Knowledge Management
GTZ READER: Knowledge Management and Knowledge Systems for Rural Development
Knowledge Management and Knowledge Systems for Rural Development
By: C. G. Hess, Consultant, mail@carmen-hess.de; May 2006
In: READER: GTZ Knowledge Management. GTZ Sector Project Knowledge Systems in
Rural Development, www.gtz.de/agriservice
Introduction
Knowledge Management
Knowledge Management (KM) is a relatively novel management concept. It has been pushed by the rapid developments of Information and Communication Technology. ICT facilitates a speedy exchange of data, information and documents. There is groupware for communication; content management systems to organise and retrieve documents; expert systems, data mining and text mining systems, tracing services and search engines, e.g.
Google. Communication via email, fax, and phone - and video-conferences is ordinary business. It is good guessing that technological advances will continue to revolutionize the way we communicate and interact with each other. While the speed and ease to exchange data and information will increase, a new challenge for users emerges: to select relevant data, information and documents. To better understand potential and limitations it is important to recognise the differences between data, information and knowledge.
Level
simple
Type
Data
Description
Data consists of numbers, e.g. prices, quantities, records on income, temperature and so on. Data is not meaningful in itself but raw material for creating a message (information).
Information
Any information contains a message and pursues an objective. The problem with information is that the sender of it must check if the receiver understands it as was intended by the sender. Therefore information materials must always be tested before mass reproduction begins.
Explicit Knowledge
Explicit knowledge can be described, written down and documented (i.e. encoded). Behavioural rules, agricultural calendars, curative
Knowledge Management and Knowledge Systems for Rural Development
By: C. G. Hess, Consultant, mail@carmen-hess.de; May 2006
In: READER: GTZ Knowledge Management. GTZ Sector Project Knowledge Systems in
Rural Development, www.gtz.de/agriservice
Introduction
Knowledge Management
Knowledge Management (KM) is a relatively novel management concept. It has been pushed by the rapid developments of Information and Communication Technology. ICT facilitates a speedy exchange of data, information and documents. There is groupware for communication; content management systems to organise and retrieve documents; expert systems, data mining and text mining systems, tracing services and search engines, e.g.
Google. Communication via email, fax, and phone - and video-conferences is ordinary business. It is good guessing that technological advances will continue to revolutionize the way we communicate and interact with each other. While the speed and ease to exchange data and information will increase, a new challenge for users emerges: to select relevant data, information and documents. To better understand potential and limitations it is important to recognise the differences between data, information and knowledge.
Level
simple
Type
Data
Description
Data consists of numbers, e.g. prices, quantities, records on income, temperature and so on. Data is not meaningful in itself but raw material for creating a message (information).
Information
Any information contains a message and pursues an objective. The problem with information is that the sender of it must check if the receiver understands it as was intended by the sender. Therefore information materials must always be tested before mass reproduction begins.
Explicit Knowledge
Explicit knowledge can be described, written down and documented (i.e. encoded). Behavioural rules, agricultural calendars, curative
References: in the Introduction Bode, Reinhild (2006): Knowledge Management, Learning and Communication in Value Davenport, Thomas H., Prusak, Laurence (1998): Wenn Ihr Unternehmen wüsste, was es alles weiß … Hess, Carmen G. (1997): Hungry for Hope. On the Cultural and Communicative Dimensions of Development in Highland Ecuador Nonaka, Ikujiro, Takeuchi, Hirotaka (1995): The Knowledge-Creating Company. Oxford Univ. Polanyi, Michael (1966): The Tacit Dimension. New York (dt. Implizites Wissen. Rudolph, Hans-Heiner, Schwaab, Jan (2006): Knowledge in Development. In: Eschborner Fachtage 2006: Knowledge Powers Development, pp.24-25. Schwaab, Jan (2007): Wissensmanagement-Brevier für Projektleiter Entscheidungsträger Warren and McKiernan (1995): CIKARD: A Global Approach to Documenting Indigneous Knowledge for Development, in The Cultural Dimension of Development: Indigneous Recommended Reading Davenport, Thomas H., Prusak, Laurence (1998): Wenn Ihr Unternehmen wüsste, was es Hofstede, Geert (2001): Culture 's Consequences, Comparing Values, Behaviors, Institutions, and Organizations across Nations Nonaka, Ikujiro, Takeuchi, Hirotaka (1995): The Knowledge-Creating Company. Oxford Univ. Warren, Michael, Slikkerveer, L. Jan, Brokensha, David. eds. (1995): The Cultural Dimension of Development: Indigenous Knowledge Systems World Bank (2004): Indigenous Knowledge – Local Pathways to Global Development.