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Research Spotlight: Managing Organizational Knowledge
In The eLearning Guild’s newest white paper, Managing Organizational Knowledge: Capturing,Sharing, and Using Collective Knowledge to Drive Learning and Productivity, authors Marc Rosenberg and SteveForeman begin by asserting that “Organizational knowledge is the lifeblood ofany business, government agency, military unit, nonprofit, educationalinstitution, etc. Too often, however, that knowledge is hidden, buried, lost,out of date, or simply undiscovered. Managing organizational knowledge can bethe difference between enterprise success and failure.”
A fresh look at knowledge management
The concept of knowledgemanagement (KM), defined as “a collection of best practices and technologiesthat provides ways to capture, use, and share information” is not new, and forsome it has a negative legacy. But the challenges that call for a KM solutionhave not gone away; in fact, they have intensified. So it is important to takea look at KM again, with fresh eyes.
One of the many valuable aspects of this article is this“fresh” look at what KM is (Table 1), and what it is not (Table 2). Understanding that critical difference isessential to moving forward with KM insights and solutions.
Table 1: Knowledge management’s specific purposes in the organization
Goal | Description | Benefit |
Better tracking of intellectual capital | Inventory, manage, and find key technical and business knowledge | Enhanced business speed, responsiveness, and ability |
Reduced redundancy of work | Recognize opportunities for consolidation of redundant projects | Lower costs and better use of resources |
More reliable information | Reduce uncertainty about the accuracy and validity of information | Better decision-making |
Precise knowledge distribution | Target the right information, at the right time, to the right people, at the right level of detail | Higher user value and learning |
Knowledge and/or expertise sharing | Leverage the collective knowledge of the organization; share knowledge across distance and organizational boundaries | Greater teamwork and collaboration, less duplication of effort and rework |
Increased knowledge asset security | Define access and entitlements by organization, level, content, etc. | Protection of intellectual capital |
Enhanced customer value (marketing, sales, service) | Provide all organizations with access to the same complete set of customer information | Enhanced customer satisfaction |
Innovation | Allow new ideas to surface and develop into best practices at a faster rate | Generation of new knowledge |
Workforce | Prepare workforce for constant change and new challenges | Better use of human assets |
Source: The eLearning Guild Research, 2016.
Table 2: What knowledge management is not
Training
| Training is about instruction, a refined and focused approach to moving learners through specific, predefined content. KM deals with information, in which workers decide for themselves when, how, and to what depth they will explore the content. |
Data mining
| We are awash with data, but we do not know what to do with it. KM requires that data be transformed into information, which we use to build our knowledge. |
A website
| KM is not a place on the web; it is about what you do with the web and how the web is organized to make workplace learning and performance improvements happen. |
A search engine
| A good search engine allows us to find relevant information. But, search results may include a mix of good and bad information. KM deals with curated content with higher accuracy, currency, and relevance. |
A technology
| Do not confuse the means with the ends. Technology is only an enabler of KM. |
Source: The eLearning Guild Research, 2016.
Knowledge management: a larger toolbox of options
As Rosenberg and Foreman go on to note, “KM is not justtraining or eLearning in another format, nor is it their replacement. Rather,it is part of a broader, multidiscipline approach that provides a largertoolbox of options that better meets today’s complex learning challenges.”
The authors provide the following essential informationin this white paper:
- KM’s potential and what it means fororganizational learning
- How to define KM and distinguish it fromother training and learning approaches, including eLearning and performancesupport
- Differing perspectives of KM, including “top-down”and “social” approaches
- Key components and technologies of a typicalknowledge management system (KMS)
- KM project steps and evaluation strategies, aswell as several case studies which illustrate these steps and strategies
- KM’s future and what it means—for organizationsand for learning
The KM component of a learning and performance ecosystem
KM augmentstraining, changing its role in each organization’s overarching learningstrategy. The relationship between training and KM is an essential elementwithin the learning and performance ecosystem, as shown below in Figure 1. The KMcomponent of the ecosystem enables people to access needed content whileworking. From a workers’ perspective, the goal is to successfully research atopic and get answers quickly. From an organization’s perspective, thegoal is to provide easy and reliable access to information.
NOTE: As defined byour authors, a learning and performanceecosystem enhances individual and organizational effectiveness byconnecting people and supporting them with a broad range of content, processes,and technologies to drive performance. For more information on this importanttopic, see Learning and Performance Ecosystems: Strategy, Technology, Impact, and Challenges—also by Marc Rosenberg and Steve Foreman—for more aboutlearning and performance ecosystems.
Source: TheeLearning Guild Research, 2016.
Figure 1: KM within a learning and performanceecosystem
Knowledge management: future implications
Rosenberg and Foremanconclude this important white paper by stressing that “the implications of thegrowing use of KM by the learning and development (L&D) organization willbe profound. Expanding the focus and changing the culture of those charged withproviding L&D leadership is key. Shifting the paradigms of more traditionaltraining departments will be more important to success than any particulartechnology or process.”
Organizational knowledge needs assessment
One final point: You can get activelyinvolved with these KM principles and insights by using the Organizational Knowledge Needs Assessmentin the white paper. The assessment will help you determine which of the 14problematic telltale signs that it describes is also present in your organization. If you can identify more thanone of these signs, the authors recommend that you discuss the situation withyour stakeholders and determine the most critical challenge(s). The assessmentprocess and findings will help you prioritize and focus your organization’s KMwork on the areas of greatest urgency and payoff.
