Knowledge Management

in Theory and Practice

KIMIZ DALKIR
 Introduction

• Dr Kimiz Dalkir, McGill University

School of Information Studies

• Knowledge
• Commodity
• In employee‘s brains

• Knowledge Management
• Goals, Definition
• Multidisciplinary nature
• Interesting history
DATA, INFORMATION & KNOWLEDGE
Types of Knowledge

• Tacit Knowledge
• Study and Experience
• Context Specific-Intuitive Specific

• Explicit Knowledge
• Codified
• Dependent on Tacit Knowledge
Chapter 2: The Knowledge Management Cycle

Cycle Description Stages

1) Acquisition
2) Refinement
Zack KM Cycle Consists primarily of creating a higher value added „knowledge product‟ at 3) Storage/retrieval
each stage of knowledge processing 4) Distribution
Fig. 2-2
5) Presentation or Use

1)Get 2) Use
Bukowitz & Williams 3) Learn 4) Contribute
KM Cycle Outlines how organizations generate, maintain & deploy strategically 5) Assess 6) Build & sustain
correct stock of knowledge to create value 7) Divest
Fig. 2-4

Consists of the process of knowledge production and knowledge

McElroy KM Cycle integration, with a series of feedback loops to organizational memory, 1) Knowledge production
Fig. 2-5 beliefs, and claims and the business-processing environment. It provides a 2) Organizational Knowledge
description of how knowledge is evaluated and shows conscious decision 3) Knowledge Integration
as to whether knowledge will be integrated into organizational memory

Focuses on 3 conditions that need to be present for an organization to 1) Building knowledge

Wiig KM Cycle conduct business successfully: it must have a business (products/services) 2) Holding knowledge
Fig.2-10 and customers; it must have resources (people, capital & facilities) and it 3) Pooling knowledge
must have the ability to act 4) Applying knowledge

1) Knowledge capture &/or creation

An Integrated KM Cycle The integrated cycle subsumes most of the steps involved in the previous 2)Knowledge sharing & dissemination
Fig. 4-1 4 KM cycles. (Breaks all of the other cycle‟s steps into 3 general steps.) 3)Knowledge acquisition & application
 Chapter 3: Knowledge Management Models

Name Year Key Concepts Characteristics Knowledge

Individual Group Enablers Inhibitors

Von Krough and 1995 Connectionist approach – Information from Knowledge Familiarity, mind set of
Roos there can be no knowledge environment & emergent practice, mutual individuals,
without a knower generated phenomenon from trust and respect, communication,
internally social interaction org structure,
relationships
Nonaka and 1995 Converting tacit to explicit Knowledge Externalization “Brainstorming Poor models, not
Takeuchi knowledge and vice versa creation; and Combination camps”; using metaphors
Knowledge Spiral Socialization & “Knowledge and analogies
Fig 3-2 Journalists”
Internalization
Choo Sense- 1998 Sensemaking, decision Selection and Enactment Loosely coupled Tightly coupled
making making retention
Fig 3-3
Wiig Building and 1993 Semantic networks; Personal Public and Shared Well mapped Poor knowledge
Using Knowledge Degrees of Internalization, knowledge knowledge semantic sharing attitudes
Table 3-2 Hierarchy of knowledge networks
Fig 3-3

Boisot I Space 1998 Information Good; Social Abstraction Codification Prior knowledge Different coding
Fig 3-10 Learning Cycle Diffusion schemes
Intelligent 1981, Biologically based - Decision maker, Cooperation Sense of Unity Managerial
Complex Adaptive 2004 symbiosis action taker Collaboration and Purpose Decree
System
Fig 3-11
Nonaka 1996

Interactions between types of knowledge

• This dynamic process is the essence of knowledge creation

in an organization.

Nonaka 1996
Chapter 4: Knowledge Capture & Codification

Tacit knowledge Capture

 Tacit Knowledge Capture at Individual & Group
Levels
 Tacit Knowledge Capture at the Organizational
Level

Explicit Knowledge Codification

 Concept Maps
 Chapter 5 – Knowledge Sharing and
Communities of Practice

 Not finding information costly

 Communities of practice
 Company‟s technological resources for workers with common
interest –(Fig. 5-6)

 Tools
 Social Network Analysis – mapping out how workers get
information (Fig. 5-3)
 Community Yellow Pages - expertise location system

 Undernets
Chapter 6: Knowledge Application at the
Knowledge Individual Level
Application • Characteristics of Individual Knowledge
Workers
• Blooms Taxonomy of Learning
Objectives
• Task Analysis – EPSS

Knowledge Application at the Group &

Organizational Level
• Knowledge Reuse
• Knowledge Repositories
 Chapter 7:  Definition of
organizational culture
The Role of
Organizational  Not consciously created
Culture  Cultural diagnosis
KM success
depends on:
 TRUST
 SHARING
 LEADERS
Chapter 8: Knowledge Management Tools

Knowledge Capture & Creation Tools

 Data mining & knowledge discovery, Blogs, Content
management tools

Knowledge Sharing & Dissemination Tools

 Groupware & collaboration tools, Wikis, Networking
technologies

Knowledge Acquisition & Application Tools

 Intelligent filtering tools, Adaptive
technologies
 Chapter 9: KM Strategy & Metrics

 KM Strategy
 Knowledge Audit
 Gap Analysis
 Strategy Road Map
 Corporate Amnesia
 Balancing innovation and structure

 KM Metrics
 Benchmarking
 Balanced Scorecard
 House of Quality
 Chapter 10: The KM Team

 KM Skills

 Major Categories of KM Roles

- Senior Management Roles

 KM Roles and Responsibilities

within Organizations

 The KM Profession
 Chapter 11: Future Challenges of KM

 No all inclusive vendor solutions

 Information Politics
 Incentives
 Knowledge Based Assets
 The social nature of KM
 Additional Websites and Sources

http://kimizdalkir.com , http://www.mcgill.ca/sis/people/faculty/dalkir/– the author & her work

http://www.teamware.com - Groupware and collaboration tools
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wiki - example of a wiki
http://www.tfpl.com – is a specialist recruitment, advisory, training and research services company
http://www.tfpl.com/resources/skills_map.cfm
http://www.tfpl.com/skills_development/skills_toolkit.cfm
www.kmci.org – certificate in knowledge and information management
http://www.iep.edu/e/ethics.htm - internet encyclopedia of philosophy (on ethics)
http://www.dkms.com/papers/Doing_KM.pdf - Doing Knowledge Management by Firestone & McElroy
http://www.orgnet.com – Social Networking Analysis company (though none are very good Dr Dalkir
states)
http://www.kmworld.com/ - “Covering the latest in Content, Document and Knowledge
Management”
VERY comprehensive – publishers of KMWorld magazine – completely digital and accessible!
http://www.sopheon.com/HOME.aspx - KM company with white papers, newsletter, KM products
(specifically yellow pages)
http://www.knowledgeshop.com.au/Home/ - the advisor's advisor
http://www.iasplus.com/standard/ias38.htm - intangible assets standard
http://www.apqc.org/ - American Productivity and Quality Center – pioneer of benchmarking
http://www.qpr.com/solutions/balanced-scorecard-solution.htm - balanced scorecard
product
http://www.qfdi.org/ - Quality Function Deployment Institute “the only comprehensive quality system
aimed specifically satisfying the customer”
http://www.best-in-class.com/Database - measurement success stories
 Points for Discussion

 Tacit knowledge transfer vs. real work

 Physical layout of the workspace – planning for

socialization

 Knowledge hoarding – what to do?

 Crafting ideal incentives