Effective knowledge management Effective knowledge management - Express Computer: "The
benefits of knowledge management (KM) cannot be debated, but the creation of
a knowledge portal is only the beginning of a stream of challenges. Making it
a part of the organisational culture is perhaps the toughest of all. For many
individuals, hoarding knowledge is power, and it is not so easy for them to
imbibe the true spirit of knowledge-sharing. There are others who take pride
in being individualistic, and are not willing to learn from the experiences
of others. Effective knowledge management is about leveraging the collective
ability of knowledge workers for business gain. For most organisations, a successful
KM initiative apparently means reducing the time to market; cross-departmental
effectiveness and workforce motivation are other key factors.
Knowledge management, which is a repository of tacit and explicit knowledge
in an organisation, is an integral part of a company%u2019s strategy. Effective
knowledge management would include people, processes and strategy, with the
human factor and culture comprising the maximum percentage; technology is an
enabler. For Pradeep Waychal, Head of Corporate Quality and Delivery Innovation
at Patni Computer Systems, KM is a set of processes, tools and structures that
aim to leverage collective abilities of the organisation%u2019s knowledge workers
in a business situation. Doing it effectively means effective knowledge management.
Waychal points out that a KM initiative should:
Reduce dependence on individuals.
Reduce cycle time: Standardise and speed up customer/Request
for Information responses.
Re-use solutions across projects/initiatives.
Integrate SBU level repositories into organisation-wide
repositories (break functional silos)."  ¶ 07:52