Knowledge Management System

Knowledge Management System refers to system for managing knowledge in an organization for supporting creation, capture, storage and dissemination of information. It can comprise a part of a KM Initiative. The idea of KMS is to enable employees to have ready access to the organizations documented base of facts, source of information and solution. KMS deals with information (although KM as a discipline may extend beyond the information centric aspect of the system). So they are a class of information system and may based on, or utilize other information sources. A successful knowledge management system is founded on a clear understanding of: what the organization considers to be organizational knowledge; what the organizations knowledge goals are; where knowledge resides in an organization, and its form; what knowledge components must be managed; and finally the absolutely central role of people in any system.

KMSs Basic Components

The initial development of a KM system for organizational development includes the following critical components: Knowledge Repositories Organizational knowledge repositories hold explicated formal and informal knowledge and the rules associated with them for accumulation, refining, managing, validating, maintaining, annotating (adding context), and content or knowledge distribution. The following is the list of the major constituents of an organizational knowledge base: Factual knowledge Procedural knowledge Organizational best practices Discussion databases Corporate directories or yellow pages

Expert directories

Collaborative Platforms Organizations with high-performance goals will involve massive changes throughout their capability infrastructures. The complexity of implementing these changes will be daunting, and deserves a strategic approach. Groupware will support important, special new knowledge capabilities in these infrastructures, and also can play a key role in an evolutionary strategy. Collaborative platforms support distributed work and incorporate pointers, skill databases, expert locators, and informal communication channels. Knowledge Networks Organizational knowledge networks support communications and conversation. These might include hard networks such as the organizations leased lines, intranet, extranets, and soft networks such as shared spaces, industry wide firm collaborations, trade nets, industry forums, and exchanges (both live and teleconferenced). Organizational Culture Organizational culture reflects the personality of an organization. Culture is compromised of the assumptions, values, norms, and tangible signs (artifacts) of the organizational members and their behaviors. Organizational culture encourages sharing and effective usage of knowledge and is the single most important pre- requisite for ensuring the success of KM initiatives.

KNOWLEDGE MANAGEMENT SYSTEM COMPONENTS

The essential components of a Knowledge Management System can be seen in this model.

Components of a Knowledge Management System

The following table describes the components of a KMS. Component 1. Strategy Description A KMS should be part of a strategy that identifies the key needs and issues within the organization, and provide a framework for addressing these. 1.1. Problem A problem or opportunity facing the organization needs to exist. What particular worldview justifies the existence of a KM system? (What point of view makes this system meaningful?) 1.2. Purpose / objective 1.3. Policy 1.4. Governance 1.5. Culture 1.6. Risk 2. Actors A KMS should have an explicit Knowledge Management objective of some type such as collaboration, sharing good practice or the like. Any KMS should be linked to an organizational policy Any KMS must be managed properly and a governance framework that articulates roles and responsibilities is a necessary part of a KMS. The culture, values and beliefs of the people within an organization affects the way in which they may be receptive to a KMS. What are the risks within an organization to the success of a KMS? People are central to any KMS and there are different participants with differing backgrounds and experiences. There are a number of roles to carry out a range of activities involved in an effective KMS. 2.1. Owner 2.2. Source 2.3. Clients 2.4. Managers 2.5. Enablers 2.6. Boundary Spanners 3. Infrastructure 3.1. Facilities Who owns the business process and has the authority to abolish this system or change its measures of performance? Who/what currently holds the knowledge and where does it reside? Who are the beneficiaries of this particular system? (Who would benefit or suffer from its operations?) Who is responsible for implementing this system? (Who would carry out the activities which make this system work?) Who else needs to be involved to make the knowledge system work such as IT administrators or HR support staff Those people who connect workgroups in the organization Most KMSs will require some form of infrastructure to enable the system to function. What facilities are required to support the KMS function?

3.2. Equipment 3.3. Repositories 3.4. Instruments

What equipment is required to enable the KMS to function effectively? Where will the KMS store any information or knowledge? There may be a series of instruments, tools or templates required to support the capture, creation and sharing of the corporate knowledge. This might also include directories, taxonomies or ontologies.

3.5. Software 3.6. Networks 3.7. Hardware 4. Functionality

Any software solutions that enable or comprise the KMS The social or electronic networks that enable a KMS Is there are requirement for any additional hardware KMSs are developed to support and enhance knowledge-intensive processes, tasks or projects of e.g., creation, construction, identification, transfer, capturing, acquisition, selection, valuation, refinement, organization, linking, structuring, formalization, visualization, distribution, retention, maintenance, revision, evolution, accessing, retrieval and last but not least the application of knowledge, also called the knowledge life cycle.

4.1. Logic 4.2. Business rules 4.3. Transformation

A KMS may be based on some underpinning logic or concept. Any system requires business rules to control the operation of the system. What transformation does this system bring about? (What are the inputs and what transformation do they go through to become the outputs?). There should be an transformation mode identified: Socialization - Transfer / sharing Externalization - Knowledge capture Combination Business Intelligence Internalization - Knowledge Delivery Does the KMS need to integrate with any other system? A KMS should sense the response of the client to the user of the KMS and preferably be able to adjust the mode, complexity, order and extent of the interaction being experienced by the client.

4.4. Integration 4.5. Tailoring

4.6. Administration 4.7. Reporting 4.8. Procedures

What administration is required in order to support the KMS? What reporting is required to support the management of the KMS? What processes need to be documented into procedures to be able to apply appropriate controls and guidance to support the KMS?

4.9. Content Management 5. Delivery 5.1. Mode

What content management functionality is required to support the management of the KMS? Any KMS requires the delivery or facilitation of knowledge or a knowledge management service. - Synchronous Technique - Same Time, Same Place - Asynchronous Technique (AT) - Different Time, Same Place - Distributed Synchronous Collaboration (DSC) - Same Time, Different Place - Distributed Asynchronous Collaboration (DAC) - Different Time, Different Place

5.2. Facilitation

A KMS must have an interface where people interact with the system. This could be a facilitator or utilize technology via Visual, Audio or Experiential/tactile modes to facilitate the interaction of the user/client with the system.

5.3. Style

The effectiveness of a KMS can be enhanced through the adoption of a style that is consistent with the culture of an organization. Style sends important messages to a client about the KMS.

5.4. Techniques 5.5. Access Control 5.6. Accessibility 5.7. Personalization 6. Content 6.1. Lifespan 6.2. Authoring 6.3. Publishing 6.4. Validation and

Delivery of a KMS may require the application of skills and techniques in order to be successful. A KMS should identify and target clients to enable appropriate personnel and lock out inappropriate personnel. A KMS needs to be accessible to people with physical restrictions or a Disability A KMS should be able to be personalized to suit the client Some KMS will hold content to enable the system to function. Content may be static, dynamic or compiled on the fly (mash-up) The content within a KMS needs to be effectively authored/prepared in a form that is usable to the client A publishing process and model needs to be in place to authorize and control release of content Content needs to be obtained from authentic sources and the sources need to be identified and verifiable. Ownership/stewardship of the content is important as a management process to ensure the effective delivery and utilization of the KMS

referencing of Source 6.5.6.5. Stewardship of the content

6.6. Review and update 6.7. Security 6.8. Taxonomy 6.9. Catalogue 6.10. Version Control 6.11. Disposal 7.Continuous Improvement 7.1. Feedback 7.2.Performance Management 7.3. Review and Audit 7.4. Benefits Realization

Any content held by a KMS should be subject to a review and update protocol. Any classified content held by a KMS must be adequately protected. Content held by a KMS may need to be sorted into an appropriate structure to enable easy discovery and use. Any content held by a KMS may require cataloguing in order to better manage the information. Any content held by a KMS should be subject to version control. Any content held by a KMS that is no longer relevant or valued should be disposed of. A KMS should be regularly reviewed to ensure that it is meeting the objectives identified in the strategy and requirements. Feedback on the utility of a KMS is important to identify issues that need to be addressed. A Performance Management sub-system should include: Indicators, Levels/Measures, a collection process, analysis and reporting. Third party review or audit of the effectiveness of a KMS may be appropriate. Management of the KMS is required in order to ensure that the benefits

You don't know

Knowledge Discovery

Explore, Research, Create

You know

Knowledge Repository (Knowledge Base)

Knowledge Sharing and

Transfer

Knowledge you have

Knowledge you don't have

References and Further Reading Durant-Law, G., The Essential Components of a Knowledge Management System | Knowledge Matters. Available at: http://www.durantlaw.info/essential-components-of-knowledge- management-system Langton, N & Robbins, S. (2006). Organizational Behaviour (Fourth Canadian Edition). Toronto, Ontario: Pearson Prentice Hall. Maier, R (2007): Knowledge Management Systems: Information And Communication Technologies for Knowledge Management. 3rd edition, Berlin: Springer. Shelley, A, The Organizational Zoo - Resources. Available at: http://www.organizationalzoo.com/resources Snowden, D, Cognitive Edge. Available at:

http://www.cognitiveedge.com/blogs/dave/2009/09/defining_km.php Standards Australia, AS 5037-2005 Knowledge management a guide Tiwana, A., 1999. Knowledge Management Toolkit, The: Practical Techniques for Building a Knowledge Management System, Pearson Education.