Lecture # 05 "Knowledge Creation and Knowledge Management Architecture"

Knowledge creation is a dynamic activity that can enhance the success and economic well-being of an organization. It involves knowledge acquisition, selection, generation & sharing. Knowledge creation and transfer is done by means of various teams. SECI model of knowledge evolution involves socialization, externalization, internalization & combination.

·                     Externalization: It is the process of codification. It has benefits in terms of efficiency & economics.

·                     Combination: It is the process of converting explicit knowledge from one form to another.

·                     Internalization: It is the individual cognitive processing of codified knowledge to generate context-specific, tacit knowledge.

·                     Socialization: It involves interacting with others in an informal sharing of ideas & expertise.

The key to knowledge creation lies in the way knowledge is being mobilized and converted through technology. The stages of KMSLC include:

·                     Evaluate existing infrastructure

·                     Form the KM team

·                     Knowledge capture

·                     Design KM blueprint

·                     Verify and validate the KM system

·                     Implement the KM system

·                     Management change & rewards structure

·                     Post-system evaluation

The layers of system are:

·                     User Interface

·                     Authorized access control

·                     Collaborative intelligence & filtering

·                     Knowledge-enabling applications

·                     Transport

·                     Middle-ware

·                     The Physical Layer

·                     Databases

These layers represent internal technologies of the company. The User Interface is the least technical, and data repository is the most technical layer.

·                     User Interface: The goal of this layer is to remove barriers to information and tacit (made explicit) knowledge represented in the data repositories. User interfaces should be consistent, relevant, visually clear, easy to navigate & easy to use.

·                     Authorized Access Control: Maintains security and ensures authorized access to the knowledge stored in company’s repositories

·                     Knowledge-enabling Applications: Provides knowledge bases, discussion databases, automation tools, etc. The goal is to demonstrate by knowledge sharing how employees’ performances are improved.

·                     Transport Layer: Includes LANs, WANs, intranets, extranets & the Internet. Ensures that the company will become a network of relationships.

·                     Middle-ware: Focus on interfacing with legacy systems and programs residing on other platforms. Makes it possible to connect between old and new data formats.

·                     Physical Repositories: Represents the physical layer where repositories are installed. Includes data warehouses, legacy applications, operational databases, and special applications for security and traffic management.