Knowledge management Vs Specialists Management
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Goals:
- Knowledge management Vs Specialists Management
- How to effect knowledge management and not just specialists Management
Facts:
- Knowledge Management
- Learning Organization
- Organization Knowledge Vs Specialists Knowledge
Symptoms:
- A multinational oil and gas conglomerate "X" having hundreds of operating companies worldwide.
- The oil and gas conglomerate also offers consultancy services to operating partners of host countries.
- Operating partners frequently ask for solutions to problems or difficulties.
- Most problems or difficulties are certainly not unique but experienced and tackled by hundreds of the operating companies of "X"
- To the requested solution to problems or difficulties, "X" offer various types of specialists (which are not cheap in fees)
- Over years, more specialists required as more problems and difficulties surface
- Sometimes, operating partners confused with different opinions from different specialist (past and current)
- Other times, operating partners ask the same questions which were dealt with years ago.
Causes:
- Both conglomerate and operating partners are not managing knowledge, but managing specialists.
- Underlying mental model that knowledge resides in specialists, Not Organization
Fixes:
- Conglomerate having hundreds of operating companies worldwide means having a large network of scattered and fragmented knowledge and intelligence. Obviously there is no mechanisms to harness and synergize such knowledge into collective intelligence into the organization acting as a living organism.
- Referring to specialists, who are just human beings, there are limitations that need to be understood. Being a specialist means a person having more intensive and concentrated knowledge and experience of a particular field than others. But such knowledge and experience is still limiting as compared with thousands of other who may have parts knowledge and experience of the same field, if the later are synergized into a collective force. Furthermore, specialists as human beings come and go (transfer, resign, retire etc.) and the knowledge and experience go with the persons, not organization.
- Note: the above view does not imply specialist knowledge is not important, but surely Not enough.
- When a distinction is clearly made between Knowledge Management and Specialist Management as a starting new mental model, organization can look into the followings attributes that could enhance effective Knowledge management:
Structural Mechanisms
- 1.0 Knowledge gained like new solutions, insights be documented into manuals, procedure or code of practices e.g. similar to ASTM, British Standard
- 2.0 Conference, Seminar, Workshop
- 3.0 Publication like journals, magazine, bulletin, reports
- 4.0 Specialist Groups and forums
- 5.0 Internet, Intranet Discussion Forum grouping
- 6.0 Knowledge database like Outsights Knowledgebase
- 7.0 Knowledge Research unit at headquarters
- 8.0 Knowledge distillation Center
- 9.0 Networking groups : networkers, net-organiser, net-system thinker and net integrator
(Most organization may have 1) to 4) or 5), not 5) or 6) till 9).
However, the above structural mechanisms and grouping are only parts or elements for wholesome Knowledge to be managed. Something else are essentially required. The following concept and analogy are made for illustration:
- Knowledge hierarchy or migration can be viewed as follow : [a] Data to [b] Information to [c] Knowledge and to [d] Wisdom. This concept shows [c] Knowledge needs foundation on [a] Data and [b] Information, aiming to realize [d] Wisdom. [d] Wisdom is something that can attain and realize the vision or goals of an organization. Hence the above structural mechanisms (1 - 9) can only satisfy a) Data, b) Information, and part of c) Knowledge. The overall synthesis of the products of these mechanisms into creating an intelligent force is the challenge of the Knowledge Management.
- Another analogy: The above structural mechanisms can be viewed as parts of our human body system. The summation of parts (lung, brain, limbs, eyes etc.) do not make a living person (with intelligence and wisdom). But a living person certainly needs these parts.
- The above analogy show that a different type of force and energy are required for organization to manage wholesome knowledge, before wisdom can be realized. These call for sound Guiding Ideas, Principles, Theories, Methodology and operating system with disciplined practice - individually and collectively. The five disciplines, as offered by Dr. Peter Senge in his book "The Fifth Discipline" are : [Mental Model] [Personal Mastery] [Team Learning] [System Thinking] and [Shared Vision].
- A learning organization needs management of specialists, but does not solely depend on specialists. When wholesome Knowledge is effectively managed, collective intelligence is mobilized. Operating partners do not deal just with a few assigned specialists, but a living and intelligence organization. The conglomerate "X" does not equate Knowledge with a few specialists, but the entire organization with its own "soul and mind".
- Refer "The Fifth Discipline" by Dr. Peter Senge
- Source: Andrew Wong, Web Page
End.
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By Andrew Wong, 29th April.1999
COPYRIGHT @ 1999
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