Introduction
Any time a company has an employee that performs, or has the knowledge of, a critical skill in your organization, the thought of them retiring or leaving can be frightening. The amount of knowledge that could potentially be walking out the door can be detrimental to any company who has not taken the time to develop a safeguard for this critical skill set/knowledge. Although you cannot control what an employee chooses to do (i.e. retire or quit), you do have control over the amount of knowledge that is left behind to someone else in the organization. By developing a tacit knowledge retention program you are ensuring that your company will continue to operate as normal even after the employee or employees have left.
What is knowledge?
It is impossible for a company to retain every single morsel of knowledge they have ever had, besides that, it would also be a waste of time unless the knowledge was critical to the business. In order to determine what knowledge you would like to safeguard from leaving the company, you must first understand the four types of knowledge as defined by David DeLong.
First, there is human knowledge, which is also known as explicit or tacit knowledge. This is known as knowledge that enables a person to have a skill or expertise; this can be cognitive or sentient. Tacit knowledge is often knowledge that has been obtained, but cannot be articulated or communicated to others. Often times, people may not even know they have it or are applying it to their job. This makes it extremely difficult to capture the knowledge and pass it on to other people.
Second, there is social knowledge, which stems from personal/working relationships with individuals, normally from working in groups. This form o...
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...similar teams that are doing similar work. This method is also known to be what many companies consider their “best practices” since it is about learning how to do the task more effectively and efficiently, and can lead to an improvement throughout the whole organization. The knowledge that is being shared is essentially common knowledge, but is actually being put to use to improve the business. Examples of this could be as simple as adopting a new form of technology to be more efficient, or as complex as adopting a new procedure. Once it is shown to work in one group, you can then pass the knowledge to other similar groups in order to improve their effectiveness or efficiency as well. An important aspect of this method is that “the goal of near transfer is not to share knowledge, but rather to meet a specific business goal established by management” (Dixon, 2000).
According to the reading, Writing as a Mode of Learning by Janet Emig, knowledge is described as “an act of knowing that enters as a passionate contribution of the person to know what is being known, which is a coefficient that is no mere imperfection but a vital component of a person’s knowledge.” Essentially, knowledge is composed of what a person, association or discourse community knows about what is already known in their area of expertise or fully know what could occur in a certain situation, similar to how a rhetor must prepare and know what rhetorical situations might occur at any moment during their speech or writing. Knowledge is created to prepare for various outcomes and situations as goals are being constructed in a discourse community.
Knowledge is a fundamental component of being human. The ability to comprehend information, apply it to the future as well as understand the past, is remarkable. Without knowledge, there could be no critical thinking, empathy, or technological progress. This is an incredible ingredient of our makeup that touches every aspect of human life, and arguably the ingredient that makes us human. The great scholars and philosophers have understood this for thousands of years and have documented as such in their works. From the Biblical Genesis, which is said to represent the first humans, to popular fables, Homer’s Odyssey, and Dante’s Inferno, this message is made clear. Knowledge is the key construct that defines man
The management of knowledge within the context of organizational processes is a determining factor of its effectiveness and level of performance. Hislop (2013) stated, "One of the key distinctions in the knowledge management literature relates to epistemology" (p. 8). In an attempt to acquire an in-depth understanding of key aspects of knowledge management I will analyze a key organizational job position that possesses valuable experience and traits of fulfilling responsibilities. My analysis will include a description of the organization and position, a review of the perspectives and types of knowledge, as described by Hislop (2013), as they relate to the job position, and the challenges encountered in transferring
But what is this “knowledge”? The dictionary defines knowledge as “facts, information, and skills acquired through experience or education; the theoretical or practical understanding of a subject.”1 However, the whole idea of knowledge differs from person to person. In todays world, knowledge is of many types and is very complex and variable. The two main types of knowledge are Personal Knowledge and Shared Knowledge. Personal knowledge refers to the knowledge one acquires by acquaintance and first hand experience. It is gained through practice, personal involvement and observation and is influenced by one’s circumstances, values and interests. One’s perspective is both influenced and contributes to one’s personal knowledge. On the other hand, Shared knowledge refers to the knowledge possessed by more than one person. It is clearly structured as it is a product of many people and has been agreed upon by many people. It is also influenced by the diverse cultures present within the communities and reflects the attitude of the society towards the different areas of knowledge.
Knowledge is of two different kinds: what we know or where we can go find the information upon it. The face of knowing something is sometimes gained through experience. With knowledge or the thought that you know something there are many possible and equally definitions of knowledge. People saying that they know something is a justification that they believe it, but facts could be proven and shown that what they believe is not true. It shouldn’t have to be a good reason for anyone to say they know such things and believe in it. If you know something, you know something. No feedback to test my knowledge. We all don’t think or act the same so the knowledge is different upon each human.
...social skills of an individual is supplying that person with the capability to be very successful in life.
T.D. Wilson (2002) makes a point of identifying several sources of articles, references and course syllabi with varying takes on knowledge management within organizations. Wilson is convinced that organizations misuse the terminology “knowledge management” and that their activities are more concerned with managing information than with the management of knowledge (Wilson, 2002). Wilson defines knowledge as involving “the mental processes of comprehension” or, as “what we know” and information as the expression of what we know and can convey through messages (Wilson, 2002). By researching the use of the “knowledge management” Wilson conveys that the terms knowledge and information are used interchangeably, which results in an inaccurate application
The essay title suggests that shared knowledge can influence and affect personal knowledge. Within this framework of this discussion, I would like to define shared knowledge as facts and values that are taught and can be instilled in one’s mind subconsciously. As for personal knowledge, it is knowledge that “I know” including direct sensory or emotional experience or new discoveries based on one’s experience. The essay question implied that shared knowledge can shape personal knowledge, and also suggests that personal knowledge can shape shared knowledge. This essay will explore the bidirectional relationship and limitations of shared knowledge and personal knowledge on Ethics and Human Sciences.
Social Learning Theory- is learned by observing others in social situations, especially the family and the media, and by perceiving the benefits or rewards to the behavior (Isaacs, 2000).
...bjectives and realize growth. Knowledge Management Knowledge management plays a key role in ensuring that the different functions and activities of a company are synchronized. In Google’s case, the purchase of Motorola (which has turned out not to have been the best business decision) probably could have been avoided if the knowledge within the company was managed and used better. Knowledge enables a company to create, recognize and distribute opportunities. When every employee of a company contributes his or her part of knowledge into the knowledge pool, it is very beneficial as it contributes to the overall success of the company. Proper application of the available knowledge in a company can offer several competitive benefits to both the company and the employees. Application of accurate knowledge at the correct situation helps a company to make good decisions.
Hansen M., Nohria N., and Tierney T. (1999), “What’s your Strategy for Managing Knowledge?,” Harvard Business Review (March 1999), 106–16.
Growing up, everyone has different upbringings and everyone develops in different ways or at different rates. Their social class, social background, and or gender identities play a large role in the way which they perceive the world and in the way that the world perceives them. According to Vgotsky social interactions play a crucial role in the development of cognition. This term refers to the mental processes that are involved in gaining knowledge and comprehension. These processes include thinking, knowing, remembering, judging
Social skills play a very crucial part in the existence of every individual. This is for the simple reason that the level unto which the social skills a person(s) has, generally describes the level of co-existence that prevail in that given environment (Sussman, 2012). The way a person describes scenarios, solves problems, analyzes situations as well as the overall communication, all form the basis of social skills. According to Jean Piaget’s theory of social (cognitive) development, it is expected that individuals should be mentally or physically prepared to face the realities of the world. It is also important to keep in mind that these skills would be effective when they are learned in early stages of life. Therefore, social skills should grow and develop when one is in the early years of life.
In most organizations, effective utilization of knowledge increases productivity, creates competitive advantage and, ultimately, improves profits.
Social psychology is an in-depth study of socialization. Gordon Allport (1985) defined it a discipline that utilizes scientific methods to understand as well as explain how thoughts, feelings and behaviors of human beings are influenced by the actual, implied or imagined presence of other people (Smith & Mackie, 2000). Cantril (1934) regards it as being the scientific learning o...