INS2603 ASSIGNMENT 2 Semester 2.

INS2603 ASSIGNMENT 2 Semester 2. INS2603 - Introducing Information Management. Define the term knowledge and discuss the important types of knowledge. (20) Reitz (2002:363) define knowledge as Information that has been comprehended and evaluated in the light of experience, and incorporated into the knower’s intellectual understanding of its subject. The Merriam-Webster Dictionary defines knowledge as the fact or condition of knowing something with familiarity gained through experience or association acquaintance with or understanding of a science, art, or technique. (MerriamWebster dictionary, sv ‘knowledge’) Different kinds of knowledge There is different type of knowledge namely tacit, explicit, cultural, individual and collective knowledge. Tacit knowledge This type of knowledge is difficult to explain because it is personal and difficult to communicate to others. It is deeply rooted into a person’s behaviour and relationship in a specific context (like a profession, a specific market, group or team). It consists partly of technical skills. It is sometimes difficult to articulate the scientific principles underlying this tacit knowledge but once it has been contextualised it is difficult to codify or reduce it to specific rules or prescriptions. Despite the fact that it is difficult to articulate tacit knowledge it is regularly transferred or shared between colleagues and it can be picked up by others through observation, copying and imitation. (INS2603 Only study guide 2013:68-69) Explicit knowledge This knowledge is formal, systematic and tangible and can easily share and communicated by colleagues in an organisation. This type of knowledge might be subject based or subject to specific rules for example in the case of particular products, patents, photographs and codes. This type of Edna Van Der Linde INS2603 Assignment 2 11 Septemeber 2015 Page 4 of 17 knowledge forms the intellectual assets of an organisation. Knowledge that is described, formulated or processed into a computer qualifies as an intellectual asset that has to be protected. Intellectual assets are also a source of innovation in an organisation and the latter may use them to its financial advantage. (INS2603 Only study guide 2013:69) (Chen, Snyman & Sewdass 2005:6) Cultural knowledge Members of an organisation tend to share viewpoints and perspectives about core business, capacity and competition. It is these beliefs and shared opinions that are the criteria to which new areas are identified and proposals and projects are evaluated. Cultural knowledge form the basis of the evaluation of knowledge and for deciding what knowledge should be pursued for the benefit of the organisation. (INS2603 Only study guide 2013:69) Edna Van Der Linde INS2603 Assignment 2 11 Septemeber 2015 Page 5 of 17 Individual knowledge Individual knowledge may be seen as knowledge that has been mastered by an individual and refers to the total competence of an individual. (INS2603 Only study guide 2013:69) Collective knowledge This type of knowledge consists of practises, procedures, rules, points of departure and the organisational culture shared by all members of the organisation. (INS2603 Only study guide 2013:69) The various types of knowledge described above need to be integrated in order to add value, make the transfer of knowledge and the creation of new knowledge in an organisation possible. The following methods may be used to make it possible:  a team approach  regular feedback between the various teams, management and staff  recognition of and even forms of reimbursement to individuals who integrate knowledge and share it with the rest of the workforce  creation of networks promoting regular exchange of advice or consultations between personnel  recognition of personnel who acquire information and expertise outside the organisation and implement it within the organisation (INS2603 Only study guide 2013:69) According to an article by De Jongh and Ferguson-Hessler (1996) they also mention the following types of knowledge:  task knowledge – understanding of the cognitive demands of a task  situational knowledge – knowledge about situations as they typically appear in a particular domain  conceptual knowledge – static knowledge about facts, concepts, and principles that apply within a certain domain  procedural knowledge – contains actions or manipulations that are valid within a domain Edna Van Der Linde INS2603 Assignment 2 11 Septemeber 2015 Page 6 of 17  strategic knowledge – helps students organize their problemsolving process by directing which stages they should go through to reach a solution (De Jongh & Fergusen-Hessler 1996) 1.2 What is knowledge management? (5) Davenport in Koenig (2012) defines knowledge management as the process of capturing, distributing, and effectively using knowledge." Skyrme in INS2603 Only study guide (2013:11) define knowledge management (KM) as the explicit and systematic management of vital knowledge and its associated processes of creating, gathering, organising, diffusing, using and exploiting. It requires transforming personal knowledge into corporate knowledge, which can be widely shared throughout the organisation and appropriately applied. Duhon in Koenig (2012) define knowledge management is a discipline that promotes an integrated approach to identifying, capturing, evaluating, retrieving, and sharing all of an enterprise's information assets. These assets may include databases, documents, policies, procedures, and previously uncaptured expertise and experience in individual workers. Knowledge management is a program or system designed to create, capture, share and leverage knowledge towards the success of the organization. This is easier said than done because instituting a knowledge management program requires many changes and support at all levels of the organization. Furthermore, there are different forms of knowledge to contend with and understand. Knowledge can be tacit or explicit, which requires different strategies to capture each type. Another challenge is to distill the practice of knowledge management into one neat concept. (Knowledge management: training manual) Edna Van Der Linde INS2603 Assignment 2 11 Septemeber 2015 Page 7 of 17 Knowledge management is the conversion of tacit knowledge into explicit knowledge and sharing it within the organization. Putting it more technically and accurately, knowledge management is the process through which organizations generate value from their intellectual and knowledgebased assets. Defined in this manner, it becomes apparent that knowledge management is concerned with the process of identifying, acquiring, distributing and maintaining knowledge that is essential to the organization. (Uriarte 2008:24) 1.3 Identify and explain the components of knowledge management. (15) The components of knowledge management are content, technology and people (human resources). Content The flow of appropriate data, information and knowledge is known as content. The possibility of using and applying knowledge are determined by content. An intelligent interaction with knowledge is an indispensable condition for success. It is important to realise that specific knowledge content (knowledge that is directly usable) are always embedded in a certain context of knowledge, which determines and enriches the background, meaning and dynamic of the content to ensure its most effective use. Knowledge content taken out of context if is often more of a danger than an asset. (INS2603 Only study guide 2013:70) Technology According to INS2603 Only study guide (2013:70) it is the technology infrastructure that makes it possible to take and store information and make it available at a later stage for the user. An important fact to remember is that technology is not a goal in itself is there to equip organisations to reach goals. Technology is and instrument that assist with achieving an organisations goals. It provides the platform and tools for data and information access and distribution. Technology is useless without the human factor to translate data and information into relevant knowledge. The infrastructure within Edna Van Der Linde INS2603 Assignment 2 11 Septemeber 2015 Page 8 of 17 knowledge management occurs needs to be consistent with the information and knowledge needs and customs of the organisation. The infrastructure should consider constraints imposed by finances. Knowledge management is a dynamic and continuous process, which always needs to be planned and executed with a view to the future. It is a great challenge for any organisation to create a culture and infrastructure in which knowledge can be managed and shared effectively. (INS2603 Only study guide 2013:70) Human resources This involves the creation, use and adding of value to information. Human are central to the use of knowledge. People always want to know more and want to exploit knowledge to its fullest. In the business world people are more important than money, with the emphasis falling on human or intellectual capital. It doesn’t matter how important knowledge are it would be meaningless unless there were knowledgeable people like experts, knowledge generators and fully qualified knowledge managers. The organisational culture in which people work is often an important but oftenneglected factor and regular continuous educational programmes and initiatives in organisations are essential for the development. A learning organisation in which people cooperate, discover learn and share in a team approach is essential; this is accompanied by transformation of knowledge into heightened performance and innovation. The transfer of knowledge between colleagues in an organisation is of the utmost importance. (INS2603 Only study guide 2013:70) The management of knowledge means that content, human resources and technology are combined in a composite unit that aims mainly to understand important content and knowledge in order to achieve the goals and objectives of the organisation as effectively as possible. In this way strongly motivated working relationships can be created between employees in organisations. (INS2603 Only study guide 2013:70)