Knowledge management
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Contents
Definition
Knowledge management is Coordinated, integrated, systemic practices and activities which enable and promote effective knowledge processes and ensure adequate knowledge assets as needed to achieve organizational goals. (Last published: an integrated, systematic approach to identifying, acquiring, transforming, developing, disseminating, using, sharing, and preserving knowledge, relevant to achieving specified objectives)
Summary
Description
Knowledge Management emerged as a scientific discipline in the earlier 1990s. Since then, a vast body of literature and innumerable Internet links covering a broad range of thoughts on the KM discipline including manifold practical experiences have been established. An overview on all relevant aspects may be found in Wikipedia.
The IAEA defines knowledge management as: “an integrated and systematic approach for identifying, acquiring, transforming, developing, disseminating, using, and preserving the knowledge that is critical to an individual or organization in achieving specified objectives”.
The knowledge management approach in business is prompted by the combination of three primary elements — people, processes, and technology — operating within a culture that recognizes the importance of knowledge to the success and safety of all (see Fig. 1). These three elements are shortly characterized as:
- KM focuses on people and the organizational culture required to stimulate and nurture the sharing and use of knowledge, on processes or methods to find, create, capture and share knowledge, and on the technologyneeded to store and make knowledge accessible and to allow people to work together without being together
- KM focuses on processes or methods which find, create, capture and share knowledge. Established operational processes are essential to safely operating and maintaining nuclear facilities. KM must be integrated into business processes such as strategic planning, analysis and decision making, implementation of plans, and evaluation of results
- KM focuses on technology to store and make knowledge accessible, which allows people to work together irrespective of location or time. Thus, technology is an important enabler to the success of KM
FIG. 2. The basic elements of knowledge management.
People
Processes
Technology
Culture
Source: Knowledge management for radioactive waste management organisations
Description
Knowledge management is defined, in this report, as an integrated, systematic approach to identifying, acquiring, transforming, developing, disseminating, using, sharing, and preserving knowledge, relevant to achieving specified objectives.
Knowledge management consists of three fundamental components: people, processes and technology. Knowledge management focuses on people and organizational culture to stimulate and nurture the sharing and use of knowledge; on processes or methods to find, create, capture and share knowledge; and on technology to store and make knowledge accessible and to allow people to work together without being together. People are the most important component, because managing knowledge depends upon people’s willingness to share and reuse knowledge [4].
Source: Knowledge Management for Nuclear Industry Operating Organizations
Description
The integrated, systematic approach to the identification, acquisition, transformation, development, dissemination, use, sharing and preservation of knowledge relevant to achievement of specified objectives. Knowledge management helps an organization to gain insight and understanding from its own experience. Specific activities in knowledge management help the organization to acquire, store and utilize knowledge.
Source: Risk Management of Knowledge Loss in Nuclear Industry Organizations
Description
Knowledge management is defined as an integrated, systematic approach to identifying, managing and sharing an organization’s knowledge, and enabling persons to create new knowledge collectively in order to help achieve the objectives of that organization.
Source: Workforce Planning for New Nuclear Power Programmes
Description
Various definitions of ‘knowledge management’ also exist in literature, however most are consistent with the notion that a coordinated approach is required to manage an organization’s knowledge and improve organizational performance, and that this is achieved through knowledge creation, structuring, and dissemination processes [8]. B. Newman defines KM as “…the processes that govern the creation, dissemination, and utilization of knowledge” [9]. M. Alavi and D.E. Leidner define KM as “…the process to acquire, organize, and communicate knowledge of employees so others may be more effective in their work.” [10]. For the purposes of this report, the definition put forward by D. Andriessen that KM is “…organizing and optimizing knowledge processes” [11] is deemed to be the most appropriate. KM processes are defined in many ways by different authors using various analogous terms. G. Hedlund describes KM processes as knowledge capture and storage, transfer and sharing, transformation, creation or generation, and representation [12].
The IAEA defines KM as “an integrated, systematic approach to identifying, acquiring, transforming, developing, disseminating, using, and preserving knowledge, relevant to achieving specified objectives.” KM consists of three fundamental components: people, processes and tools [13], and can be clarified in this way:
- KM focuses on people and the organizational culture required to stimulate and nurture the sharing and use of knowledge, on processes or methods to find, create, capture and share knowledge, and on the technologyneeded to store and make knowledge accessible and to allow people to work together without being together;
- KM focuses on processes or methods which find, create, capture and share knowledge. Established
operational processes are essential to safely operating and maintaining nuclear facilities. Nuclear facilities must rely on strict adherence to procedural requirements in order to assure safe operation and process integrity. Although there are companion procedures through which those processes may be changed, it is imperative in the nuclear industry that any changes to established procedures and processes be rigidly controlled. KM must be integrated into strategic planning, analysis and decision making, implementation of plans, and evaluation of results;
- KM focuses on technology to store and make knowledge accessible, which allows people to work together without being at the same location. Thus, technology is an important enabler to the success of KM.
Thus, nuclear KM is an integrated, systematic approach applied to all stages of the nuclear knowledge cycle, including its identification, sharing, protection, dissemination, preservation and transfer. It affects and relates to human resource management, information and communication technology, process and management approaches, document management systems, and corporate and national strategies.
Source: Comparative Analysis of Methods and Tools for Nuclear Knowledge Preservation
Description
Knowledge management consists of three fundamental components: people, processes and technology. Knowledge management focuses on people and organizational culture to stimulate and nurture the sharing and use of knowledge; on processes or methods to find, create, capture and share knowledge; and on technology to store and make knowledge accessible and to allow people to work together without being together. People are the most important component, because managing knowledge depends upon people’s willingness to share and reuse knowledge.
Source: Planning and Execution of Knowledge Management Assist Missions for Nuclear Organizations
Description
In the context of management systems, knowledge management helps an organization to gain insight and understanding from its own experience. Specific activities in knowledge management help the organization to better acquire, record, store and utilize knowledge.
Source: Safety Glossary 2007 Edition
Description
Knowledge management has been described by leading authors such as G.F. Hedlund [3] and D. Andriessen [4] as those practices (i.e. activities, initiatives or actions initiated or supported by management) that can influence and improve organizational knowledge processes. The goals of KM cited in the literature by authors like A. Jantunen [5], D. Carluccii and G. Schiuma [6], and J. Darroch [7] are to improve organizational learning, to build and maintain an effective organizational knowledge base, and to enable effective knowledge utilization. All of these goals are argued to help achieve organizational objectives. Authors like Y. Malhotra [8], J.M. Firestone and M.W. McElroy [9], S.G. Chang and J.H. Ahn [10], and G.F. Hedlund (see Ref. [3]) all contend that organizations having quality knowledge processes (i.e. they are aligned with business needs and priorities, and are efficient and effective) will be higher performing organizations.
References
[4] Discussion of people, processes and technology from Managing Knowledge & Work: An Overview of Knowledge Management, PLUNKETT P.T. (author) for the Knowledge Management Working Group of the Federal Chief Information Officers’ Council, US General Services Administration, Washington, DC (2001).
[8] O’LEARY, D., Enterprise knowledge management, IEEE Computer 31 3 (1998) 54–61.
[9] NEWMAN, B., Agents, Artefacts, and Transformations: The Foundations of Knowledge Flows, Handbook of Knowledge Management, Springer 1 (2003) 301–316.
[10] ALAVI, M., LEIDNER, D., Knowledge management systems: Issues, challenges and benefits, Communications of AIS 1 7 (1999) 49–63.
[11] ANDRIESSEN, D., IC valuation and measurement, classifying the state of the art, J. Intellectual Capital 5 2 (2004) 230–242.
[12] HEDLUND, G., A model of knowledge management and the n-form corporation, Strat. Manage. J. 15 special issue (1994) 73–90.
[13] INTERNATIONAL ATOMIC ENERGY AGENCY, Nuclear Knowledge Management Glossary, IAEA, Vienna (2005).
[3] HEDLUND, G.A., Model of knowledge management and the n-form corporation, Strategic Management
Journal, 15, (1994) 73–90.
[4] ANDRIESSEN, D., TISSEN, R., Weightless Wealth: find your real value in a future of intangible assets, 1st edn, Financial Times Management, London (2000) 256 pp.
[5] JANTUNEN, A., Knowledge-processing capabilities and innovative performance: an empirical study, European Journal of Innovation Management, 8, 3, (2005) 336–349.
[6] CARLUCCI1, D., SCHIUMA, G., Knowledge asset value spiral: linking knowledge assets to company‘s performance, Knowledge and Process Management, 13, 1, (2006) 35–46.
[7] DARROCH, J., Knowledge management, innovation and firm performance, Journal of Knowledge Management, 9, 3, (2005) 101–115.
[8] MALHOTRA, Y., Integrating knowledge management technologies in organizational business processes: getting real time enterprises to deliver real business performance, Journal of Knowledge Management, 9, 1 (2005).
[9] FIRESTONE, J.M., MCELROY, M.W., Organizational learning and knowledge management: the relationship, The Learning Organization, 11, 2, (2004) 177–184.
[10] CHANG, S.G., AHN, J.H., Product and process knowledge in the performance-oriented knowledge management approach, Journal of Knowledge Management, 9, 4, (2005) 114–132.
