The literature contains several different descriptions of the processes and activities of knowledge management (Van Burren, 1999; Egbu et al., 2001; Lytras et al., 2002; Scarborough et al., 2003), none of which seems to have gained common acceptance as yet. Each of these presents a slightly different focus within the process viewpoint. The primary challenge of knowledge management is how to make an organisation‘s unarticulated or tacit knowledge explicit so that it can be shared and renewed constantly. According to Nonaka and Takeuchi (1995) knowledge that is available for use can be in the form of documents or embedded in procedures and rules. However, a process of change occurs whereby an individual‘s personal tacit knowledge is converted into explicit organisational knowledge which is then available for all to use. The process of this conversion and the resulting knowledge thereof leads to knowledge management.
KM is seen as a process which, when applied, leads to the success of an organisation. As noted by Call (2005) ―successful knowledge management gives you access to the information you need to do your job better than you did in the past. Knowledge management does not provide you with the answer to your
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problem rather it facilitates the learning of the answer‖. This means that KM is not a single resource for solving problems in an organisation but embraces a collection of processes (distribution, storing, sharing and transfer) that are brought together collectively to solve the organisational problems. Hurley and Green (2005) further state that KM is ―the process by which an organisation creates, captures, acquires, and uses knowledge to support and improve the performance of the organisation‖. Whilst KM may not necessarily provide the total answer to an organisation‘s problems, however, it definitely brings the problems to the forefront with a view to finding the relevant knowledge that can solve the problem, which in the context of the provision of floating support services is the sharing of requisite knowledge by the providers of floating support services.
There are many other descriptions of the knowledge management process, from similar, or indeed, different viewpoints. There is no, definitive knowledge management process. Probst et al., (2002) model, ―the building blocks of knowledge management‖, as shown in Figure 3.3, highlights the key processes that were found to be central to delivering knowledge management processes. It identifies six sequential processes. It begins with the identification, acquisition and development of knowledge and continues with the distribution and preservation of knowledge and concludes with how knowledge is used. There are two other processes in the outer cycle, knowledge goals and knowledge assessment, which provide the direction to the whole knowledge management process. Knowledge goals establish which capabilities should be built on which level while knowledge assessment completes the cycle, providing the necessary data for strategic control of knowledge management.
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Figure 3 3: Building Block of Knowledge Management Source: (Probst et al., 2002)
Similarly, McElroy‘s (2002) model of ―knowledge management life cycle‖ see Figure 3.4 has an important inference to KM, given that in addition to the suggestion of Nonaka and Takeuchi, (1995), it assumes that knowledge exists only after it has been identified, created and only then can it be codified, shared and applied.
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Adapted from (McEroy, 2002)
Literature reveals that knowledge management processes (identify, create, codify share and apply) are termed differently and are used interchangeably but provide the same meaning. For instance, whilst identify is used to mean creation and capture of knowledge, sharing describes the distribution of knowledge, storing is used to mean packaging of knowledge and apply for the application of knowledge. It is important to note that knowledge management processes are in general very diverse and are presented in a variety of ways as each of the processes are independent and are affected by various factors.
Apply
Share
Codify Create
Identify
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Figure 3 5: Knowledge Management Processes Model Source: (Botha et al., 2008)
Botha et al., (2008) model in Figure 3.5 provides a more realistic overview of the KM process. The focal point of this model is on managerial initiatives, with the three groups overlapping and interacting with one another. Furthermore, the model shows which groups are people oriented and which are technology focused. Knowledge management is essentially about making the right knowledge available to the right people at the right time. In KM processes, knowledge sharing is perhaps the most vital aspect in this process as the majority of KM initiatives depend upon it. Furthermore, there is no discussion that can be undertaken about knowledge sharing that will treat KM in isolation.
Hence, this research is focusing on knowledge sharing, as this process has been found to be central (Sharples et al., 2002) to the effective delivery of floating support services in sheltered housing for the elderly. Knowledge sharing can lead to the improvement of services and it is an inevitable companion for the achievement of organisational goals. Edvardsson (2008) described knowledge sharing as either push or pull. Knowledge push is when knowledge is "pushed
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onto" the user (unsolicited publications and newsletters), while knowledge pull is when the knowledge worker actively seeks out knowledge sources (seeking out an expert, library search and collaborating with a co-worker). Knowledge sharing between teams is central to the provision of floating support services to the elderly living in sheltered housing, as any time saved in providing the support needed is crucial to the wellbeing of the service user. Knowledge sharing, if properly applied and made a vital part of an organisation, can help in saving valuable time exhausted in seeking answers to problems. This is because the knowledge required to solve the said problem is made readily available by the knowledge sharing process.