Citing that "few organizations realize the vast quantity of valuable knowledge they possess," in 1995, C. J. Grayson, chairman of the American Productivity and Quality Center, sponsored a knowledge management symposium. Representatives from health care, education, government, business and community-based organizations were charged to learn how, in a "knowledge-oriented, global environment organizations could better deploy and manage their cumulative knowledge and expertise."

Knowledge management may be particularly relevant in an academic setting. Knowledge can be defined as insight gained through familiarity, experience or association.  It is the information, principles and guidelines acquired to function appropriately in the environment. In an institution, knowledge is the result of the cumulative experiences of staff members and is obtained through interactions with customers, suppliers and other constituent groups. Knowledge is evidenced in an organization's processes, policies, products and services. It is contextual, ranging in form from explicit (codified) to tactical (know-how). Explicit knowledge can be described as information derived from work products, learning and/or reusable technologies. Tactical knowledge includes techniques for integrating technologies, experiences and relationships. The effective management and appropriate application of knowledge can impact the growth of an organization positively; however, these forms of "intellectual capital" often go unrecognized as institutional assets.

Knowledge management is defined as a methodology employed to identify, create, store, and deploy an organization's cumulative experience for advancement through the use of technology. It integrates people and information to aid an organization's decision-making processes. It can be most beneficial in helping institutions adapt to changing environments.

In 1996, a year-long study conducted by Dataware Technologies, Inc., revealed the most common approaches to successful knowledge management. The first step is to identify, categorize and provide access to the knowledge that already exists within the organization. Hence, an initial step in managing institutional knowledge is to develop an infrastructure that provides access to the organization's cumulative expertise. The second major thrust of knowledge management is the creation of new knowledge, innovation and transforming ideas into value-added processes, services and products. This approach can prove challenging as it relies on effective deployment of creative ideas, allowing them to flow where they can be applied successfully.

Organizations are engaging a number of strategies to maximize returns on their "intellectual capital." In his book, Creating the Knowledge-based Organization, David Skyrme outlines a seven-step model to help institutions prepare and implement a process to manage knowledge effectively.

1. Develop deep knowledge-sharing relationships. Understand and relay the needs of your internal/external customers and constituents to colleagues and associates. Articulating unmet needs can help identify new opportunities/solutions.

2. Improve the flow of knowledge among employees, stakeholders, customers, suppliers and the community. Identify the strategies that may be employed to integrate new knowledge into the organization.

3. Study the institution's economic, social, political and technical environments. Conduct comparative analysis to identify trends in these areas.

4. Provide access to the organization's expertise by creating "best practice" databases, directories of expertise, online documents and procedures.

5. Embed knowledge into the decision-making process. Keep abreast of and share emerging knowledge to keep up with current events that may change the actions you take.

6. Surround services and products with knowledge. Survey customers to glean their knowledge and inform them of any new and innovative ideas on the horizon.

7. Finally, conduct and encourage employees to participate in knowledge management seminars, innovative workshops and learning centers where knowledge is shared and applied.
 

In 1997, Dataware Technologies conducted a study to identify "Best Practices In Knowledge Management." This study revealed a number of recurring characteristics, among them a clear and explicit link to strategy, a compelling vision to guide decisions, enthusiastic leadership, an understanding of the benefit managing knowledge can provide, a systematic approach, a well-developed knowledge infrastructure and appropriate measures that indicate the current and future value of applied knowledge.

Building an effective knowledge management methodology is not an easy undertaking.  It requires intricate software to organize, edit, filter, store and disseminate information.  It also requires a profiling system to identify areas of expertise. Still, the effective management of an institution's
"intellectual capital" can help maximize an organization's success. For more information contact Bruce Kenney, Department of Planning, (973) 972-3814.