Knowledge management has taken on some very significant importance as a factor of change and development in all the work of society. Its main objective is to develop an environment in which both information and knowledge are available within an organization so that they can be used to stimulate innovation and thus provoke an improvement in decision-making.
The key is to develop a culture where information and knowledge are valued, managed and shared but also used efficiently and effectively.
ICT currently They have provided some valuable tools that allow the generation of knowledge bases and that constitute a new area of research and development in this regard.
This article presents a very important value with some aspects to be addressed, among which is the policy and strategy elements that manage knowledge but based on the use of ICT, thus promoting the development of an organization.
Keywords:
- Management Knowledge Information Technology Management Models Strategic Planning
Background
The 21st century has been distinguished for being an era of knowledge, people considered as tangible assets have become a very important part for the development of the economy within organizations, thus becoming an essential element for competitiveness and development economic of a country.
Therefore, knowledge management has become a factor of change and development in society; where its main objective is to create an environment where knowledge and information are always available and are used to promote innovation and thus provoke improvements in decision-making. (Rodrígue, García, Pérez, & Castillo, 2009)
As may be logical, an economy that is based on knowledge implies the need to learn to interpret and manage the use of all the amount of information that flows in an accelerated way, as a consequence of globalization and the development of technologies but which also constitutes as a determining factor of the progress and success of organizations.
But what is the main function of Knowledge Management? It is managing, managing information and for this you need to train and reorganize all the intellectual capital of the people who work for the organization in order to develop the ability to learn and generate new knowledge or improve the existing one. (Otter & Cotez, 2003)
Knowledge as a strategic resource
Some of the concepts that have emerged from the knowledge society are: Intellectual Capital, Knowledge Management and Organizational Learning and has been proposed in the so-called Conceptual Triad by the author Bueno (2002).
Conceptual Triad (Good, 2002) Knowledge Management
Illustration 1 Conceptual Triad (Good, 2002)
In order to understand these concepts correctly, they will be described below.
Organizational learning
It is an approach that manages to give meaning to the continuity of a process of creating value or something intangible; learning is the key for people and the company to become more intelligent, memorizing and converting information into knowledge, this concept can be associated with learning organizations "intelligent organizations" or "organizations that learn".
Intellectual capital
This term represents the strategic perspective of the account and reason, or of the communication and measurement of intangible assets created or owned by the company.
Knowledge management
This reflects the creative and also operational dimension of the way of generating and disseminating knowledge among the members of an organization and also of other related aspects.
(Sanguino, 2003)
After a deep analysis of the various existing definitions of Knowledge Management, it can be concluded that it consists of a set of systematic processes that are oriented to the development of the organization and / or personnel, therefore, to the generation of a competitive advantage for both parts.
Typology of models for knowledge management
(Rodríguez Gómez, 2006) Despite the existence of numerous models for knowledge management, they have been grouped into three types depending on their core, objectives, methodology, and participants, around which the following are developed:
- Knowledge storage, access and transfer: they are models that do not distinguish knowledge from information and data that conceive it as an independent part of the people who create and use them Sociocultural: models that focus on the development of the appropriate organizational culture for the development of knowledge management processes. Technological: these models highlight the development and use of technological systems and tools for the correct management of knowledge.
Typology of models for knowledge Management
Illustration 2 Typology of models for Knowledge Management
Different approaches to managing knowledge
(Sacci) To be able to manage knowledge in an ideal way, organizations can follow several lines of action, one of the best options is to follow a central strategy with four focuses, which are described below.
Focus on people
Organizations must overcome the concept of human resources and progress to human capital, this resource implies the idea of something that is available and where you can turn when necessary.
For this, it is vitally important that knowledge professionals have certain competencies that allow them to work correctly, these competencies can be classified into three main groups:
- Competencies that help to learn information Competencies that help improve thinking Competencies that help to better interact with colleagues and the world around us.
Learn from information
- "Locate sources of information" is of a competence that serves to be able to know where to look for the information that is necessary. "To be inquisitive" which means knowing which is the correct question, the one that should be asked and knowing how to convert data into information "Observation capacity" means listening with an open mind, observing and also perceiving.
Improve thinking
- "Create" this is to allow the mind to move creatively. "Reflect" that ability to weigh lessons learned and develop the art of self-reflection. "Analyze" this action allows to develop a competence based on logic, systems thinking, reasoning and creation of mental models.
Social skills
- "Networking" is very important as it helps to build a closed circle in which the information you want can be found with some frequency. "Teamwork" this activity helps to develop the ability to collaborate and share knowledge. "Dialogue" this allows to have the ability to free the mind of any type of prejudice and also listen to the arguments with maximum attention and without interposing the opinions or ideas that may arise.
Self-worth conscious workers and managers should be aware of the damage that a knowledge worker can do to the company if they leave. Therefore, organizations must focus on three areas of motivation:
- Meaning: To give workers the opportunity to do meaningful work through which they can develop their full potential Interest: Show concern for the well-being of all workers Payment: To obtain income that represents a fair reward for the contribution that It is carried out by workers and also allows them to participate in the wealth they have created.
When a company decides to venture into these three areas of motivation, knowledge workers become motivated and show a commitment to the organization, since they perceive that they care about them, thus exceeding their results objectives.
Aspects to consider for the implementation of a knowledge management system
Karl M. Wiig proposes certain steps that must be fulfilled to start and maintain the practice of knowledge management within an organization, although a certain sequence is necessary, these steps can be followed in parallel or have a different order, it also depends on the reality of the organization and its main needs.
Get a leadership commitment
It is possible to identify some types of leaders who can help to carry out this step:
- Local leaders: who are at the head of the organization that are very large and autonomous enough Executive leaders: their main role is to help connect efforts of innovative local production leaders with other people as well as to be able to infuse ideas and achievements within a Internal interconnectors: these do not have any authority in charge, so they have a certain freedom to move freely and go unnoticed by the organization.
In order to manage knowledge adequately, it is necessary to define how to acquire new concepts but also how to unlearn things that are useless for the organization.
Design a map of organizational knowledge
The main objective of this stage is to investigate the current state of knowledge of a company and then compare it with market requirements, thus allowing to detect knowledge gaps.
One of the most useful tools for deciding what type of knowledge is needed is a knowledge map, that is, a visual and graphic representation of the state of knowledge at a given moment.
Plan the knowledge management strategy
Transferring knowledge from a strategic point of view consists of knowing from who has it to who needs it, when planning Knowledge Management, companies have two lines of action to follow:
- Coding strategy: It consists of storing knowledge in databases so that they are accessible. Personalization strategy: It involves building forms of communication between people and guarantees that knowledge is shared.
Define possible initiatives related to knowledge management
In order to work successfully in this phase, it is necessary to identify knowledge flows both in the internal and external structure and the competence of its workers.
Evaluate and select knowledge management initiatives
At this stage, it is necessary to determine the alternatives that are aligned with the company's strategy and perform a measurement of costs and benefits.
Determine and acquire key knowledge
As a first instance, it is necessary to identify the key processes of the company, to later acquire the knowledge acquired to manage the human intellect.
The professional intellect normally functions on four levels:
- Cognitive knowledge Advanced practical knowledge Systems knowledge Self-motivated creativity
Determine tools to transform, distribute and apply knowledge
In this phase, the company must identify all the types of tools that can be used to distribute the existing knowledge in the organization, thus enabling its reuse and may be: non-IT tools and IT tools.
Establish a structure to manage knowledge
Here it is necessary to designate a person or a group of people who are responsible for managing the knowledge of the company.
For this, it is very important to request professionals for a new position: the CKO (Chief Knowledge Officer) or Knowledge Manager.
Build incentive programs
Some of the alternatives to motivate staff are mentioned below:
- Give regular feedback on their work Involve employees in decisions that affect their work Provide them with information, establishing open communication Learn from employees what motivates them since each one of them is different Congratulate workers personally for a job well done Publicly recognize employees for their work Give workers motivating work
Coordinate knowledge management activities
In an organization where a knowledge management initiative is being developed, activities related to the topic generally appear and it is important to coordinate them in order to provide the necessary support.
Facilitate knowledge management
Some lines of action are suggested below where organizations should strive to facilitate the development of the knowledge management action program:
- Creation of a culture for change Creation of environments that are conducive to innovation Creation of an environment where communication flows
Monitor Knowledge Management
To know if knowledge management works, the following controls are suggested:
- Monitoring Periodic formal evaluations Monitoring strategic fit
conclusion
In these times where changes are so incipient due to constant technological innovation, it is very risky to formulate some options for the future, but even if it is believed that the theories marked by Knowledge Management are unstoppable.
The information society requires that companies or organizations, whether public or private, adapt to new changes so that they are able to take advantage of information technologies for their own benefit.
Despite the fact that knowledge management is a trend that is considered new within the modern economy, it is gradually becoming a factor of success for organizations.
In addition to the application of technology tools for the manipulation of company data and information, it is also very important to look at human capital in order to exploit the full potential of each of the company's employees.
Thesis topic proposal
Impact of Knowledge Management and information technologies in SMEs
General objective
Evaluate the impact of knowledge management and information technologies in SMEs
Thanks
To the National Technological Institute of Mexico for being my alma mater and to Dr. Fernando Aguirre y Hernández for their support and motivation to carry out these articles on the subject of Fundamentals of Administrative Engineering.
References
Well, E. (2002). Main approaches and trends in Knowledge Management.
Editions la Coria, Cáceres.
Otter, T., & Cotez, M. (2003). Journalist training: Knowledge management. Konrad Adenauer.
Rodrígue, M., García, F., Pérez, M., & Castillo, J. (2009). Knowledge Management, a strategic factor for development. Research Journal of the Faculty of Administrative Sciences.
Rodríguez Gómez, D. (2006). Models for the creation and management of knowledge: a theoretical approach. Educate, 25-39.
Sacci, S. (nd). Knowledge management. Chair of Personnel Administration, (page 24). Faculty of Economic Sciences and Administration.
Sanguino, R. (2003). Campus.org. Obtained from Knowledge management. Its importance as a strategic resource for the organization:
ICT: Information and Communication Technologies
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