Knowledge Management Report

A Report on Knowledge Management Systems

1.0 Introduction

Over the years Knowledge Management has been defined in many different forms by various people such as Swan et al 1999 and Hibbard. One of the best, simplest definitions which we have come across when conducting our research is, �KM is getting the right knowledge to the right people at the right time so they can make the best decision.’ (Petrash in Jashapara 2004). In the modern world in which we live where technology is advancing at an astonishing rate it is extremely important for businesses to invest in knowledge management in order to survive in the competitive environment. Knowledge management is extremely useful as everything is now becoming computerised therefore specific information can be located using a simple search function. On a business and personal level new lessons can be learnt everyday which can then be used to eradicate repetitive errors in the business environment.

2.0 Types of Knowledge Management Systems

Various research and reading has provided six knowledge management systems which can be identified as; Document Support Systems, Decision Support Systems, Group Support Systems, Executive Support Systems, Workflow Management Systems and Customer Relationship Systems (Jashapara 2004). What is evident from these systems is that they all incorporate a supportive nature, developed to assist different areas of business activity. A common trait within knowledge management systems is that they are predominantly computer based, and this raises issues regarding user-friendliness with developing technology which will be discussed within the report.

2.1 Document Support System

Document Support Systems are used to address the problem of storing numerous paper documents published by companies for internal sources (such as board members, managers and employees) and external sources (such as competitors, suppliers and customers)’ (Jashapara 2004). They work through an intranet (a private network connection contained within an organisation using a web server to provide information) to organise and distribute corporate documents in order to cut costs from storage and allow continuous updates. The type of corporate documents a company could or want to store within this system are examples such as procedure manuals, corporate phone directories and marketing literature such as consumer trends for promotion departments.

As with the majority of computer based programmes, consumers have a choice between off-the-shelf systems or custom-made systems. The difference between the two is that with an off-the-shelf system the user has the benefit of low cost and easy access but the drawback comes in the form of the system being generic to company solutions within the same industry. However custom-made systems can be expensive and time consuming to construct, but the benefit is that it is specifically designed to the company’s needs. This enables a company to gain a competitive advantage in terms of document support systems through explicit knowledge already within the company being stored or incorporated into their custom-made system. For example in a custom-made system, a company could include their own corporate phone directory with contacts they may have made which other competitors may not have. An example of a custom-made system is the University of Hertfordshire Study net Portal which allows lecturers and students to publish and access lecture notes for example, and the way in which it can sustain a competitive advantage is by giving access to academic literature from sources such as Emerald and Voyager, which other universities may not provide.

While it is obvious that such a system can provide many benefits, there are issues and limitations involved for example privacy. This can be important as within a company there can be a large number of employees accessing information, and monitoring the number of visitors is a key element in ensuring safety when transferring sensitive information. The currency of the information can also be a limitation of the system as old information can build up and become irrelevant in which case the system administrator needs to update the content on a regular basis. A common problem intranet systems face is performance in situations with a high volume of users. While this problem has an easy solution, which is to increase the number of servers and bandwidth, servers can be costly and it is important to make sure the company utilises the full potential of each server.

In this way, it can be a difficult task to maintain a document support system, and with the ever changing face of technology, companies face the challenge of keeping up-to-date with new programmes, faster systems and also maintaining compatibility with users who work from home.

2.2 Decision Support Systems

While there are drawbacks in relation to technology, the basis of decision support systems for example can raise other issues such as reliability. A decision support system is designed to combine data and business models in the form of a graphical user interface with which the user can interact and make decisions. In this case, it could be argued that the system provides accurate and quality decisions, through analysis of relevant and current data. However, what the system lacks is the ability to predict future variables such as fluctuation of interest rates and new legislation, which results in the limitation of �what-if’ analyses. Therefore the system cannot be completely relied upon, and the successful use of this type of system requires the user to apply personal logic to business decisions.

2.3 Group Support Systems

Group Support Systems use various methods of communication to allow companies to interact from different areas through video conferencing. For example, Cisco Systems recently acquired a company known as WebEx which they believed �would help it develop communications and collaboration services for small and medium-sized businesses and, eventually, large corporations’ (Financial Times 2007). A company which is most likely to use such technology are multi-national companies which have a need to interact and communicate over long distances and a group support system makes this easier by creating virtual conferences in which executives can have the feel of being in a real meeting. Cost, technology and reliability have all been identified as limitations to different types of knowledge management systems, and all of these can be applied at various stages, but a major issue which has to be taken into consideration is resistance