Selecting Knowledge Management Research Articles

Knowledge Management Models Supporting Causal Analysis in Project Design Creation

Correct implementation of the processes of building causal analysis frameworks is one of the critical elements to ensure success in the proper preparation of project designs. These frameworks are the foundations on which the provisions of the theory of change are based, and logic models illustrating causal links between input resources, activities, outputs, results (outcomes) and impacts, as well as identified problems related to the needs of stakeholders and their proposed solutions. The proper run of causal analyzes requires collecting and using significant resources of explicit and tacit knowledge related to the conducted community mapping, stakeholder analyzes (their needs and expectations), priorities of financing organizations, feasibility studies, and strategic analyzes of internal and external factors. Adequate support for managing this type of knowledge is essential to ensure the possibility of appropriate improvement of the planning, monitoring, and evaluation systems of projects and programs. One of the potentially available directions for developing research in supporting the management of valuable knowledge in the processes of causal analysis in project design creation may be solutions applying the extensive achievements of ICT systems modeling. The study discussed in this paper was carried out to find answers to the following research question: what is the possibility of using selected knowledge management models to support practical causal analysis that is beneficial in project design preparation? The primary purpose of this paper was to develop and pre-examine knowledge management and logic models in terms of their usefulness in the implementation of project design creation processes. Theoretical considerations related to the proposed models were supplemented with the offered possibilities of their implementation and the development of further research on the potential of improving designing systems, in particular when taking into account explicit and tacit knowledge valuable in the correct implementation of stakeholder expectations management processes for the success of projects and programs.

Enhancement of Selected Knowledge Management Methods in ITSM

ITSM, namely one of its most essential parts, the Service Desk, is a vital communication platform between users and the service provider. Good IT service management ensures the smooth run of the company operations and provides stable support for its employees in all technical matters. Companies also must not forget the knowledge management part of the ITSM process. Knowledge must be available at the right time to the right people to ensure quality service. There are several tools, methods and techniques used in knowledge management. In this paper, we describe and propose an enhancement of selected tools and processes, namely call ticketing system and on-the-job training, as those are essential parts of the ITSM practice.

A Model for Selecting Knowledge Management Outsourcing Supplier by an Insurance Company

A Model for Selecting Knowledge Management Outsourcing Supplier by an Insurance Company

Multiple attribute group decision making based on nucleolus weight and continuous optimal distance measure

Continuous distance measure is an effective tool to describe the relation of alternatives in group decision making under uncertain environments. Firstly, a novel aggregation operator, i.e., continuous optimal ordered weighted quasi-averaging (COOWQA) operator, is proposed. Some special cases and desirable properties of the COOWQA operator are analyzed. Then, the COOWQD measure is developed based on the COOWQA operator. To consider the interaction between decision makers, the nucleolus weight is presented to integrate the positive and negative ideal COOWQD measure. λ-fuzzy measure is adopted to obtain the measure values on decision maker sets. Finally, the GDM-CN algorithm is developed to group decision making with interval decision information. The application in selecting knowledge management systems is provided to illustrate the rationality and effectiveness of GDM-CN algorithm.

KNOWLEDGE MANAGEMENT IN THE DEVELOPMENT OF THE MINISTRY OF NATIONAL DEFENCE EMPLOYEES

The aim of this paper is to present the role of knowledge management in the process of professional development of the Ministry of National Defence personnel with regard to contemporary socioeconomic changes. The basic research problem concerns the use of the knowledge management concept in the management of the process of professional development of the Ministry of National Defence employees. The structure of the article covers two basic exploratory issues. The first one refers to general theoretical tenets of knowledge management in modern armed forces. The second one concerns the functioning of armed forces in a knowledge economy. Aside from theory, the paper also looks at the practical aspects of knowledge management in armed forces. Results from the analysis of the literature and of non-standardised indirect observation were used during the research process. Face-to-face, free-form interviews with selected knowledge management specialists were also employed. The process of drawing conclusions was aided by the opinions of selected officers, students of postgraduate courses conducted at the War Studies University.

Use of Storage Technologies to select Knowledge Management Tools and Strategies for M-SMEs

espanolLas tecnologias de almacenes permiten tener una gestion efectiva y planificada de los recursos que una empresa tiene (materiales e informacion). Cuando contienen informacion, existe una necesidad de poseer un sistema de almacenamiento de informacion, para recibir aspectos relevantes por parte de un almacen de datos. En el caso de la Gestion del Conocimiento (GC) en Micro, Pequenas y Medianas Empresas (MiPyMEs) suele tener poca presencia en la literatura, por lo que este proyecto puede ayudar a recolectar informacion del tema. Este trabajo esta dirigido a aquellas personas que apoyan a las MiPyMEs de nueva creacion, las cuales presentan dificultades en su capital intelectual, innovacion y desarrollo, generando un alto grado de fracaso. Con el objetivo de aplicar efectivamente la GC en dichas empresas mediante el uso de almacenes de datos, este articulo consiste en presentar la situacion actual de los elemento de estudio en la introduccion, siguiendo de un analisis teorico, el proceso disenado para cumplir con el objetivo. El proceso trata del desarrollo de una base de datos, con un diseno en base a las tecnologias de almacenes, del cual se hace uso y se determina su utilidad en las conclusiones. Como resultado se cumplio el objetivo, ya que, a partir de un conjunto de casos de estudio, se tienen disponibles datos de interes, los cuales forman un nuevo criterio para que se haga una practica e integra seleccion de herramientas y estrategias de GC en las empresas. EnglishThe Storage Technologies allow to have an effective and planned management of the resources a company contains (materials or information). When they contain information, there is a need to possess an information storage system, to retrieve relevant aspects from a data reservoir. Regarding Knowledge Management (KM) on Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (M-SMEs) usually has short presence on the literature, which is why this project can help to collect information on the subject. This work will be considered to those people who support the recently open M-SMEs, which present difficulties on their intellectual capital, innovation and development, generating a high rate of failure. With the objective of effectively apply KM on those companies using data storages, this article consists on presenting the current situation on the studied elements in the introduction, following a theoretical analysis and the process designed to achieve the objective. The process was to develop a database, with a design based on Storage Technologies which was used, and its utility will be determined on the conclusions. As result, the objective was achieved because, with an amount of case studies, data of interest was available and formed a new criterion that allows a practical and integral selection of tools and strategies of KM on those companies.

ANP-based knowledge management solutions framework for the long-term complaint knowledge transfer

This paper presents a methodological framework based on the analytical network process (ANP) approach for selecting knowledge management (KM) solutions for transferring complaint knowledge to new product developments. Based on an extensive literature review and prior research projects, competing objectives, diverse criteria as well as various organisation-specific factors have been identified and integrated into the framework. An expert study amongst 15 KM experts was conducted to evaluate KM solutions with respect to the identified objectives and selection criteria. Additionally, the practical applicability was tested in a case study in the German machinery and equipment industry. The framework exceeds existing approaches to technical complaint management (TCM) in enabling a more elaborated design of the long-term knowledge transfer phase within the TCM process. In this regard, the framework provides a systematic approach to assist practitioners in selecting KM solutions for a specific organisational setting. Several universal implications for selecting KM solutions in the context of TCM were derived from the results of the expert study and the case study (e.g. most favourable KM solutions for single criteria). These findings enable an effective and efficient transfer of complaint knowledge to future product developments, and thus facilitate the design of a more sustainable and improved TCM process.

Designing an expert fuzzy system to select the appropriate knowledge management strategy in accordance with APO model and Bloodgood KM strategies

PurposeSelection of knowledge management strategies (KMS) is one of the most important and effective factors in acquiring the competitive advantage and elevating the knowledge level of the organizations. Those organizations that have taken steps toward knowledge management necessarily need to pay utmost attention to the matter of KMS before taking any further steps in their activities. One of the effective ways in adopting the proper KMS is evaluating the knowledge management maturity level in the organization. The purpose of this paper is to design an expert fuzzy system to adopt the KMS based on Bloodgood model in accordance with the maturity level of the organization.Design/methodology/approachIn this method, with the help of expert fuzzy system, a model has been designed, by using MATLAB software, to adopt the KMS. The KM maturity level, tacit knowledge and explicit knowledge are chosen as inputs, and each one of Bloodgood’s KMS (production, transfer and protecting the knowledge) are chosen as outputs. To perform the system, the maturity level of knowledge management of an industrial organization that has been evaluated by the standard Asian Productivity Organization questionnaire is used as the input, which has been given to expert fuzzy system. Then, considering the output of the system, KMS for the organization have been recommended.FindingsKnowledge management maturity level of the organization is on Level 4; considering the expert fuzzy system that has been designed, “knowledge production” strategy is recommended for the organization under study.Originality/valueAn expert fuzzy system has been designed regarding the maturity of knowledge management and Bloodgood model that can be used as a guide for organizations and academic people as an appropriate practical model for selecting knowledge management strategies.

Knowledge management framework for complaint knowledge transfer to product development

The paper presents a methodological framework based on the analytical network process (ANP) approach for selecting knowledge management (KM) solutions for complaint knowledge transfer to product development. Existing approaches to technical complaint management (TCM) mostly neglect the necessity of knowledge transfer, and thus do not address quality or sustainability issues. The framework addresses this shortcoming by providing a systematic approach for selecting appropriate KM solutions in a given organizational environment. Based on extensive literature review competing objectives, diverse criteria as well as various organization specific factors have been identified and integrated into the framework. An expert study amongst 15 KM experts was conducted for parametrizing the model (i.e., to evaluate KM solutions with respect to the identified objectives and criteria). The framework enables long-term effects on failure-based learning and facilitates the design of a more sustainable TCM.

What does the evolution of curriculum in knowledge management programs tell us about the future of the field?

PurposeThe current study aims to analyze the curriculum of selected knowledge management (KM) programs at universities in the USA, Europe, Australia and Asia within current and historical contexts to understand the scope and nature of the requirements in KM programs. By comparing the results from programs, a baseline understanding of what the overall requirements within these programs has been developed. This may provide benefits for the profession, as this baseline can provide a clearer understanding of the skills and knowledge elements that are present or absent in the current academic programs. In addition to better informing the KM community of what graduates of these programs may know, this information can provide a basis for academic program improvement and, ultimately, better use of KM in professional practice.Design/methodology/approachThe basic approach in this study is a comparative analysis of curriculum in master-level programs in English that are focused on KM. In the current study, historical references to programs in KM were identified through prior research in the topic area. Current programs were identified through standard reference sources. The course titles and program descriptions for current programs are further analyzed using text analytics tools to understand the relationship of topics within and between programs.FindingsThe concept of KM as a distinct program of study appears to be stable but the number of programs is declining. The number of new master degree programs in KM has not significantly increased in the past 15 years, whereas many programs have been discontinued or have been reduced to the certificate/diploma level. Of the programs that exist today, we see that a greater variety in home locations of these programs which tend to imply coverage of the field is becoming increasingly diverse in its approach. Overall, it appears that the KM programs are moving toward transformation or integration with allied fields.Originality/valueThere has been very limited study of the curriculum within KM programs. Most of the research performed dates from 2010 or earlier. The current study adds a unique contribution to the literature by looking at earlier iterations of KM programs and compares those to the current state of the curriculum in KM programs and their successor programs in an attempt to understand how the field may be developing and changing.

Žinių valdymo strategijos taikymo nauda viešbučių sektoriuje: teorinis aspektas

This article analyses the knowledge management strategies for the service sector. Tourism market is volatile and constantly changing. It is important to timely respond to market changes, and to prevent competitors from leading the market. In order to reach the goals and effective performance, it is important to identify the key knowledge management strategies and know how they work and are applied. Selected knowledge management strategy in a particular service sector allows knowledge management. The most important factors that determine the choice of a knowledge management strategy is the desire to be competitive in the market and labour productivity. The desire to lead the market and to make the right decisions is possible in case of effective knowledge management. Knowledge management strategy allows not only to create, but to use existing knowledge. The employees who use the knowledge management strategy should be motivated to achieve the set goals. Knowledge management strategy model revealed a knowledge management strategy for the benefits of the hotel. Knowledge management strategy should be applied for the benefits of the hotel and help to reach the labour efficiency, labour productivity, better tasks, knowledge flows and the quality of tasks. Keywords: knowledge management, strategy, the service sector, hotel, employees. DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.15823/su.2017.19

Learning from Experience: The Project Team is the Key

Abstract Background: Learning from experience and knowledge management described in existing literature evidence that there are different practices that enable these processes, and that a distinction between implicit and explicit knowledge is essential for our analysis. Objectives: The paper investigates through which project management practices organizations manage the two types of knowledge and at what level knowledge sharing and reuse is more commonly adopted. Method/Approach: The research starts with existing research overview and analysis of preliminary results from initial interviews, and then it continues with a survey on selected knowledge management practices in order to identify which of them are mostly used by organizations. Results/Findings: Results show the essential role of the project team; this finding is then further elaborated using knowledge from research presented in existing literature. Conclusion: Project management enhances efficient knowledge management as on one hand, it includes the adoption of standardised and repetitive practises what enables specialization and knowledge consolidation. On the other hand, project management refers to unique initiatives that provide new knowledge and opportunities for learning. The project team in particular results to be a key factor for activating knowledge reuse.

Providing an Applied Model for Knowledge Management Development Planning in Military Organizations : Providing Proposed Methodology for Naja

Organizational knowledge is considered as the most important capital of current century organizations. Polling among superior global companies indicates that over 90% of managers in successful firms have claimed that knowledge management related activities are their second working priority. On the other hand, the diversity and broadness of knowledge management related systems which associate a certain aspect of organizational knowledge has caused that in recent years, the selection and plans to use different KM systems and tools can be seen as one of the main issues for managers in big global organizations. By using this method, senior managers in military and law enforcement organizations can decide on their investments on knowledge management through a strategic and comprehensive plan emanated from the special conditions of their own organizations. What addressed in present paper is an applied model to select knowledge management systems for decision making by senior managers in military and law enforcement organizations who want to manage their organizational knowledge.

Developing TOPSIS method using statistical normalization for selecting knowledge management strategies

Purpose: Numerous companies are expecting their knowledge management (KM) to be performed effectively in order to leverage and transform the knowledge into competitive advantages. However, here raises a critical issue of how companies can better evaluate and select a favorable KM strategy prior to a successful KM implementation. Design/methodology/approach: An extension of TOPSIS, a multi-attribute decision making (MADM) technique, to a group decision environment is investigated. TOPSIS is a practical and useful technique for ranking and selection of a number of externally determined alternatives through distance measures. The entropy method is often used for assessing weights in the TOPSIS method. Entropy in information theory is a criterion uses for measuring the amount of disorder represented by a discrete probability distribution. According to decrease resistance degree of employees opposite of implementing a new strategy, it seems necessary to spot all managers’ opinion. The normal distribution considered the most prominent probability distribution in statistics is used to normalize gathered data. Findings: The results of this study show that by considering 6 criteria for alternatives Evaluation, the most appropriate KM strategy to implement in our company was ‘‘Personalization’’. Research limitations/implications: In this research, there are some assumptions that might affect the accuracy of the approach such as normal distribution of sample and community. These assumptions can be changed in future work. Originality/value: This paper proposes an effective solution based on combined entropy and TOPSIS approach to help companies that need to evaluate and select KM strategies. In represented solution, opinions of all managers is gathered and normalized by using standard normal distribution and central limit theorem. Keywords: Knowledge management; strategy; TOPSIS; Normal distribution; entropy

The linkage between knowledge management practices and company Performance: Empirical evidence

Purpose: This study explores the linkage between Knowledge management practices and company performance. Keeping in view the theoretical and empirical importance, the present study examines the predicting linkage of Knowledge management practices (sharing of best practices and building of consistent process, continues employee learning, effective management of knowledge, innovative culture development, and management of core competencies) with company performance. Methodology: The study was carried out on purposively selected sample of 412 employees at different managerial positions. They were administered questionnaires including Knowledge Management Practices and company performance. Data was operated by using SPSS version 20.Correlation and regression analysis was done to establish the relationship between various Knowledge management practices and company performance. Findings: Results of this study illustrated that all selected Knowledge management were positively related to company performance. Based on the findings, and management of core competencies was the strongest predictor of company performance, followed by innovative culture development, effective management of knowledge and sharing of best practices and building of consistent process, continues employee learning. Research limitations/implications: The paper focuses on examining the perceptual impacts of Knowledge management (KM) practices on company performance. The interpretation of results should be taken with caution. Value: The aim of this research is to investigate the relationship between Knowledge management and company performance, study the importance of Knowledge management as a source of sustainable competitive advantages for companies and to investigate how the introduction of Knowledge management practices facilitates company performance to improve. The practices that have a more positive influence on company performance are also discussed.

How to Select Knowledge Management Systems: A Framework to Support Managers

The purpose of this paper is to provide a methodological framework which could support managers in the selection of Knowledge Management Systems. The framework is based on the Analytic Hierarchy Process approach. Several aspects should draw the attention of an organization's upper level of management seeking to implement a Knowledge Management System and many specific issues have to be considered. As such, the framework has been built by making use of an ad-hoc hierarchical structure, where each singular specificity is described and compared, second-order criteria are studied and analysed, and optional decisions are highlighted and evaluated. This methodological framework offers a good applicability to different business contexts, since its hierarchical arrangement suits most of the needs of numerous organizations. Consequently, it can be regarded as a holistic approach able to assist decision makers in their Knowledge Management System selection process.

Selection of knowledge management tools using integrated AHP-QFD model

Knowledge management (KM) tools are widely being used by the organisations to sustain the improvement in their products. The selection of these tools is a matter of concern for the managements of companies. This study reports an approach for selecting knowledge management tool within an organisation by the process of integrating analytical hierarchical process (AHP) and quality function deployment (QFD). The approach has been illustrated with an example of a company, trying to make a selection from the group of three KM software products to sustain and cope with level of competition in the current scenario. In this approach, multiple requirements are identified, evaluated and then prioritised to suggest selection from three software products. Various requirements are framed in different sets and then prioritised in order to reach the best suited product qualities. Evaluation process finally makes the study to reach the goal and one best product is selected.

A Fuzzy Graph-Based Model for Selecting Knowledge Management Tools in Innovation Processes

The evolution of organization, management, and production processes is moving towards more complexity every day. An improvement of the performance by the recovery and reuse of resources can be reached by going beyond traditional boundaries and by enforcing an external relationship system. Using fuzzy conflict resolution technique and management objectives, this paper develops a graph-based model to select the most appropriate set of Knowledge Management (KM) tools to support the innovation processes in organizations. The model not only resolves the conflict of experts’ opinion but also aggregates the multi-layer graph corresponding to decision criteria into a single graph. This graph is used to evaluate the KM tools. It also suggests conditions for the improvement of knowledge management in different types of knowledge-based inter-organizational collaborations. An illustrative example is demonstrated to present the application of the model.

An AHP‐based framework for selecting knowledge management tools to sustain innovation process

AbstractThis paper presents a framework based on the analytic hierarchy process (AHP) methodology to select the most appropriate set of Knowledge Management (KM) tools to support the innovation processes in organizations. The framework builds on the theoretical foundations underlying organizational KM to identify key KM processes enabling innovation. The AHP is a multi‐criteria decision support technique that can be used to analyse and compare those KM tools that best support innovation processes. Organizations can select the most suitable KM tool by using the proposed framework to identify gaps and overlaps in the extent to which the capabilities provided and utilized by their current KM tools portfolio meet the KM needs of the organization to sustain the innovation. The main contributions of this work are the list of KM processes to support an innovation activity and the hierarchy of importance of such processes able to support the selection process of a KM tool. The framework can be of use to managers and other practitioners because of its ease of implementation. An illustrative example of a case study for the application of the framework is provided. Copyright © 2011 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

KNOWLEDGE MANAGEMENT PROCESSES AND UNIT PERFORMANCE: A CONTINGENCY PERSPECTIVE

This paper introduces a contingency framework for selecting knowledge management processes based on the underlying knowledge characteristics of the organizational work being conducted in a work uni...