Knowledge transformation

Citation

Chase, R.L. (2006), "Knowledge transformation", Journal of Knowledge Management, Vol. 10 No. 3. https://doi.org/10.1108/jkm.2006.23010caa.001

Knowledge transformation

Knowledge transformation

The first paper by Shizhong Chen et al. examines small- and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) to identify their needs and practices in the area of inter-organizational knowledge transfer. Based on an empirical investigation of British SMEs in the service sector, the authors conclude that social and electronic networks are critical channels for acquiring needed external knowledge. Almost half of the companies surveyed reported difficulties in leveraging knowledge from other organizations to improve their business processes. The SMEs reported:

• •

  difficulty in identifying knowledge gaps;

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  a lack of motivation by key employees to learn from business partners;

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  ineffectiveness in internal communication or mistakes in selecting the right communication channel; and

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  an inability to convert the acquired knowledge into practice.

There is still much to learn about implementing knowledge management in the public sector. Andreas Riege and Nicholas Lindsay identify core issues and challenges that governments face in delivering effective public policy, particularly challenges presented by increasing community expectations. They then highlight the importance of developing public policy via knowledge-based partnerships with stakeholders. Their paper reports that some existing process frameworks can provide a good starting point for capturing knowledge about stakeholders, highlighting how stakeholders interact with policy development processes. The authors classify stakeholders from a number of different perspectives and attempt to provide some practical assistance to governments in developing more effective and strategically guided stakeholder policy partnerships, including more effective use of resources and improved knowledge transfer. Such frameworks need to be viewed as dynamic and stakeholder classifications need to be monitored continually.

“Business process modeling through the knowledge management perspective” by Brane Kalpic and Peter Bernus discusses the role and contribution of BPM in KM. The authors consider BPM as a tool that allows the transformation of informal knowledge into formal knowledge and facilitates its externalization and sharing. The paper presents the findings of the mapping process of business process modeling concepts into the knowledge life-cycle model proposed by Nonaka and Takeuchi, as well as knowledge categories defined by different authors. The resulting framework identifies key knowledge capture strategies, stages in knowledge transformation, and activities in this process.

Ming-Ten Tsai and Kuo-Wei Lee report on knowledge internalization from the perspective of learning cycle theory. The authors developed a theoretical framework that provides an analytical perspective on knowledge internalization. From the study they conclude that an “incomplete learning cycle” is one of the reasons why explicit knowledge cannot be successfully converted into tacit knowledge. They encourage organizations to adopt a complete learning process to ensure that all levels of knowledge are inculcated into the enterprise, leading to efficient and effective business processes.

Meeta Bhardwaj and John Monin also explore the conversion of tacit knowledge into explicit knowledge. Their focus is on the role tacit knowledge plays in shaping the knowledge base of knowledge intensive organizations. Interviews with human resources professionals indicated the critical importance of codifying individual tacit knowledge into a formal corporate memory. The authors conclude that organizations still lack the ability of reducing the risk of being dependent on the tacit knowledge of a few employees. They note the need for new technology that is able to effectively capture the multi-dimensional interplay of tacit knowledge with important sub-systems of the organization.

Mats Edenius and Alexander Styhre report on how two managerial tools – the balanced scorecard (BSC) and electronic mail systems – are used to represent and classify various knowledge-based resources in organizations. The paper draws on Foucault’s work, and shows how what Foucault calls “sensible knowledge” is useful in understanding BSC and e-mail systems. The authors conclude that knowledge can never be taken for granted, but must always be examined at the level of its constitution and reproduction, i.e. within the regimes of representation and classification in which practitioners operate.

The main objective of the paper by Mirghani Mohamed, Michael Stankosky and Arthur Murray is to impart new insights into the role of information technology (IT) in knowledge extraction, capture, distribution and personalization. The authors begin by pinpointing the strengths and weaknesses of IT in the domain of KM. In addition, they explain why the technology promise remains unfulfilled as seen by many KM practitioners. This paper is fundamentally based on the macro structure of Stankosky’s four KM pillars conceptual framework. Within the framework the authors examine the IT role and the hidden reasons that make knowledge prominent and reachable via IT. In addition, the authors explore some critical issues that must be addressed before information technology can fully support KM.

The idea that knowledge needs to be codified is central to many claims that knowledge can be managed. The paper by Matthew Hall explores the concept of knowledge codification and presents findings from empirical research into knowledge codification processes occurring as part of a knowledge management project in a section of the UK Post Office called Post Office Consulting. The principle findings about the nature of knowledge codification are first, that the process of knowledge codification also involves the process of defining the codes needed to codify knowledge, and second, that people who participate in the construction of these codes are able to interpret and use the codes more similarly. From this the author concludes that the ability of people to decodify codes similarly places restrictions on the transferability of knowledge between them.

The goal of the paper by Mohd Syazwan Abdullah et al. is to re-evaluate the role of knowledge-based systems (KBS) in knowledge management. The authors note that while KBS and expert systems were widely used in the past, they have now fallen from favor and are largely ignored in the KM literature. According to the authors, the lack of success of KBS technologies is mainly due to organizational and managerial issues. They state that these problems can be solved through feasibility studies before system development activities and the incorporation of new technologies.

Daniel Palacios Marqués and Fernando José Garrigós Simón report on a new model to measure knowledge management practices on firm performance. Their proposed theoretical model consists of six dimensions:

1. 1.

   Orientation towards the development, transfer and protection of knowledge.

2. 2.

   Continuous learning in the organization.

3. 3.

   An understanding of the organization as a global system.

4. 4.

   Development of an innovative culture that encourages R&D projects.

5. 5.

   Approach based on individuals.

6. 6.

   Development of competencies and management based on competences.

The authors studied 222 Spanish firms in the biotechnology and telecommunications industries. They conclude that the model is reliable and objective and can be used in other knowledge-intensive industries such as software development and consulting.

Nekane Aramburu, Josune Sáenz and Olga Rivera investigate how organizations foster innovation and knowledge creation. They use a survey instrument that examines organizational innovation, and the degree of management support, especially the middle-up-down model proposed by Nonaka et al., needed to promote an effective knowledge creation process. The methodology is used to link extremely abstract concepts, such as knowledge vision, articulation of this vision by means of concepts and images, the Japanese concept of ba, etc., with specific elements from the management context. A study of manufacturing firms in the Basque region of Spain is used to validate this empirical approach.

Rory L. Chase