Summary: Identifies the many types of knowledge in organizations and provides a brief overview of what managing that knowledge entails.
Humor me. Seriously. Take just a moment to jot down (or at least think through) a working definition of “knowledge” before you read this. Please?
Thank you. Now together we’ll define this rather elusive concept.
Knowledge may be almost as difficult to define as "Love." Just like you mean something different (I hope!) when you say you love ice cream, love your dog, and love your spouse, you really mean different things when you say you "know" something.
If you're old enough, think back to Welcome Back Kotter. You can just hear Vinny Barbarino deflecting Mr. Kotter's questions with Who, What, Where, Why, When, or How. Those "interrogatives" (as they are properly called, though I doubt Vinny knew that) represent very different types of knowledge.
Here are different types of knowledge in a company that knowledge management addresses:
Know Who
How easy is to know who to contact for what? It may have been much easier several years ago when your company was much smaller, peoples' positions remained fairly stable, and most people had worked there since the company’s inception. But you've grown since then, brought a whole lot of new people and roles into the company, and shifted people around. Do you always know who to contact? When you do find them, are they willing to let you benefit from their experience?
Know What
Know what refers to facts (information) you need to perform a task or make a decision. This kind of knowledge can be written down in documents and manuals or embedded into computer systems. It can include factual information (such as a customer's shipping address), knowledge about relationships (how long a customer has been with you, what other companies they are connected to, how often they order, what kind of business they are, etc.) , contacts (who to call to resolve credit issues), and the like. You have plenty of "know what" knowledge both internally and externally.
Know Where
The reference librarian at my college once told me that there are two types of smart people: Those who know answers and those who know how to find answers. I think she was just trying to make me feel less stupid. :-) In reality, knowing how to find answers is a skill that some people have. Computer systems can be designed to make this happen well, but I no system will ever be produce results that a talented individual couldn’t improve.
Know Why
This is strategic insight, the "big picture" view of things. Have you ever had a job where you were not told how what you do affects the big picture of what the whole company does? Most people feel frustrated and de-motivated when they don't know why they need to do what they do. Most of us prefer to know why we are doing things, what we are trying to accomplish, how it would matter if we didn't do it, and where our work fits into it all.
Know When
Great salesmen and great buyers know just the right time to close a deal. Similarly, in your job you no doubt have honed the ability to know exactly when the best time is to say or do something. This is a sense of timing -- the best time to act, stop acting, or make a decision.
Know How
This refers to how to get something done. You usually can't capture Know How in a document or database; you teach it. Do you sit down with a young child and read her instructions on how to tie her shoe? Can you even imagine trying to write those instructions? How about "How to ride a bicycle?" Some things are simply best learned through a combination of mentoring and doing.
Conclusion
Knowledge has many faces. How many faces did you include in the definition you wrote down? Chances are, what you wrote down reflects the types of knowledge you work with most often in your job.
An integrated strategy for managing knowledge moves far beyond capturing "informative knowledge" (AKA, "explicit knowledge").
It also builds policies and structure into the company that allows the transfer of know how.
Finally, full-blown knowledge management goes much further than that. Rather than focusing on just capturing and transferring knowledge, it places its ultimate focus on creating new knowledge and applying it toward generating profit.
Commonly, that is called innovation. In reality, it is the only way for your company to remain viable.
If you’d like to know more about how to manage the flow of knowledge in your organization or how to spark further innovation, Contact me.
Comments