What struck me when I began approaching the topic of knowledge management in the context of development, was the realization that the meaning of “knowledge management” changes depending on the particular notion of “development” it is used with. There are diverse schools of thought on development and how it should be measured, the same way that there are different schools of thought on knowledge management. Though I should be concerned with comparing IM4D and KM4D, or looking at the MDGs in the context of KM, I became fascinated by the diversity (even contradiction) of meanings of these concepts, right at a time when I was reading about discourse. At some point, I began to think that it would be more interesting to address this particular concern instead.
Literature I read about KM4D/KM4Dev, all agree about the importance of harnessing the power of knowledge in today's dynamic and increasingly interconnected and information-saturated world. However, what is meant by "knowledge," “knowledge management,” as well as the general understanding about who directly benefits from harnessing “knowledge” for some developmental purpose, vary. I think it is important to look into these diverse notions, as the concept and practice of knowledge management has been increasingly utilized in public policy and, more importantly, in the practice of development.
Focusing on the concept of “development,” there appears to be a divide between those who see development in terms of "growth" or "modernity," and those whose idea of development is that which is measured by assessing whether or not people have access to basic needs like education, health, and livelihood, and whether or not these people live in a society which has some respectable...
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...lopment organizations were struggling with defining what it is to have development, knowledge management tools and strategies that were embedded within the framework of the “growth” notion of development began to be appropriated as management tools or strategies for these new notions of development, ignoring (or maybe not realizing) the originally firm-centric nature of the concept.
I believe that this is an interesting area of scholarship for those doing research on KM4D, as these obscure details often open up opportunities for interests with self-serving motives to take advantage of this to exploit novel resources such as knowledge and information, at the expense of particular groups and sectors in society. It wouldn’t hurt to be extra cautious especially in a world where people suddenly realize that knowledge is not just power, but also money – a lot of it.
Knowledge work according to Raman, (1999), contains activities, which are "information-based, knowledge intensive and knowledge generating" (p. 2). The paper's theme is, "organizations staying ahead of the competition have come to realize knowledge and knowledge workers are their key to success in today's environment where knowledge and information have become commodities" (Raman, 1999, p. 1). This paper's theme traces the historical development of knowledge management and knowledge workers; differentiates between knowledge workers and non-knowledge workers, and illustrate the knowledge workers experience in the author's organization. Knowledge systems contain the potential to increase business value (Bang, Cleemann, & Bramming, 2010).
Hansen M., Nohria N., and Tierney T. (1999), “What’s your Strategy for Managing Knowledge?,” Harvard Business Review (March 1999), 106–16.
Firstly, there is a need to understand what is meant by development. It is defined as “the continuous and positive change in the economic, social, political and cultural dimensions of the human condition, guided by the principle of freedom of choice and the limited capacity of the environment to sustain such change.” (Sharpley, 2003: 8-7). Sharpley (2000) explains how theories of development have progressed; Firstly the ‘Modernisation Theory’ (1950s- 1960s), in which societies are seen to switch from traditional to modern only through economic growth. Next is the ‘Dependency Theory’ (late 1960s), this takes into account the historical and economic structures of developing countries, distribution of benefits, social players such as local elites, state interests and private companies, and situations in which an economy and development of a country can be conditioned by a more dominant country (Santos, 1970). The ‘Neo Classical Counter Revolution theory’ (1980s) was made to fit in with global events such as the economic depression, and development policies that build upon dependence on free market. Finally, ‘Sustainable development’ (late 1980s) is the theory that creates the encouragement for development of many developing countries. This theory aided by government policies of backings, tax breaks, and incentives. These theories have developed through growing knowledge of evolving processes, and dismissal of past theories (Sharpley, 2000).
...s can be reliable with a predominant view of how knowledge is constructed that would fit within the worldview framework. The worldviews will contribute to the research design that most likely will be quantitative; however, there is great possibility that it will be mixed. The design of this research will be based on bringing together a worldview or assumptions about research, the specific strategies of inquiry, and research methods. This research will be testing a theory by specifying narrowing hypotheses and the collection of data to support or refute the hypotheses.
When looking through the topic of development, two drastically different ways to assess it arise. The majority of the western world looks at development in terms of per capita GNP. This means each country is evaluated on a level playing field, comparing the production of each country in economic value. Opposite this style of evaluation is that of the alternative view, which measures a country’s development on its ability to fulfill basic material and non-material needs. Cultural ties are strong in this case as most of the population does not produce for wealth but merely survival and tradition.
...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.
McMichael, Philip, ed 2012. Development and Social Change: A Global Perspective, 5th ed. London: Sage Publications, Inc.
Entering the 21st. Century – World Development Report 1999/2000. World Bank 2000. Oxford University Press. New York, NY 2000.
Sociology of knowledge is basically implying that knowledge is socially constructed or determined. Knowledge is thus a social product that reflects what is happening in the society and it is generally accepted by a group of people as a reality. It is shaped by social forces, for instance, the government, scholars, and other people with economic, social or political power for their interests. The notion of knowledge, the implication or use is thus affected by these forces that provided support for the development of research. The production of Knowledge is somewhat important as it is not only used to provide information in order to understand certain issues but also to control and manipulate people’s mind – especially their perception of what is real and what is not. For that reason, McCarthy (1999) believes that knowledge is an important key force in the creation of social order as it is often used by certain group to maintain their authority and interests.
This essay will detail will examine how development is defined and the relative inaccuracies which surround it. Good, you define terms and introduce the purpose of the essay. As mentioned above, many economists use GNP or GDP to measure. development. The. GNP may be defined as the total value, or output of goods.
Van de Ven, A.H. and Poole, M.S. (1995) ‘Explaining development and change in organizations’ Academy of Management Review, 20/3, 510-40
The development must be done by people. People must fully participate in making a decision and the process that will affect their lives.
United Nations Development Program (UNDP). (2000). Human development report 2000. New York and Oxford: Oxford University Press.
Development: individual and collective activities that develop skills and personal abilities. This might include organisational development and cultural change processes.
In international parlance, development encompasses the need and the means by which to provide better life for people in poor countries and it includes not only economic growth, although that is crucial, but also human development like...