First of all, what is the knowledge transfer, or knowledge sharing?
Von Krogh defines KS as knowledge creation, the receiver recreates the knowledge shared by the sender in the cognitive process of learning it. The sharing occurs in the interpretation and meaning found, making sense of it, and in the doing process of using the new knowledge.
Also, Szulanski emphasized the knowledge sharing problem in 1996, that” the movement of knowledge within the organization is a distinct experience, not a gradual process of dissemination. (p.28)
In his view, pure transmission of knowledge from the source to the recipient has no useful value if the recipient does not use the new knowledge. The key element in knowledge transfer is not the underlying knowledge, but rather the extent to which the receiver acquires potentially useful knowledge and utilizes this knowledge in own operations. It is necessary to consider cognitive processes, as the individuals engage in KS, both the sender and the receiver will cognitively process the exchange within the broader strategy, structure, and culture of their organization to help them find meaning. (Lecture 8)
Therefore, the knowledge sharing process is mostly depending on individuals, how sender and receiver react and understanding the knowledge will influence the sharing result directly. Motivation and capability are the two main sectors in the individual characteristics of knowledge sharing problem. Motivation is defined as “those psychological process that cause the arousal, direction and persistence of voluntary action that are goal oriented” (Mitchell, 1982). Motivation could be a problem to knowledge management as it affects the willingness of knower and receiver to share and receive knowledge. (lect...
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...share their knowledge is due to fear of losing their competitive power, and this would direct result in the breakdown of the knowledge sharing process. Since the sender not willing to share the knowledge, whether how much capacity the receiver has, the knowledge still would not be shared. No one can make bricks without straw.
Works Cited
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Alice Lam, Jean-Paul Lambermont-Ford, (2010) "Knowledge sharing in organisational contexts: a motivation-based perspective", Journal of Knowledge Management, Vol. 14 Iss: 1, pp.51 – 66
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Zhihong, L., Zhu, T., & Fang, L. (2010, April). A study of the influence of organizational climate on knowledge-sharing behavior in IT enterprises. Journal of Computers, 5(4), 508-513.
Hatch, M. J. (1997) Organization Theory. New York, Oxford University Press. Mullins, L. J. (1996) Management and Organisational Behaviour. 4th Ed, London, Pitman.
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.
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
pp. 146-170. Kreitner, R., & Kinicki, A., (2004). Organizational Behavior (6th ed.). New York: McGraw-Hill/Irwin.
Mullins, L. J. (2005). Management and organizational behavior (7th ed.). Harlow, England: Prentice Hall/Financial Times.
With today’s rate of development in technology, there has also been an immense increase in global information sharing. Innovations in technology and design seem to be emerging in the market almost every month. One of the key aspects of any business is to gather, organize and efficiently apply this information. According to Antonic (2005), economic assets are fast becoming of secondary importance in the market as companies ascribe more importance to intellectual capital. With the right application of Knowledge Management methods, companies can achieve a competitive advantage through managing the immense amount of information available (Balanced Scorecard Institute, 2002).
Hansen M., Nohria N., and Tierney T. (1999), “What’s your Strategy for Managing Knowledge?,” Harvard Business Review (March 1999), 106–16.
challenge. The difficulty lies in finding and gathering superior knowledge and then getting employees, managers and departments to use the knowledge. How then is an organization to transfer knowledge to the many individuals who need it to optimize their productivity?
Graetz, F, Rimmer, M, Lawrence, A, Smith, A 2002, Managing organizational change, John Wiley & Sons Australia, Queensland.
...ceive a large cash bonus or other substantial prizes, however some researchers disagree that the Extrinsic Rewards is the best and final way to end the sick leave pandemic that is currently hitting Australian businesses. Many scholars and practitioners claim that motivational influences can assist successful knowledge sharing. Based on a survey of 172 employees from 50 large organisations, this study applies the structural equation modeling approach to investigate the research model (Lin, 2012, p. 26). The results showed that motivational aspects such as shared benefits, knowledge self-efficacy, and pleasure in helping others were significantly associated with employee knowledge sharing stances and purposes. However, predictable organisational rewards did not considerably affect employee attitudes and performance aims regarding knowledge sharing (Lin, 2012, p. 26).
The value of KM is to make people work together, think together and control the business together, so it is highly people-based.Workers should share their knowledge with others and even create value added benefits to make it better. Knowledge management (KM) comprises a range of strategies and practices used in an organisation to identify, create, represent, distribute, and enable adoption of insights and experiences. (Anon., 2013) KM is making world escape from industrial work and begins working with minds, so knowledge is becoming the key performance and its importance is increasing. Every job that people are doing, needs knowledge but they differ from each other. There are two types of workers: Knowledge workers and routine workers. Knowledge workers should focus on their knowledge based and theoretical job. Their intellectual and creativity level is high while routine ...