KNOWLEDGE CAPTURE AND

4

KNOWLEDGE

5. Analyze the type of knowledge to be captured and codified, select the best approach to use, and discuss its advantages and shortcomings for a given knowledge elicitation application.

INTRODUCTION

The first high-level phase of the knowledge management cycle, as seen in Figure 4-1, begins with knowledge capture and codification. More specifically, tacit knowledge is captured or elicited, and explicit knowledge is organized or coded.

In knowledge capture, a distinction needs to be made between the capture or identification of existing knowledge and the creation of new knowledge. In most organizations, explicit or already identified and coded knowledge typi- cally represents only the tip of the iceberg. Traditional information systems departments deal primarily with highly structured (records or forms-oriented) data that makes up much less than 5% of a company’s information. In knowl- edge management, we need to also consider knowledge that we know is present in the organization, which we can then set out to capture. There remains, however, that interesting area of knowledge that we do not know about. This as-yet-unidentified knowledge will require additional steps in its capture and codification. Finally, there is knowledge that we know we do not have. We will need to facilitate the creation of this new, innovative content (see Figure 4-2).

Capturing the knowledge in an organization is not purely about technology.

Indeed, many firms find that IT plays only a small part in ensuring that infor- mation is available to those who need it. The approach needed depends on the kind of business, its culture, and the ways in which people solve problems.

Some organizations generally deliver standard products and services, while others are constantly looking for new ways of doing things. Knowledge capture can therefore span a whole host of activities, from organizing customer infor- mation details into a single database to setting up a mentoring program. We

F

IGURE

4-1

A

N INTEGRATED

KM

CYCLE

Knowledge Capture and/or Creation

Knowledge Sharing and Dissemination

Knowledge Acquisition and Application

Assess

Contextualize

Update

need to capture both types of knowledge—explicit and tacit. Knowledge about standardized work, for example, can be described explicitly and is easily cap- tured in writing. On the other hand, where there is innovation and creativity, people also need some direct contact (Moorman and Miner, 1997).

Knowledge capture cannot therefore be a purely mechanistic “add-on”

because it has to do with the discovery, organization, and integration of knowl- edge into the “fabric” of the organization. Knowledge has to be captured and codified in such a way that it can become a part of the existing knowledge base of the organization. Every organization has a history, which provides a back- drop to the growth and evolution of the organization.

Every organization also has a memory. The embodiment of the organiza- tional memory is the experience of its employees, combined with the tangible data and knowledge stores in the organization (Walsh and Ungson, 1991). Bush (1945) envisioned instruments that, if properly developed, give one access to and command over the inherited knowledge of the ages. Knowledge that is not captured in this way becomes devalued and is eventually ignored.

Knowledge is more than statements, declarations, and observations: it repre- sents an intellectual currency that produces the most value when circulated. It may have unrealized potential and value, but unless it is spent, its value is not tested.

In today’s fast-paced economy, an organization’s knowledge base is quickly becoming its only sustainable competitive advantage. As such, this resource must be protected, cultivated, and shared among organizational members.

Until recently, companies could succeed based on individual knowledge of a handful of strategically positioned workers. Increasingly, however, competitive advantage is to be gained by making individual knowledge available within the organization, transforming it into organizational knowledge. Organizational knowledge complements individual knowledge, making it stronger and broader. The full utilization of an organization’s knowledge base, coupled with the potential of individual skills, competencies, thoughts, innovations, and

F

IGURE

4-2

T

HE KNOWN

-

UNKNOWN MATRIX

Know that we know

Know that we don’t know

Don’t know that we know

Don’t know that we don’t know Information

Sources

User Awareness

Known

Known

Unknown

Unknown

Source: Frappaolo, 2004.

ideas, will enable a company to compete more effectively in the future. Com- petitiveness is becoming increasingly dependent on an organization’s agility or ability to respond to changes in a very timely manner. The major component of agility lies in the skills and learning abilities of the knowledge workers within that organization.

Without doubt knowledge capture may be difficult, particularly in the case of tacit knowledge. Tacit knowledge management is the process of capturing the experience and expertise of the individual in an organization and making it available to anyone who needs it. The capture of explicit knowledge is the systematic approach of capturing, organizing, and refining information in a way that makes information easy to find, and facilitates learning and problem solving. Knowledge often remains tacit until someone asks a direct question.

At that point, tacit can become explicit, but unless that information is cap- tured for someone else to use again at a later date, learning, productivity, and innovation are stifled.

Once knowledge is explicit, it should be organized in a structured document that will enable multipurpose use. The best KM tools create knowledge and then leverage it across multiple channels, including phone, e-mail, discussion forums, Internet telephony, and any new channels that come online. A wide variety of techniques may be used to capture and codify knowledge, and many of these techniques have their origins in fields other than knowledge manage- ment (e.g., artificial intelligence, sociology, and instructional design), which are described here.