The Sense and Nonsense of Knowledge ManagementDr Grace ChengHKLA Seminar20 October 2004

HighlightsWhy do we need to manage knowledge?The meaning of knowledge to individual and organizationKM strategiesRole of information professionals

Why do we need to manage knowledge?

Shorter knowledge cycleHalf of what you are taught as medical students will in 10 years have been shown to be wrong. And the trouble is none of your teachers know which half. Dean of Harvard Med School

To keep up-to-date, you must read 6,000 articles a day, 365 days a year!

Need for LearningThe illiterate of the 21st century will not be those who cannot read and write, but those who cannot learn, unlearn, and relearn Alvin Toffler

Knowledge Management Concepts & Practices

Web of Science titles with knowledge managementNo. of Items* To Sept 2004. Sources: 96-02, Wilson TD (2002); 03-04: Cheng G (2004) *

Knowledge Management An oxymoron??

New paradigms of management /DruckerOld:There is-or there must be-one right organization.New:There is the organization that fits the task.

Old:There is one right way to manage people.New:One does not manage people. The task is to lead people. And the goal is to make productive the specific strengths and knowledge of each individual.

Knowledge

It is a fluid mix of framed experience, values, contextual information, and expert insight that provides a framework for evaluating and incorporating new experiences and information.In organisations, Knowledge often becomes embedded not only in documents and repositories but also in organisational routines, processes, practices and norms. Davenport & Prusak. Working Knowledge 1998, p. 5

DATAINFORMATIONKNOWLEDGEContextualized Categorized Calculated Corrected CondensedComparison Consequences Connections Conversation(situation)(decision) (other knowledge) (opinion/exchange)Adapted from Davenport, T.H. & Prusak, L. Working knowledge, Boston, Mass. : Harvard Business School Press, 1998. Chap. 1.

The Attributes of knowledgeKnowledge is to be acquired by a corresponding experience (Henry David Thoreau, 1949)Knowledge is dynamic because it is constantly changing through experience and learning

Characteristics of tacit & explicit knowledgeSubconsciousPerceivedUnawareDifficult to articulate or unspokenExperience basedTransferred through conversationEmbedded in stories and narrativesEscapes observationHeld within selfPersonalInsights and understandingsJudgmentsAssumptions

Adapted from Polyanyi (1962, 1983) & Baumard (2001)Formally articulatedElucidatedAwareFixed

CodifiedDocumented (written, taped, recorded, digitized, etc.)Stored in repositories (databases, files, etc.)Can be viewed or heardShared with othersOrganizationalPushed or pulledReports, lessons learned

How can something dynamic and tacit be managed?

Tacit knowledgePotentially expressible - competent level of expertise; heuristics (rule of thumb).Not expressible.

RoutineNon-routineSenseMakingStructuredIndustrial productionHealthCareArtInformationProcessingFrom Industrial to Knowledge Economy UnstructuredNursingBlood transfusion

The IT Approach to KM Turn Data into Information

Search ModesSource : Institute of Clinical Research (announced in listserv, Oct 04)Yahoo2%Others11%Google87%Search Engines Used% usersOnlineJournalsDatabasesSearchEngines

Comment from a user to Evidence-based Libraries Listserv, Oct 2004

Prefer Google to MedlineSurely it's about getting the right information, at the right time, in the right format?I can't help feeling that some librarians fear facing up to the fact that googleoften meets this criteria anddoes an excellent job.Additionally, I think there may be some database snobbery going on: the more complex and ring-fenced by librarians the better!If googlecanlead me to easilyaccessaccurateinformation quicklywhat's wrong with that?

Low Back Pain TreatmentsGoogle - 3 million hits, With relevance rankingMedline: 47 hits of high specificity

Evidence for treatment of low back pain - a clinical answerSource: EVIDENCE (Hospital Authority), Issue 12, 2001

Treatment optionsAcute painChronic painRest/bed restStrong evidence againstAntidepressantsNo evidenceModerate evidence againstSteroid injectionsNo evidenceModerate evidence againstColdNo evidenceNo evidenceManual therapyModerate evidence forStrong evidence for

The IT Approach to KMTurn Information to Knowledge

An example: Amazon.comOnline recommendations to customers based on:Purchase activitiesItems customers ownInterests (expressed and inferred)Mindful ofKnowledge is dynamic Knowledge is tacit (expressed in purchase patterns of customers)

DrugDiseaseGeneProteinTreatsAssociated geneEncoded byHas targetNational Cancer Institute (US)Disease, Drug, Gene & Protein ModelingSource: Coronado et al 2004

Role of Information Professionals

I know I doTherefore I am.

Information SpecialistKM research centreRecognised qualification in information science or librarianshipComputer literate with practical experience in computerised information systems, online searching, internet navigating and the use of CD-ROM systemsAble to work as a team player with strong communication skills in both English and ChineseSystematic, self-motivated and outgoing

AddSubject knowledgeCritical and analytical skillsCompetence in filtering and presenting information Adaptability to change and a change agent/influencerContinuous learner with an open mind

My observationsKnowledge is power to individual & organizationK social/cultural environmentK generated may be accidental; KM is notKM IT*IT = I2 + TKM is management with a knowledge focus * Very important component.

Alice in Wonderland, Chap 3: A Caucus-Race and a Long TaleThe party was wet after swimming in Alices own pool of tears.

Dodo: Lets have a Caucus-race to get dry.

Alice: What is a Caucus-race?

Dodo: I cant explain it, but the best way to learn about something was to do it.

The best way to learn about KM is to try it

Source: Covey S. The 8th habit : from effectiveness to greatness (to be released Nov 2004)

20 October 2004

Must Read Davenport, T.H. & Prusak, L. Working knowledge, Boston, Mass. : Harvard Business School Press, 1998