From a research on knowledge management in companies that operate in ICT, a reflection is made on the management process, the necessary aspects for its use in companies and the need to carry out measurements in the different phases of the process, and its indispensable need to integrate it with the BSC.
Knowledge management and management indicators
As Marulanda, López Trujillo, 2012 point out, an important characteristic of today's society is the management of people, flexibility and maximum freedom; This supported by the intensive use of information and communication technologies, ICT, with customer-oriented services, marketing and innovation.
The authors of this research identify that the knowledge management process is made up of the phases of: Identify, Generate, Retain, Share and Apply, and in this framework it is important to determine the characteristics and intensity of the performance of human talent, in each of the companies.
The current era, for some known as the knowledge society, is linked to the knowledge economy, in the sense of being able to identify what is the role of knowledge in generating added value, which is consistent with the position of other authors. which indicate that knowledge management has as its fundamental contribution in companies, the creation of wealth. Knowledge, today, is taken as a key factor of production, and in the different eras or revolutions, knowledge has been important in the era of Production, then Productivity, and thirdly, the Management Revolution. In this regard, the Nobel Prize in economics Gary Becker, since 1984, supports the concept of "human capital".
Some of the elements that have contributed to this economic, rather than economistic, view of knowledge are:
- The use of knowledge in various sectors and activities, promoting the growth rate of technology.
- The globalization of technology
- And the valuation of specialized knowledge, skills and competences, as a success factor for organizations.
In this framework, as stated by the authors of the research Valuation of processes for knowledge management in companies in the IT cluster of the coffee axis 2012, companies must strengthen competitive, sustainable and sustainable advantages, which is done, among other things, by clusters or value networks, generating innovation in ICTs or adopting continuous improvement.
To manage knowledge, it is necessary to adopt adequate measures and tools at the level of policies, plans, programs, strategies and development, which must be quantifiable and verifiable with adequate indicators; among other aspects, the following:
- The formation of human capital in key areas such as document management, innovation, learning, design and use of web 2.0 tools
- Incorporate the Balanced Scorecard, CMI, circles of knowledge, lessons learned, data mining, technological surveillance
- Implement Research, Development and Innovation, R + D + i, Implement coaching or mentoring, such as the Corporate University. The pleasure to learn to learn; create new knowledge.
In this same context of knowledge management, the approach of Dr. Daniel Goleman is brought up, called Emotional Intelligence, understood here as the ability to understand and interrelate with others. This ability will allow employees to synchronize the organization's objectives with the individual ones. This facilitates teamwork, and at the same time enhances the unity of overall objectives. The emotional climate of a company depends between 50% and 70% of the leader, which directly impacts the adequate flow of knowledge in the company.
Some research shows that knowledge management is significantly related to lower costs, creativity and innovation of products, organizational improvement, increased performance and sales revenue. And to verify its benefits, measurement systems must be implemented. For this, the Balanced Score Card is a tool that helps to integrate the perspective of knowledge, strategically.
In the country, ICTs have become very important, due to the level of employment, the level of penetration into the population, and the availability of infrastructure. However, the software industry in Colombia does not find its north, as cited by De Valencia 2010. In Colombia some IT clusters are identified, Bogotá, Antioquia and the coffee triangle, whose potential is important in the framework of this globalized economy.
A cluster, allows to benefit collaborative work, and enhance knowledge management, evolving as a value network. This contribution must be supported by the robustness of the business links.
The research indicates that common tools were used, such as surveys, but also tools for evaluating intellectual capital, such as Balanced Score Card, Skandia's IC Navigator, Intellectual Capital Service's IC-Index, The Technology Broker's IC Audit and Sveiby´s The Intangible Asset Monitor (IAM). Such tools require key elements of knowledge management in its different management phases.
Therefore, it is no longer simply a support function previously referred to as industrial relations, or resource management or human talent, now it is about “knowledge management”, which means adapting new tools, new paradigms, new theories.. Knowledge management requires minimum conditions in the organization, such as a culture based on trust, respect, professionalism; the good working environment and the support of state-of-the-art information systems, among other elements.
As observed in the aforementioned research, the elements that promote knowledge management in companies are: Organizational Features, Knowledge Management Processes and Good Practices. And in this environment, as an outstanding aspect, knowledge management improves the competitiveness of companies effectively.
In this context, it is observed that innovation is a culture that generates prosperity and well-being, to implement it it is necessary to carry out the pertinent measurements and integrate it with the corporate strategy, for which the use of the BSC is recommended.
Bibliography
- Assessment of processes for knowledge management in companies in the IT cluster of the coffee axis; Marulanda E. Carlos Eduardo, Lopez Trujillo Marcelo and Lopez Trujillo Fernando. In EAN Magazine No. 72 Innovation and New Technologies. Bogotá DC 2012.
- Summarized Books. Peter Senge's “The Fifth Discipline” - Part One. In
- "The fifth discipline", Peter Senge, In
- Knowledge Management, how companies can benefit from the knowledge society.
Footnotes:
1. Valuation of processes for knowledge management in companies in the IT cluster of the coffee axis.; Marulanda E. Carlos Eduardo, Lopez Trujillo Marcelo and Lopez Trujillo Fernando. In EAN Magazine No. 72 Innovation and New Technologies. Bogotá DC 2012.
2. Ibidem.
3. Knowledge management, how can companies benefit from knowledge management?
4. According to Becker, human capital is "the accumulation of previous investments in education, job training, health and other factors that increase productivity."
5. The authors of the research “Valuation of processes for knowledge management in companies in the IT cluster of the coffee axis” 2012, indicate that in some way the company must become a training and knowledge center.
6. Emotional intelligence is the ability to recognize feelings of oneself and others, and the ability to manage them. At:
7. "Managerial Style as a Behavioral Predictor of organizational Climate". McBer & Company, Boston, 1996.
8. Ibidem.
