Running head: ORGANIZATION LEARNING AND KNOWLEDGE MANAGEMENT 1
ORGANIZATION LEARNING AND KNOWLEDGE MANAGEMENT 6
Organizational Learning & Knowledge management
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Management Perspective
Knowledge management deals with creation, usage, dissemination and management of information in an organization through use of technological novelties like email, intranets. In relation to management, knowledge management is defined to encompass any practice or process that concerns itself with creation, capturing, acquisition, sharing and utilization of knowledge, expertise and skills within an organization (Alvesson & Kärreman, 2001, p.996). From management’s perspectives, knowledge management aims at managing the knowledge assets of the organization to create value and achieve strategic and tactical requirements. Knowledge within an organization is stored in individuals inform of skills, experience and personal capabilities. Knowledge is also stored in the organization in records, regulations, norms, rules, standards and documents (Alvesson & Kärreman, 2001, p.999).Knowledge management is used by the management as a resource for communicating the cultural clues of the organization (Alvesson & Kärreman, 2001, p.111).
In an organization, the organization memory is used in a maintaining knowledge base in the organization, which acts as the basis of knowledge creation and accumulation. The management in any organization is tasked with creation of a learning environment that facilitates the sharing of knowledge, between the organization and the individuals. The management, in knowledge management in the organization ensures that, there is conducive learning environment that promotes employee interactions, to facilitate sharing and strengthening of each individual’s knowledge. In management, knowledge management is essential when the managers are formulating the organizational strategies. The management needs to be aware of the external and internal factors that are affecting the organization before embarking in the processes of deciding the organizational strategic directions. The management also needs to communicate the knowledge it has gained with the employees and the all organizational stakeholders. The management in knowledge management is entitled to ensure there is an organizational culture that ensures organizational experience and knowledge is maximally to ensure it is able to achieve its desired objectives. An organizational competitive advantage is enhanced by its access, sharing and usage of the market information. Its competitiveness is enhanced by the knowledge and skills of the employees. A collective and individual learning, through social interactions and employee training is used by the management in sharing ideas and information (Ahmed, 2003, p.9).
The management in ensuring that the employees have access to new information ensures their training. In management, knowledge acquisition occurs through practical participation of an employee in organizational activities. The employees are provided with learning opportunities by the management where the novice employees are exposed to new social settings where they can learn from others through on job trainings (Ahmed, 2003, p.12). The managers through enforces organizational behavior through their normative control. The managers enforce rules and control the social interactions of the workers. They ensure that the workers achieve the required working standards with intentions to achieve the company goals.
Communication perspective
From a communication perspective, knowledge management may be viewed as the process of blending an organization’s external and internal information and converting it into useful knowledge through the use of technology platform (Alvesson & Kärreman, 2001, p.1004). It focuses on how individual create and share knowledge through communication. Technologies such as databases and communication systems enable the dissemination of knowledge. Communication tools have been developed to enhance the actual sharing of knowledge and the conversion of tacit knowledge into an explicit knowledge (Alvesson & Kärreman, 2001, p.1004). Communication is defined as the exchange of information, by use of a communication channel, between two people. When communication is effective, information sharing is also improved. Communication thus facilitates the sharing of created knowledge between individuals within an organization.
Sharing knowledge involves use of communication tools between groups and individuals. Knowledge sharing, in knowledge management is highly critical. Communication tools, verbal, electronic and written facilitates knowledge management in an organizational set up (Alvesson & Kärreman, 2001, p.996). By electronic tools refers to the information technology. Information technology facilitates the creation of knowledge through data mining. Information technology also enables knowledge management through provision of content management tools. The content systems enables the publishing of information across different media such as the internet. The communication technologies have opened the doors to computerized networks that provides real-time social interactions among the people regardless of their physical locations. These technologies include; the WWW, email, intranets and the internet. The tools enable the coding and storing of information enabling its economical and easy access. The stored knowledge in databases is able to be used by the unskilled workforce, making them more productive (Alvesson & Kärreman, 2001, p.997). The technologies document uniformed standards for sharing information.
Communication professionals.
Communication professionals, in improving and facilitating cross-functional learning should ne involved in practices that promote communication between individual coworkers, employers and leaders. In relating with their employers, the coworkers act as the brand ambassadors of the company and thus they communicate a lot to the company customers. Coworker messages influences the company image than any other print media (Heide & Simonsson, 2011, p.213). The coworkers need to be involved in designing of company strategies. Coworkers in an organization should be aware of their responsibilities. They should also be able to corporate and work together for the good of the company. This is enhanced through open communication. However, informal relationships have been neglected in organizations affecting social interactions which allows sharing of ideas and organizational values. The communication professionals, in promoting learning should encourage the coworkers to develop new relationships with each other, through social media and face-face communications (Heide & Simonsson, 2011, p.215). By encouraging use of social media, the professionals shall ensure that there is openness, participation and connectedness among the coworkers while creating one community. The professionals should also ensure the use of media landscape that promotes open conversations such as the social media. The professionals can also provide communication training to the coworkers where the workers are trained on dialogue, rhetoric skills, constructive feedback and as well as training the coworkers on the responsibilities (Heide & Simonsson, 2011, p.215). This shall create a learning environment.
References
Ahmed, W. (2003). The Learning Organization, 10(1). Retrieved from http://dx.doi.org/10.1108/09696470310457469
Alvesson, M. & Kärreman, D. (2001). Odd Couple: Making Sense of the Curious Concept of Knowledge Management. Journal Of Management Studies, 38(7). Retrieved from http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/1467-6486.00269/abstract
Gherardi, S., Nicolini, D., & Odella, F. (1998). Towards a Social Understanding of How People Learn in Organizations (1st ed.). Retrieved from http://www2.warwick.ac.uk/fac/soc/wbs/research/ikon/people/davidenicolini/ml_1998.pd
Heide, M. & Simonsson, C. (2011). Putting Coworkers in the Limelight: New Challenges for Communication Professionals. International Journal Of Strategic Communication, 5(4). Retrieved from http://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/1553118X.2011.605777
