Knowledge Management Software.

• Author: FRAPPAOLO, CARL

Capturing the Essence of Know-How and Innovation

The intersection of business practice, organizational culture, and technology comprising a knowledge management solution sets knowledge management (KM) apart from other information/ document management initiatives. While KM systems represent an enhancement of existing technologies, they differ in several important aspects. These differences constitute a KM checklist that can be used to distinguish KM solutions from other more traditional workflow, document management, intranet, and groupware solutions. The essence of knowledge management can only be viewed within the context of a knowledge complexity continuum and the level of intermediation, externalization, internalization, or cognition that is needed within an organization.

A Cherokee elder once said, "Look at everything three times: once with the right eye; once with the left eye; and once from the corners of the eyes, in order to capture the essence of what you're looking at." So it is with knowledge management (KM). Only after establishing a working definition of knowledge management, gaining an understanding of the component technologies of a knowledge management solution, and analyzing the state of the market, can the essence of knowledge management in today's business environment be understood.

Knowledge management refers to the practices and technologies that facilitate the efficient creation and exchange of knowledge on an organizationwide level. The end result of this creation and exchange is measured by an organization's ability to make quality decisions, decisions that position one organization ahead of its competitors. Put succinctly, KM involves leveraging collective wisdom to accelerate responsiveness and innovation. Although such a working definition is important to establishing a common understanding of KM, it is also important to gain an appreciation for KM from various perspectives.

One can gain immediate insight into the technical complexity of knowledge management and the role it can play in an organization by examining the practices that best-of-breed organizations have adopted when introducing knowledge management to the broad base of their employees. It does not take long to realize that it is the complexity of the various KM tools and end-user applications of these tools that sets knowledge management apart from all other records and document management trends experienced in the last decade. In order to understand the broad range of tools available for managing an organization's knowledge assets, one must first consider the complexity of knowledge and the types of problems solved by KM software.

The Complexity of Knowledge

All knowledge can be classified according to its complexity on a continuum from explicit to tacit. Michael Polanyi identified the distinction between these two types of knowledge in his book The Tacit Dimension (1966).

Explicit knowledge can be articulated in formal language and transmitted among individuals. Tacit knowledge, on the other hand, can best be described as personal knowledge embedded in individual experience and involving such intangible factors as personal belief, perspective, and values. Furthermore, one must appreciate the difference between knowledge and information.

Unlike information, which can be dormant...