Addis Ababa University
School of Information science
Graduate Program
INss 626: Knowledge Management and Organizational Learning
KM System Life Cycle
KM initiatives
primarily aim at fostering an organizational ICT environment
that is suited for knowledge work
provides
for more visibility of organizational resources, skills and
knowledge processes
allows
for a more systematic strategic management of (core)
competencies in an organization
Knowledge management activities
the
act of managing knowledge can be
characterized by the following four activities:
1. acquire knowledge (learn, create, or identify);
2. analyze knowledge (assess, validate, or value);
3. preserve knowledge (organize, represent, or
maintain); and
4. use knowledge (apply, transfer, or share).
KM activities ….cont’d
One of the major KM processes aims at
identifying and locating knowledge and knowledge
sources within the organization.
Valuable knowledge is then translated into explicit
form,
often referred to as codification (organization,
classification, arrangement) of knowledge,
Knowledge management is a continuing cyclical
process with no end
KM Life Cycle -- General
KM Cycle process
Zack KM cycle (1996)
McElroy (1999)
Bukowitz and Williams (2003)
Wiig (1993)
Nickols (1999)
Roller (2003)
Zack KM Cycle
Acquisition Refinement Store/Retrieve
Distribution Presentation
Acquisition of data or information addresses the
issues regarding source of materials such as scope,
credibility, accuracy, timeliness, relevance, cost,
control and exclusivity.
The guiding principle is “source data must be of the
highest quality; otherwise the intellectual products will
be inferior. (Garbage in – Garbage out)
Zack KM Cycle …cont’d
Refinement:
Migrating from one medium to another
Restructuring, relabeling, indexing
Cleaning up
Standardizing
Statistical analysis
Thisstage creates more readily usable knowledge objects and
by storing the content more flexibly for future use.
Zack KM Cycle …cont’d
Storage/Retrieval –
physical (file folders, printed information)
Digital (database, knowledge management software)
Distribution – describes
how the product is delivered to the end user. (Fax,
print, website, email)
Medium of delivery
Timing, frequency, form, language, etc.
Zack KM Cycle …cont’d
Presentation/use
The effectiveness of each of the preceding steps is evaluated here
Does the user have enough context to be able to make use of this
content?
If not, the KM cycle has failed to deliver value to the individual and
ultimately to the organization.
McElroy KM Cycle
Individualand group learning
Knowledge claim validation
Information acquisition
Knowledge validation
Knowledge integration
McElroy KM Cycle … cont’d
McElroy emphasizes that organizational knowledge
is held both
subjectively in the minds of individuals and groups
objectively in explicit forms.
Togetherthey comprise the distributed
organizational knowledge base of the company
(i) Individual and group learning
Represent the first step in organizational learning
Knowledge is information until it is validated
McElroy KM Cycle … cont’d
(ii) Knowledge validation:
Involves codification at organizational level
Formalized procedure is needed for the receipt and
codification of individual and group innovations
(iii) Information acquisition
the process by which an organization acquires
knowledge claims or information produced by others –
usually external to the organization
Plays a fundamental role in formulating new
knowledge claims at the organizational level.
Eg. Subscription services, library services, research
initiatives, think tanks, etc.
McElroy KM Cycle … cont’d
(iv) Knowledge validation
Knowledge claims are evaluated to determine their veracity and
value
Decision that they are of greater value than existing knowledge in
the organizational knowledge base
(v) Knowledge integration
The process by which an organization introduces new knowledge
claims to its operating environment and retires old ones.
Includes all knowledge transmissions such as teaching, knowledge
sharing and other social activities
Bukowitz and Williams KM Cycle
Get Use Learn Contribute Assess
Build/Sustain Divest
Get consists of seeking out information needed in order
to make decisions, solve problems, or innovate.
Challenge is not so much in finding information but in
dealing effectively with the enormous volume of
information that can be obtained
Information overload has created the need to sift through
the vast volume of knowledge
User needs must be well understood in order to match
information seekers with the best possible content
Bukowitz and Williams KM Cycle …
Use:deals with how to combine information in new and
interesting ways in order to foster organizational innovations.
Learn:
refers to the formal process of learning from experiences
as a means of creating competitive advantage.
Organizational memory is created so that organizational learning
becomes possible from both successes (best practices) and
failures (Lessons learnt)
Bukowitz and Williams KM Cycle …
Contribute:
deals with getting employees to post what
they have learnt the communal knowledge base.
Only in this way can individual knowledge be made
visible and available across the entire organization. – (Is
it possible to get all that resides in the heads of
individuals?)
Assess:
evaluate intellectual capital
define mission critical knowledge
Map current intellectual capital against
future knowledge needs.
Bukowitz and Williams KM Cycle …
Build and sustain:
ensures that the organization’s future intellectual
capital will keep the organization viable and
competitive
Allocate resources to the growth and maintenance of
knowledge
Channel resources to create new knowledge and
reinforce existing knowledge
Divest:
The organization should not hold on to assets (Physical
or intellectual) – if they are no longer creating value.
Understand why, when where and how of formally
divesting parts of the knowledge base.
An Integrated KM Cycle
Onthe basis of the study of some of the major approaches to
KM cycles, we can integrate KM cycle in four major stages
Knowledge Capture and/or creation
Knowledge Codification
Knowledge Sharing and dissemination
Knowledge Acquisition and Application
An Integrated KM Cycle … cont’d
Knowledge capture refers to the identification and subsequent
codification of existing internal knowledge and know-how
within the organization or from external sources
Knowledge creation is the development of new knowledge
and know-how innovations that did not have a previous
existence with the company.
An Integrated KM Cycle …
Assessment is needed
Is this content valid?
Is it new or better?
Is it of sufficient value to the organization?
Maintain
a link between the knowledge and those
knowledgeable about the content
Contextualization- identify the key attributes of the content in
order to better match to a variety of users.
An Integrated KM Cycle …
KMcycle is reiterated as users understand and decide to make
use of content.
Users will validate usefulness
Users will signal when it becomes out of date
Users help to validate the scope of the content
Users will advise what best practices could be and what lessons
could be learnt
Users will come up with new content which is contributed to the next
cycle creation
