Mobilising Knowledge Explained

There are two basic forms of knowledge:

• That which resides in our heads which we call Tacit Knowledge
• That which is written down and stored in forms that are accessible, which we call Explicit Knowledge.

Research over the past few years have concluded that something between 50% and 85% of the knowledge in an organisation is tacit, i.e. only available through people. Other research has also shown that much of the explicit knowledge is inaccessible - locked in systems that people cannot readily get at it.

The Value of Different Forms of Knowledge

The text below shows some of the differences in value associated with these two forms of knowledge.

Given these two forms of knowledge, then there are four associated transformations. We can transfer knowledge between us across the table, in meetings, around the coffee machine, etc. This is defined under the heading of Socialisation and has many advantages, primarily that it is personal and can be adapted to suit the circumstances and the understanding and responses of those listening. However, outside of the exchange, nobody else gets to know anything.

So we can capture the knowledge so that it can be made available to a much wider audience. This is known as Externalisation. Whilst this enlarges the recipient knowledge base, the downside is that the lack of personal interaction may lead to misunderstandings and misinterpretations.

Once knowledge is captured, there is an opportunity to classify it and combine it with other knowledge. The trend in the sales figures can now both be seen and associated with other factors, such as sales resources, seasonal buying peaks and troughs, etc. It is often in the process of Combination, that we truly extract knowledge from what was previously really just information.

But the truth is that we don't ever really use explicit knowledge directly. In order to use knowledge we have to internalise it. For instance, if you are driving along the motorway and someone pulls out in front of you, it's no good having to look in the glove compartment for the manual (explicit knowledge) on how to avoid an accident - you must have that knowledge internalised.

Knowledge is typically fed around the loop through further tacit to tacit exchanges in a continual spiral of evolving knowledge. The model is shown diagrammatically below:

In mobilising knowledge, one has to consider a holistic view taking account of four important dimensions:

1. People: This needs to address such aspects as personal motivation, a possible recognition programme and incentives for knowledge sharing
2. Processes: This should address such issues as Knowledge capture, validation/approval of content and removal of out of date content
3. Organisation: The overall organisation associated with any programme for mobilising knowledge will be a critical aspect in achieving success. Specific roles and policies are required
4. Technology: Technology underpins the programme and helps deliver knowledge to those who (re-)use it

In mobilising knowledge it is also critically important to understand the knowledge cycle. The diagram below shows key elements of the knowledge cycle but it is very important to read it the correct way. Start on the left at Use and work your way back anti-clockwise to the top. Too many people start by trying to identify, capture and create knowledge so it can be stored for re-use. This is a recipe for failure. One must start by asking what knowledge is likely to be useful and then implement solutions that help to capture and store that knowledge for sharing. Otherwise, you are likely to end up with a store of knowledge that no-one uses.

The focus of mobilising knowledge is always around the value that can be achieved. Consequently, it is key to deliver the knowledge at the 'Point of Performance'. The picture below highlights this crucial point by placing the user in the centre of our consideration and the shows the types of knowledge that user may find of value in their business of employee roles in respect of the processes they undertake.

In summary, to mobilise knowledge effectively one must:

• address the management of the four types of knowledge transformation, cover the four dimensions and service the full knowledge cycle
• focus on the value to be delivered by concentrating on delivering knowledge at the 'Point of Performance
• in addition, one must build on, and incorporate associated domains of activity:
  
  • Content Management (CM), historically a system used to manage the content of a Web site, with a focus on the managing for presentation but now more about managing and providing access to relevant content across the Enterprise - Enterprise Content Management (ECM)
  • Document Management (DM), which helps manage the entire life cycle of a document, from creation, through multiple revisions to final version
  • Records Management (RM) which covers the creation and implementation of systematic controls for records from their creation or receipt through to final disposal or archive