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Gist of the Various Definitions on KM

The maze of definitions with technical jargons may appear to be confusing at the initial phase. But if we calmly analyse, we can segregate the contents into three units

  1. What is managed by KM & how

  2. The process of knowledge-base creation & utilisation

  3. The objectives or Purposes of KM

What is Managed by KM & How

KM aims at creation and continuous renewal of organisational knowledge base through

  • creation of supportive organisational structures

  • facilitation of organizational members

  • putting I.T. instruments with emphasis on team work and diffusion of knowledge

KM represents systematic combination of data and information capacity of IT + creative innovative capacity of human being.

In the process of creating and renewing knowledge base KM makes use of "knowledge technology" consisting "knowledge Analysis" and "knowledge Planning".

The Process of Knowledge-base Creation & Utilisation

The process consist of

  • finding

  • Selecting

  • Organising

  • distilling

Information and capture valuable knowledge into organised knowledge base. Information has to be first located at its source, out of which relevant and useful segments have to be selected. It has then to be organised in an appropriate form, and properly refined and edited and added to the knowledge base, so that it can be made use readily at the needed occasions.

Sharing & making use of such knowledge to demonstrate that

Raw data/Goods + knowledge = Revenue

Protecting intellectual assets from decay, adding to firm's intelligence and providing increased flexibility.

The objectives or Purposes of KM

  1. Generate value from intellectual & knowledge based assets

  2. Improve employees' comprehension in specific area of interests

  3. Provide superior value of customer

  4. facilitate organizational adaptation, survival and competence in the face of increasingly discontinuous environmental change.

  5. And finally Effective knowledge management should pay off in fewer mistakes, less redundancy, quicker problem solving, better decision making, reduced research and development costs, increased worker independence, enhanced customer relations, and improved products and services-all adding up to keep the company at least a few steps ahead of its competitors.

If you examine, you will find that each of the definitions quoted earlier touches one or other of the above mentioned features of KM.

However it represents merely a miniscule information about knowledge management. Universities in Australia and European Countries have organised Degree and Master level programmes for studying KM. The subject is vast and further growing. You will understand this, if you wade through the Web portal of BRUNT Institute.

It may also be pointed out that KM is a part of the overall science of effective Management. It is a brand of business management and it does not outplace accepted management functions and principles. Knowledge is deemed as an asset. Every asset is put to productive use. We have "inventory Management", "Cash Management" and "Receivables Management". All these are part of the science of Corporate Management. Management is itself an evolutionary science, but it maintains its continuity. We have Scientific Management, followed by the "behavioural approach", the "human relations approach", the "quantitative approach" etc. Though these are all different from each other, they all represent an underlying continuity, and merely convey the response of management scientists to new emerging challenges in global business organisations. Knowledge Management is to be viewed as an extension in this sense. It does not replace basic management concepts of setting goals, and reaching these goals though planning, strategy etc.


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[..Page Updated on 20.09.2004..]<>[chkd-appvd -ef]