Knowledge Management & Better Business Performance

What is KM? According to Information Management Journal, “Knowledge management is concerned with systematic, effective management and utilization of an organization’s knowledge resources. It encompasses the creation, storage, arrangement, retrieval, and distribution of an organization’s knowledge” (Knowledge 4). Despite the increased performance which effective knowledge management provides, experts warn there are “dos” and “don’ts” involved in order for knowledge to be managed effectively. Many point to a “knowing-doing” gap, while others suggest there are cultural and other barriers involved in the effective management of knowledge. This analysis will discuss some of these “dos” and “don’ts” in order to demonstrate how effective knowledge management will lead to better business performance.

. . .
ield of KM is a newly emerging one which creates some confusion and hype regarding its use, as well as making its application prone to more mistakes. Further, there are mental mindsets natural to human beings that must be altered in order for KM to work. As one author on KM notes “unwillingness to share is a trait we developed at a very early age” (Nunes 53). Despite obstacles such as this, however, KM comes naturally to human beings. For example, when we are little children we will naturally pickup a bag of marbles and sort them in order of size, color, smoothness, or other characteristics. Classifying information is a uniquely human skill, one that computers cannot truly perform. Technology is only so useful in enabling management to mine the potentially rewarding bodies of information that involve customers, transactions, employees, and other business-oriented knowledge. This is where management and employees are critical to the KM cycle. Traditional computers are programmed to perform a series of processes, but because what they do is typically already programmed into them experts warn that an over-reliance on technology can diminish the effectiveness of KM. People think, not computers. As Doug Dineley (50) notes i
. . .

Some common words found in the essay are:
Drucker PG, Jan Duffy, Tim Fielden, Application Tan, Doug Dineley, Hummingbird Ltd, Journal Knowledge, BODY Knowledge, Developments QuickPlace, Jeffrey Tan, knowledge management, effective knowledge, business performance, management employees, effective knowledge management, document management, management journal, information management journal, information management, strategies policies practices, management knowledge, performance knowledge, policies practices, performance knowledge management, knowledge management lead,
Approximate Word count = 2166
Approximate Pages = 9 (250 words per page)

More Essays on Knowledge Management & Better Business Performance