The re-birth of KM in knowledge engineered networks
Friday,
December 9, 2016 - 07:58
At its core, knowledge management is a
process that everyone uses. It is the system of managing information –
gathering it, deciding how and where it should be kept, analysing, sharing and
using it.
In its simplest form, individuals use
knowledge management regularly. For example, every time someone picks up a
newspaper to learn what is happening in the world, thinks about the
significance of the information and determines what is or isn't important is
the start of the knowledge management process.
Finally, the action of deciding how to apply
that recently acquired knowledge from the newspaper at work or in their
personal lives and knowing just the right person to share part of it with is
exactly how a knowledge management system and network operates.
For organisations, the process is much more
complex. Everything, from the information stored in databases to the experience
individual workers possess, are forms of knowledge that must be managed in
order to be used efficiently and effectively. Where an individual uses their
brain to manage the knowledge they gather, companies use software as a
tool to capture, evaluate, share and apply knowledge in the most effective way
possible.
Furthermore, the practice of knowledge
management itself is becoming more sophisticated; but it is a process that is
still evolving. The transformation of knowledge management is being spurred on
by advances in technology as well as by the current trend in greater business
collaboration.
Managers and other key players understand
that the strength of a network adds an entirely new dimension of possibility to
how data can be used. As a result, businesses are becoming even more connected
and knowledge management is taking on a new form: the knowledge engineered
network.
The Strength of the Network
The value behind knowledge networks is their
ability to deliver accurate and relevant information to decision makers quickly
and efficiently. This is true across industries from manufacturing to
education.
For example, when looking at secondary school
teachers in Hong Kong, researchers found that when knowledge was readily
accessible and shared amongst staff and other schools, teachers and educational
organisations as a whole, were capable of learning more, improving their
skills, and becoming more effective educators.
With knowledge networks, the quality, reach,
and scope of data intelligence and sharing grows, empowering those who need
access to information in order to do their job, run their business, and improve
their own products or services.
Consider, for example, a construction
specialist working for the U.S Federal Highway Administration, the FHWA. When
this specialist needs to know the most effective procedures for mixing asphalt,
but only have access to the FHWA database, then they are limited to what they
can find out and use.
However, by tapping into the knowledge
network that the FHWA is connected to, which may include civil engineers,
construction companies, and other organisations, they are more likely to
quickly learn about the latest innovations and the most advanced technology. In
the case of knowledge engineered networks, organisations can benefit from access
to complementary datasets and pooled information resources as well as shape
industry-wide standards and reduce risk.
More Dynamic Knowledge Management
With the holistic view offered by a knowledge
engineered network, researchers and analysts are able to produce more reliable,
dynamic results.
For example, the task of collecting data and
understanding data relationships to attempt to measure the size and importance
of Zimbabwe’s food economy has faced many challenges including a huge
informal economy and rapid change. Coinciding with a shift in consumer
habits due to a growing population and a change in urban lifestyle habits
have created expansive knowledge gaps, leaving policy makers, development organisations,
and related industries, such as farming tool and fertiliser manufacturers,
without the accurate information that was necessary to make appropriate
decisions.
Through expanding beyond basic data churning
and taking a broader approach, consultancy firm eMKambo was able to create a
more thorough and accurate picture of the evolving economy in Zimbabwe.
eMKambo formed a knowledge network in order
to look at a variety of data insights and data relationships, from household
food expenditures to the rise of urban food production and changing dietary
habits, ensuring that this information was available to stakeholders and
decision makers.
With access and the easy flow of reliable
information, agriculture in Zimbabwe is now more diversified with important
changes to reflect what the data was indicating. Without eMKambo creating and
utilising a knowledge network, the collective pool of data may have been left
untapped and leaving out vital information would have reduced the effectiveness
of policy, developmental, and agricultural decisions for the nation.
At Latize, we have been actively working
towards identifying the potential that a more integrated view of data
intelligence will create an empowered organisation with a ‘360 degree’ view of
information with our intelligent linked data software solution Ulysses.
Through Ulysses, knowledge management as a
process can become a more inclusive, dynamic, and a collaborative system.
From not needing to re-invent the wheel when having to prepare information, to
being able to have access to lessons learned from past mistakes, to being
confident that all relevant information is available for decision-making:
Ulysses is enabling better business outcomes.
The implications of this are profound for
all, from small businesses trying to better tailor their products for their
target market, to government organisations who need better information in order
to serve their populations. The tangible benefits of knowledge networks are set
to inspire the next phase of our digital era as more people, from consumers to
business owners, understand just how acutely data is shaping our world.
While the data revolution changes society,
the movement itself must constantly evolve to keep pushing forward with the
increasingly complex world it is creating. The days of heavy reliance on
outside data scientists to gain insights and the practice of capturing and
interpreting data in a vacuum are becoming obsolete. How we approach knowledge
management and data sharing is changing.
As businesses recognise that everyone
benefits when all players along the supply chain have greater access to data
intelligence presented in a way which business users can understand, the idea
of actively forming networks is catching on.
Knowledge engineered networks, and the
promise they carry for facilitating faster innovation, more empowered
decision-making, and improved efficiency across industries, from education to
finance, may be the next phase in the evolution of knowledge management. It is
becoming clearer to everyone that a knowledge engineered network has the
ability to be much greater than the sum of its parts.
Regards
Pralhad
Jadhav
Senior
Manager @ Library
Khaitan & Co
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