Putting Knowledge into Action-Ten Steps for a Successful Knowledge　Management Implementation

摘要

Knowledge management is nothing new. Human beings are continuouslyrnmanaging the knowledge ever since their evolution, which lifted the society fromrnstone age to space age. Knowledge management has emerged as a new disciplinernduring nineties and it is getting wide acceptance in various organizations.rnKnowledge management, at large tries to manage the intellectual assets within thernorganization. With a knowledge management programme in place, thernknowledge resources are better utilized, which elevates the organizationalrnperformance and makes the organization a continuously learning organization.rnKnowledge management is multidisciplinary and multidimensional in nature. Itrnencompasses a social dimension as well as an engineering dimension. The socialrndimension deals with the people factor as an individual and as an organization;rnwhereas the engineering dimension deals with the process and technology relatedrnissues. Success is ensured only when the social dimension and the engineeringrndimension are addressed as a whole.rnImplementation of a KM programme should start with an effort to create anrnawareness within the organization followed by a cultural change to facilitaterncollaboration and sharing. The involvement of the top management in recognizingrnand rewarding the knowledge sources within the organization would form arnstrong foundation for a KM implementation. Once the necessary social climate isrncreated, the engineering activities can follow.rnKnowledge management is an iterative and continuous process. An appropriaternKM process has to be defined for the organization to suit the organizational needs.rnThe KM process defines activities that include locating the sources of knowledge,rncapturing this knowledge, representation of the knowledge in a structuredrnmanner to facilitate sharing, and dissemination for better utilization of thernknowledge by all the people who are involved in the problem-solving process. It isrna challenging task to keep the knowledge base up to date. This paper discussesrnthese aspects in detail and provides the guidelines for a successful implementationrnof a knowledge management programme.