"We are drowning in information, but starved for knowledge.." - John Naisbitt, "Megatrends"
Knowledge vs. Technology
Knowledge Management came into being recently as information professionals and institutions come to grips with the vast, unsettling implications of digital information technology which makes information creation, transmission, storage and access relatively easy. The technology is so powerful, increasingly available at low or modest cost, widely deployed and, therefore, as Nicholas Carr argues in the Harvard Business Review article "IT Doesn't Matter," so ubiquitous that by itself it no longer provides a distinguishing competitive advantage in business.
A number of management theorists have contributed to the evolution of knowledge management, among them such notables as Peter Drucker, Paul Strassmann, and Peter Senge in the United States. Though viewing KM in different perspectives, many of the proponents reach a similar conclusion: they recognize that what really counts is people's creative use of information rather than the technology to create, transmit, and present that information.
The Internet offers in-depth definitions of knowledge management. But in brief, it is a conscious strategy of getting the right knowledge to the right person at the right time and helping people share and put information into action in ways that strive to improve organizational performance. In practice, knowledge management often encompasses identifying and mapping intellectual assets within the organization, generating new knowledge for competitive advantage within the organization, making vast amounts of corporate information accessible, sharing of best practices, and technology that enables all of the above.
The benefits of KM covers a wide aspect of management practices ranging from boostering human resources through enhancing the organization’s human intellectual capital to leveraging a company’s competitive market posture through productive information management and sharing. In this regard, information technology plays an important role in developing a KM initiative as it fast-tracks the flow of information. But KM is not information technology itself.
In fact, one of the major risks in knowledge management programs is the tendency for organizations to confuse knowledge management with some form of technology, whether it be Lotus Notes, the World Wide Web, or one of the off-the-shelf technology tools that are now proliferating. In the process, the essentially ecological concept of knowledge management becomes degraded into a simple information system that can be engineered without affecting the way the work is done. It is not that information systems are bad. Rather, it is important to recognize that knowledge management is a different and better way of working which affects people, and requires social arrangements like communities to enable it to happen on any consistent and sustained basis.
KM in the Philippines
In the Philippines, KM is still in its infancy stage though some companies and organizations are already adopting its principles and practices. Efforts are being pursued to introduce KM in government and non-governmental agencies especially those involve in frontline public services. This is being done through public awareness seminars and forums conducted by the Society of Knowledge Management Professionals (SKMP), Philippines.
APC's Strategic Information Management Program
I started my study in Knowledge Management last September 2005 at Asia Pacific College under its Strategic Information Management program. Aside from the lessons learned in acquiring “the right knowledge at the right time,” meeting and sharing ideas with different individuals with esteemed leadership character speaks far beyond the realms of gaining a worthwhile experience.For detailed information on the SIM program, click here.
Knowledge vs. Technology
Knowledge Management came into being recently as information professionals and institutions come to grips with the vast, unsettling implications of digital information technology which makes information creation, transmission, storage and access relatively easy. The technology is so powerful, increasingly available at low or modest cost, widely deployed and, therefore, as Nicholas Carr argues in the Harvard Business Review article "IT Doesn't Matter," so ubiquitous that by itself it no longer provides a distinguishing competitive advantage in business.
A number of management theorists have contributed to the evolution of knowledge management, among them such notables as Peter Drucker, Paul Strassmann, and Peter Senge in the United States. Though viewing KM in different perspectives, many of the proponents reach a similar conclusion: they recognize that what really counts is people's creative use of information rather than the technology to create, transmit, and present that information.
The Internet offers in-depth definitions of knowledge management. But in brief, it is a conscious strategy of getting the right knowledge to the right person at the right time and helping people share and put information into action in ways that strive to improve organizational performance. In practice, knowledge management often encompasses identifying and mapping intellectual assets within the organization, generating new knowledge for competitive advantage within the organization, making vast amounts of corporate information accessible, sharing of best practices, and technology that enables all of the above.
The benefits of KM covers a wide aspect of management practices ranging from boostering human resources through enhancing the organization’s human intellectual capital to leveraging a company’s competitive market posture through productive information management and sharing. In this regard, information technology plays an important role in developing a KM initiative as it fast-tracks the flow of information. But KM is not information technology itself.
In fact, one of the major risks in knowledge management programs is the tendency for organizations to confuse knowledge management with some form of technology, whether it be Lotus Notes, the World Wide Web, or one of the off-the-shelf technology tools that are now proliferating. In the process, the essentially ecological concept of knowledge management becomes degraded into a simple information system that can be engineered without affecting the way the work is done. It is not that information systems are bad. Rather, it is important to recognize that knowledge management is a different and better way of working which affects people, and requires social arrangements like communities to enable it to happen on any consistent and sustained basis.
KM in the Philippines
In the Philippines, KM is still in its infancy stage though some companies and organizations are already adopting its principles and practices. Efforts are being pursued to introduce KM in government and non-governmental agencies especially those involve in frontline public services. This is being done through public awareness seminars and forums conducted by the Society of Knowledge Management Professionals (SKMP), Philippines.
APC's Strategic Information Management Program
I started my study in Knowledge Management last September 2005 at Asia Pacific College under its Strategic Information Management program. Aside from the lessons learned in acquiring “the right knowledge at the right time,” meeting and sharing ideas with different individuals with esteemed leadership character speaks far beyond the realms of gaining a worthwhile experience.For detailed information on the SIM program, click here.
APC SIM Class Batch 4
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