Knowledge Management is a strategy, framework or system designed to help organisations create, capture, analyse, apply, and reuse knowledge to achieve competitive advantage.
A key aspect of Knowledge Management is that knowledge within an organisation is treated as a key asset.
A simple phrase that encapsulates a core aspect of Knowledge Management is "getting the right knowledge to the right people at the right time in the right format".
Knowledge Management Methods
Knowledge Management methods can be categorised into two main groups:
- Those that move knowledge around the organisation
- Those that help create new knowledge
Methods that help move knowledge include:
- Face-to-face communication methods, e.g. peer assist, lessons learnt reviews, knowledge fairs
- Computer-based communication methods, e.g. email, Lotus Notes, communities of practice
- Storage-and-retrieval using computer systems, e.g. intranets, knowledge books
- Knowledge-Based Systems, e.g. expert systems
Books
Some leading books on Knowledge Management are:
Working Knowledge: How Organisations Manage What They Know by T. H. Davenport and L. Prusak. Boston, MA: Harvard Business School Press. 1998.
The Knowledge-Creating Company by I. Nonaka and H. Takeuchi. New York: Oxford University Press. 1995.
Wellsprings of Knowledge by D. Leonard-Barton. Boston, MA: Harvard Business School Press. 1995.
Links
Further information about knowledge management can be found from the following links:
Southampton University School of Electronics and Computer Science
- Prof Nigel Shadbolt (a director of Epistemics) carries out research within this department.
- A collection of links to resources on all aspects of organisational learning, knowledge management and workflow.
- News, FAQs, resource guides and publications in the field of knowledge management.
- The latest news on creating and managing the knowledge-based enterprise.
