The report will be based on the analysis of the case study based on Unilever in which the knowledge management activities of the organization will be analysed. The analysis will also help in providing recommendations related to the issues which are being faced by the company.
The recommendations which will be provided in the report will thereby be based on the amount of time which is required for solving the issues and further implementing the plan as well. The effective implementation of the plan is thereby important for the ways by which the company is able to operate in the competitive environment based on the knowledge which is gained by the employees (Becerra-Fernandez & Sabherwal, 2014).
Background to the case
The case study is related to the review meeting which had taken place in Unilever based on the knowledge management based group of the organization. The meeting was held with the Head of Knowledge Management Group of Unilever, Cathy Bautista under the newly appointed CEO of the organization, Paul Polman.
The major factors related to the discussion in the meeting was based on the alignment of the knowledge management based activities of Unilever with the strategies and objectives (Unilever.com., 2018). Unilever has acquired the position of the biggest consumer goods based organization in the industry. The organization thereby employs more than 200,000 people in different operations. The main aim behind the meeting was to analyse the knowledge management group of the company based on a strategic perspective.
Issues and problems
Unilever is operating in the FMCG industry with the help of its huge employee base and the products and services which are offered to the consumers. The organization and the Head of Knowledge Management Group has understood the importance of the ways by which knowledge and learning levels can be used for the purpose of maintaining the competitive position in the industry. The main ambition of the organization is thereby to become multi-local with the help of proper understanding of different issues (Becerra-Fernandez, Leidner & Leidner, 2014).
The major aim of the knowledge management group of the organization is thereby to deliver the learning organization based vision which has been developed by the management. The company has however faced some major issues based on the ways by which knowledge levels have been managed in an effective manner (Dayan, Heisig & Matos, 2017). The major issues which have been faced by the organization are as follows,
The issues discussed above are able to affect the operations of Unilever and the ways by which the company aims at becoming a learning organization. The proper usage of knowledge will also not be possible due to the lack of proper alignment.
Key issues faced
The four issues which have been highlighted in the case study can play a major role in the operations of Unilever in the FMCG industry. However, there are two major issues that can affect the knowledge levels of Unilever in the industry are,
Theories implemented to address the issues
According to North and Kumta (2018), the issues which have been faced by the company can be solved with the help of single-loop learning and double-loop learning based process. Single-loop learning is implemented when goals, frameworks and values have been taken for granted. On the other hand, the process of double loop learning can be implemented if a major error has been detected and further has been corrected with the modification of the norms, objectives and policies of the organization.
These two processes are considered to be a major part of the organizational learning process. The process of organizational learning can be implemented in order to align the goals and the objectives of Unilever with the knowledge management activities. The three level hierarchy process will be implemented in order to manage the knowledge management system with the strategies of the organization (Hislop, Bosua & Helms, 2018).
According to Del Giudice and Maggioni (2014), The organizational culture can play a major role in solving the second issue which is being faced by Unilever based on the reluctance of senior employees to share their knowledge. The attitudes, beliefs and values which exist in the organization are considered to be a part of the culture. The two major types of organizational culture which can be considered in order to solve the issues which are faced by Unilever include, task culture and role culture.
The task culture is based on placing the right type of people together and further provide them with a task. The role culture can be defined as the type of culture where different employees can be provided with different types of duties which together help in achieving the organizational goals. The senior employees need to be provided with the position of a coach so that they are able to provide technical learning based opportunities to the employees who are new in the organizational processes (Dayan, Heisig & Matos, 2017).
The senior employees can be considered as a part of the intellectual capital which is held by the organization and can increase the value of the organization as well. The employees who are about to retire can be considered to be a part of the Kolb’s learning cycle. These employees are a part of the concrete experience based stage of the cycle as depicted.
Objectives based on problem solving
The problem-solving based activities of the organization are based on two major objectives which are defined as follows,
|
Action |
Timeline |
Staff Responsible |
|
Learning process implemented by the Knowledge Management Group in order to train the employees. The organizational objectives will be aligned with the learning process of employees. |
1 year |
Head of the Knowledge Management Group |
|
Technical learning sessions held in the organization. The senior employees will feel valued and will share their knowledge eagerly. |
Every month |
Senior employees |
References
Becerra-Fernandez, I., & Sabherwal, R. (2014). Knowledge management: Systems and processes. Routledge.
Becerra-Fernandez, I., Leidner, D. E., & Leidner, D. (2014). Individual, group, and organizational learning: A knowledge management perspective. In Knowledge Management (pp. 27-53). Routledge.
Dayan, R., Heisig, P., & Matos, F. (2017). Knowledge management as a factor for the formulation and implementation of organization strategy. Journal of Knowledge Management, 21(2), 308-329.
Del Giudice, M., & Maggioni, V. (2014). Managerial practices and operative directions of knowledge management within inter-firm networks: a global view. Journal of Knowledge Management, 18(5), 841-846.
Donate, M. J., & de Pablo, J. D. S. (2015). The role of knowledge-oriented leadership in knowledge management practices and innovation. Journal of Business Research, 68(2), 360-370.
Fidel, P., Schlesinger, W., & Cervera, A. (2015). Collaborating to innovate: Effects on customer knowledge management and performance. Journal of business research, 68(7), 1426-1428.
Geisler, E., & Wickramasinghe, N. (2015). Principles of Knowledge Management: Theory, Practice, and Cases: Theory, Practice, and Cases. Routledge.
Hislop, D., Bosua, R., & Helms, R. (2018). Knowledge management in organizations: A critical introduction. Oxford University Press.
North, K., & Kumta, G. (2018). Knowledge management: Value creation through organizational learning. Springer.
Unilever.com. (2018). Unilever global company website | Unilever Global.
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