Organization, People, Knowledge, and Technology for Learning

OLIVIER SERRAT Principal Knowledge Sharing and Services Specialist

Knowledge Sharing and Services CenterRegional and Sustainable Development DepartmentAsian Development Bank

1Organization, People, Knowledge, and Technology for Learning

DATA, INFORMATION,

AND KNOWLEDGE

KNOWLEDGE ASSETS

Data are discrete and objective facts, measurements, or observations that can be analyzed to generate information.

Information is data that have been categorized, analyzed, summarized, and placed in context in a form that has structure and meaning.

Knowledge is a combination of data and information, to which is added expert opinion, skills, and experience, resulting in a valuable asset that aids decision making.

Knowledge is what you learn from experience—before, during, and after the event.

TACIT KNOWLEDGE IS• Know-howfromdeeplypersonalexperience,aptitudes,skills,

perceptions, insights, and intuition.• Difficulttocommunicateinformsotherthanpersonalcontact

and regular interaction.

EXPLICIT KNOWLEDGE IS• Know-whatthathasbeenorcanbedescribed,articulated,

codified,andstored.• Readilysharedinformallanguage,print,orelectronicmedia.

=Media-based 20%

80%

Paper-based,multimedia,digitallyindexed, digitally active, etc.

= In people’s heads

EXPLICIT KNOWLEDGE

TACIT KNOWLEDGE

2Organization, People, Knowledge, and Technology for Learning

CORE KNOWLEDGE ACTIVITIES

CORE KNOWLEDGE ACTIVITIES are what activities are widely used by an organization to manage knowledge.

REQUIREMENTS1. Activities should be aligned or integrated into business processes.2. Activities should be balancedaccordingtothespecificitiesofeach

organization.

A knowledge management solution should not focus only on one or two activities in isolation. CREATE

KNOWLEDGE

IDENTIFY KNOWLEDGE

STORE KNOWLEDGE

USE KNOWLEDGE

SHARE KNOWLEDGE

CreateIdentify Store Share Use

Inventorize people and

system-basedknowledge

assets.

Gather knowledge assets from people or

systems that hold it.

Organize knowledge assets into

codifiableandnoncodifiable

categories.

Pass knowledge assets between

people or systems.

Use the knowledge assets for benefit.

3Organization, People, Knowledge, and Technology for Learning

KNOWLEDGE MANAGEMENT

KNOWLEDGE MANAGEMENT IS• Theformal and directed process of enabling vital individual

andcollectiveknowledgeresourcestobeidentified,created,stored, shared, and used more easily to improve organizational performance.

• Thefusion of information management and organizational learning.

• Knowledgeagents comprise individuals, groups,theintra-organizational domain,andtheinter-organizational domain.

• Knowledge management often involves a spiral process across knowledge agents.

KNOWLEDGE AGENTS

Knowledge Assets Individual Group

Intra-Organizational

Domain

Inter-Organizational

Domain

Tacit Knowledge

Cross-culturalnegotiation

skills

Teamcoordination in complex work

Corporate Culture

Customer expectations and attitudes toward

products and services

Explicit Knowledge

Knowledgecalculus

Quality circlesOrganization

charts

Patents and documented

practices

4Organization, People, Knowledge, and Technology for Learning

KNOWLEDGE MANAGEMENT ARCHITECTURE

• Anarchitecture must be built to initiate and implement organization-wideknowledgemanagementinitiatives.

• Four pillars are critical to success: (i) leadership, (ii) organization, (iii) technology, and (iv) learning.

• Leadership develops the strategies necessary to position for success in an environment.

• Respectforknowledgemustpervadeanorganization: introducing knowledge management requires organizational change, and knowledge management inevitably acts as a catalyst to transform an organization’s culture.

• Technology is essential to achieving knowledge management strategies; however, any technical solution must add value to the process and achieve measurable improvements.

• Organizationallearning is the ability of an organization to gain insight and understanding from experience through experimentation, observation, analysis, and a willingness to learn from failure, not just success.

Society

Technology

Leadership

Management Science

Leadership

Organization

Organizational Development

Organization

Technology

Computer Science

Technology

Learning

Cognitive Psychology

Learning

Strategic Framework

Multiple Disciplines, including

Environment

PolityEconomy

5Organization, People, Knowledge, and Technology for Learning

Pillar Function Typical Activity

LeadershipCross-cultural

negotiation skills

• Identifyknowledgecriticaltolearning.• Conductwork-centeredanalysis.• Planhigh-levelstrategicapproach.• Establishgoalandprioritizeobjectives.• Definerequirementsanddevelopmeasurement

program.• Promotevaluesandnorms.• Implementstrategy.

Organization

Organize to support values for knowledge management.

• Identifycriticalknowledgegaps,opportunities, and risks.

• Developbusinessprocessmodel.• Engagekeyaudienceswithincentives.

TechnologyCollect and

connect knowledge.

• Enhancesystemintegrationandaccess.• Deployintelligentagentsforpeople.• Exploitsemantictechnologies.• Reuseexistingcapabilitiesinnewways.• Monitor,measure,andreportknowledge

performance metrics.

Learning

Cultivate and utilize virtual teams and

exchange forums for knowledge management.

• Enlivencollaboration.• Facilitatecommunitiesofpractice.• Encouragestorytelling.• Recognizeandrewardknowledgesharing.

KNOWLEDGE MANAGEMENT ARCHITECTURE

6Organization, People, Knowledge, and Technology for Learning

BALANCED KNOWLEDGE

MANAGEMENT

Thearchitectureofknowledgemanagementmustbestrenghtenedinsupportoforganization-wideinitiatives.Itsfourpillarsrequirebalanced interconnectivity.

Leadership

Organization Technology

Learning

7Organization, People, Knowledge, and Technology for Learning

THE WHAT, WHY, AND HOW

OF LEARNING

LEARNING FROM EXPERIENCE

Learning is the acquisition of knowledge or skills through study, experience, or instruction.

Learning is an integral part of knowledge management. Its ultimate end is to raise performance.

In the corporate world, learning is driven by organization, people, knowledge, and technology working in harmony.

8Organization, People, Knowledge, and Technology for Learning

LEARNING LOOPS In single-loop learning, people spend the bulk of their time detecting and correcting deviations from the rules and procedures.

In double-loop learning, people continuously challenge assumptions (statusquo),categorizesecond-orderproblemsfrompatterns,andrethinkunderlyingstrategybasedoninsights.Theyareabletoreflecton whether the rules might need to be altered.

In triple-loop learning, the highest order of organizational learning, people question the raison d’être of organizations; reconsider its principles and policies; and arrive at renewed statements of identity, values, culture, and worldview (learning about learning) that may even impact their external environment. Capacity to think creatively and act innovatively is multiplied. People deliberate at length on the meaning of rules, not just whether the rules should be changed.

ResultsContext Assumptions Actions

Triple-Loop Learning

(How do we decide what is right?)

Double-Loop Learning

(Are we doing the right things?)

Single-Loop Learning

(Are we doing things right?)

9Organization, People, Knowledge, and Technology for Learning

LEARNING LOOPS

Single Loop Double Loop Triple Loop

Adaptive Learning Generative Learning Radical Learning

• Applyexistingrules/procedures

• Coping• Dealwithsymptoms

of problems

• Examineunderlyingcauses• Questionassumptions

andrules/procedures

• Examinecorevalues and identity

• Rethinkfundamentalpurpose and principles

• Efficiencies• Improvedapplication

ofrules/procedures

• Newknowledgeandinsights

• Revisedrules,systems, and strategies

• Renewedstatement of core values and purpose

• Renewedidentity

Quadruple-loop learning is rarely associated with organizational learning:reflectiveandcomparative,itanalyzessystemicoptionsandevaluates the foundational claims of each.

Quadruple-loop learning investigates the deep assumptions of paradigms and the principles they are built on, ethics, horizons, and approachestoknowledgecreation.Thepayoffsarebreakthroughsbyperpetualpracticeinhumane,built-for-changeorganizations.

10Organization, People, Knowledge, and Technology for Learning

MODEL OF LEARNING

PROGRESSION

Data

Reductionist

Know What

Information

Know How

Knowledge

Know Why

Wisdom?

Systemic

11Organization, People, Knowledge, and Technology for Learning

MOTIVATIONS BEHIND

KNOWLEDGE MANAGEMENT

EFFORTS

Typicalconsiderationsinclude:• Makingavailable increased knowledge content in the

development and provision of products and services.• Achievingshorter product development cycles.• Facilitatingandmanaginginnovation and organizational learning.• Leveragingtheexpertise of people across the organization.• Increasingnetwork connectivity between internal and external

individuals.• Managingbusinessenvironments and allowing staff to obtain

relevant insights and ideas appropriate to their work.• Solvingintractableorwicked problems.• Managingintellectual capital and intellectual assets in the

workforce.

Toclarifyvision,purpose, values, and

organizational behavior

Toproduceawiderange of solutions to organizational issues

Toreducethelikelihoodof repeated mistakes

Tounderstandrisksanddiversity more deeply

Toexpandthehorizonsof who we are and what

we can become

Forawarenessofthecriticalnature of interdependence

Toreconcilethepressuresoflong-termeffectivenessandshort-termefficiency

Toincreaseabilityto manage change

Foranenergizedcommitted workforce

Forsuperiororganizationalperformance and

competitive advantage

Forclientrelations

Forinnovation Forindependenceand liberty

Toengageincommunity

Toavoiddecline

Tobalancethedemandsof stakeholders

12Organization, People, Knowledge, and Technology for Learning

CULTURAL ROADBLOCKS

TO KNOWLEDGE MANAGEMENT

SUCCESS

WHERE ARE YOU IN THE JOURNEY?

PsychologicalFactors

KnowledgeSharing

SocialFactors

•Reciprocity•Repute•Altruism

•Organizationalculture

•Socialnetworks

Culture has been characterized as the glue that holds organizations together.

Culture is critical to• Settingandexecutingstrategy.• Determiningthesuccessorfailureofoperations.• Establishingemployeesatisfaction,jobcommitment,andturnover.• Managingknowledge,forexamplethroughknowledgesharing.

Have you started

discussions on knowledge management?

Have you developed a knowledge

management strategy?

Do you have knowledge

management pilots

underway?

Have you been deploying knowledge

management solutions?

13Organization, People, Knowledge, and Technology for Learning

EARLY SIGNPOSTS TO KNOWLEDGE

MANAGEMENT

• Knowledge products and services are strategic and must be accounted for and valued accordingly.

• Knowledgemanagementrequiresintegration and balancing of leadership, organization, technology, and learning in an organization-widesetting.

• Knowledgemanagementmustbothmeet the requirements of and conditions for success and the desired benefits and expectations of the organization.

• Organizational culture affects knowledge management, especially at lower levels of corporate hierarchies.

• Streamlined organization with strong organizational culture have a higher chance of success in knowledge.

• Anatmosphere of trust is a precondition to knowledge sharing.• Proposals for knowledge management should include both

soft and hard measures if managers are to support knowledge management initiatives.

• Thesuccess factors for knowledge management are dominated by management concerns for people, process, and outcome orientation.Theyareinterspersedthroughouttheknowledgemanagement architecture of leadership, organization, technology, and learning.

14Organization, People, Knowledge, and Technology for Learning

KNOWLEDGE MANAGEMENT AND

LEARNING IN ADB

Knowledge Management in ADBmovesADBtoimproveitsorganizational culture, management systems, business processes and information technology solutions, communities of practice, and learning and development mechanisms.

Enhancing Knowledge Management under Strategy 2020: Plan of Action, 2009–2011 delivered knowledge solutions and knowledge services from four strategic thrusts:• SharpeningtheknowledgefocusinADB’soperations.• Empoweringcommunitiesofpractice.• Strengtheningexternalknowledgepartnerships.• Furtherenhancingstafflearningandskillsdevelopment.

15Organization, People, Knowledge, and Technology for Learning

RESULTS-DRIVEN MANAGEMENT

MODEL

16Organization, People, Knowledge, and Technology for Learning

THE PROMISE OF KNOWLEDGE

MANAGEMENT

PERFORMANCETODAY

PERFORMANCETOMORROW

TECHNOLOGY

KNOWLEDGEPEOPLE

ORGANIZATION

17Organization, People, Knowledge, and Technology for Learning

FURTHER READING • ADB. 2008. Building Communities of Practice. Manila. Available: www.adb.org/publications/building-communities-practice

• ADB. 2008. Notions of Knowledge Management. Manila. Available:www.adb.org/publications/notions-knowledge-management

• ADB. 2008. Picking Investments in Knowledge Management. Manila.Available:www.adb.org/publications/picking-investments

• ADB. 2009. Glossary of Knowledge Management. Manila. Available:www.adb.org/publications/glossary-of-knowledge-management

• ADB. 2009. The Roots of an Emerging Discipline. Manila. Available:www.adb.org/publications/roots-emerging-discipline

• ADB. 2009. Building a Learning Organization. Manila. Available: www.adb.org/publications/building-a-learning-organization

• ADB. 2009. Enhancing Knowledge Management Strategies. Manila.Available:www.adb.org/publications/enhancing-knowledge-management-strategies

• ADB. 2009. A Primer on Organizational Culture. Manila. Available: www.adb.org/publications/primer-organizational-culture

• ADB. 2009. A Primer on Organizational Learning. Manila. Available:www.adb.org/publications/primer-on-organizational-learning

• ADB. 2010. Seeding Knowledge Solutions Before, During, and After.Manila.Available:www.adb.org/publications/seeding-knowledge-solutions-during-and-after

• ADB. 2012. Knowledge as Culture. Manila. Available: www.adb.org/publications/knowledge-culture

ADB’svisionisanAsiaandPacificregionfreeofpoverty. Its mission is to help its developing member countries reduce poverty andimprovethequalityoflifeoftheirpeople.Despitetheregion’smanysuccesses,itremainshometotwo-thirdsoftheworld’spoor:1.8 billion people who live on less than $2 a day, with 903 million strugglingonlessthan$1.25aday.ADBiscommittedtoreducingpoverty through inclusive economic growth, environmentally sustainable growth, and regional integration.

BasedinManila,ADBisownedby67members,including48 from the region. Its main instruments for helping its developing member countries are policy dialogue, loans, equity investments, guarantees, grants, and technical assistance.

Formoreinformation,contact Knowledge Sharing and Services Center AsianDevelopmentBank 6ADBAvenue,MandaluyongCity 1550 Metro Manila, Philippines Tel +6326326710 Fax +6326325264 knowledge@adb.org www.adb.org/knowledge-management/

ABOUT THE ASIAN DEVELOPMENT BANK

July 2012© 2012 by Asian Development Bank. All rights reserved.

KnowledgePrimersserveasquickintroductionstoknowledgemanagement and learning applications in development work.

In an attractive package, they are suitable for interactive presentations andself-learningforaction.Theyareofferedasresources

toADBstaff.Theymayalsoappealtothedevelopmentcommunityand people having interest in knowledge and learning.