A knowledge management system is a set of methods for obtaining the necessary information, its storage and dissemination between employees of the organization. It helps to use intellectual capital for the acquisition of material benefits, development of production, modernization, and so on. This term was first used by the scientist Karl Wiig in the late eighties of the twentieth century.
Predecessors
However, even before the advent of the new term, the scientific community was interested in this problem. American futurologist Alvin Toffler in the first half of the last century predicted that the industrial society will be replaced by an information one. In such a system of relations between people, the main value is considered not material wealth, but knowledge.
The most successful is not the person who occupies a higher social position and has the necessary connections, but a specialist who is able to invent fundamentally new approaches, think and act outside the box.
New education system
Speaking about intellectual capital and the knowledge management system, it should be noted that in a post-industrial or information society, the ability to obtain the necessary information is valued almost on a par with the creation of a new intellectual product. Therefore, in modern Russian education, the main purpose of teaching the young generation is called to instill in him information competence.
This term denotes the ability to navigate in a huge sea of information, access to which a person receives thanks to technical means. To select the necessary information, as well as to reject unsuitable, today's children begin to study in pre-school educational institutions. Thus, research methods in the current education come to the fore, replacing the traditional. This approach helps representatives of the next generation from the early years of their lives to understand the importance of information in the modern world and be ready to create a knowledge management system.
Practical application
In the early nineties, the sociologist Peter Sneghe described his view on how the organization in the process of activity can constantly learn. By this time, several national schools are emerging that have their own original approach to managing the knowledge system. The most famous of them are: American, Japanese and European (it is also Scandinavian). The last of them was famous for the fact that it was her theoretical research that led to the fact that in 1991 an employee appeared in one of the insurance companies in Sweden, who was responsible for managing the knowledge system in the organization.
In 1995, a book was published in Japan entitled "The Knowledge Manufacturing Company." This work contributed to the implementation in practice of ideas for the development of knowledge management systems in various organizations in the Land of the Rising Sun. In the future, these principles were developed by scientists from different parts of the world, gaining more and more popularity. The development of concepts for managing the knowledge system in organizations began to engage in advanced research institutes in the world. The largest universities have training programs for specialists in this field.
A new profession, whose representatives are called to guide the cycle of intellectual values in various societies, began to be called knowledge managers. The need for such an activity was realized not only by business representatives and managers of production enterprises. New ideas began to be implemented in the scientific community, as well as in trade, education and other areas of human life and activity.
Company experience
As for the application of the above principles in our country, an example of an MTS mobile phone company is indicative here. It is known that employees of stores that distribute the services of this organization periodically undergo continuing education courses. In addition, training aids are sent to each of the outlets every month, which every employee is required to read in order to pass the test for knowledge of new information.
Science and politics
The need for knowledge management systems has been recognized in some countries at the state level. On the eve of the twenty-first century, the Swiss parliament decided to create a state organization that is introducing information management ideas into the activities of various government agencies.
Shortly thereafter, an international institute was established, engaged in scientific research in this field.
Then, more and more often in specialized periodicals, publications began to appear on the experience of Western experts in creating a knowledge management system.
At the junction of sciences
Research in the field of knowledge management system is carried out with the mandatory involvement of specialists from various fields of science in this activity. For example, the most effective forms of transmitting new information cannot be selected without considering the psychological aspect of the process. Therefore, the development of knowledge management systems should be based on information about the characteristics of human consciousness, mental activity, memory, and so on. In addition, cultural scientists and sociologists are also involved in the study of this issue, which indicate the specifics of the transfer of knowledge in a given country, social system, age category, and so on. All this information helps the optimal organization of this aspect of the activities of a modern commercial or other institution.
Therefore, it can be argued that in the development of control systems, as in many other areas, research goes on an interdisciplinary path. This approach is characteristic of modern scientific activity.
It is no coincidence that in the second half of the twentieth century many disciplines appeared that used the achievements of various fields of knowledge, for example, sociolinguistics, social anthropology, and many others. Experts do not exclude the possibility of separating knowledge management into a separate science or the direction of any discipline. It remains unclear in what area of knowledge this could occur. Perhaps this will be carried out in the bowels of sociology and management.
One of the models of knowledge management
Japanese experts divide all knowledge into two types: explicit and hidden. The former include information that is transmitted using spoken language or printed text. The second type includes traditions, customs, value system and so on. Unlike European experts, who tend to underestimate the second type of knowledge, Eastern experts say that this component is of great importance.
Traditions, customs and a certain system of values, which is adopted in a particular organization, in their opinion, play a big role in instilling in its employees loyalty, a sense of collectivism. And this, in turn, contributes to increased productivity, improved quality of work, and so on.
The model of the knowledge management system for each individual organization is individual.
Her choice depends on several factors. First of all, when creating his own method of managing information flows, the manager must take into account the specifics of the organization: the characteristics of the professional activities of employees and the culture of relationships that have developed in this company.
Nevertheless, the following points should be present in the work of all specialists in this profile:
1. Managers manage the process of creating new information. These specialists ensure that when carrying out professional activities, especially at times when it is necessary to make an important decision, employees use the knowledge accumulated in the bowels of the company. Information that is the property of the company must necessarily be embodied in those services or products in the production of which the organization specializes.
2. An important part of the activity of knowledge managers is to control the transfer of useful information from one employee to another. In addition, such an exchange should be continuously carried out between the structural parts of which the enterprise consists (workshops, departments, and so on).
Other duties
In addition to the above, knowledge managers monitor information security. That is, they take appropriate measures to prevent the disclosure of company secrets.
Their professional responsibilities also include the systematization of the information that was received by the employees of the team.
Japanese model
Nonaki and Takeuchi are Japanese authors of books on knowledge management in organizations. They proposed their model for the implementation of this information control process. In their opinion, senior managers are not able to fulfill the function of controlling knowledge that is the property of the company.
These specialists, as a rule, determine only the general course of development of the company. They are far from the lives of ordinary employees. This means that people in high positions cannot take into account such a factor as the culture of relationships in the company. Therefore, Japanese researchers recommend that mid-level managers entrust control of information flows.
They, due to their involvement in solving everyday pressing problems facing the company, are able to perform this function.
The system by which management is carried out in this case is called "Center - Top - Bottom".
That is, middle managers give information about the current informational situation in the team to senior management, and it, in turn, makes a decision that is implemented with the participation of all the same middle managers.
Another concept
It can be concluded that Japanese scientists dealing with the problem to which this article is devoted talk about the leading role of management in creating an information system in an organization.
Another specialist in this field, B.Z. Milner, published in one of his articles a list of the main parts of the knowledge management system.
In the first place, this researcher puts the human factor, that is, those relationships that develop between team members. In his opinion, the culture of communication adopted in one organization or another can contribute to the creation of a strong system of knowledge or, conversely, lead to its destruction. It is no coincidence that service relationships are often called "public capital." And he, in turn, is part of the common property of the company.
In addition to this factor, important roles in this matter are played by the technology of transmission, accumulation and receipt of information, as well as management methods.
Milner writes that from this point of view, the activity of any organization consists in the production, transfer and processing of information, as well as in its use in the production of certain goods or in the provision of any services.
In other words, the knowledge management information system is a technology for instilling employees with certain competencies. Such activities are extremely relevant today.
Knowledge management system
This chapter is about information storage. Usually, databases are used to archive it. So-called methods of structuring data in order to save it. Databases are both digital and analog. Anyone who has ever opened a library catalog has come across a simple database.
Information about books where the titles are placed in alphabetical order - this is the database. They come in many forms. So, depending on the scale, central, local databases are distinguished and so on. Another classification is based on the structure of information. The most famous databases that can be distinguished by this indicator are:
- Hierarchical - a database in which each cell (article, book, and so on) is combined with several others for some reason.
- A network database is such a system in which each item can be combined with others not one by one, but by a number of signs.
Currently, most databases are digitally presented. Such information systems can be of several types:
- Local - all information is on the same computer.
- Distributed - the database is served by several computers whose operation is synchronized.
The knowledge base management system is usually the responsibility of the manager.
Peer education
The purpose of the knowledge management system is not only the storage of information that the company possesses, but also the training of employees. Therefore, an important point is the creation of the necessary conditions for professional communication. Until recently, the only - and rather effective - method of transferring special knowledge was the conversations of employees during snacks and lunch breaks.
Today, when employees of large companies can be in different cities and even countries, there is a need to implement a knowledge management system. Therefore, the vast majority of organizations have their own electronic resources for professional communication.
For this purpose, as a rule, pages on various social networks, instant messengers, as well as company websites are used.
Employee Information
Today, in large organizations, to solve certain problems, it is customary not to attract outside employees, but to look for specialists from the company staff. For these purposes, the database records information on education, hobbies and all previous places of work of each employee.
If a problem arises, the manager can easily find the person who is most competent in the issue. In databases, the degree of employment of a particular employee at a given moment is also often recorded. To carry out a specific assignment, the leader selects the person with the lowest workload. Social media can also be used to get information about a particular employee.
To select information, various computer applications are usually used.
Video conferencing
An important issue is also the mass training of employees and testing their knowledge. Often the video conferencing format is used for this purpose. For their implementation, you can use various electronic platforms, for example Teachbase.
Knowledge control as part of management
In the system of scientific knowledge, these issues of information management are most relevant to sociology. Management theory is considered by scientists in the framework of this particular science.
According to many studies, the main activities of managers are:
- Setting goals for the existence of the company.
- Defining ways to achieve goals.
- Monitoring workflow aimed at achieving goals.
- Protecting knowledge from unauthorized persons.
All this, in turn, involves working with a large amount of information.
Technologies and knowledge management systems were briefly described in this article.