Conocimientos de la Organización

Knowledge Management in Organizations

Understanding Knowledge in Organizations

• Knowledge within organizations is often poorly defined and undervalued, despite its critical role when implementing management systems.

• Each organization possesses unique knowledge that differs from others, even if they engage in similar activities.

• Three key requirements for high-level guidelines include: determining necessary knowledge for processes, maintaining this knowledge, and preserving it while acquiring new or updated information.

Sources of Knowledge

• Internal sources of knowledge come from learning through successes and failures, capturing experiences, and leveraging expert insights within the organization.

• External sources include standards, academic institutions, conferences, and customer or supplier interactions.

• Identifying and retaining knowledge can be challenging as much of it is personal experience that may be lost when employees leave.

Types of Knowledge

• Two main types of knowledge exist: tacit (personal experience-based and hard to communicate) and explicit (easily codified and shared).

• Tacit knowledge includes skills like riding a bike or public speaking; explicit knowledge encompasses manuals, written procedures, software codes, etc.

Importance of Knowledge Management

• Effective knowledge management involves converting tacit into explicit knowledge; success lies not in knowing more but in utilizing what is known effectively.

• Knowledge management values intangible assets such as intellectual capital (knowledge held by individuals), structural capital (processes retained after employee departure), and relational capital (knowledge from external relationships).

Steps to Manage Knowledge Effectively

• Key steps include identifying impactful processes for value creation, determining required knowledge for these processes, locating this knowledge internally or externally.

• Additional steps involve identifying users of the knowledge, finding ways to transmit it effectively, validating its use, and preserving it.

Tools for Capturing Knowledge

• Useful tools include work manuals documenting processes/practices; checklists ensuring completion before task finalization; training sessions where experienced employees share their insights with younger staff.

• On-the-job training can be beneficial when documentation isn't feasible; structured training programs can help capture essential process points efficiently.

• Databases should record lessons learned from both problems encountered and successes achieved to facilitate future reuse.

Conclusion on Knowledge Flow