Steps for knowledge management

Knowledge management is the process through which a company systematically and efficiently transmits information and skills to its employees. Good knowledge management implies the commitment of management through the establishment of policies, procedures and processes that facilitate this task. It can be said that any activity carried out in the company is based on the application of knowledge but there are some, such as the elaboration of strategies or innovation, that require the use of knowledge more rigorously.

That is why using appropriate tools to manage the company's knowledge is of great importance to ensure that this process is successful. The tools and techniques used in the field of knowledge management are multiple and of very diverse types, among which are the so-called knowledge maps, whose usefulness is enhanced when they are linked to the so-called structural knowledge repositories.

In addition, the company can follow some important steps to manage knowledge and ensure that it remains in the same regardless of staff turnover and at the same time achieve that knowledge increases to improve the quality of processes, products and services.

In this writing we will review these points related to knowledge management.

What is knowledge?

Knowledge can be defined as the set of cognitions and skills with which an individual can solve problems. This includes theory, practice, everyday rules, and instructions for action. Knowledge is based on data and information but, unlike these, it is always linked to people. It is an integral part of individuals and represents their beliefs about causal relationships.

Knowledge within an organization is made up of intellectual, individual and collective assets that the organization can use to carry out its activities. This knowledge also includes the data and information on which individual and organizational knowledge have been built. Organizational learning consists of changes in the knowledge base of the company, the creation of collective frames of reference and the development of the organization's skills to act and solve problems. (Alles, 2009)

What is knowledge management?

Knowledge management (KM) is a tool that allows organizations to share knowledge, almost always through an intranet that contains large databases. It is used by organizations that assume knowledge as a key part of their business, such as large consulting firms, health centers or research centers. The objective of knowledge management is to share experiences, whether positive or negative, in order to use them when necessary and at the same time update the knowledge required for the main activities of the company. (Rodriguez, 1999)

Knowledge management can be defined as the set of practices, supported by a series of tools, techniques and methodologies, which allow a company to:

To be able to identify the most appropriate knowledge to carry out their current activities and carry out their future plans. To ensure that these necessary knowledge are available for use, that is, that they are possessed by the people of the organization itself or that they can be contributed by people or external entities Guarantee the permanent availability of this knowledge, for this it is necessary to protect it. Make use of the knowledge efficiently, in order to carry out the activities of the organization in an excellent way. (Carballo, 2007)

In order to cope with the rapid changes in the market, it is important that knowledge management is organized on three levels:

The business culture: it is necessary to create policies, procedures and processes that guarantee the management of knowledge Management practice: create a team for knowledge management that is responsible for the process, the changes that are projected, focus the knowledge more than anything on the client and not the product and determine the value of the knowledge acquired. Use of technology: use databases and the intranet as strategic tools for communication.

The following figure indicates the components that an intranet could have for knowledge management, which may have the items mentioned below: 1

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1 Image taken from the book Development of human talent based on competencies by Martha Alles

Procedures, standards and processes Applications that support activities Articles and news Forums, chats and conversations where topics of interest are discussed Information that is part of the know-how that can be solutions to specific problems, experiences, methodologies and others Information related to resources human such as job profiles, skills assessments, organization chart and more. (Alles, 2009)

The processes that are part of knowledge management are discovery, capture, classification and storage, distribution and dissemination, knowledge sharing and collaboration.

Discovery: The organization that manages its knowledge must know how to identify the sources of knowledge which can be both internal and external. Many organizations may have important internal sources of knowledge and not be aware that they exist. As for example in university educational institutions, sometimes their authorities do not know what personnel they have, or what their skills and potential are. At other times they do not know what sources of knowledge they can count on in their environment. It is therefore necessary to develop mechanisms to identify both internal and external sources of information and knowledge. These sources may contain tacit and / or explicit knowledge.Information and communication technologies provide a large number of tools to achieve knowledge discovery, for example: Data mining, web mining, text analysis, etc.

Capture: The organization needs to gain critical knowledge in order to comply with its actions, so it is not enough to know where it is, but to know how to make it available to the collective, it is necessary to capture it. For this, it is imperative to know in what form it is (tacit or explicit). Depending on its state, some techniques can be applied to capture it, such as: interviews, in higher education institutions the case study, protocol analysis, simulations, observation, document analysis, among others.

Classification and storage: These processes are essential to achieve the proper use of knowledge. It consists of establishing taxonomies and categories of knowledge to express it as information once it has been captured, and then place it in basically technological devices for its use. This aspect is fundamental, especially in higher education institutions, where you can see the storage of information, which in many cases is not used by anyone, either because its way of classification prevents the location of critical knowledge or because the storage devices they are not the most suitable for accessing information.

Distribution: When the organization has thought of QA as a tool for its efficiency, it must establish adequate mechanisms to make critical knowledge available to its workers. In general terms, the distribution of information and knowledge in the global world has generated an overload of information (especially through the Internet), which causes a large investment of time to be able to locate what is really needed. However, when QA is done, organizations can establish internal networks such as intranet or databases designed according to their characteristics and requirements, which makes the distribution of critical knowledge ideal, according to user needs.

Share and collaborate: These two processes are related but different. Sharing indicates the possibility of reproducing a generally explicit knowledge, while collaboration implies the enrichment of an existing knowledge or the creation of a new one, based on collective participation. With regard to sharing, two fundamental principles must be taken into account, the first is related to trust and the second to retribution. There is a greater likelihood of sharing knowledge with people who are trusted and who value the knowledge of others. On the other hand, there is a greater probability of sharing knowledge if it is known that something can be received in return, be it material or immaterial.

Collaboration is fundamental for the QA process in higher education institutions since it allows, based on a set of conditions, that people are adequately disposed to create, reproduce, discover and share knowledge, with a view to innovation and continuous improvement of organizations. The conditions for collaboration and their usefulness will be discussed again in the area of collaborative tools. (Caicedo, 2010)

Why is it important to do knowledge management in the company?

Managing knowledge is important to an organization because it goes far beyond a simple computer system or training plan. Actually it helps to strengthen the structure of the company since if it flows and is transmitted correctly it will help bring improvements in the processes and it will be reflected in the product or service that the company offers. The information as well as the skills that are useful for the vital activities of the company are transmitted from one employee to another, increasing the possibility of creating new knowledge that leads to new applications, improvements to the processes and a new way of doing the activities of the company. company for new opportunities.

Knowledge is the only asset of the company that grows and does not wear out but that can disappear once the people who possess it leave the company if it is not shared. For this reason, it is necessary for the organization to manage knowledge so that it remains independently of people and is preserved, transmitted and above all grows over time. Both large, small and medium-sized companies must implement strategies and tools at their fingertips to achieve efficient management of the knowledge they possess in order to strengthen themselves. (Archanco, 2011)

Good knowledge management brings certain competitive advantages for the organization, among which are:

It helps to improve the quality of products and services It helps to improve customer service It helps to improve relationships with suppliers It helps to create conditions that contribute to improving the work environment It improves communication between staff By improving the Information and communication, the participation of workers is stimulated. The number of processes necessary for the realization of the product or service is reduced. The processes for the realization of the product or service are simplified. Helping to make efficient use of resources. (Rodriguez, 1999)

conclusion

It is necessary for organizations to manage the knowledge that is generated as a result of carrying out day-to-day activities in order for it to be maintained, strengthened and increased more and more. For this you must use an intranet and at the same time a series of steps that will help you in this task.

Bibliography

Alles, M. (2009). Development of human talent: based on competencies. Argentina: Ediciones Granica.Archanco, R. (25 of 09 of 2011). Obtained from http://papelesdeinteligencia.com/que-es-gestion-del-conocimiento/Caicedo, JC (2010). Obtained from: http://www.scielo.org.ve/scielo.php?script=sci_arttext&pid=S1010-29142010000300002Carballo, R. (2007). Innovation and knowledge management. Spain: Ediciones Diaz Santos.Rodriguez, J. (nd). Obtained from:

A g radecimientos

To the Technological Institute of Orizaba for giving me the opportunity to train professionally and to Professor Fernando Aguirre y Hernández for all the knowledge he has shared with us in his subject Fundamentals of Administrative Engineering to learn and perfect my skills to write quality scientific articles.

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