Reference no: EM133524479
Case Study: The power of knowledge has become an important resource for organizations to develop expertise, solve problems, increase organizational learning, and initiate new situations for both the individual and the organization now and in the future. The amplified velocity and dynamic nature of the new economy, partnered by substantial advances in technology, has created an incentive for many organizations to reconcile and utilize their knowledge in order to generate value over a sustained period of time. The effective utilization of a firm's intangible assets has also functioned as a catalyst for creating a competitive advantage over other organizations operating in the market. Knowledge management (KM) is a discipline that promotes an integrated approach to identifying, capturing, evaluating, retrieving, and sharing all the enterprise's information assets including databases, documents and procedures, among others. The speed by which knowledge management has become an integral business function for many organizations is astounding, as reflected in the way different KM systems have evolved over the years, including 'communities of practice'. It is these barriers that influence the choice of a KM system to accomplish the access to and deployment of knowledge in different workplace contexts. As organizations must consider a wide variety of technical and human issues when choosing the 'right' mix of a KM system in order to leverage knowledge effectively, the firm's energy, organizational activity, and investment can often result in ineffective KM initiatives. Becker (2002, p.1041) argues that the coordination of knowledge involves more than just identifying sources of knowledge, as the "dispersedness of knowledge is inextricably linked to the problem of designing communication structures." Corso, Martini, Pellegrini, Massa, and Testa (2006) state that informal and formal channels, such as the intranet or corporate portals, should be employed to help access this knowledge. The proliferation of social media usage within society has permeated organizations both formally and informally. A range of technologies from blogs to social networks have extended the reach of the digital revolution to the organization, creating challenges and opportunities that are expected to be compounded over time as social media is further integrated into the organizational landscape.
QUESTION 1 "Knowledge management (KM) is a discipline that promotes an integrated approach to identifying, capturing, evaluating, retrieving, and sharing all the enterprise's information assets including databases, documents and procedures, among others". Analyse and report on the steps of the knowledge management process aligned to an educational institution.
QUESTION 2
"The speed by which knowledge management (KM) has become an integral business function for many organizations is astounding, as reflected in the way different KM systems have evolved over the years, including 'communities of practice'". Analyse the concept of communities of practice (CoPs) and discuss how CoPs are used in an educational institution.
QUESTION 3 "A range of technologies from blogs to social networks have extended the reach of the digital revolution to the organization, creating challenges and opportunities that are expected to be compounded over time as social media is further integrated into the organizational landscape". Appraise the types of technologies commonly used in an educational institution.
QUESTION 4 "As organizations must consider a wide variety of technical and human issues when choosing the 'right' mix of a KM system in order to leverage knowledge effectively, the firm's energy, organizational activity, and investment can often result in ineffective KM initiatives". Examine KM implementation issues experienced in an educational institution and recommend solutions to the issues discussed