The Importance of Knowledge Management
ESSAY: THE IMPORTANCE OF KNOWLEDGE MANAGEMENT; SHARE TO LEARN, LEARN TO SHARE.
W R IT T E N B Y : J E R R E L D E P A A U W
1. INTRODUCTION
Nowadays, knowledge is an important factor for people to gain distinctive advantages in the present society; through training, coaching and education, people can develop their skills, abilities and attitudes, to gain those distinctive advantages. Through knowledge, people get better jobs, higher compensation and more wealth. Knowledge is a key-driver for people, to survive in this knowledge intensive world; more knowledge means more power. The importance of knowledge in an organizational-context is growing rapidly as well. The dynamics and complexity of the organization’s environment is hard to understand. Knowledge could be the solution to understand and gain better insights in this complex environment, which helps knowledge-based organizations to accomplish their successes. In general, knowledge is the greatest power source in today’s society, but recent studies have shown that not only the absorption and adoption of knowledge is the key to gain these distinctive advantages. There has been a shift from “knowledge is power” to “knowledge-sharing is power”. This new phenomenon is the subject of many researchers and recent studies. The effect of this new trend is that knowledge is becoming an organization’s key resource, to gain competitive advantage. Managers strive to transform the traditional organization into a “learning-organization”, success. to realize organizational
WHAT IS KNOWLEDGE?
2.1 THE KNOWLEDGE-BASED ORGANIZATION
As stated above, knowledge is the key factor to realize organizational success. This keyresource has to be managed as professional as possible, inside the knowledge-based firms. A knowledge-based firm is an organization which produces knowledge intensive products. Characteristics of those products: Knowledge intensive: only specialists with the right knowhow could create this product.
W R IT T E N B Y : J E R R E L D E P A A U W
1. INTRODUCTION
Nowadays, knowledge is an important factor for people to gain distinctive advantages in the present society; through training, coaching and education, people can develop their skills, abilities and attitudes, to gain those distinctive advantages. Through knowledge, people get better jobs, higher compensation and more wealth. Knowledge is a key-driver for people, to survive in this knowledge intensive world; more knowledge means more power. The importance of knowledge in an organizational-context is growing rapidly as well. The dynamics and complexity of the organization’s environment is hard to understand. Knowledge could be the solution to understand and gain better insights in this complex environment, which helps knowledge-based organizations to accomplish their successes. In general, knowledge is the greatest power source in today’s society, but recent studies have shown that not only the absorption and adoption of knowledge is the key to gain these distinctive advantages. There has been a shift from “knowledge is power” to “knowledge-sharing is power”. This new phenomenon is the subject of many researchers and recent studies. The effect of this new trend is that knowledge is becoming an organization’s key resource, to gain competitive advantage. Managers strive to transform the traditional organization into a “learning-organization”, success. to realize organizational
WHAT IS KNOWLEDGE?
2.1 THE KNOWLEDGE-BASED ORGANIZATION
As stated above, knowledge is the key factor to realize organizational success. This keyresource has to be managed as professional as possible, inside the knowledge-based firms. A knowledge-based firm is an organization which produces knowledge intensive products. Characteristics of those products: Knowledge intensive: only specialists with the right knowhow could create this product.
References: Cohen, W.M. & Levinthal, D.A. March 1990, “Absorptive Capacity: A New Perspective On Learning Organization”, Administrative Science Quarterly, Vol. 35, No. 1, Special Issue: Technology, Organizations, and Innovation, pp. 128-152. Hansen, M. 2002, “Knowledge Networks: Explaining Effective Knowledge Sharing in Multiunit Companies”, Organization Science, 13/3: 232-48. Hislop, D. 2005, “Knowledge management in organizations”, Oxford New York. Granovetter, M.S. 1973, “The Strength of Weak Ties”, American Journal of Sociology 78:1360-1380. Nonaka, I. & Takeuchi, H. (1995), “The Knowledge Creating Company”, Oxford: Oxford University Press.