Knowledge Management Systems For WILCO Engineering

Defining Knowledge Management

Discuss about the Knowledge Management Systems for WILCO Engineering.

Knowledge Management can be defined as the procedure for formulating, sharing, utilizing and regulating the knowledge and data of an organization. It is a multidisciplinary framework which is designed to accomplish the objectives of the organization through the best utilization of available knowledge. The main objective of Knowledge Management is to focus on the aims of the organization such as competitive advantage, improved performance,   adopting innovative   processes for the continuous improvement of the company, enhance existing knowledge   throughout the organization and to attract and retain the talented staff (Omotayo, 2015).

Thus it is the organized management of the knowledge assets of the company for creating value and its meeting tactical and strategic necessities. It also consists of procedures, strategies, mechanisms, and initiatives which enhance, sustain, analyze, share, refine and create knowledge of the organization. The objective of the essay is to apply the strategies of knowledge management systems to WILCO Engineering along with identifying the gaps and risks assessed by the company while applying the techniques of Knowledge management so that the company can fulfill its objectives related to retaining the talented staff , enhance the existing knowledge which further strengthens the employee base of the organization and to process new knowledge in the organization. 

The areas in WILCO Engineering which require the application of knowledge management principles are the culture of the organization, human resources and processes, content, and technology. The culture motivates seeking and sharing knowledge in any organization. It is critical to the successful implementation of the knowledge management program .It is highly dependent upon the behavior of personnel of the company. Secondly, human resources are crucial areas in which the knowledge management principles should apply. The company should need to set the expectations that the human resources should apply the knowledge management systems and coordinate across the various functional areas and geographical boundaries (Kör, 2017).

As the business process of WILCO Engineering require the implementation of knowledge management system so they comprise of infrastructure, measurement, change management and governance. The knowledge management systems can easily be integrated into the company through these business processes. The content can be defined as the prerequisite for a particular business process and role and be defining its creator and at which stage the content is required. Its accessibility and its requirement for the key personnel  is also explained  through this aspect.

Applying Knowledge Management Principles in WILCO Engineering

So, the   knowledge management system can be integrated into the business processes of WILCO Engineering as these are the business rules regarding the formulation of business process and they govern the entire structure of the process of the business. While technology has been the last focus of the knowledge management principles, it assists the storage, retrieval, and accessibility to the knowledge. Through technology, the human resources and various other processes in the organization stay connected and updated on the latest procedures and regulations. So, knowledge management principles should be integrated into technologies to enhance the value of the organization (Salzano et al., 2016).

One of the techniques for analyzing the knowledge situation is rich pictures. It is the methodology for analyzing the complex problem situation as compiled by the investigator. It is often executed by examining the components of the structure, process, and the situation climate. The rich picture technique requires the data collection through interviewing   various actors in the system. It contains different opinions and disagreements which allow for multiple observations and perceptions at a time. 

Another knowledge mapping technique is a diagnostic map. It  comprises of  presentation of  the consequences of the root cause assessments  through the problems are discussed by the participants and  their solution is sought  by them( Schimpf,2015)  .

As per Spangler, Skovira  and  Kohun (2015) the Nonaka and Takeuchi technique  explains  the two types of knowledge viz. explicit  and tacit knowledge . The explicit knowledge is documented properly and the tacit knowledge is  derived as a consequence of years of experience . Since the creation of knowledge is a consistent process which  is well planned and executed in the company, so this model captures this knowledge as  the key to consistent improvement. It explains four methodologies of conversion of knowledge : Externalization , Socialization , Internalization, and Combination.  

In Externalization, the knowledge is stored and distributed in a planned way through presentations and publications. In  Socialization, the exchange and sharing of knowledge take places  in the form of presentations and demonstrations. In Internalization, experts document the information  for resolving the internal issues of the  company.  Lastly, in Combination ,the enhancement  and adaptation of knowledge take place by combining the tactic with explicit knowledge . 

The areas requiring knowledge management can be workforce employed in a project of WILCO Engineering .If stuck upon a problem, it can seek the help of the knowledge management system to resolve a problem. The knowledge needs can comprise of evaluation of new ideas, reviewing the learnt  lessons , projects  and budgets and best practice documents and task packages. The  necessities of knowledge can arise in  the developmental projects and  it could comprise of the process and task overview including the  pre and post conditions for executing the task , lessons learnt  and the applicable software (Colombi,2018)  .

Areas Requiring Knowledge Management Principles in WILCO Engineering

There are various stakeholders requiring knowledge needs in WILCO Engineering. The  groups and individuals  involved in the project  are the main eligible candidates for knowledge needs. It comprises of the manager of the project and appropriate team members. For this, a  set of inputs are explained which act as the  prerequisite for assessing the knowledge needs of  the  organization. It may comprise of  requirement documentation , statement of work , casual communication such as emails and memos which  explain the  knowledge needs of the project.  

According to the opinion of Bhatti and Zaheer (2014), the intellectual capital of the WILCO Engineering forms the basis to stay competitive  .  Knowledge  is the base for intellectual capital and the capabilities of the organization.   There are three  types of  intellectual capital or knowledge management  which need to be acquired , created or transferred . These are structural capital , human capital and relational capital. Structural capital  comprises of organizational learning and sharing which is  applied to the daily routine of the organization. It  is stored even after the employee leaves the company. It is the sustained infrastructure for the human capital of the organization.

Relational capital refers to the relations of the organization with the external stakeholders  and  their perception of the products and services rendered by the organization. Human resource capital refers to  all the aspects related to the humans of the organization  viz. their exposure, skills , experience and innovative and creative capabilities. It comprises of all the information and data which exists in the  minds of humans. It forms the basis  for innovative and strategic strategies  of the  company (Forrestal ,2015).

The  possible sources of knowledge to meet the need are generally the external sources of knowledge . New technology is often considered as the prominent source of knowledge followed by professional  data and intellectual capital of the company. The other sources can be  scientific information and research and development activities conducted in the organization.

The other sources can be explicit  and  tactic knowledge . The former can be communicated amongst the colleagues and team members in the form of blueprint, operation manuals and texts while the latter can be described in the form of skills , competence, and talent. Furthermore, there is various personnel to be appointed for imparting the knowledge management skills. The knowledge managers , knowledge champions, and leaders , navigators and brokers , stewards and editors are important personnel in this regard (Huggins et al.,2010).

Techniques for Analyzing the Knowledge Situation

The Knowledge Enterprise model can be implemented in WILCO Engineering to analyze the situation with the help of knowledge engineers, knowledge officers, knowledge analysts, managers, and stewards to execute the knowledge management in the organization. It has been implemented and integrated with the structure of the organization as it can assist  in knowledge management  with the help of information technology processes (Sivasubramanian,2016).

Thus the organizational structure should be networked to provide prospects for the employees to communicate and support the knowledge related activities in WILCO Engineering. Since, it is intangible and   concerned with the personal feelings , managing the tactic knowledge is tougher than explicit knowledge .  

The second element  is  technology.  Because of the advanced IT techniques , the high tech product is available for organizations to manage  the dissemination of knowledge in the organization. Lastly, the structure of the organization should be aligned  with its  strategies and goals  so that the employees can be motivated to learn (Fred et al.,2017).  

As per Cancialosi (2014), the transfer of knowledge is necessary as   retrieving the right knowledge at the  right time to the right people is a critical element for the success of WILCO Engineering. When an experienced   human resource who is a critical part of the organization leaves the company , then there should be some mechanism through which the adequate information should be  disseminated  as and when needed by the business.

The transfer of knowledge can be done by  many methods such as creating duplication. Cross training is a method to minimize the risk of  a key managerial person leaving the job . So it should be ensured that  there should be at least two people  who  possess the  same knowledge in case of emergency. Secondly, by providing  training to the members of the team , it can be ensured that  there is the duplication of skills in the system . Lastly, the entire process should be documented and by using checklists and samples so that following it may become easy for other members (Kozjek and Ovsenik, 2017).

There are certain challenges, problems, and gaps in implementing knowledge management in WILCO Engineering.  Knowledge mapping is ignored by the company as the management perceives it to  be a tough process  to be applied in  the organization. It confronts issues  such as determining the knowledge domains and recognizing the knowledge items and their owners   through the company. Therefore , if the organization ignores this step , it means that it cannot  regulate its knowledge  ,  is unaware of its probable competitive advantages  and risks and  overseeing the important knowledge gaps.

Rich Picture Technique

Neglecting knowledge maintenance  is yet another challenge confronted by the  company in this regard. If the knowledge is not freely circulated in the company and  there is lack of identification, up gradation and removal of the unwanted knowledge  then unmaintained knowledge not only becomes inappropriate but also  leads to  mistakes and failures  in the organization (Barnes and Milton, 2014).

Hence to conclude, it can be said that knowledge management is an organized approach which is used to captivate the collective expertise of the business in order to create value. It helps in improving the agility of the organization and enable WILCO Engineering      to develop new knowledge which strengthens the  knowledge  base of the company and develops new procedures to enhance the existing knowledge throughout the company. It will also help it in attracting and retaining  its talented staff so that it can make the most of its accumulated  intellectual  capital to achieve its objectives.

References

Barnes, K. and Milton, N.J. (2014) Designing a Successful KM Strategy: A Guide for the Knowledge Management Professional. Information Today.

Bhatti, W.A. and Zaheer, A. (2014) The Role of Intellectual Capital in Creating and Adding Value to Organizational Performance: A Conceptual Analysis. Electronic Journal of Knowledge Management. 12(3), pp. 187-194.

Cancialosi, C.(2014) 6 Key Steps to Influencing Effective Knowledge Transfer in Your Business. Forbes [online] Available from: https://www.forbes.com/sites/chriscancialosi/2014/12/08/6-key-steps-to-influencing-effective-knowledge-transfer-in-your-business/#47ce27b65fe6 [Accessed 23^rd June, 2018].

 Colombi, M.(2018) Top 5 Reasons Why Knowledge Management is Necessary. Broad Vision Inc [online] Available from: https://www.broadvision.com/blog/top-5-reasons-knowledge-management-necessary/ [Accessed 23^rd June, 2018].

Forrestal ,V.(2015) Knowledge Management for Libraries. Rowman & Littlefield.

Fred, A., Dietz, J.L.G., Aveiro, D., Liu, K. and  Filipe, J.(2017)  Knowledge Discovery, Knowledge Engineering and Knowledge Management: 7th International Joint Conference, IC3K 2015, Lisbon, Portugal, November 12-14, 2015, Revised Selected Papers. Springer International Publishing.

Huggins , R. Izushi , H., Clifton, N., Jenkins, S., Prokop, D. and Whitfield, C.(2010)  Sourcing knowledge for innovation. NESTA [online] Available from: https://publications.aston.ac.uk/18408/1/Sourcing_knowledge_for_innovation.pdf [Accessed 23^rd June, 2018].

Kör , B.(2017) Revealing Trends in Knowledge Management Research: From 2010 to 2015. Istanbul University Journal of the School of Business.46(2017),pp. 18-30.

Kozjek, D. and Ovsenik, M.(2017) Model of Knowledge Management Factors and their Impact on the Organizations’ Success. Journal of Management, Informatics and Human Resources.50(2),pp. 112-131.

Omotayo, F.O.(2015) Knowledge Management as an important tool in Organizational Management: A Review of Literature https://digitalcommons.unl.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=3330&context=libphilprac [Accessed 23^rd June 2018].

Salzano, K.A. , Maurer, C.A. , Wyvratt, J.M. , Stewart, T. , Peck,J., Rygiel, B.  and Petree, T. (2016) A Knowledge Management Framework and Approach for Clinical Development. Therapeutic Innovation & Regulatory Science. 50(5),pp. 536-545.

Schimpf, H.(2015)  Competitive Intelligence and Knowledge Management: A Study of Enhancing the Employees ? Motivation to Sharing Their Knowledge. Anchor Academic Publishing.

Sivasubramanian, S.(2016) Process Model for Knowledge Management [online] Available from : https://www.lti.cs.cmu.edu/sites/default/files/Process%20Model%20for%20Knowledge%20Management.pdf [Accessed 23^rd June, 2018].

Spangler,  S.C. Skovira, R.J. and  Kohun , F.G.(2015) Key Factors in a Successful Knowledge Management Model. Online Journal of Applied Knowledge Management.3(1),pp. 51-60.