The success of an enterprise at the beginning of the 21st century depends on the ability to create new patterns of perception and to search for new ways of operating – with the involvement of all employees. Under these circumstances, the success of the knowledge management concept becomes understandable.
Organizational knowledge can be defined as a fluid collection of experiences, values, and information about a specific context, which creates the framework necessary for evaluating and assimilating new experiences and information. It constitutes a complex mixture of acquired experiences, established truths, expert judgment, common sense rules, and intuition.
Its source is the consciousness of the organization’s participants; it is also utilized thanks to this consciousness. It is embedded, among other things, in customs, processes, practices, and norms. Tacit knowledge is contained in the expertise and experiences of individuals and groups of people. Explicit knowledge is codified in organizational rules, routines, and procedures. Cultural knowledge manifests itself in assumptions, beliefs, values, and norms used by people when assigning value and meaning to new information.
When facing previously unknown situations, enterprise employees refer to an existing knowledge base. If existing knowledge does not allow for solving emerging problems, it is necessary to create new knowledge – through learning. Meaning is assigned to collected data. The information created in this way, when used effectively, leads to knowledge.
The main goal of knowledge management is the better utilization of employee knowledge for the benefit of the enterprise. Elements of knowledge management already appear in the concept of a learning organization. Management researchers claim that enterprises aspiring to be knowledge-managing organizations place too much emphasis on information management and IT technologies. Sometimes, the field of knowledge management is even equated with information management. On the other hand, however, it is argued that the field of organizational learning neglects structured knowledge and the use of technologies serving to master and strengthen it. The concept of knowledge management overcomes these limitations.
The competitive environment encourages increasing the pace of innovation processes. Linking distinct areas of research and innovative applications is a condition for the success of an enterprise.
The article comes from the magazine “Logistyka” 4/2004.