There is reason to believe that by now quite definite ideas about the general and applied aspects of the problem have already been formed.knowledge management in modern organizations and in the near future.
Knowledge as a resource and object of management
There are two most common definitions of knowledge. One of them is quite specific and practical, the other is of a general nature. In the first case, it is argued that knowledge is practical information that actively controls the processes of performing tasks, solving problems and making decisions. At the same time, managing knowledge means systematically, accurately and thoughtfully generating, updating and applying it in order to maximize the efficiency of the enterprise and the profit from knowledge-based assets. Along with this, it can be argued that knowledge is any word, fact, example, event, rule, hypothesis or model that enhances understanding or performance in a particular field of activity or discipline. In relation to this, knowledge management means the formalization and access to practical experience, knowledge and expert data that create new opportunities that contribute to the improvement of operations, stimulate innovation and increase customer value.
Knowledge is something that many organizations increasingly produce, sell and acquire. Businesses face such complex challenges that force them to develop cutting-edge knowledge and make the most of it.
Although the exact monetary value of the value of knowledge in an organization cannot be calculated, there are some criteria for measuring its economic value. The difference between the market value of a company and the value of its tangible assets is one measure of the value of intangible assets, most of which are a form of organizational knowledge. There is evidence that only 6 to 30% of a company's value comes from assets listed on traditional balance sheets; the rest is intangible assets. As a result, 50% of the investments of manufacturing companies are in non-material areas, such as research and development, training, professional experience, etc. .
Knowledge management has two main tasks. One is efficiency, the use of knowledge to increase productivity by increasing speed or reducing costs. The other is innovation, the creation of new products and services, new enterprises and new business processes.
"Invisible" assets are intellectual assets that can and do bring real dividends to companies. We are talking about patents and copyrights, knowledge and professional qualities of employees, trademarks, customer base, a network of loyal suppliers and partners, a culture of innovation, corporate memory and databases, the quality of work processes, etc.
It is important to strive to form such an approach to knowledge management that correlates, balances and integrates the organizational, human and technological components of knowledge.
The relationship between knowledge, training and the key competence of the organization is shown in Fig. 1, where an attempt is made to show how all economic and managerial relations are based on knowledge, the preferences of economic entities are identified, the exchange takes place and information is supplied to the markets.
The significant expansion of access to knowledge, made possible by modern information technologies, is changing the very nature of the relationship between a specialist and a non-professional, between an organization and an employee, between a source and a recipient of benefits. Knowledge eliminates static and unidirectional, as it creates the basis for continuous progressive movement through a dynamically changing network with the participation of both creators and users of information.
Rice. 1. Knowledge, training and basic competence of the organization.
In the light of the expansion and use of knowledge, the concept and practice of lifelong education is spreading as a set of measures that enable a person to learn throughout his life according to the principle "any education is valuable, anywhere, at any time and of any content." The requirement is put forward for the distribution of the educational resources of the individual throughout his life, and not their concentration in a strictly defined period. This involves the formation of a system of continuous education, taking into account self-learning with consulting and methodological support (organization of a network of open universities, distance learning, etc.).Knowledge management function
In order to continuously reduce the knowledge gap, organizations must address critical challenges such as:Under the conditions of revolutionary changes in production and information technologies, a new management function is being formed, whose task is to accumulate intellectual capital, identify and disseminate existing information and experience, and create prerequisites for the dissemination and transfer of knowledge.
The use of intellectual capital and the associated professional competence of personnel ensure the survival and economic success of companies. It is knowledge that becomes the source of high productivity, innovation and competitive advantage.
In a specific application, knowledge management as a function and as a type of management activity covers:
The knowledge management function covers the use of various methods depending on the characteristics of a particular stage of organizing the acquisition and development of new knowledge. The literature discusses various approaches to subdividing this process into stages with varying degrees of detail. In table. 1 provides an option that takes into account both the existing proposals and the real goals and needs of identifying and using the necessary knowledge.
Table 1. Stages of knowledge management
| 1. Determine | what knowledge is critical to success |
| 2. Collect | acquisition of existing knowledge, experience, methods and qualifications |
| 3. Select | flow of collected, ordered knowledge, evaluation of its usefulness |
| 4. Store | the selected knowledge is classified and entered into organizational memory (in human, on paper, in electronic form). |
| 5. Distribute | knowledge is retrieved from corporate memory, made available for use |
| 6. Apply | when performing tasks, solving problems, making decisions, searching for ideas and learning |
| 7. Create | new knowledge is revealed through customer observation, feedback, causal analysis, benchmarking, experience, research, experimentation, creative thinking, data mining |
| 8. Sell | based on intellectual capital - new products and services that can be implemented outside the enterprise. |
Source: The table is based on the steps given in .
In the "Define" phase, it is necessary to establish what core knowledge is critical for success and, in connection with this, what is the level of competence of employees in each area of knowledge. Training programs and support systems are being created.
Moving on to the "Collect" stage, it is necessary to acquire the existing knowledge, experience, methods and qualifications necessary to create the domains of the selected core knowledge. The "Select" stage considers the constant stream of collected, organized knowledge and evaluates its usefulness. A single structure should be defined as the basis for the organization and classification of knowledge intended for storage in the database. The "Keep" stage is allocated so that the selected knowledge is classified and entered into corporate memory. This includes knowledge about products, production processes, customers, market needs, financial results, experience gained, strategic plans and goals, etc. The professional intelligence of the organization should also be part of this memory.
In this regard, professional knowledge should include:
Organizations that nurture the desire for knowledge (“want to know why”) in their employees thrive in the face of rapid change and renew their cognitive knowledge, skills and systems understanding to compete in product and service markets.
By developing corporate memory within the organization, knowledge sharing can be facilitated, as innovations implemented in one department of the organization become available to other departments if they are stored in the memory of the organization. Such corporate memory exists in three different forms: in human memory, on paper and in electronic form.
During the "Distribute" stage, knowledge is retrieved from corporate memory and made available for use. Within the "Apply" stage, the necessary knowledge is found and applied in the implementation of tasks, solving problems, making decisions, searching for ideas and learning. Integrated "enablement" systems are used in many leading companies to significantly increase the efficiency and capabilities of knowledge workers. In the Create phase, new knowledge is elicited through many means, such as customer observation, customer feedback and analysis, causal analysis, benchmarking, best practices, lessons learned from business process upgrades, and technology streamlining projects. process, research, experimentation, creative thinking, automated knowledge acquisition and data mining. The last step is "Sell". Within its framework, on the basis of intellectual capital, new products and services are created that can be implemented outside the enterprise. Before this stage becomes possible, the other stages must reach a certain phase of maturity.
According to Beckman, the following is a short list of the most essential properties to be guided by in the performance of each stage of work: high efficiency, customer focus, improvement and superior quality, high flexibility and adaptation, high level of professional experience and knowledge, high speed of learning and innovation , the presence of an innovative system based on information technology, self-management.
Implementing the functionknowledge management , it is important to create conditions for obtaining the necessary new knowledge. Among the methods used, three main ones can be pointed out.
Buying knowledge.
The following methods of purchasing knowledge and experience are mentioned in the literature: hiring new employees with knowledge and experience; forming a partnership with another organization; transfer of any function from another organization for permanent functioning in this structure.Rent knowledge.
Ways to borrow knowledge and skills include hiring consultants; obtaining assistance from clients, suppliers, consumers, scientific institutions and professional associations; involvement of other organizations on a subcontract basis. Knowledge about customers increases the effectiveness of relationships with them, and knowledge gained together with the consumer opens the way for more innovations, products and services of higher quality.Development of knowledge.
You can point to such ways of developing knowledge and skills as: sending workers to study on the side; development and delivery of training programs within the organization; inviting trainers from outside for training within the organization; distribution of already existing knowledge within the organization.
The function of knowledge management is also related to codification processes. The goal of codification, i.e. bringing knowledge into a documented or formalized system, is to make local knowledge and often hushed knowledge become understandable and available for wide dissemination. It is important to bear in mind that knowledge is a complex, flexible and content-rich structure.
Enterprise databases may contain structured information characterizing: 1) unique knowledge of specialists - "knowledge of human intelligence"; 2) unique structured information obtained with the help of expert systems - "knowledge of artificial intelligence".
An expert system is a program that operates according to a previously known algorithm with information representing the knowledge of an expert in a particular subject area, expressed in a form convenient for use on a computer, in order to develop recommendations for solving problems or problems posed to the user.
New forms of organization
The acquisition of knowledge, its storage, distribution and transformation into a form convenient for intra-company use presupposes the formation and implementation in practice of certain organizational conditions. In practice, this has already found expression in the fact that the positions of director of knowledge management, vice president of intellectual capital management, manager of intellectual assets, director of training are being introduced, cross-functional project teams are being formed in the field of knowledge management. There are also knowledge brokers (employees who can be here and there, interested in what is happening and how). They carry ideas and inspire those who cannot communicate directly with others.
A major survey conducted by the Conference Board and Pricewater House-Coopers, covering 158 corporations, found that 80% of companies have introduced a "knowledge management" system, 25% of companies have a general knowledge manager position, 53% of companies have a special apparatus and structure, 46% of companies have a special budget, 6% apply corporate programs, 60% are going to do it within the next 5 years. According to Meta Group, more than 75% of the world's 2000 largest companies already use knowledge management methods and technologies.
Of direct practical interest is the nature of the impact of the new function on corporate organizational structures. Recently, in the world practice, there has been a spread of a new corporate model, which provides for a significant expansion of cooperation among competitors, suppliers and consumers. This model changes traditional ideas about the boundaries of the firm. The professional knowledge and skills of each partner make it possible to create a "best in everything" organization in which any function and process is implemented at the world level. As a result, a higher efficiency of production is ensured, an atmosphere of mutual trust and mutual responsibility is created. The partnership here is less formal. Information networks establish efficient and fast connections between companies. This is a direct path to the emergence in the future of structures that form the so-called horizontal corporations.
Corporate systems, where the function of knowledge management unites not only employees of the company, but also partners, suppliers, customers and even competitors, help to really build partnerships between companies.
In the future, one can foresee a significant expansion of trends of another kind - the division of a large organization into small self-governing structures. Thus, a large plant is subdivided into small "target factories" that produce small batches of various goods or components for more complex products. Similarly, large organizations where employees work are subdivided into small offices that provide some specific service. This shift from large-scale systems to small autonomous units minimizes bureaucratic size, requires close collaboration between units, and makes change more flexible.
The integration of operations into a single whole is carried out with the help of information systems. Computer-integrated production uses powerful personal computer systems for information support of all phases of activity - from design development to production, inventory management, distribution. In offices, local structures or interconnected communication systems allow people to "work from a distance" wherever they are. The organization becomes a collection of individual flexible production systems interacting and controlled by computers.
The information and analytical service is a mandatory attribute of the enterprise analysis and management system based on knowledge technologies, without which such management does not exist. The staff of the information and analytical center includes [Weber, Danilov, Shifrin, 2003]:
Each division is managed by an independent working group, which is given almost complete control - from product design to production, marketing and service delivery. Computerization provides the necessary flexibility for a company to manufacture customized products to meet its individual requirements.
The above changes open up new opportunities for organizations to expand markets geographically and increase product lines. Flexibility and the ability to adapt to change are becoming more important than constantly striving to achieve results at any cost.
From the standpoint of the production and use of knowledge, it is fundamentally important to constantly pay attention to the formation of innovative teams (teams). Goals and resources for teams vary across organizations.
No model is an ideal form of organizational design, and the design of most organizations can change over time. The matrix organization increases its popularity in cases where it is necessary to coordinate the use of knowledge in a complex and unstable environment. You can point to a network organization, which is characterized by flexible, sometimes temporary interaction between producers, suppliers and even consumers. It is a dynamic structure in which the main components can be mounted or unmounted according to changing competitive conditions.
There are several different terms to describe the emerging very new organizational model. It is considered by some to be a large web with a main web in the center, operating as a centralized organization. This center is associated with different participants, each of which performs a specialized function and all are interconnected with each other, which is very similar to a spider with its own web. Among the most significant examples of a combination of numerous and diverse knowledge, achievements in engineering and technology is the so-called virtual corporation. It is used to form a temporary network structure of independent organizations connected by information technology and combined in various combinations for effective use in a rapidly changing environment. Activities for the application of already accumulated knowledge and the receipt of new information create the prerequisites for the formation of a learning organization. In the face of ever-increasing international competition, increasing research costs, the need to maintain scientific and technical personnel and the desire to share the risk associated with the creation and commercialization of technology, companies are uniting in consortiums, innovative strategic alliances.
Knowledge management creates conditions under which education turns into a kind of investment, professional experience becomes a kind of asset, and loyalty to the company is what the organization should achieve in relations with the employee.
If you try to compile a list of areas in which knowledge management has proven to be effective, then such a list will not end. The problem of knowledge sharing, encouraging employees to participate in the process of accumulating and using collective knowledge and implementing knowledge management systems is relevant in all sectors of the economy. Even if a company operates in an area where competitive advantages do not play a decisive role in business development, and innovation is not the main criterion for success, knowledge management is still necessary. After all, we live in an era of ever-increasing globalization, dramatic change and interaction. Today, knowledge management is not just a wealth accumulation tool. It's a means of survival.
Knowledge management is a systematic process of searching, using and transferring information and knowledge. This is the process by which an organization reproduces knowledge, accumulates and uses in the interests of obtaining competitive advantages.
The purpose of knowledge management is to accumulate intellectual capital, identify and disseminate information and experience, create conditions for the dissemination and transfer of knowledge. In practice, this is the systematic and purposeful formation, updating and application of knowledge to enhance the efficiency of the company.
Knowledge management as a function of management solves such problems as:
giving value to knowledge can ensure a more efficient existence of the company;
diagnostics and analysis of the knowledge that the company has (what knowledge is available - how to make the transition from implicit to explicit knowledge, what knowledge is needed);
acquisition of knowledge (for example, purchase or internal reserves);
implementation of knowledge in products, services, documents, databases, software (improving efficiency, increasing productivity by reducing costs);
creation of a knowledge management system (motivation for the exchange of knowledge and experience, creation of an organization structure that facilitates the exchange of knowledge);
Knowledge management functions
Analytical - at this stage, the transition of information to knowledge is carried out (methods: comparisons, consequences, connections);
Distributive - ordering knowledge, assessing its usefulness, classifying knowledge, experience according to criteria, entering knowledge into corporate memory. Creating corporate memory allows you to identify valuable knowledge for the organization and structure it according to the criteria of value, issue and scope. Corporate knowledge reflected in corporate memory may include the following segments:
customer knowledge;
knowledge about competitors - a mechanism for success, strategies;
knowledge about the product - its place in the market, what value this product creates for the consumer, who buys it and why;
knowledge about processes - management methods, technologies, innovations;
knowledge about finance;
knowledge about people - a motive, what knowledge they have, advanced training.
Structuring according to the criteria of value and scope contributes to the rapid dissemination of the necessary knowledge. Thanks to the availability of the knowledge base for all employees, it becomes clear what issues this or that employee is dealing with and what knowledge he has, and also accelerates the transfer of knowledge from one employee to another.
Security - building barriers to the leakage of knowledge and information. Extends to production processes, customer knowledge, financial documents, experience, strategic plans;
Integration - extracting knowledge from corporate memory (by exchanging knowledge between departments, different levels of management, sharing experience between employees). One type of integration is the sale of knowledge;
Creation of new knowledge - for example, buying and renting.
By managing knowledge, the organization seeks to create and consolidate its competitive advantages, to maximize the professional and personal qualities of employees. Knowledge management includes the functions of providing personnel with the necessary knowledge, their application in practice, control over their use, organization of storage and distribution. The competitiveness of the organization depends on the effectiveness of the implementation of each knowledge management function.
Organizations compete using different strategies. The best result is achieved when a company, when developing and implementing a knowledge management strategy, correlates it with its strategic goals and key aspects of the overall corporate strategy, as well as with marketing, innovation, financial, personnel management and other strategies implemented in the company. This means that knowledge management efforts need to be concentrated on areas that contribute to the achievement of strategic objectives.
Consider some knowledge management strategies that allow you to form intellectual capital and use it to improve the efficiency and competitiveness of the organization.
There are seven basic strategies for the formation and use of knowledge in an organization. Three of them are to effectively form and use knowledge within one of the types of intellectual capital. Three more strategies involve achieving a positive effect from the interaction of two different types of intellectual capital (human and organizational, human and relationship capital, organizational and relationship capital). The seventh strategy is based on the simultaneous interaction of all three elements of intellectual capital. Thus, the basic knowledge management strategies are aimed either at the exchange of knowledge within one type of intellectual capital in order to increase it, or at the effective transfer of knowledge from one type of intellectual capital to another.
The first strategy, based on the formation and use of knowledge within the framework of human capital, answers the questions: “How is knowledge exchanged between employees of the organization?”, “How is their competence increased and how is it used to increase the competitiveness of the organization?” This strategy is aimed at developing the individual competence of employees through training.
The second strategy is aimed at the formation and use of knowledge within the organizational capital (information system, databases, organizational structures, copyrights, patents, licenses).
The third strategy is the formation and use of knowledge in the external relations of the organization. The strategy is based on marketing technologies.
The fourth strategy is aimed at the interaction of human capital and relationship capital. The strategy includes techniques and methods of interaction with consumers that increase the individual competence of the employees of the organization. For example, any form of feedback received through sociological research can be used to improve the skills of employees. Sometimes, within the framework of the fourth strategy, one can single out actions aimed at transferring individual competence from the employees of the organization to external structures (books of company success stories).
The fifth strategy is aimed at the interaction of human and organizational capital. It answers the question: “How does the individual competence of employees contribute to the construction of elements of the internal structure of the organization, and how can individual competence be increased with the help of elements of the internal structure?” The strategy deals with the transfer of individual knowledge into internal corporate systems, where it is fixed and becomes available to all employees (the best management decision, information resources).
The sixth strategy is aimed at the productive interaction of relationship capital and organizational capital. For example, systematic surveys of consumers, telephone hotlines, on their basis, for example, the improvement of goods takes place. Or customer complaints about equipment defects are collected, a database is created that serves as the basis for prompt assistance to customers who can use the “hot line” and receive a qualified answer.
To ensure competitiveness, some organizations in the process of serving customers give them additional information that serves as a factor in the effective use of the goods sold. For example, a firm sells fertilizers and seeds to farmers. Through its sales representatives, it supplies them not only with goods, but also with weather reports, crop forecasts, and helps to select the necessary agrotechnical solutions, taking into account the specific soil conditions of each farm.
The sixth strategy collects sales data to streamline the production process.
The seventh strategy is aimed at the movement of knowledge simultaneously between all types of intellectual capital.
The main goal of all strategies is to increase the efficiency of using all available resources of the organization.
Knowledge management can be seen as the process by which an organization manages to profit from the amount of knowledge at its disposal. The following processes are distinguished in knowledge management activities: 1) formation; 2) distribution and scope; 3) use of knowledge.
The purpose of the first stage is to determine what knowledge the organization needs, from what sources and in what ways it will be acquired, how much it will cost, who will do it and when. This process breaks down into the following:
1.1. Definition of knowledge;
1.2. Acquisition of knowledge;
1.3. Accumulation of knowledge;
1.4. Development of knowledge.
1.1. In the definition phase, it is necessary to establish what core knowledge is critical to the implementation of the strategy and the success of the company. Basic basic knowledge is a set of expert knowledge, tools, methods necessary to implement the relevant strategic opportunities. This basic knowledge is immediately divided into subject areas:
market - production, competition, pricing, suppliers, partners;
consumer - requests, prices, expectations, requirements, feedback;
product - properties, functionality, cost, quality;
service - purchase, maintenance, repair;
management - business strategy, structures, workforce, modernization;
employees – skills, knowledge, career goals, interests, benefits, wages.
After the distribution of knowledge by subject areas, it is necessary to assess the existing level of competence of employees in each area of knowledge. It is necessary to determine whether employees have sufficient knowledge and experience to achieve a high result. An expert assessment of professional skills (knowledge, experience) should be made. There are two types of assessment: operational – which considers the current skills and performance required to maintain existing core knowledge, strategic – which determines what existing knowledge can be transferred to provide future core knowledge.
When the difference between the existing and required levels of competence is determined, specialists in the respective fields of knowledge create training programs.
1.2. Management tasks at the stage of acquiring knowledge:
choice of sources of knowledge;
selection and concentration of significant information;
obtaining new knowledge.
In order to become usable, knowledge, experience, competencies must be streamlined and refined. In addition, you need to know where and how to get the necessary knowledge and experience. Knowledge can be obtained from external and internal sources. External: public rating systems (media, general public, publications); political forces (authorities); assessment knowledge and technology (courses, seminars, research, best practices, environmental monitoring), economic structures and trends (customers, suppliers, competitors). The more effectively the organization collects, processes and integrates relevant external information into internal decision-making processes, the higher will be the level of its competitiveness. In addition to external sources, the company can draw knowledge from internal sources: internal training and education, business strategy, leading specialists of the company, organizational planning, organizational structure, employee proposals, corporate information publications.
1.3. accumulation process.
The main goal of knowledge management is to create corporate memory. The tasks of managing the process of knowledge accumulation are:
classification of knowledge;
knowledge codification;
ensuring the availability of knowledge.
Corporate memory exists in three different forms: in human memory, on paper and in electronic form. There are several approaches to ordering knowledge for its storage in corporate memory. The accumulated experience can be generalized and presented in a certain classification: external and internal, profession, theoretical and practical knowledge. Creation of corporate memory requires the solution of the question of what types of knowledge, i.e. what types of intellectual resources need to be presented in an explicit systematized form, how to extract the knowledge possessed by certain employees of the company, and how to make it understandable and accessible to others. Thus, any knowledge or any information that contributes to the success of the organization must be stored in this memory. This includes knowledge about products, production processes, customers, marketing market needs, financial results, experience gained, strategic plans and goals, etc. The professional knowledge of the organization should also be part of the corporate memory. Professional knowledge includes:
cognitive knowledge (“know that”): very good knowledge of the basic discipline, achieved by professionals through intensive training and certification;
craftsmanship ("know how"): translates "book learning" into effective performance; the ability to apply discipline-specific rules to solve complex real-world problems;
systemic understanding (“I know why”): deep knowledge of the entire system of relationships, causes and effects that underlie a particular discipline;
personal motivation for creativity (“I want to know why”): covers the will, motivation and attitude to success.
An organization that nurtures the desire for knowledge (“I want to know why”) in its employees can thrive in the face of rapid change and upgrade its cognitive capabilities, application skills, and systems understanding to compete in product and service markets. By developing corporate memory within the organization, knowledge sharing can be facilitated, as innovations implemented in one department of the organization become available to other departments if they are stored in the memory of the organization.
Corporate memory is divided into 4 main types: a) "top"; b) "sponge"; c) "publisher"; d) pump.
The "top" - the simplest form of organization of corporate memory - is used as an archive, which can be accessed as needed.
"Sponge" - provides a more active collection of information compared to the "top". A fairly complete corporate memory is being created, the use of which to improve the quality of organizational processes depends on each employee individually.
"Publisher" - the function of corporate memory coordinators is to analyze the experience gained, combine it with knowledge in corporate memory and send the combined knowledge to employees for whom the experience gained may be relevant.
"Pump" - includes elements of both active collection and active dissemination of knowledge.
A company can also use a fairly new approach to the collection and dissemination of internal information, called "open management book". The implementation of this system requires the implementation of three main actions. First, for each employee of the company, data is collected daily that reflects the results of the work performed. Secondly, the information collected once a week is transmitted to all employees of the company, from the secretary to the director. Thirdly, employees are trained, which allows them to correctly understand the processes that take place in the company. The more employees adequately understand the processes actually taking place in the company, the higher their assistance in solving existing problems.
1.4. The process of knowledge development involves the identification of new knowledge and the replenishment of corporate memory. One of the tasks is to obtain non-verbal, implicitly expressed knowledge from experts and turn it into explicit, documented. Ways to develop knowledge: training employees outside the organization; The holding of trainings; inviting instructors from outside for training; distribution of already existing knowledge within the organization. The development of knowledge is attractive when it corresponds to the current or future capabilities of the company.
Sufficient time requires not only the creation but the dissemination of knowledge. Some firms form knowledge creators - R&D units. As awareness of the importance of knowledge grows, many organizations are realizing that knowledge creation should not be an isolated activity. They believe that being a knowledge creator is the responsibility of every employee in the firm.
Dissemination and exchange of knowledge is aimed at solving such problems as:
search for the necessary knowledge, providing employees with quick access to knowledge, quick retrieval of knowledge from corporate memory;
transfer of knowledge through the use of new information technologies;
creation of conditions for the exchange of experience as a result of group interaction, informal communication of company employees;
assimilation of knowledge, creation of opportunities for training and advanced training of company employees.
Internal information sharing is important, but if an organization is inaccessible to its external environment, its strategy will fail. Therefore, in knowledge management, knowledge sharing is of great importance not only within the company, but also with the external environment: consumers, customers, suppliers, partners.
Use of knowledge - active application in the implementation of tasks, in solving problems, making decisions, searching for ideas, learning. Tasks of knowledge management in the process of using knowledge:
creation of conditions for the use of knowledge in business processes, decision-making (accessibility of knowledge);
employee training;
sale of knowledge.
Based on intellectual capital, new products are created that can be sold outside the company. This applies primarily to organizational capital: inventions, technologies, computer programs, databases. It, to a greater extent than other types of intellectual capital, is the property of the company and can be an independent object of sale and purchase.
Knowledge management as a process includes stages; formation - dissemination - use of knowledge. In the course of management, various methods of knowledge extraction are used: communicative and textological.
Communicative methods - the analyst's contact with sources of knowledge: employees or experts. Communication methods are: passive and active. Passive - the leading role in the knowledge extraction procedure is transferred to the expert, and the analyst only records the expert's reasoning during his work on making decisions or presenting his position. Passive methods: observation, "thinking out loud", lectures. In active methods, the initiative passes to the analyst, who is actively in contact with the expert - in games, dialogues, round-table discussions. Active methods can be individual and group. Group - a group of experts or employees. Textual methods - methods for extracting knowledge from documents (service manual, regulations, articles, monographs, textbooks).
Imitation – an attempt to learn the strategy, technology and functional activities of other firms and to apply someone else's experience. Benchmarketing is a method of studying and using someone else's experience. Benchmarketing helps to significantly reduce costs and increase labor productivity. Benchmarketing began to be seen as a relatively cheap and accessible method of obtaining new knowledge. Benchmarketing can be defined as a systematic process of identifying the best organizations, evaluating their products, technologies, methods in order to use the best practices of these companies. The main stages of benchmarking:
1. Selection of products, services, technologies, methods for comparison;
2. Selecting a company for comparison;
3. Collecting the necessary information about the accumulated experience;
4. Information analysis;
5. Adaptation and application of the best experience.
Acquisition – firms buy other firms not only because of their production capabilities or customer base, but also to gain their knowledge. Some knowledge is contained in processes and ordinary work, but most of the knowledge is contained in people. If competent employees leave the organization, their experience will go with them. In order to retain knowledge, the acquiring firm must identify employees with the most significant knowledge base and ensure that they remain in the company using all possible methods of motivation.
Buying knowledge - buying methods: hiring new employees.
Knowledge rental - hiring consultants, attracting scientific and other organizations to develop a new product.
In all cases, the main task of acquiring organizational knowledge is the development of core competencies that generate new products. New knowledge enriches competitive advantage.
Conditions for effective knowledge sharing
The most difficult task when implementing a knowledge management system is to create an appropriate organizational culture. In an ideal business world, every member of an organization has easy access to the knowledge of their colleagues. Employees are willing to share their know-how and the organization is growing rapidly thanks to the continuous flow of new knowledge.
Unfortunately, the modern world of business is far from ideal. This is a world where knowledge is not shared, but is securely stored and protected. A new category of employees "portfolio careerists" has appeared. Often changing jobs, people take with them not only experience and knowledge, but internal and external connections.
Now the speed of dissemination and application of new knowledge is especially important - this increases the mobility of the company, its ability to change: quickly transfer in order to quickly apply. A company whose employees have free access to collective knowledge, make equally high-quality decisions and equally quickly and effectively respond to all changes in the environment, gets unlimited opportunities for growth and development. If effective work with knowledge and information is not established, then problems may arise in the organization:
information overload - resources are irrelevant, unknown to employees, the same information is searched for many times;
waste of experience - both individual and collective (unprofessional actions, the wheel is being reinvented);
communication between departments is disrupted - wrong decisions are made, actions are duplicated.
It is difficult to instill in employees the need to share their knowledge. For most people, this need goes against everything they've been taught since day one of school. At school and institute they teach that a person differs from those around him in what he knows. Jeffrey Pfeffer believes that the internal competition that exists in the company hinders the successful exchange of knowledge. He draws attention to the fact that internal competition may seem fair to employees, but it comes at a cost to organizations. As a rule, the ranking of people, departments and divisions, as well as the internal competition that it leads to, is justified by the fact that it is fair and the desired behaviors are encouraged. Many organizations use some form of benchmarking and performance, especially when it comes to assessing the effectiveness of management and/or pay systems. At first glance, notes D. Pfeffer, the fairness of the comparative assessment does not raise any doubts, if we imagine that the performance of the seller is evaluated by the total volume of sales made by him. But, does sales volume depend solely on his good will and desire to do his job well, or can factors beyond his control, such as poor quality or a meager range of products you sell, influence him? The answer is obvious. Thus, even if he is not involved in the occurrence of these and other problems in his company, they can still have a negative impact on the evaluation of his performance.
On the other hand, all sellers are equally affected by factors outside their sphere of influence, and therefore it seems appropriate to evaluate their performance against each other. If all top 10 sellers receive the same bonus regardless of the amount of equipment sold, none of them will suffer from factors beyond their control. As long as the performance of an individual employee is higher than the performance of his colleagues, he will earn his points and receive corresponding rewards. Thus, a comparative assessment of effectiveness seems logical.
However, the advantage of comparative performance evaluation - its apparent fairness in the face of external factors outside the sphere of influence of employees - is also its disadvantage. All people primarily care about their status, therefore, at best, they simply refuse to help their colleagues, which can increase their efficiency, and at worst, they deliberately interfere with their work. .
According to D. Pfeffer, there is internal competition in a company if:
people have an incentive to refuse to help their colleagues or even purposefully interfere with their work;
leaders behave as if performance is the sum of the actions of individual employees, and not the result of interdependent behaviors such as cooperation, knowledge sharing, and mutual assistance;
management treats employees as participants in a competition or game in which there are a limited number of winners and many losers;
employees feel that someone is watching them closely and constantly comparing them with colleagues; as a result, they begin to observe what their internal competitors are doing;
a comparative rather than an absolute assessment of effectiveness is used;
leaders value competition and have extensive experience playing (and winning) zero-sum games;
Ways to overcome destructive internal competition:
hire, reward (at least in part) and retain employees based on their ability and willingness to work with their colleagues for the good of the company;
fire, demote and penalize employees who seek to achieve their personal goals in the first place;
focus the attention and energy of employees on the fight against external competitors. At the same time, stop all manifestations of internal competition;
abandon performance criteria and pay systems that encourage internal competition;
use criteria that evaluate collaboration between employees;
create an organizational culture in which the personal success of employees is inseparable from the success of their colleagues;
make sure that company leaders set the right example - collaborate with colleagues, help them and exchange information;
appoint to leadership positions those employees who have experience of successful teamwork;
in every possible way encourage cooperation, mutual assistance, exchange of information and experience among employees.
The refusal of employees to share knowledge lies not only in the internal competition that exists in the company, M. Marinicheva suggests the following reasons: “shy mimosa syndrome”, star disease syndrome, “not invented by us” syndrome, the syndrome of true professionals.
Syndrome of "shameful mimosa"
I don't think I know anything special;
no one will be interested in what I know and do;
There are many true professionals in the world.
2. Star sickness syndrome
hardly anyone understands what I'm doing;
I will not tolerate being tested;
I can't waste time with your questions.
3. Syndrome "not invented by us"
everything is different with us here;
except ourselves, no one understands us;
our problems are unique.
4. Syndrome of real professionals
success depends entirely on professional independence
real professionals don't need advice
if I consulted with others, I would not have reached what I have now
In order for employees of an organization to share knowledge, three conditions must be met:
1. employees must trust each other and the employer (atmosphere of trust);
2. employees must be motivated to share experience and knowledge
3. in the organization it is necessary to create conditions for the preservation of formalized knowledge, as well as for the exchange of experience.
Consider an atmosphere of trust. For example, fear hinders the exchange of knowledge. Employees are afraid to tell their boss bad news, even if it's not their fault. This is the desire to distance themselves from negative information as much as possible, people are afraid that if they tell someone bad news, they will be accused of involvement. Then employees stop making new proposals to improve workflows, so as not to tell about the error.
How to eradicate fear and inaction:
1. praise employees who have the courage not to hide bad news from management;
3. encourage employees to talk about their failures and the lessons that have been learned;
4. encourage open communication;
5. give people a second chance;
6. do not punish people who want to bring something new to the organization.
The introduction of a knowledge management program is a major organizational change. The main reason for the inactive participation of employees in new processes or negative attitudes is resistance to change and a lack of understanding of what favorable opportunities these changes bring. To reiterate, it is difficult to expect people to voluntarily share what determines their professional value. Therefore, it is necessary to create such conditions when it becomes profitable. Or vice versa, to create such conditions when it will be unprofitable for people not to share knowledge.
First of all, people need to know what will count as a contribution to the collective knowledge system. There are three main (most popular) approaches to solving this issue.
input information - if the company already has a formalized repository of collective knowledge, the metric might be to count how often each employee contributes to the knowledge base. However, a good manager will agree that such a measurement system is far from perfect, as it does not take into account the full cycle of knowledge exchange. With such a measurement system, the user of knowledge remains outside the field of view of the metric. By introducing such a metric, the company's management runs the risk of giving an incentive to employees to invest useless knowledge in the database. After all, a knowledge provider, in order to earn a reward, can contribute absolutely unnecessary information to the collective knowledge base. There is a known case when an employee of the company IBM obtained a document of his colleague from the computer memory and passed it off as his own, trying to earn a reward for contributing to the collective knowledge base. The manager will pay more attention not to the quantity but to the quality of knowledge.
Imprint - an organization can focus not only on replenishing the knowledge base, but also on the active participation of employees in the exchange process as knowledge users. This approach rewards those employees who use existing knowledge in the collective base to promote new ideas, processes and/or products. Despite the fact that this approach has its advantages over the previous one, it cannot effectively motivate employees to share their knowledge, but rather encourages them to use someone else's.
Input/output information - The most effective way to evaluate information exchange and create an atmosphere of cooperation and interaction is to evaluate the entire knowledge exchange cycle. The company rewards employees not only for their contribution to the knowledge base, but also for the value of the knowledge they contribute, thanks to which colleagues will be able to improve their work. By implementing such a system of metrics, management sends a clear message to employees: the company values not only those who share their knowledge, but also those who use it effectively. A good way to visualize such a system is to draw a circle whose perimeter points are all users and knowledge providers. These points are connected by lines, the number of which corresponds to the frequency of interactions (you can analyze the information flows of the Intranet or the volume of e-mail). The result of this visualization will be a diagram of the interaction of the company's employees, which demonstrates the community's desire for cooperation and the process of knowledge sharing. You can go even further and identify the communities within the organization that have been the most innovative and successful in terms of knowledge sharing at certain times.
Consider good ideas for successful employee participation in new processes, including knowledge management processes:
The presence of elements of the game. For example, in one of the domestic companies, as a result of certain efforts, a corporate portal was created, where the information necessary for work was placed. How to get the attention of employees? September 1 was declared the day of knowledge in the company. The developers of the corporate portal organized a quiz for employees, the answers could be found in the portal. The winner received a new computer, and the rest got cups with the inscription "New knowledge - new opportunities." Photos of the best participants were placed in the corporate newspaper.
Create a mechanism for assessing the merits of each colleagues. Example. In one of the companies, when discussing issues on the intranet, its participants thanked each other for help, expert opinion, advice. At the end of the month, everyone who received a reward from colleagues received a small reward.
We encourage the authorship of the best ideas, we celebrate success stories, not only financially, but also publicly, or you can assign honorary titles, such as "Quick mind", we collect points for published and read documents in the internal environment, then transfer points into rewards (t-shirts with company logos , keyboard, home appliances). For example, there may be a different gradation of points: we write an idea in the idea bank, if it is implemented, then a large number of points, or participation in seminars for beginners, where there is an exchange of experience, or from colleagues with whom they shared experience.
It is no secret that the solution to the problem
effective knowledge management consists of two major components -
humanitarian and IT. We offer an integrated approach to the implementation of modern
methods based on our experience.
For timely adoption of adequate decisions in the conditions
rapidly changing market, it is important to be able to use a huge store of knowledge,
which almost every modern company has. However, not in all
companies have implemented a methodology knowledge management,
without which it is impossible to effectively use information dispersed in
employees' heads, databases, document repositories, email messages
mail, sales reports, data about customers, partners and competitors of your
enterprises.
The modern company operates in a growing
competition that is chaotic, complex and global in nature, requiring
reduction of reaction time in conditions of limited resources. Employee knowledge
and organizations as a whole become a valuable resource that begins to be taken into account
along with other material resources. Modern management techniques
knowledge allow to achieve measurable business results from their implementation.
Knowledge management firms increasingly benefit
in the market compared to companies using ordinary collection and accumulation
information in a semi-structured "bale".
Knowledge management allows you to set and
solve the right problems instead of
correct problem solving by themselves
yourself
. In essence, this means that knowledge management allows
define strategy, which is expressed in the correct formulation of the necessary tasks
and their effective solution.
We also use the term "knowledge management" to
highlight the benefits management before the chaotic process of exchange
information. This means, for example, that if information has been posted or
transferred according to the rules that correspond to knowledge management methods, then in the event that
if it is in demand, it will be possible to easily find and use it.
What is knowledge management?
Knowledge management is a common name for techniques,
organizing the communication process (targeted communication) in corporate
communities, directing it to extract new and update existing knowledge
and helping employees of the company to solve problems in time, make decisions and
take the necessary action to necessary
knowledge in right time .
Such methods use 80% humanitarian technologies, and only 20% use IT.
solutions.
The application of knowledge management techniques makes it possible
using collective experience and knowledge and turning them into a corporate
capital.
The role of communities
Each company has mission
in which the tasks that she faces are formulated
sets and reflects its positioning. It is reasonable to assume that the staff of the company
made up of employees body of knowledge
which allows you to follow missions .
The experience and knowledge of a particular employee, before whom
the task is set, may not be sufficient to solve it, but in the right
In an organized firm, the totality of knowledge of the staff ensures the achievement of the goal.
Therefore, knowledge management techniques in the company require
formation communities .
Experts believe that in organizations in one form or another
only 20% of all knowledge is used, which becomes "explicit"; it means,
however, that 80% remain unclaimed. They stay in hearts and minds
employees of these organizations. Access to this "unexpressed" knowledge can be
received only in the process of human interaction. The main mechanism for creating
highly valuable knowledge and its application is communication among employees who
work together within the organization, and such communication is completely
is under the control of the community. [ Jim Botkin
and Chuck Seeley - Knowledge Management Review; Vol. 3, Issue 6,
2001, p. 16 ]
In companies that do not apply knowledge management techniques,
problem solving and decision-making are regularly carried out in conditions
lack of awareness of employees who use only
own experience and knowledge, which do not always correspond to the required solution
new competence tasks.
Knowledge carriers
People are the bearers of knowledge. It is the value of the accumulated
their knowledge and experience is ultimately converted into company profits.
Knowledge transfer
The transfer of knowledge takes place during communication or
communications between people, aimed at obtaining the necessary knowledge for
problem solving or decision making.
Communications can be personal and
group, direct or indirect.
Personal communications (communication)
used by you in everyday life, for example when you apply for
advice or advice from a colleague.
To ensure efficiency group communications
humanitarian measures are applied that organize the process of communication in groups,
guiding him to extract the right knowledge from the minds of employees and transfer it
colleagues who need them to solve urgent problems. To such
events include your usual meetings, seminars, conferences,
congresses, etc.
Remote communications can take place, for example, through
paper or electronic documents and messages.
The Role of Humanitarian Technologies
The role of humanitarian technologies is to create
special conditions under which the exchange of knowledge does not occur randomly, but
purposefully.
There is some difference between information and
knowledge. The information itself can be basically useless,
if, faced with a task, you have no idea where to look
the information you need, how to use it, and who to contact for help.
Knowledge is in the minds of people and reveals itself at the moment of interaction between
them. In the process of communication, employees share knowledge that is impossible
glean from documentation and other sources of information. Need to be directed
it is interaction to achieve the goal, generate new ideas and update
existing knowledge.
Knowledge is implied, not directly expressed, their
difficult to separate from context of relationships between people (we
we mean relationships in the interaction of people both within the company and
with customers, suppliers and partners).
Because the broadcast knowledge occurs only during
interactions between specific people, the formation of a community as environments
people united by a common professional interest or a common goal,
allowing to establish contact between those who seek knowledge and the source of knowledge in
conditions of trust and using the existing personal ties with each other -
is the most important task.
An obstacle to the implementation of knowledge management techniques
may become internal competition. Therefore, the formation of an atmosphere of communication in
community, corporate culture should take into account this peculiarity of people and
be guided so that they share knowledge with joy ( see article
in "Kommersant" dated May 25, 2001 under the title "Knowledge Management System
changed the face of business).
If the main motive of an employee is not an individual
leadership, but the achievement of the goal, then the team is capable under favorable conditions
achieve greater results than the sum of the results achieved in the absence of
cooperation.
The role of IT solutions
IT solutions support the rules that accompany the knowledge management process,
help remove barriers to solving the problems of forming a unified working
environments, implementation mechanism of alienation, accumulation, use and
modifications knowledge, support innovation and providing information about them
to all interested employees.
However, IT solutions do not play a dominant role in the methods
knowledge management: if your firm does not carry out activities to
building a culture of collaboration and data sharing, no IT
solutions will not produce tangible results. As well as using
only humanitarian technologies without involving information
technologies will not lead to effective knowledge management.
The form of knowledge representation should make it possible to
Search and development for later use. It means,
that knowledge formalized explicitly, once mastered, can become
part of the experience employee and be used by him to solve problems and make
solutions.
Here are just some of the tasks that cannot be solved without
use of IT solutions for knowledge management.
context problem solving, project implementation and
relationships between people. Context reflects business process, which the
led to the desired result. The context also reveals background information,
alternatives that have been tried and the reasons why they have not been
brought the desired results. Knowledge that can be used to
business process improvements are carried over into new products and services.
placement of information according to certain rules, allowing in the future to successfully
find it and use it;
"people/content". Even if you could not find in the knowledge system in
in full, which are ideal for solving your new task, you
you can use the relationship "person/content" and find a person in this way,
being the bearer of the knowledge you need.
experience it by instructing new employees. In addition, they reduce
minimize the losses associated with the departure of employees to other companies (losses
knowledge important for doing business; loss of ties with key
customers/suppliers)
time for personal meetings. Knowledge gained in the process personal
correspondence consultations will be saved in the system along with context and
can then be used by the whole community or group .
duration of correspondence communications and ensures that you will be able to receive
knowledge accumulated by the company right time, and not only at the moment
personal communication or activities that provide group communications.
The main cycles of knowledge management technologies
As a manuscript
FORMING A KNOWLEDGE MANAGEMENT SYSTEM
AT THE ENTERPRISE
08.00.05 - Economics and management of the national economy
dissertations for a degree
Candidate of Economic Sciences
Volgograd 2011
The work was carried out in the federal state budgetary educational institution of higher professional education
Scientific adviser: | |
Official opponents: | doctor of economic sciences, professor PhD in Economics |
Lead organization: | Novgorod State University I. Wise. |
The defense of the thesis will take place on October 13, 2011 at 13:00 at a meeting of the dissertation council D 212.029.04 at the Volgograd
State University, Volgograd, ave.
University, 100, room 4-01 "A".
The dissertation can be found in the library of the Federal State Budgetary Educational Institution of Higher Professional Education
Volgograd State University.
Scientific Secretary of the Dissertation Council
Doctor of Economics, Associate Professor
GENERAL DESCRIPTION OF WORK
Relevance of the research topic. A feature of the development of the world economy since the second half of the twentieth century has been the use of knowledge as a factor in social production, which has provided a significant breakthrough in the field of technical and technological innovation. Knowledge has various forms of existence and manifestation: from disparate facts, specialized databases, technical knowledge, skills and abilities of employees to business processes and innovations, which together form the basis of the intellectual capital of an enterprise. Its functioning is based on the use of highly professional and personal characteristics of the employees of the enterprise and is aimed at the production of new knowledge that increases the efficiency and value of the business.
Since the role of knowledge in the activities of the enterprise is increasing in the innovation environment, there is a need to form an appropriate management system at the micro level. The most important tasks of the knowledge management process are the transformation of individual, implicit knowledge into corporate knowledge, the extraction of new and updating existing ones, as well as the formation of an organizational context that supports the production and reproduction of new knowledge. The effective application of knowledge in the production of new goods and services has become the main competitive advantage of a modern enterprise and the main condition for its development in the information society.
In the Russian economy, the introduction of a knowledge management system at enterprises is accompanied by economic, social and psychological difficulties. In recent years, domestic scientists in various fields of science have paid great attention to the study of theoretical issues related to the introduction of knowledge management systems in an enterprise and the use of information technology in this area, but in practice this process is hampered by weak interest and lack of motivation from both managers and by employees of the enterprise, which reduces its competitive advantages.
Thus, the relevance of the study is due to the need to further study the formation of a knowledge management system, as well as the features of its implementation in an enterprise, which will, firstly, clarify the specifics of knowledge management at the micro level, and secondly, develop a knowledge management algorithm with the definition of appropriate tools at the enterprise level. every stage of it.
The degree of scientific development of the problem. The concept of forming a knowledge management system at an enterprise proposed in the dissertation was developed on the basis of the provisions of evolutionary theory, the theory of knowledge economy and information economy, substantiated in the works of domestic scientists: O. Bogomolov, O. Inshakov, G. Kleiner, D. Lvov, V. Mayevsky, V. Makarov, A. Nekipelov, A. Tatarkin, D. Frolov and others.
The general philosophical base and foundations of the system analysis of the concept were formed as a result of studying the works of V. Ageev, V. Afanasyev, M. Kagan, V. Kartashov, V. Novoseltsev, E. Russkova, V. Sadovsky and others.
Theoretical and practical aspects of knowledge management with varying degrees of completeness are covered in the works of foreign and Russian scientists-economists and practicing managers: D. Andriessen, P. Drucker, R. Kachalov, M. Meskon, I. Nonak, Z. Rumyantseva, G. Sidunova , H. Takeuchi, R. Thiessen.
The problems of knowledge management are devoted to the works of such foreign researchers as U. Bukovich, F. Vole, R. Williams, J. Harrington. Methods for assessing the value of knowledge are presented in the works of K. Sveiby and P. Strassman.
Features and methods of knowledge management at Russian enterprises are analyzed in the works of T. Andrusenko, T. Gavrilova, A. Gaponenko, V. Dresvyannikov, V. Labotsky, M. Marinicheva. Various aspects of the formation and use of intellectual capital in Russian conditions are contained in the studies of A. Andreeva, I. Albegov, E. Galaeva, A. Dobrynin, I. Ilyinsky, R. Kapelyushnikov, B. Milner.
The role and importance of information technologies in knowledge management are presented in the scientific works of A. Kalinina, M. Mizintseva, E. Petrova
and etc.
The knowledge-based economy is capable of reproducing them in the form of scientific and high-tech products, highly qualified educational and consulting services. The main effect of the knowledge economy is not only the creation of knowledge as such, but also its productive implementation in high-tech products. Considering knowledge in the aspect of a market economy, one should emphasize their role in strengthening the distinctive characteristics of an individual enterprise, which form its competitive advantages.
The transformation of data and information into knowledge depends on the functions of economic entities, ensuring their specificity according to the hierarchical levels of the economic system. Within the framework of the enterprise, external information is transformed into internal knowledge, which increases its competitiveness as a result of rational management of the knowledge array.
Knowledge as the basis of the intellectual capital of an enterprise. The intellectual capital of an enterprise is an integral combination of human, structural and consumer capital, each of which performs its own functions, has specific properties and forms of manifestation: human - personal implicit (non-objective) knowledge of employees, intellectual abilities; structural (organizational) - explicit (objective) knowledge, business processes, databases, brands, IT systems; consumer (client) - a set of connections with the entire environment of the enterprise, with consumers, suppliers, partners and competitors.
Knowledge management enables an enterprise to transform its intellectual capital into material values and income, transforming the organizational, technical and cultural components of the enterprise's activities in the process of exchanging knowledge between employees, departments, and other enterprises. The purpose of knowledge management is to combine the knowledge accumulated by the enterprise (human and structural capital) with the knowledge of the consumer (consumer capital) and use them to make optimal management decisions. The exchange of knowledge should be orderly and manageable and include, firstly, the exchange of knowledge between people, and secondly, the use of information systems that automate this process.
Structural analysis of the knowledge system in the enterprise. The knowledge management system at the enterprise level includes various forms of existence of explicit and implicit knowledge of employees, technical support for the formalization and movement of knowledge and levels of its subordination, implements the target function of transforming intellectual capital into material values based on the organization of knowledge. It is aimed at identifying, maintaining and using the available information, experience and qualifications of employees to improve the quality of customer service and adapt the company's activities to changing market conditions. The knowledge management system is a set of interacting and interdependent elements (processes, databases, software, organizational structures, etc.) that ensure the fulfillment of the target function.
The structure of knowledge management is adequate to the structure of intellectual capital and ensures the adoption of managerial decisions that increase the efficiency of the enterprise. Exist personifying(intuitive) and informational(technological) approaches to the structuring and systematization of knowledge in the enterprise. When using a personifying approach, it is more likely to capture informal, hidden knowledge of employees, since special attention is paid to a person as a carrier of knowledge, and the motivation of employees and their connections in the process of exchanging knowledge at meetings, trainings, teambuilding events, through mentoring and apprenticeship are put in the basis of knowledge management. The information approach proceeds from the fact that modern enterprises, especially large ones, having accumulated huge amounts of data about customers, suppliers, operations and much more, store them in dozens of operating and transaction systems in various functional units, and in order to search for knowledge in data arrays and process them, Information Technology. Knowledge in this case is considered as accurate information about the problem. A system capable of giving an accurate answer to a query is a knowledge management information system.
The application of one of the approaches can give a result, however, only a combination of these approaches will allow using knowledge as the main factor of production and a key resource for increasing the competitiveness of an enterprise.
Causes and features of knowledge management in the enterprise. Knowledge becomes the main competitive advantage if it reflects the structure and nature of existing relations and processes occurring at the enterprise and beyond, turns into a practical guide to action and is used to predict behavior, regulate relations and processes.
Quality analysis, optimization of the structure and assortment of the product portfolio.
Segmentation of customers and identification of targeted marketing activities: additional services, gifts, discounts
CRM system;
description of business processes
Identification of target and loyal segments
customers, determining the volume of potential customers ("word of mouth")
Interaction issues
with partners, clients
Audit of knowledge about clients and partners, creation and maintenance of a client base.
Identification of customer needs and tracking the dynamics of their changes.
Development of a methodology for introducing a process of interaction with a client, employee training
CRM-, ERP-, SCM-systems;
knowledge mapping; holding a "round table", "brainstorming"; conducting a "mystery shopper" operation;
facilitation
Identification of the reasons for the ineffectiveness of interaction with partners.
Staff development
High costs (rent, raw materials, materials, transportation costs)
Optimization of the product portfolio and business processes of the organization
description and analysis of business processes,
ERP-, SCM-systems
Opportunity to reduce the cost of products and services.
Removal from production of unprofitable goods and services.
Transfer of costly processes to outsourcing (as a rule, transport services, accounting)
High competition
Research and borrowing methods of competitive struggle of other organizations
CRM-, ERP-, SCM-systems;
operation "mystery shopper"
Increasing the speed of information transfer within the organization.
Personalization, high level of work with the client.
Detailing the needs of the client
Lack of qualified personnel
Training of personnel (on the spot, in the organization) according to job descriptions.
"Cultivation" of own personnel.
Partnerships
with educational institutions
certification of employees;
development of a set of competencies, industrial practice, facilitation, knowledge mapping;
questioning
The emergence of narrowly focused specialists.
Increasing the prestige of the company.
Disrupted information interaction between employees and departments (information asymmetry)
Organization of knowledge audit, creation of an atmosphere of trust between employees, increase of material and moral interest
in the exchange of knowledge.
Organization of employee involvement in the process
communications
description of business processes;
knowledge mapping;
questioning, observation, interviewing
The possibility of reducing resource
and time costs.
Improving interaction with clients.
Effectively built communication channels between employees, manager and subordinates; subdivisions (branches).
Formation and accumulation of corporate "memory"
activities and tools for knowledge management will contribute to the solution (or mitigation) of the above problems.
Thus, awareness of the benefits and benefits that an enterprise can receive will increase the motivation of managers to implement a knowledge management strategy in the enterprise.
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Publications in other publications
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By managing knowledge, the organization tries to achieve the following main goals:
Create and consolidate your competitive advantages;
Turn the organization into a self-organizing system;
Maximize the professional and personal potential of employees.
Why turn an organization into a self-organizing system? A self-organizing system is an adaptive system. Adaptation to changing conditions is achieved by modifying the structure of the control system, that is, turning on or off individual subsystems, a qualitative change in control algorithms, connections between subsystems and their subordination scheme, etc.
Considering self-organization as the basis of the company's creative potential, American experts in the field of managerial decision-making and creativity of organizations M. Rubinstein and A. Firstenberg note a number of essential properties of self-organizing systems. So, the first property is adaptation. The organization as a system adapts to changing situations and market conditions.
The second property is constant balancing on the edge of chaos: “Departing too far from this edge into the area of planned and sustainable, the system freezes and becomes fruitless; and vice versa - the further the system gets into the area of the unplanned, the deeper it plunges into chaos and disorder.
The third property is the possibility of diversification within the system. Individuals and autonomous teams set goals for themselves, striving for their goal, which is part of the overall goal of the organization. In business organizations, a self-organizing team is a powerful means of creating conditions for the autonomous activity of individuals. The duties of its members may be duplicated; employees from other structures of the organization may be involved in the team. A design team with overlapping responsibilities, for example, is often used by Japanese firms at all stages of innovation. An autonomous team is able to perform many functions, enhancing the role of individuals and moving them to a higher level of knowledge generation and sharing.
Knowledge management in an organization creates conditions under which education turns into a kind of investment, and professional experience becomes a kind of asset of the organization. The knowledge management system sets the basis for solving the problem of motivation, satisfying the initially existing human need for mastering new experience, for intellectual enrichment. Orientation to the person is an essential characteristic of the knowledge management system. Business performance is ultimately a derivative of the actualization of the desires, competencies and knowledge of the staff in the course of joint and individual activities.
The knowledge management process is designed to harmonize the potential of a particular person and the requirements of the production situation. At the same time, not only employees of the organization fall into the focus of knowledge management. Corporate memory absorbs knowledge, for example, consumers. It is natural to include in the list of knowledge management goals the satisfaction of the needs of stakeholders - a wide range of persons interested in the organization's activities.
To achieve the goals, according to the community of consultants considering the problems of knowledge management, it is possible to solve two global problems of knowledge management in organizations:
1) creating conditions conducive to a better understanding, understanding of everything that happens in the organization in order to make effective management decisions if necessary;
2) support for innovation. In turn, the achievement of these tasks is facilitated by such actions as the collection, preservation and analysis of existing knowledge and the construction of a system for distributing areas of responsibility; development of the organization's knowledge in priority areas.
The range of knowledge management tasks is diverse and ambiguous. It is no coincidence that there are different approaches to the formulation of knowledge management tasks. One of these approaches was proposed by the famous Russian scientist B. Z. Milner.
First task knowledge management - increasing efficiency, increasing productivity by reducing costs. The author of the idea proposes to define this task as follows: “do it right”, or “knowledge for application”. The “do it right” task emphasizes that knowledge is systematized and transferred. It implies the creation of a technological infrastructure for the transfer of certain knowledge. This takes into account processes and issues such as developing methods for acquiring and grouping knowledge, providing opportunities and encouraging the exchange of knowledge, and dealing with other cultural and organizational factors that may influence the exchange and use of knowledge. Knowledge repositories, scientific databases, and programs for managing knowledge assets such as patents usually fall into the "do it right" category. They increase productivity by reducing the time spent searching for knowledge, eliminating duplication of effort and finding new ways to use existing knowledge.
Second task- the use of innovation, the creation of new products and services, new organizations and business processes - is called "think it up", or "knowledge for research". The introduction of innovations can be stimulated by creating appropriate conditions for joint work, communication of people who have been working together for a long time. Any exchange of knowledge can lead to innovation: even workers accessing existing knowledge for the first time can create new combinations of ideas that will later turn out to be key to the development of the organization.
At knowledge management three control objects organization, information and people. Their interrelationships (information - organization, information - person; person - organization, person - information; company - person, organization - information) just formulate the practical tasks of knowledge management. It.
