Wednesday 28 January 2009

what are KM Models?

In understanding KM Models, we must be clear on what a Model is.

A model has been defined as "A representation of a process or system that attempts to relate the most important variables in the system in such a way that analysis of the model leads to insights into the system" [Geodis Wilson]

We have established in earlier posts the importance of Knowledge in an Organisation and the need for Organisations to manage knowledge to optimize performance. Following the above definition of a model, it is important that Organisations that aim to effectively manage knowledge, develop a Knowledge Management Model, which represents the specific KM system to be adopted and which clearly shows the important variables, to enable employees and stakeholders truly understand the KM system for that organisation.

Watch this space for MORE on KM Models!!

Tuesday 27 January 2009

Knowledge vs Information vs Data vs Wisdom

From the definitions of KM terms in my earlier post, we can safely make these statements:

That Data CAN produce information,

Than Information CAN produce Knowledge,

That Knowledge plus experience CAN produce Wisdom.

Please note the use of the word CAN in the above statements. This indicates that the statements are not true always and one does not neccessarily always lead to the other.

Use and Misuse of terms in KM

The most featured terms in KM are Knowledge, Information and Data. These terms all have to do with the cycle or science of information and are often misinterpreted.

Data is “Representation of facts, concepts, or instructions in a formalized manner suitable for communication, interpretation, or processing by humans or by automatic means. Any representations such as characters or analog quantities to which meaning is or MIGHT be assigned” (Source: : Institute for Telecom Sciences)

Information is “...Data that have been processed into a format that is understandable by its intended audience” (Source: Wikipedia)

“...knowledge is "information in action" or "information transformed into the capability for effective action." Taking action and building experience turns information into knowledge. (Source: R.G. Smith)


Another term which may also relate to KM is Wisdom and this is defined by Wikipedia thus: “Wisdom is knowledge, understanding, experience, discretion, and intuitive understanding, along with a capacity to apply these qualities well towards finding solutions to problems”

Example

For better understanding, let’s apply these terms in an Organisation. In a bank for instance, the batch print-out at the end of each day which includes; transaction codes, posting tellers, account numbers, amounts posted etc, will be regarded ad DATA. At this point, they are just facts and figures; however, there is the ability to assign meaning to it.

When this data is extracted by a team leader for all transactions on accounts managed by him/her, it becomes INFORMATION. This is because it is now understandable by the recipient (the team members)

An analysis of this information may indicate that deposits reduced drastically from the previous day. KNOWLEDGE is when the team leader takes a position or an action based on his/her analysis of the information. He/She can decide there is a need to increase or reduce withdrawals and deposits.

Other terms in Knowledge Management

Explicit Knowledge is knowledge that can be transferred easily because it can be captured in the form of books, reports etc. There is no need for a face to face interaction. E.g. a Code of Practice within a bank. It contains guidelines and interpretations.

Tacit Knowledge cannot be transferred easily, this is because it is in people’s heads. It can’t then be measured. It is gained by experience. E.g. An experienced sales officer knows when to close a deal based on his knowledge of clients reactions.
(Source: R.G. Smith)

What is KM? -Life cycles

Some KM researchers believe that Knowledge in itself is implied, gained from experience and as such cannot be managed. However, an organisation can manage its Knowledge process which can be found within its planning, decision making, marketing etc processes. It is important for the success of an Organisation for it to optimize knowledge within it.

A simple explanation of a KM life cycle is one that categorises the process into three steps, Weidner, D.(2002). These steps start from Step 1; acquiring knowledge to Step 2; producing Knowledge, then to Step 3; Integrating Knowledge.

The diagram below shows the steps invloved.



Adapted from Weidner, D. (Jan/Feb 2002)

The cycle shows how knowledge gained by a company asset (i.e. a staff) is transferred and integrated to optimise organisational performance.

References:
Weidner, D. (Jan/Feb 2002) using connect and collect to achieve the KM endgame. IT professional, pp 18-24, Vol 4 Issue 1. IEEE

What is Knowledge Management (KM)? -Definitions

Various definitions have been given a few of which are:

“.. KM is the process through which organizations generate value from their intellectual and knowledge-based assets” [Meredith Levinson, @ CIO Magazine]

"Knowledge Management is the process of capturing value, knowledge and understanding of corporate information, using IT systems, in order to maintain, re-use and re-deploy that knowledge". [Source: OIC Document Management]

Simply put, Knowledge management is the process or way by which an Organisation can tap into the knowledge of its assets including staff, to optimize that knowledge for the success of the Organisation. In order words, simply having access to information does not constitute Knowledge management for it is a process.

Saturday 24 January 2009

Social Networks

One simple definition of a Network by Wikipedia is “Any interconnected group or system”

Another definition of a Network by The Free Dictionary is “An extended group of people with similar interests or concerns who interact and remain in informal contact for mutual assistance or support”

The word Social is defined by Ask.com “as living together or enjoying life in communities or organized groups”

From these definitions, we can deduce that Social Network is a network of individuals for the interacting and enjoying life.

Social networks enable individuals with common interests (i.e. hobbies, activities, skills) or characteristic (i.e. race, nationality, religion etc) share their views and opinion and interact with other individuals like them.

Social networks have existed long before the well known virtual platforms we have today, such as Facebook, myspace, and Cyworld.

There is a social networking system which exists in the Ibo tribe of eastern Nigeria. It is called the age grade. What happens is that children join age grade for children within their age groups, where they socialize with each other. They support one another through every challenge they go through in life. For instance your age grade will be there f you are bereaved or getting married. The village recognizes the importance of this and always incorporates them in every occasion. You find that these groups create a feeling of belonging for the individual. This social network is a very strong one and is maintained through out the lives of the members.

Organisation VS Communities of Practice

Can these two work for or against each other? If CoPs have been proven to facilitate learning and sharing of ideas and skills, can organisations take advantage of CoPs that may exist within and even outside of its boundary?

In previous posts under this label, we looked at Organisations (i.e. Business Organisations) a well as Communities of Practice (CoP). Now we would determine a relationship if any exists between the two.

CoP is applied in various ways; within a neighbourhood, within a family, as well as within a business. Its application in these areas owe to the value it can add to the overall Organisation be it a village a family or a business organisation. This value can be measured by the knowledge, skills, culture and relationships associated with being in a CoP.

A CoP provides an ideal platform for learning and knowledge. In today’s organisations, there is no doubt as to the importance of knowledge; more important is the ability to transfer knowledge within the organisation. After all, “Knowledge is power” as stated by Sir Francis Bacon.

At this point, I would use an illustration of a bank which I would call ‘Bank G’. This Organisation is made up of divisions which have groups under them and subsequently units. Each unit is made of a unit head and 2 or 3 officers. Now the officers within one section of the marketing group agree to meet every Friday to share experiences and ideas gained form their daily activities, ranging from how to manage their head, experiences on their marketing activities and even customer issues that were or were not resolved. Once in a while a member would present a proposal which resulted in signing on a major account or maybe share tips on how they handled a situation that is most likely similar for the other officer. Knowledge shared within this CoP and will then be applied toward meeting units’ objectives.

Click here to enlarge


Lesser E.L. and Storck J identified a link between CoP and Organisational performance. They found that Organizational performance was influenced by activities of CoPs in the following areas:

• Decreasing the learning curve of new employees
• Responding more rapidly to customer needs and inquiries
• Reducing rework and preventing “reinvention of the wheel”
• Spawning new ideas for products and services

It is clear from the above that an Orgnaisation can tap into the benefits an active CoP can offer.

Friday 23 January 2009

Communities of Practice

For simplicity sake, I have this to say of the term ‘Communities of Practice’ (herein after referred to as CoP). As the name indicates, it is the coming together of individuals with the same interest for the purpose of learning together (i.e. practicing)

I have found this concise definition given by Etienne Wenger “Communities of practice are groups of people who share a concern or a passion for something they do and learn how to do it better as they interact regularly”

Wikipedia has this to say about Community of Practice, .. refers to the process of social learning that occurs and shared sociocultural practices that emerge and evolve when people who have common goals interact as they strive towards those goals

I agree with E. Wenger where he states that a CoP has three essential components which are Domain, the Community and the Practice.

To illustrate this, I would use Goal keepers in football clubs as an example of a CoP. Goal keepers from European clubs meet once a month to interact and share ideas.

Click here to enlarge



The domain here represents the shared interest, which is goal keeping, in football and this is the identity of the Community. Consenting to membership of this community by each goal keeper indicates commitment to the Community.

The Community is the actual meeting, coming together, sharing experiences, knowledge and ideas on the interest. In the community, relationships are built and members can engage in joint activities and learn from each other. Communication by e-mail or other non-physical form does not constitute a CoP. It the actual interaction once a month of these goal keepers that is important.

The Practice means that this shared interest is practiced by members. Therefore, individuals who are not goal keepers but come together to discuss issues in goalkeeping do not constitute a CoP. The actual goal keepers practice this interest in their clubs and therefore can be said to be a CoP.

Thursday 22 January 2009

Organisations and Strategies

Do you agree that Organisation and Strategy tend to go hand in hand? We shall look at each term individually and try to find a connection.

To different people, the word Organisation means different things!

Oganisation

The Collins English dictionary tells us that the word can mean the act of organising, a structure or an Association or Group.

WordNetdefines thus:
i) The persons (or committees or departments etc.) who make up a body for the purpose of administering something
ii) A group of people who work together
iii) An organized structure for arranging or classifying
iv) The act of forming or establishing something

We also have Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia giving this definition: An organisation is a social arrangement which pursues collective goals, which controls its own performance, and which has a boundary separating it from its environment.

Some key words stand out for me in these definitions of an Organisation and they are:
Group, Goal/Purpose and Work.

These words make up the essential elements of an Organisation. There has to be a group, two or more individuals, togetherness/team (ie individuals in sync). This team has to have a purpose, a goal, an objective. After all, what is life without purpose? When a group or a team has a purpose, then they can be said to be working together. Indeed there is work involved in an Organisation.

Business Organisation
When we talk about a Business organisation, we refer to an Organisation which is created for the purpose of proving goods and services as well as the people that constitute it.

We find that business organisations are constituted by a group of people, establish its objectives and Goals, establish a mission and vision statement, and develop a strategy in order to run successfully.

Types of Business Organisations

Multinational Organisation: the definition by allbusiness states that this is a corporation based in one country that maintains manufacturing facilities or operations offices in other countries and that markets its products or services on an international basis. A multinational corporation is able to take advantage of special economically advantageous opportunities that exist in the countries where it operates, such as a low labour cost or favourable rate of currency exchange. An example of this are Coca cola, Nestle, Standard Chartered Bank

International Organisation: The free dictionary defines an international organisation as an international alliance involving many different countries. Examples of which would be the United Nations (UN), Organisation of Petroleum-Exporting Countries (OPEC) and World Trade Organization (WTO)

Virtual global companies: Techweb defines a Virtual Company as an organization that uses computer and telecommunications technologies to extend its capabilities by working routinely with employees or contractors located throughout the country or the world. Using e-mail, faxes, instant messaging, data and videoconferencing, it implies a high degree of telecommuting as well as using remote facilities.

An Enterprise: An enterprise is defined by answers.com as an entire organization, including all of its subsidiaries. It implies a large corporation or government agency, but it may also refer to a company of any size with many systems and users to manage. It depends on context. A corner candy store is "someone's enterprise." The terms "enterprise," "company," "corporation" and "organization" are used synonymously.


What is Strategy ?

The Collins mini dictionary defines this as an “overall plan”.

It is defined by The Standing Committee on Evaluation and Accountabilitythus: a plan or method employed in order to achieve a goal or objective.

For a strategy to exist, there surely must be a goal or an objective. Consequently a plan is made to assist in meeting that objective. Therefore, an Organisation, in developing a strategy, will assess its goals, resources and environmental factors, and come up with a plan or method on how it would achieve it’s goal.

An organisational strategy is usually long-term in nature considering that a business is a continuing venture. However, contrary to general belief, I believe that short term strategies do exist.

For instance, within an organisation, a business unit may develop a strategy to meet its objective which should eventually align with that of the Organisation. This unit may develop a 3 month strategy, which can not be called long-term.

As stated earlier, Organisation and Strategy tend to go hand in hand. Strategy is to do with a method, a plan an agreed means with which to achieve a goal. Bearing in mind our definition of Organisation, we then can deduce the role Strategy has to play in an Organisation. A plan should be put in place by an Organisation in order to achieve its goal.

The class as an organisation

We were required by our module leader to form groups of six or five depending on the number in class. These groups are to simulate organisations and as such are to function similar to an organisation in the outside world.

Francis, Christos, Yemi, Azam and I formed a group called the Eagles. We went through introductions and got to know each other, discovering each one’s backgrounds, experiences and expections.

We are each connected through our individual blogs and intend to create a blog solely for our organisation. We will meet as regularly as permits (members who are unable to make it to school everyday) in order to meet all deliverables on time.

I am committed to this group and will definitely put in my best to ensure the success of our organisation.

Friday 16 January 2009

Egoist vs Egotist

At lectures yesterday, Prof. Mark drew my attention to the fact that a difference exists between the words egoist and egotist, a fact i didn't know before now.

In trying to bring clarity on these words, I found that according to Tiscali , while an Egoist is one who is self-centered and selfish and does not realise it, an Egotist is arrogant and conceited, always talking about themselves.

WikiAnswers gives these definitions:

egoism is to do with self-interest.

egotism is to think/talk about oneself when its unwarranted

My thoughts then are that an Egotist may not neccesarily be selfish, they are capable of caring for others, however the priority is on self.

An Egoist on the other hand must be a fanatical believer of the law of self preservation.

Thursday 15 January 2009

Introduction to a book review site. This book is written by my Dad

The book is written by my father and listed on a book review website Goodreads

However, the books are not currently available for sale. We do have some collector copies which will be available on Amazon.co.uk in a month's time.

I'll also get my dad to register on Goodreads so he can be contacted about this book and the new one he's currently writing.

I created a blog!


I am so excited that I have finally been made to create my blog! I never got around to doing this even though I have wanted to for a long while. I am looking forward to all the opportunities this has to offer..

I just resigned from a banking job I have been at for 6 years to pursue a Msc degree in Business Information Systems management. I am from Nigeria and have lived there most of my life. Studying for my Msc in london is the first time I have lived outside of my home country and I have found my temporary relocation a bit of a challenge full of interesting discoveries about my self and other people.