CHAPTER 5: TECHNIQUE AND TECHNOLOGY SUPPORT FOR
5.4 Technology to support knowledge management
Turning to a technique that is so common as to go unnoticed, namely conversation concludes the review of practical techniques for supporting a socially informed approach to knowledge management.
Conversation is viewed as essential. It is used as a medium for decision-making and it is through conversation that we create, develop, validate and share knowledge.
According to Clark (1996: 10-15) the vital characteristic of conversation is that it is a deeply interactive intellectual process as well as a superb method for eliciting,
unpacking, articulating, and applying and recontextualising knowledge.
Externalisation, the process of converting tacit knowledge into explicit concepts can be triggered by conversation.
During face-to-face conversations people share the same physical environment, are visible to each other, communicating by speaking and the receiver receives the message at roughly the same time as when the sender produces it. The result is that knowledge is immediately available to everybody involved in the conversation.
Apart from the techniques that have been discussed, different technology
considerations also play an important role in supporting knowledge management processes and activities.
development. For example, it is responsible for the automation of routine tasks and for the coordination of several activities through better communications. In many organisations, it is necessary to take into account their integrated computer systems – and related databases and applications – to analyse and understand there core business processes (Gery, 1995: 512).
Technology enables collecting, defining, storing, indexing and linking data and digital objects in order to process them and to obtain information with sufficient flexibility to render it meaningful. However, the electronic distribution of explicit knowledge electronically plays a significant role in the context of organisational structure and capabilities. The more the employees share their knowledge and professional
experience, the more effectively knowledge can be communicated via electronically mediated channels. Carneiro (2001: 359) argues that information technology makes possible concentration and diffusion of knowledge, and permits employees to obtain information more quickly and accurately. According to Carneiro (2001) the existing information technology infrastructure supports the knowledge management
architecture.
Tyndale, cited in Carneiro (2001: 360) also divides knowledge management
architecture as either “established information technology based tools borrowed from other disciplines that have entered into the knowledge management arena as
information technology tools with extended functionality” or “information technology based tools that have been designed as knowledge management tools from the
inception”.
Technology is a powerful enabler of knowledge management goals, but with the onus on humans to conduct knowledge activities. According to Tyndale (2001: 362)
organisations are not exploiting the full potential of the technology they already possess. He argues that organisations need to consider a number of critical design goals when selecting or developing technologies for knowledge management. This suggests that “old tools” as well as “new tools” can be applied in combination in a knowledge management environment.
According to Davenport (1999: 12), technologies must be evaluated in the organisational context and implemented as a part of the overall effort to leverage organisational knowledge through integration with the business strategy, the culture, the current processes and the existing technologies.
The technology considerations of a knowledge management initiative include:
• Assessing the need for effective knowledge management technology.
• Understanding the knowledge management technology architecture.
• Differentiating key characteristics of knowledge management technology architecture.
• Considering current and future technology.
5.4.1 The need for knowledge management technology
The volume of available data sources has increased exponentially over time, whilst knowledge workers’ capacity to internalise information has remained the same. This brings with it yet another business concept namely attention management, i.e.
managing the relevance of information that a knowledge worker encounters. This information overflow emphasises the need for technology to enable the user to interact with and quickly access only that information which is relevant to his/her specific requirements (Pieterse, 1998).
5.4.2 Knowledge management technology architecture
The following section identifies a knowledge management technology solution in terms of the conceptual architecture. Pieterse (1998: 62) identifies the following layers:
• The underlying layer of the knowledge management system includes a knowledge repository as well as unstructured and structured data sources;
• The knowledge retrieval layer entails a search engine that categorises and indexes all available sources of information;
• The collaboration layer enables sharing and communication between employees in connection with the retrieved information;
• The following layer includes intelligent agents that distributes relevant sources to knowledge workers, according to their personal interest, in the right format;
• The administration layer provides the functionality to organise and maintain the usefulness and redundancy of the knowledge sources in the repository; and
• The user interface layer provides universal access to any authorised user through his/her required interface or portal.
5.4.3 Characteristics of knowledge management technology architecture According to Morey (2001) the key characteristics of knowledge management technology architecture in the organisation include that the system must:
• Provide complete access for all users.
• Provide for effective navigation and high-speed retrieval.
• Utilise the appropriate mainstream knowledge management technology.
• Be standardised across the organisation.
• Provide an open, flexible, easy to use, transparent environment with optimal connectivity between users.
• Be effectively supported and its effective working must be a high priority in the organisation.
• Have an organised database with accurate and secure information.
• Be scalable to incorporate a wide range of data types in different physical locations; and
• Contain sufficient “help” functionalities.
5.4.4 Current and future technologies
No single technology architecture solution exists to support all the requirements of a knowledge management project. A wide range of technologies can be utilised to support knowledge management. The challenge is to combine a variety of available technologies and products to fit a unique environment. A list of enabling
technologies, technologies currently available in the market and technologies to consider in the future is discussed below.
5.4.4.1 Enabling technologies
• Socialising process: Discussion databases, groupware, interactive intranet/web pages, collaboration software, videoconferencing.
• Externalisation process: Knowledge repository, workflow, e-mail, artificial intelligence.
• Internalisation process: Help line, retrieval ware, distribution ware such as intelligent agents (push technology).
• Combination process: Document management systems, imaging.
5.4.4.2 Technologies available in marketplace
The mature technology alternatives that are currently available in the market place include:
• E-mail to facilitate different-time, different-place communications between employees, which is an important factor for knowledge exchange.
• Groupware to support different forms of collaboration between several individuals on the development of new ideas.
• Internet and intranet to provide powerful information exchange platforms and a repository in support of knowledge management practices.
• Videoconferencing to allow individuals, although geographically separated to interact through verbal communication.
• “Yellow pages” to allow individuals and groups to advertise their expertise in support of the development of networks of expertise.
• Corporate knowledge map to facilitate navigation when searching for special expertise by providing an easy-to-grasp overviews or more detailed of “who knows what” and where it can be found.
• Corporate memory database to provide a structured repository and retrieval environment for important enterprise knowledge and information.
• Distance learning systems provide opportunities for employees no matter where they are located, to develop their own understanding and knowledge.
• Knowledge-based systems/ artificial intelligence/ expert systems to automate and deploy structured and less complex knowledge so that it is available to practitioners “at their fingertips”
• Knowledge mining to identify complex and valuable information and important trends hidden in databases.
• Intelligent agents to access multiple, large databases automatically to search for, acquire, organise and summarise information on specified topics.
• Search and retrieval engines used for indexing, searching, recalling data with natural language, semantic search and pattern recognition.
5.4.4.3 Technologies to consider in future
Other technologies that are becoming available in the market place but that have not yet reached full maturity include:
• Collaborative filtering – the ability of people to hear personal recommendations from parties with the same interest.
• Passive group memory – automatic capturing and indexing of information in meetings and discussions.
• Profile and personalise – customise search and dissemination of information to the personal needs of the employee.