Knowledge Management (KM) System

A Knowledge Management (KM) System is a information management system that manages a knowledge base.

• Context:
  • It can (typically) facilitate the sharing of explicit knowledge (e.g., documents, databases) and tacit knowledge (e.g., expertise, experiences) across an organization.
  • It can (often) be evaluated based on criteria such as usability, information retrieval efficiency, and user satisfaction.
  • ...
  • It can range from being a General-Topic KM System to being a Domain-Specific KM System.
  • ...
• Example(s):
  • a Knowledge Base Management System.
  • a Corporate Knowledge Portal that centralizes all company documents, training materials, and best practices, allowing employees to access and contribute knowledge easily.
  • an Academic Research Repository that stores and organizes research papers, datasets, and publications, providing a resource for researchers to share their work and collaborate with peers.
  • Domain-Specific Knowledge Management (KM) Systems, such as:
    • a Legal Knowledge Management System used by law firms to manage case law, statutes, and legal opinions, aiding lawyers in their research and case preparation.
  • ...
• Counter-Example(s):
  • Document Management Systems (DMS), which focus solely on storing and managing documents without the broader knowledge-sharing and collaborative features of a KM system.
  • Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) Systems, which are primarily used for managing business processes rather than focusing on the management and dissemination of knowledge.
  • Customer Relationship Management (CRM) Systems, which are designed to manage interactions with customers and clients rather than the overall knowledge assets of an organization.
• See: Information Science, Data Management System, Knowledge Management, Digital Transformation, Information Systems, Library Science.

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References

2024

• Perplexity
  • A Knowledge Management (KM) System is an information management system designed to effectively handle an organization's knowledge assets. These systems play a crucial role in modern organizations by facilitating knowledge collection, organization, knowledge storage, and dissemination.
  • Key Components of a KM System
    • Knowledge Base: At the core of a KM system is the knowledge base, which serves as a centralized repository for an organization's collective knowledge. This includes:
      • Explicit knowledge: Documented information such as reports, manuals, and procedures
      • Tacit knowledge: Undocumented expertise and experiences of employees
    • Knowledge Processes: KM systems support various knowledge-related processes:
      • Knowledge Creation: Facilitating the generation of new knowledge
      • Knowledge Capture: Identifying and collecting valuable information
      • Knowledge Organization: Structuring and categorizing knowledge for easy retrieval
      • Knowledge Storage: Securely maintaining knowledge assets
      • Knowledge Sharing: Enabling the distribution of knowledge across the organization
      • Knowledge Application: Supporting the use of knowledge in decision-making and problem-solving
  • Benefits of KM Systems: Implementing a KM system can provide numerous advantages to an organization:
    • Improved decision-making through access to relevant information
    • Enhanced innovation by fostering knowledge sharing and collaboration
    • Increased efficiency by reducing duplication of efforts
    • Preservation of institutional knowledge, mitigating the impact of employee turnover
    • Faster onboarding of new employees
  • Technologies in KM Systems
    • Modern KM systems leverage various technologies to enhance their functionality:
      • Artificial Intelligence: For intelligent search and knowledge discovery
      • Machine Learning: To improve knowledge categorization and recommendation
      • Natural Language Processing: For better understanding and processing of textual information
      • Cloud Computing: Enabling scalable and accessible knowledge storage
      • Collaboration Tools: Facilitating knowledge sharing and team communication
  • By effectively managing an organization's knowledge assets, KM systems contribute significantly to organizational learning, innovation, and overall performance.

2024

• (Wikipedia, 2024) ⇒ https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Knowledge_management Retrieved:2024-8-27.
  • Knowledge management (KM) is the collection of methods relating to creating, sharing, using and managing the knowledge and information of an organization. It refers to a multidisciplinary approach to achieve organizational objectives by making the best use of knowledge.

    An established discipline since 1991, KM includes courses taught in the fields of business administration, information systems, management, library, and information science. Other fields may contribute to KM research, including information and media, computer science, public health and public policy. Several universities offer dedicated master's degrees in knowledge management.

    Many large companies, public institutions, and non-profit organisations have resources dedicated to internal KM efforts, often as a part of their business strategy, IT, or human resource management departments. Several consulting companies provide advice regarding KM to these organizations.

    Knowledge management efforts typically focus on organisational objectives such as improved performance, competitive advantage, innovation, the sharing of lessons learned, integration, and continuous improvement of the organisation. These efforts overlap with organizational learning and may be distinguished from that by a greater focus on the management of knowledge as a strategic asset and on encouraging the sharing of knowledge. KM is an enabler of organizational learning. The most complex scenario for knowledge management may be found in the context of supply chain as it involves multiple companies without an ownership relationship or hierarchy between them, being called by some authors as transorganizational or interorganizational knowledge. That complexity is additionally increased by industry 4.0 (or 4th industrial revolution) and digital transformation, as new challenges emerge from both the volume and speed of information flows and knowledge generation.

2014

• (Wikipedia, 2014) ⇒ http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Knowledge_management Retrieved:2014-2-18.
  • Knowledge management (KM) is the process of capturing, developing, sharing, and effectively using organisational knowledge. It refers to a multi-disciplined approach to achieving organisational objectives by making the best use of knowledge.

    An established discipline since 1991 (see Nonaka 1991), KM includes courses taught in the fields of business administration, information systems, management, and library and information sciences . More recently, other fields have started contributing to KM research; these include information and media, computer science, public health, and public policy. Columbia University and Kent State University offer dedicated Master of Science degrees in Knowledge Management.

    Many large companies and non-profit organisations have resources dedicated to internal KM efforts, often as a part of their business strategy, information technology, or human resource management departments. Several consulting companies provide strategy and advice regarding KM to these organisations.

    Knowledge management efforts typically focus on organisational objectives such as improved performance, competitive advantage, innovation, the sharing of lessons learned, integration and continuous improvement of the organisation. KM efforts overlap with organisational learning and may be distinguished from that by a greater focus on the management of knowledge as a strategic asset and a focus on encouraging the sharing of knowledge. It is seen as an enabler of organisational learning and a more concrete mechanism than the previous abstract research.

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