Published by:
MIT Sloan School of Management
Length: 17 pages
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https://casecent.re/p/6484
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Abstract
In a study of thirty-one knowledge management projects in twenty-four companies, the authors examine the differences and similarities of the projects, from which they develop a typology. All the projects had someone responsible for the initiative, a commitment of human and capital resources, and four similar kinds of objectives: (1) they created repositories by storing knowledge and making it easily available to users; (2) they provided access to knowledge and facilitated its transfer; (3) they established an environment that encourages the creation, transfer, and use of knowledge; and (4) they managed knowledge as an asset on the balance sheet. The authors identify eight factors that seem to characterize a successful project: (1) the project involves money saved or earned, such as the Dow Chemical project that better managed company patents; (2) the project uses a broad infrastructure of both technology and organization. A technology infrastructure includes common technologies for desktop computing and communications. An organizational infrastructure establishes roles for people and groups to serve as resources for particular projects; (3) the project has a balanced structure that, while flexible and evolutionary, still makes knowledge easy to access; (4) within the organization, people are positive about creating, using, and sharing knowledge; (5) the purpose of the project is clear, and the language that knowledge managers use in describing it is framed in terms common to the company''s culture; (6) the project motivates people to create, share, and use knowledge (for example, giving awards to the top ''knowledge sharers''); (7) there are many ways to transfer knowledge, such as the Internet, Lotus Notes and global communications systems, but also including face-to-face communication; and (8) the project has senior managers'' support and commitment. An organization''s knowledge-oriented culture, senior managers committed to the ''knowledge business,'' a sense of how the customer will use the knowledge, and the human factors involved in creating knowledge are most important to effective knowledge management.
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Abstract
In a study of thirty-one knowledge management projects in twenty-four companies, the authors examine the differences and similarities of the projects, from which they develop a typology. All the projects had someone responsible for the initiative, a commitment of human and capital resources, and four similar kinds of objectives: (1) they created repositories by storing knowledge and making it easily available to users; (2) they provided access to knowledge and facilitated its transfer; (3) they established an environment that encourages the creation, transfer, and use of knowledge; and (4) they managed knowledge as an asset on the balance sheet. The authors identify eight factors that seem to characterize a successful project: (1) the project involves money saved or earned, such as the Dow Chemical project that better managed company patents; (2) the project uses a broad infrastructure of both technology and organization. A technology infrastructure includes common technologies for desktop computing and communications. An organizational infrastructure establishes roles for people and groups to serve as resources for particular projects; (3) the project has a balanced structure that, while flexible and evolutionary, still makes knowledge easy to access; (4) within the organization, people are positive about creating, using, and sharing knowledge; (5) the purpose of the project is clear, and the language that knowledge managers use in describing it is framed in terms common to the company''s culture; (6) the project motivates people to create, share, and use knowledge (for example, giving awards to the top ''knowledge sharers''); (7) there are many ways to transfer knowledge, such as the Internet, Lotus Notes and global communications systems, but also including face-to-face communication; and (8) the project has senior managers'' support and commitment. An organization''s knowledge-oriented culture, senior managers committed to the ''knowledge business,'' a sense of how the customer will use the knowledge, and the human factors involved in creating knowledge are most important to effective knowledge management.