYSIS OF KNOWLEDGE MANAGEMENT IN SMES IN COLOMBIA. GTI, 33-43.
MAVAREZ, A. (sf). THEORY OF KNOWLEDGE. Obtained from
ROJAS, K. (APRIL 14, 2016). THE COMPONENTS OF KNOWLEDGE MANAGEMENT.
Obtained from
SIEVER, AY (1999). THE INTEGRAL MANAGEMENT OF KNOWLEDGE AND LEARNING. INDUSTRIAL ECONOMY, 68.
Amisaday Huerta Zamora. Bachelor of Administration from the Superior Technological Institute of Tierra Blanca
Student of the Master in Administrative Engineering at the Technological Institute of Orizaba
With thanks to the National Technological Institute of Mexico for being able to belong to him and to Dr. Fernando Aguirre y Hernández for the motivation for the elaboration of these articles for the subject of Fundamentals of Administrative Engineering.
Thesis proposal
Creation of a comprehensive model for knowledge management in companies
objective
Create a model for knowledge management that is applicable in companies of different sizes
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