Organizational Management Theory Analysis and Application

Organizational Knowledge Management Theory and Application

Management theories help managers succeed in advancing the company goals. Knowledge management is one of the theories. Knowledge management is the management of corporate knowledge and intellectual assets; furthermore, knowledge management adds value to an organization by enabling an enterprise to act more intelligently (Gupta et al., 2002). Koenig, (2012), defines knowledge management theory as a “discipline that promotes an integrated approach to identifying, capturing, evaluating, retrieving, and sharing all of an enterprise's information assets”. He goes on to say, “these assets may include databases, documents, policies, procedures, and previously un-captured expertise and experience in individual workers" (Koenig, 2012, para 4).

According to Quast (2012), managing knowledge is important to the success of a company through enhancing decision-making abilities, transforms the organization into a learning organization, and stimulates innovation through cultural changes. Knowledge management is used in many organizations worldwide. As an example, LaFarge Company used knowledge management to transform a cement and materials company to a company that used learning methods to enhance the company (Perrin, 2014). Companies and areas of business that rely heavily on information are served well with management knowledge techniques.

Major Leaders in Knowledge Management Development

Knowledge management theory started about 25 years ago. Ikujuro Nonaka is one of the top leaders and creators of the organizational knowledge theory, (Nonaka, 2009). Nonaka (2009) summarized the 15-year experience in the field. He recognized early work by Winter (1987) who a...

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...y. Organization Science, 20(3), 635-652.

Perrin, A., Vidal, P., & McGill, J. (n.d.). Valuing knowledge management in organizations, from theory to practice: the case of Lafarge Group. Valuing knowledge management. Retrieved May 22, 2014, from http://www2.warwick.ac.uk/fac/soc/wbs/conf/olkc/archive/oklc5/papers/l-3_perrin.pdf

Quast, L. (2012). Why knowledge management is important to the success of your company. Retrieved from http://www.forbes.com/sites/lisaquast/2012/08/20/why-knowledge-management-is-important-to-the-success-of-your-company/

University of North Carolina. (2014). Introduction to knowledge management. Retrieved from http://www.unc.edu/~sunnyliu/inls258/Introduction_to_Knowledge_Management.html

Winter, S. (1987). Knowledge and competence as strategic assets. The Competitive Challenge—Strategies for Industrial Innovation. Ballinger, Cambridge, MA.