Contemporary Human Resource Challenges - 05

Contemporary human challenges which are being discussed so far consist of issues such as Training and Development, compliance with Laws and Regulation, motivation……so on. However I am deeply concerned about knowledge management which is very critical and important in this Blog. Knowledge management is about storing and sharing the wisdom and also it is said that knowledge is as a key resource. As Ulrich (1998) says ‘Knowledge has become a direct competitive advantage for companies selling ideas and relationship

Introduction of Knowledge management

Knowledge management means ‘any process or practice of creating, acquiring, capturing, sharing and using knowledge, wherever it resides, to enhance learning and performance in organizations’ (Scarborough et al, 1999). However Knowledge management gets involved with transforming knowledge resources by identifying relevant information and then disseminating it so that learning can take place.

Components of knowledge management, Scarborough and Carter (2000)

Ø In technical terms knowledge management involves centralizing knowledge

Ø In social and political terms, knowledge management involves collectivizing knowledge.

Ø In economic terms, knowledge management is a response by organizations to the need to intensify their creation and exploitation of knowledge.

The concept of knowledge

Knowledge is known as what people understand about things, concepts, ideas, theories, procedures, practices and ‘the way we do things around here’. It can be described as ‘know-how’ or when it is specific, it is known as ‘expertise’. A distinction was made by Ryle (1949) between ‘knowing how ‘and ‘knowing that’. Knowing how is the ability of a person to perform tasks, and knowing that is holding pieces of knowledge in one’s mind.

Explicit and tacit knowledge

Nonaka (1991) and Nonaka and Takeuchi (1995) stated that knowledge is either explicit or tacit. Explicit knowledge can be codified – it is recorded and available and also is held in databases,

Tacit knowledge exists in people’s minds. It is difficult to articulate in writing and is acquired through personal experience. As suggested by Hansen et al (1999), it includes scientific or technological expertise, operational know-how.

Knowledge management strategies

Two approaches to knowledge management strategy were identified by Hansen et al (1999).

1.                 The codification strategy

Knowledge is carefully codified and stored in databases where it can be accessed and used easily by anyone in the organization. This is in fact document-driven.

2.       The personalization strategy

Knowledge is closely tied to the person who has developed it and is shared mainly through direct person-to-person contacts. Furthermore it is in line with tacit knowledge.

Knowledge management issues

The various approaches mentioned above do not provide easy answers to increase knowledge management. However this issue needs addressing in developing knowledge management processes. The pace of change is the main issues in knowledge management and it is difficult  how to keep up with the pace of change

The contribution of HR to knowledge management

HR can make an important contribution to knowledge management simply because knowledge is shared between people .The role of HR is to ensure that the organization has the intellectual capital it needs.

REFERENCES;

§  Armstrong M.(2009),Human Resource management practice 11^th ed. UK;Kogan , pg 218

§  Ulrich, D (1998) A new mandate for human resources, Harvard Business Review, January–February, pp 124–34

§  Scarborough, H, Swan, J and Preston, J (1999) Knowledge Management: A literature review, Institute of Personnel and Development, London

§  Hansen, M T, Nohria, N and Tierney, T (1999) What’s your strategy for managing knowledge?, Harvard Business Review, March–April, pp 106–16