This report analyses the Importance of knowledge management In the organizational context for maintaining competitive edge in the market. It conducts an analysis of the key areas in knowledge management with effective implementation of the different strategies for efficient knowledge management and knowledge transfer within the different levels of management In an organization, these have been elaborated. Furthermore the report discusses the methods and strategies adopted by organizations and the key role and functions played by HRS in the present workplace, tit the help of a case study on the organization Accentuate.
The report has made an in-depth analysis of the current issues related to knowledge management, the gaps in practice and knowledge relating to the role of HRS in knowledge management with the help of various academic and professional literatures. Finally, the report has also provided some recommendations in order to improve the current state of knowledge management practice within the organizations. 1. Executive Summary 2 Introduction 4 2. Concept of knowledge and information 4 3. Key issues in knowledge management 5 4. Role of HRS function in knowledge management 6 .
Case Study: Accentuate 7 6. 6. 1. Accentuate: consulting-technology-outsourcing 7 6. 2. HRS functions in Accentuate 9 6. 3. Analysis of current state of practice 10 7. Conclusion and Recommendations 1 1 8. References 12 Figures 1 . 1. Comprehensive steps towards knowledge management 8 Knowledge management has assumed an important role in the organizational context in the current times. Warner (2008) has rightly emphasized the importance of knowledge sharing and transfer in determining the efficient functioning of an organization.
In the current era of increasing disinclination, rapid advancements in genealogy, globalization, changing customer preferences and needs, this means that being up to date with current situation and practices combined with knowledge and skills to implement the same in the organizational context has assumed a critical role. Keeping pace with the changing times has become the call of the day in order to prevent stagnancy in individual’s, as well as organizational development and growth.
Maintaining a competitive advantage in the market has assumed a vital role for the organizations to attract customer base, as well as attracting suitable qualified and killed professionals in being a part of the organization as prospective employees, which has become a serious issue in the wake of financial crisis. 3. Concept of Knowledge and information Before investigating into the details of the subject of knowledge management, it is essential to understand the difference between the concepts of knowledge and information.
Frost (2010) has elaborated the concept of information as the conceptualized and aggregated data, while the application of one’s principles, experiences, insight, and perception, in combination with the appropriate information has been referred to as knowledge. This knowledge helps in the proper analysis of the environment and other related factors for practical learning and gathering experience. Human capital constitutes the main resources of an organization. Therefore proper of organizational development and growth.
The constant development and enhancement of the skills and knowledge of the human capital plays is very important to maintain the competitiveness of the organization in the market. This has resulted in the organizations to assume a ‘knowledge-intensive’ role that concentrates on proper knowledge management within the organization to achieve TTS business goals and objectives. According to Alonso (2002), knowledge is composed of two dimensions: tacit and explicit.
The tacit element is composed of the non-codified knowledge, which is verbalized and composed of cultures, principles, symbols, and artifacts, while, explicit elements consist of codified information consisting of information from various databases, libraries, systems and processes, and procedures and policies, etc. , (p. 2). Production of both the dimensions of knowledge has become an important criterion for the organizations in the present times.
Helping in the development of he human capital that constitutes the intangible assets of the organization into intellectual capital with proper transfer of common knowledge across the different levels of management has become the goal of the organizations for keeping pace with the changing environment in the business and global context. In addition to this, the changing requirements with respect to skill-set and knowledge regarding a particular Job has also made the organization to look into the broader perspective of the development of the workforce.
Although, knowledge management has assumed a priorities need for organizational placement, it is very essential to consider proper management of knowledge within the organization. Proper dispersal of knowledge management with efficient knowledge transfer within the organization in all the levels of management is essential that helps in the development of the workforce, in totality for the organizational growth. The alignment of this knowledge management with the organizational objectives, goals, future vision, is essential to achieve effectiveness in the implementation of the strategies of knowledge management within the organization.
Apart from the usual definitions, the most important definition of knowledge management is dependent on a comprehensive idea about the Knowledge management systems. According to Jennet (2008), the Knowledge Management systems (SMS) consists of the different components of IT/CIT, users, repositories, processes for using and generation of knowledge, culture for proper utilization of knowledge, and the initiatives for the goals and measures related to the Knowledge management.
The success of KM depends largely upon the success of SMS, as SMS has been regarded as the personification of KM (p. 37). . Key issues in Knowledge management Knowledge management has gained substantial importance in the past few years management. An improved decision-making process, considerable increased in productivity and quality, sharing of best practices, less circumstance for reinvention process, and increased development of the skills and talent of the workforce are some of the benefits associated with the knowledge management within the organizations.
Annex, 2008, p. 275). Efficient combination of previously unrelated elements and exchange of tacit knowledge helps in the creation of knowledge that resoundingly leads to appropriate transfer of the gained knowledge transfer (Inpatient & Shoal, 1998). The implementation of knowledge management strategies depends a great deal upon the formation of social capital within the organization that is related to the formation of social relationships within the employees within the organization, irrespective of status or position.
These social relationships help in the motivation of the subordinates due to considerable support and encouragement from the managers, thereby resulting in the formation of communication channels that help in proper decision-making process with effective nutrition and input from all the employees of different levels (Inpatient & Shoal, 1998). The social capital that is guided by the communities of practice I. E. Avian the unified mission of realization of organizational vision, goals and objectives, further helps in enhancing sharing of effective knowledge combined with the incorporation of creativity and innovation with the formation of a supportive, and encouraging organizational culture (Warner, 2008). However, it is essential to constantly monitor the changing needs and requirements of the environment and devise suitable strategies to meet the demands of the tuition.
Therefore, knowledge management strategies must be dynamic in nature. 5. Role of HRS function in Knowledge management HRS function plays a major role in the proper management of knowledge within the organization. HRS management helps identify the gaps in knowledge that is existent between the actual and desired levels of performance within the human resources for effective functioning of the organizations, with proper collaboration from the managers of various departments within the organization.
The identification of these gaps helps in devising various strategies that assist in the strategic management of he organizations by bridging the gap with the implementation of various programs and policies. The HRS function plays a major role in creating a proper environment for the transfer of knowledge within the organization by creating an organized structure for effective coordination, communication, and structure for efficient cooperation between the employees of the organization (Inpatient & Shoal, 1998).
Accentuate is a worldwide management “consulting, technology services and outsourcing company, with approximately 261 ,OHO people serving clients in more than 120 countries” (Accentuate 2012, Pl 1). Accentuate defines knowledge management as a management program that combines people, processes and technology to deliver the right information at the right time (Accentuate 2012, up), mainly focusing on three core components people, processes and technology. Accentuates approach and strategy succeeds to assemble expertise to assist clients to achieve high levels of sustainable value and competitive advantage.
With Accentuates industry knowledge, they assist customers to: ; Enter new markets. ; Increase revenues in existing markets. ; Improve operational performance. Deliver their products and services more effectively and efficiently. In the context of knowledge management, the study related to knowledge management in Accentuate will be discussed in detail. 6. 1 Accentuate : consulting-technology-outsourcing In the past few years, Accentuate has adopted various strategies for effective knowledge management within the organization with HRS management playing a key role.
The HRS functions of the company have created an effective environment for the efficient knowledge management that has helped in achieving customer satisfaction y meeting the needs and expectations of the customer. Accentuate has taken definite steps for the proper implementation of knowledge Figure 1. 1 Comprehensive steps towards knowledge management. Source: 2012 Accentuate up The main aim of Accentuate has been to provide the right mix of people and processes, in combination with the implementation of right technology for the delivery of proper, relevant information in the need of the hour (Accentuate, 2012, up).
Accentuate has also helped the New York City Government in the transformation of the customer services that resulted in helping the customers to have direct contact tit more than 300 agencies for finding relevant information, lodging complaints, and resolving other vital issues. The development of NYC highly flexible knowledge management platform has been possible with the help of Accentuate. Accentuate, in coordination with the IT department’s helped in the development of the 2417 customer service with the creation of an extensive knowledge base that was services.
Accentuate, with its highly extensive programming technology has also helped the launch of the web-based online services called, NYC Online (Accentuate, 2012, UP). Apart from this, a global commerce company has also improved its services, Rockford processes, and implementation of a knowledge improvement process that is widely relevant in the enterprise with the help of Accentuate. Accentuate helped in the development of the effective customer service with detailed analysis of the articles and processes and helped in the integration of a mechanism for feedback and rating for the knowledge existing within the company.
All these steps have helped the company to have a transformed knowledge management process using global arsenal of content providing multiple channels of service and in more than 20 languages. (Accentuate, 2012, p. ). Accentuate has also helped a software company to have an end-to-end knowledge management approach that was centralized in structure. The development of the customer care representatives with frequent meetings, change management, and training helped the company to provide effective customer service.
The three main principles followed by Accentuate for improving the customer satisfaction are: a) Accuracy in terms of the content of the knowledge management processes that helped in addressing the central issues of the organization; b) Accessible content within the reach of the customers; and ) Easy maintenance of the knowledge management processes that helped in reviewing and updating the information from time to time by the customer care executives that were mainly based on the customer feedback, rating, and other analytical approaches. . 2 HRS functions in Accentuate The HRS department has played a vital role in the successful venture of Accentuate. According to Page & Wise (2009), Accentuate benchmarking solutions have helped in the efficient performance of the HRS management team- a) By continuous assessment of the current situation of its HRS functions, ) Transformation programs for the HRS in terms of being efficient in the identification and predisposition of the opportunities, in terms of cost, process, etc. And According to Brash & Wolf (2006), the HRS function is more related to facing the challenges of the twenty-first century consisting of global hunt for employees, ageing workforce, employee satisfaction, and other HRS related strategies than only cost- effective strategies that are usually related to the HRS functions in an organization. It can be noted that Accentuate has become a global consulting company providing knowledge management services to both private and public organizations and has largely contributed towards their success. . 3 Analysis of current state of practice Currently, it is seen that knowledge management approaches are being widely applied by the organizations to have a competitive advantage in the market. The investment in the knowledge management approaches by the organizations has considerably increased in view of the changing demands of the society and global economy. According to Lila & Www (2009), organizational learning plays a major role as a editing variable between the knowledge management and organizational innovation.
It has become an important factor determining the effectiveness of the knowledge management approach and research practices. The adaptation to the changing environment with constant updating of knowledge is essential for the implementation of innovation within the organization. It has been seen that related studies favor the knowledge management approaches; however, there are a number of barriers that prevent the implementation of the knowledge management approaches effectively within an organization. According to
Ridge (2005), there are a number of potential barriers such as lack of time, fear, improper sharing of knowledge, differences in the levels of experience, age, gender, etc. (p. 23), and a number of potential organizational barriers such as lack of proper leadership skills, absence of KM strategies in the organizational objectives and goals, unfavorable organizational culture, deficiency of proper resources, management system, hierarchy, etc. (p. 26). These barriers give rise to large gaps between studies related to knowledge management and actual practice of the knowledge management approaches within he organization.
It can be seen that knowledge management approaches are essential for the effective management of the human resources and for the sustained growth and development of an organization. In the knowledge management approaches, the HRS function plays a huge role, due to the strategic role that the HRS management has assumed in the wake of the current global economic status. The HRS function helps in the proper management and implementation of the knowledge management within the organization with proper management of the human resources and analyzing the APS between the desired and actual performance levels of the human resources.
However, huge gaps have been noticed in the current practice of knowledge management approaches and the different studies related to the approach. It is essential and is recommended to completely analyses the current situation of the organization, measure the needs and requirements of the individuals within the organization and the organization as a whole. After proper assessment of the requirements of the situation, it is recommended to implement the different strategies related to knowledge management approaches.
