Knowledge Management
Knowledge management systems: strategic asset or not?
Abstract
In the knowledge based economy today, it is important for organisations to rapidly collect and share knowledge with globally dispersed locations. KMS is collection of technical artefacts designed to help organisations to achieve such goal. The purpose of this essay is to evaluated whether KMS are strategic asset from resource based view. The outcome of the finding determines whether KMS can be leveraged to facilitate knowledge dissemination within organisations and strengthen organisations sustainable competitive advantage. Or KMS eliminates the intangible aspect of tacit knowledge and weaken organisation’s competitive advantage. KMS is evaluated from technical and social-technical perspective.
1. Introduction
Knowledge is recognized as a major source for competitive advantage in highly competitive business environment. Traditionally, organisations relied on training programs, operation procedures and manuals to facilitate knowledge management in the organisation. These functions served the purpose of creating, organizing, disseminating, and maintaining essential knowledge within organisations, which ensured the consistency of the quality of product and service, and attributed to employees’ performance. (Mohamed, 2007) As organisations expend globally, it becomes extremely challenging for organisations to manage knowledge effectively on a global scale and timely fashion. Traditional knowledge management techniques became inefficient, impractical and expensive. (Alavi and Leidner, 1999) To effectively capture knowledge developed in organisations and share with globally dispersed locations, organisations are investing heavily in information technology enabled knowledge management systems (KMS).
This phenomenon raised the question of whether knowledge management systems are strategic assets from the resource-based view. The answer will determine that whether KMS contributes to
Abstract
In the knowledge based economy today, it is important for organisations to rapidly collect and share knowledge with globally dispersed locations. KMS is collection of technical artefacts designed to help organisations to achieve such goal. The purpose of this essay is to evaluated whether KMS are strategic asset from resource based view. The outcome of the finding determines whether KMS can be leveraged to facilitate knowledge dissemination within organisations and strengthen organisations sustainable competitive advantage. Or KMS eliminates the intangible aspect of tacit knowledge and weaken organisation’s competitive advantage. KMS is evaluated from technical and social-technical perspective.
1. Introduction
Knowledge is recognized as a major source for competitive advantage in highly competitive business environment. Traditionally, organisations relied on training programs, operation procedures and manuals to facilitate knowledge management in the organisation. These functions served the purpose of creating, organizing, disseminating, and maintaining essential knowledge within organisations, which ensured the consistency of the quality of product and service, and attributed to employees’ performance. (Mohamed, 2007) As organisations expend globally, it becomes extremely challenging for organisations to manage knowledge effectively on a global scale and timely fashion. Traditional knowledge management techniques became inefficient, impractical and expensive. (Alavi and Leidner, 1999) To effectively capture knowledge developed in organisations and share with globally dispersed locations, organisations are investing heavily in information technology enabled knowledge management systems (KMS).
This phenomenon raised the question of whether knowledge management systems are strategic assets from the resource-based view. The answer will determine that whether KMS contributes to
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