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Running head: KNOWLEDGE-SHARING 0
Knowledge-sharing
Corey Couto
Union Institute & University
Professor Bishop
03/26/2017
Introduction
Knowledge management is a process that must be supported with the best business practices and strategies to become fully operational. KM tools need to be systemic and resonate with the needs of the participants to the system to ensure effectiveness. KM tools and resources can either be IT based or non-IT-based. The organizational culture and leadership should support organization learning to ensure the success integration of KM into the organization and the acceptance of KM by the participants of the system. The success of the KM system depends on numerous factors like how effective it is at fostering knowledge-sharing and how easy it is to use and access. It should inspire employees to shift their behavioral patterns with regards to KM. The paper will identify the different sources of funding available for LEAs and develop a conclusive plan as to how the organization will foster a knowledge-sharing culture amongst system participants.
KM demands integration to the general corporate strategy which will provide insights as to the type of information that the organization requires and the desirable form of such information. It will also identify the information flow between business units to ensure any suggested initiatives and adjustments to the system are supported by the officers. Adopting a system that caters to the operational needs of the department will directly gather support and inspire acceptability. The LEA wants to foster knowledge-sharing and improve the aspects of storage which will uphold data integrity, credibility, and reliability (Neche et al., 1991). By implementing the KM system, the agency stands to meet the organizational goals based on the value created by the available knowledge assets.
Organizational culture determines the success factors of new systems introduced into the business. It constitutes the social element of knowledge where the values and beliefs are directly influenced by the popular majority. Being a shared concept of reality, organizational culture is a critical aspect to consider when evaluating the success factor of the KM strategy (McDermott & O’Dell, 2001). To inspire the support for the system, it is important to anticipate how the current organizational culture will handle the new system. Departmental heads often have insightful thoughts about the dynamics of their individual units and can assess the KM system to evaluate whether it will be accepted or rejected.
Management and leadership play a critical role in influencing individuals and inspiring change among employees. KM roles are unique to their function of handling the strategy, plan and implementation process. Competent leaders are able to identify any fallacies within the system and mitigate the failure factors which may otherwise discourage participants from using the system. A leader also has the power to influence behavior by implementing distinct practices that inspire subordinates to use the system and report any anomalies. The critical aspects of the KM system must be well defined and understandable to participants to ensure the system is used within its capability threshold. Management of the non-IT-based KM resources will deliver value to the organization and ensure the application of important tools. A leader should be knowledgeable about the system and slowly integrate other employees towards a culture that supports the KM system.
Managing culture is a delicate endeavor and requires critical observation, analysis, and patience. Culture supports the norm and naturally rejects any implementation procedures that threaten to interfere with the status quo (McDermott & O’Dell, 2001). A KM leader should first appreciate the importance of culture within the organization and appreciate its dynamic nature on both the community and organizational level. LEAs often rely on information from external sources often within the community. There are numerous collective truths, perceptions, and norms that govern community living and a good KM leader understands this fact. Knowledge-sharing should, therefore, have motivational factors as a strategy to encourage it and popularize its importance to the community and within the organization. The following strategies will ultimately cultivate a knowledge-sharing culture:
Sustain that the KM system seeks to improve the critical elements of the organizational culture and not change it. When employees appreciate the importance of the system as a support structure, they are more likely to change any negative perceptions that had about the system.
Improve the reciprocity since it constitutes a major influence on the willingness to share knowledge within a culture. Anticipated reward, either immediately or at a future date can drastically increase the possibility of knowledge-sharing. The reward can be indirect or direct depending on the nature of information and the capability of the department. For example, civilian offering information may be given a monetary reward as a motivational factor. An employee sharing knowledge within the department can be given the assurance that when he/she needs information, the favor will be reciprocated. This culture will increase the willingness of officers to share.
Internal competition is a common dimension of organizational culture that may interfere with knowledge creation and sharing. Managers can work towards reducing the aspects of internal competition by promoting the integration of different business units. When different departments feel like they are working towards a common goal, it is highly likely that they will be more accepting of the KM system as a tool to foster integration and increase operational efficiency (Chow & Chan, 2008).
Increasing social networks within the department will build trust and make officers work towards a shared organizational goal.
Management should also develop an ideal environment for learning as a strategy to promote innovations associated with the KM system (Neches et al., 1991). Barriers to learning can highly decrease the acceptance of the system as participants will fear being victimized for mistakes associated with the KM system. Inspiring employees to embrace the system and develop improvement suggestions will make them feel appreciated and involved in the development of the knowledge-sharing culture.
Funding constitutes a major success factor in the KM system. Being able to manage the system's resources provides evidence of a successful KM implementation strategy or otherwise. LEAs can get funding from the department budget. The agency must develop a capital and operational expenditure plan that will highlight the essential aspects of the KM strategy and the aspects that need funding. Having a proposal ready with regards to the system elements will ensure the agency has access to the funds when they are available (Bollinger & Smith, 2001). Based on the scarcity of funds from the annual fiscal budget, it is important for the draft proposal to have a concise evidence of the system's applicability and relevance within the organization.
In the event finances from the departmental budget do not effectively cover the needs of the KM system, the agency can rely on a municipal lease. Due to the difference between states, it is important for the agency officials to talk to city administrators to identify the grant application process and directly relate the implementation of the system to improving efficiency and better serving the community. The lease may be used to purchase the technical components of the system including computers. It is a desirable funding alternative as its ROI in the short-term is associated with lower costs compared to municipal bonds.
In conclusion, the implementation of the KM system should adhere to the different components of the organizational culture to prevent rejection from participants. By reducing internal competition and increasing reciprocity with regards to knowledge-sharing, management can foster an impressive culture that creates value for the good of the organization. Considering LEAs are in the public service sector, funding of different projects depends on the allocation from the fiscal budget. Developing a good proposal that clearly highlights the ROI based on the application of the KM system within the department may inspire more funding from the departmental budget and possible acquisition of municipal leases.
References
Bollinger, A. S., & Smith, R. D. (2001). Managing organizational knowledge as a strategic asset. Journal of knowledge management, 5(1), 8-18.
Chow, W. S., & Chan, L. S. (2008). Social network, social trust and shared goals in organizational knowledge sharing. Information & management, 45(7), 458-465.
McDermott, R., & O’Dell, C. (2001). Overcoming cultural barriers to sharing knowledge. Journal of knowledge management, 5(1), 76-85.
Neches, R., Fikes, R. E., Finin, T., Gruber, T., Patil, R., Senator, T., & Swartout, W. R. (1991). Enabling technology for knowledge sharing. AI magazine, 12(3), 36.
