Definition of KM

Article 3: Understanding the definition of Knowledge management (KM)

This article is to discuss about the definition of knowledge management (KM), and I would like to analyse some of the existing definitions of the Knowledge Management in literature view, and based upon I would like to discuss the definition of knowledge management with some real life examples which will illustrate the definition of knowledge management in my view.

3.1. Analysis and of knowledge management (KM) in literature view

Peter Drucker – “The key to unlocking the value of information and knowledge is “action,” that is, it must be dynamic”.
Reflection/Opinion- this suggestion is giving the part of application of the KM, but as mentioned in the suggestion, the action taken must be dynamic. So, in my view this suggestion is not a fully expressing the KM but partially acceptable as he did not mention about the managing the knowledge.

Liebowitz (1999) – “The active and dynamic implementation and management of knowledge are critical to enabling organizational performance enhancements, problem solving, decision making, and teaching”
Reflection/Opinion- This suggestion can be fully acceptable in my view, because as the author has mentioned active and dynamic implementation and knowledge of management are important in achieving the organizational target.

Wiig (1997) – “KM is the systematic, explicit, and deliberate building, renewal, and application of knowledge to maximize an enterprises knowledge-related effectiveness and returns from its knowledge assets”.
Reflection/Opinion- This suggestion is acceptable because he has mentioned the core concepts of KM, and how that the KM can lead to enhance the organizational goals.

O’Dell (1996) – “KM applies systematic approaches to find, understand, and use knowledge to create value”.
Reflection/Opinion- This suggestion is also similar to Liebowitz (1999), but has said in short and sweet. As the application of KM in an organization is to create a value and to achieve its objectives, I can suggest that this suggestion is an acceptable.

Leonard (1995) – “The processes and terminology associated with KM often sound abstract, only hype, or simply new “management verbiage”; however; it is concrete, practical, and profoundly important”.
Reflection/Opinion- According to my view this suggestion is very difficult to understand. But he did not mention the systematic processes are in the KM, he has only mentioned the process and terminology also he is saying also sound abstract, how is it possible in the entire organizational environment? May be KM should be in theory in some working environment. Also he has mentioned that is a concrete, practical and profoundly important I agree this concept.

Stacey (2002)- “Knowledge Management is not possible, only possible to manage people, and create framework for communication”.
Reflection/Opinion- The above suggestion is not fully acceptable, because he has only mentioned KM is possible in some circumstances, in my question is how he can say that the KM is only applicable for manage people and create a frame work for communication? Why that the KM is possible for apply to produce a product or may be applying for day to day life…?

Laudon, KC and Laudon (2004) – “KM is a process that helps organizations identify, select, organize, disseminate and transfer important information and expertise, that are part of the organizations memory and that typically reside within the organization in an unstructured manner”.
Reflection/Opinion- This suggestion not fully acceptable in my view. He has mentioned simply it is a process but how it is systematically process the knowledge in an organization. But he has suggested that memory is in the organization in unstructured manner. That is not acceptable because the basic concept of the KM is a structured systematic process. Her suggestion has partially acceptable in some condition not suitable at all conditions.

Laudon, KC and Laudon (2004) – “The structuring of knowledge enables effective and efficient problem solving, dynamic learning, strategic planning and decision making”.
Reflection/Opinion- He has suggested her view of KM excellently, because an organizational goal can be achieved by solving the problems efficiently, and learning the new thinks from previously faced problems and experience. By dynamically learning previous problems, a decision can be taken by a strategic planning.

Efrain Turban, Dorothy Leidner, Ephraim McLean, James Wetherbe(2005) – “Knowledge Management initiatives focus on identifying knowledge, explicating it in such a way that it can be shared in a formal manner and leveraging its value through reuse”.
Reflection/Opinion- This suggestion is similar to Wiig (1997), and is suggested in different way.

Walter Baets (2005) - “…a fluid mix of framed experience, values, contextual information, and expert insight that provides a framework for evaluating and incorporating new experiences and information. It originates and is applied in the mind of knower’s. In organizations, it often becomes embedded not only in documents or repository but also in organizational routines, processes, practices, and norms”.
Reflection/Opinion- The above suggestion is acceptable, because he has mentioned how individuals knowledge to build up a framework and how that framework can bring a new experience in the organization to enhance the organizational goals and also he has mentioned that KM process is routine function in the organization.

Ouintas et al. (1997) – “KM is to discover, develop, utilize, deliver, and absorb knowledge inside and outside the organization through an appropriate management process to meet current and future needs”
Reflection/Opinion – The above suggestion is acceptable because, he has mentioned the core concept of KM. he has explained how that KM should be in the organizations.


Allee (1997), Davenport (1998) , Alavi and Leidner (2001) - KM is managing the corporation’s knowledge through a systematically and organizationally specified process for acquiring, organizing, sustaining, applying, sharing and renewing both the tacit and explicit knowledge of employees to enhance organizational performance and create value
Reflection/Opinion – The above definition also similar to Allee, Wiig. This definition is acceptable in all the condition. He also has mentioned how the many of individual’s knowledge are converted to tacit to explicit knowledge and also how that knowledge’s are shared within and outside the organizations.

Zack (1999a:125) - “The most important context for guiding knowledge management is the
Firm’s strategy”
Reflection/Opinion – This suggestion is acceptable because the KM strategies varies depend on the organizational goals, environment, politics, economy of the organization.

Many authors have suggested their view of knowledge management in different ways. However I found that some suggestions are having similarities within them. After I read these definitions I thought there is no one definition to define the term of KM, in the next sections I would like to discuss my view of knowledge management with some real life examples.

3.2. Criticize with real life situations.

I would like to give some real world situation where I applied and applying KM.

In my job as a Management Information Systems Office at the United Nations in Sri Lanka, I had to do a survey to help the people who were affected by Tsunami and War to develop their life standard. In order to provide a high level of service I collected a very detailed data about all the affected families. (Data)
I used the collected data to make a detailed report which given a summarised information to the project team. (Information)
The project team went through the submitted report and learned thoroughly and came to the conclusion what steps this project should have and in what ways the families should be helped. (Knowledge)
Based on what they learned from the report they categorised the families into different groups according to their family capacity, needs, and ability. For example some families had enough man power but not the capital, and some families had capitals but not the man power or skilled to do a micro level job. (Knowledge Management)
At the end the families were given aid by the United Nations to full fill their need according to what they needed. Some families were given skilled training, some were provided equipments, and some were given some financial aid to successfully achieve the aim of the project. (Knowledge Management)

I could give another example how the knowledge is managed in real world in my employment experience. When I worked for the United Nation Development Projects in Sri Lanka, our team designed a database to maintain project related data, and was able to access by the other government, non government, and private sectors. About after two months of the database access, the secretaries of the other organizations came up with some suggestions which were proposed in their organizations to modify the existing database to collect more data. Our team learned the proposal of each organization and their needs of the additional data, decided to modify the database to fulfil their requirements. In this case the database modification proposal from the organizations is the knowledge for our team, and the process of re-modification and maintenance of the database is the knowledge management.

When I came to UK, I just visited some supermarkets to buy my day to day items such as Produce, groceries, Toiletries, and cosmetics, and I found that some supermarket prices are cheaper than other supermarkets. For example Asda and Tesco are selling the quality items in reasonable price. But, by the time I found out that the toiletries and cosmetic items are cheaper at Boots and Superdrug, and are giving more offers. By analysing these price and quality I started to do shopping in Asda and Tesco for Produce, and groceries. For Toiletries, and cosmetics I used Superdrug and Boots instead of doing shopping at Sainsbury and Marks & Spenser. So, the knowledge which I learned from my shopping history is helping me to buy things with better quality in reasonable price, and to save some pennies. Therefore I think in my view; “The knowledge management is a systematically structured processed knowledge; this structured knowledge enables efficiently and dynamically to solve the problems, to take the strategic plans. And also it is a good decision maker within the organization or outside the organization or in individual mind”.

3.3. Conclusion

Application of Knowledge Management is essential for today’s business enterprises and day to day’s life to achieve the goals effectively. Therefore, the better use of knowledge management would maximize benefit of the organization or an individual. An effectively shared or organised KM or a new KM would provide dynamics for effectively solving problems, enabling innovation, and provide the environment for continuous process and product improvement.

3.4. References

Stankosky M. (2005) Creating the Discipline of Knowledge Management: The Latest in University Research, Elsevier
Rao M. (2005) Knowledge Management Tools and Techniques: Practitioners and Experts Evaluate Knowledge Management Solutions, Elsevier
Walter Baets (2005), Knowledge Management and Management Learning: Extending the Horizons of Knowledge– Based Management.
Efrain Turban, Dorithy Leidner, Ephraim McLean, James Wetherbe, (2005): information technology for management Transforming Organizations in the Digital Economy, 5th Edition, John Wiley & Sons, ISBN: 0-471-705225
Laudon, KC and Laudon, JP (2004): Management Information Systems, Managing the Digital Firm, 10th Edition, Prince-Hall, ISBN-0-13-120681-8
Allee, V. (1997), “Twelve principles of knowledge management”, Training&Development, Vol. 51 No. 11, pp. 71-4.

Davenport, T., De Long, D. and Beers, M. (1998), “Successful knowledge management projects”, Sloan Management Review, Vol. 39 No. 2, pp. 43-57.

O’Dell, C. and Grayson, J. (1998), “If only we knew what we know: identification and transfer of internal best practices”, California Management Review, Vol. 40 No. 3, pp. 154-65.