Knowledge Management Tools

As discussed in the previous section, knowledge management (KM) is the entire process of creating, organising and storing, distributing and sharing knowledge to achieve organisations‟ goals. During the process, tools that support the performance of applications, activities or actions of knowledge processes are needed (Ruggles, 1997).

According to Robinson et al., (2001) KM tools enable an organisation‟s KM processes to be executed and consist of both information technology (IT)-based and non-IT based systems.

However, Al-Ghassani (2005) preferred the terms „KM techniques‟ and „KM technologies‟ in the construction industry context, as these terms provide a better understanding of the corresponding contents. The main differences between KM techniques and technologies are presented in Table 4.3.

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Table 4.3 A Comparison between KM Techniques and KM Technologies (Al-Ghassani, 2005)

4.4.1 KM Technologies

Ruggles (1997) stated that KM tools are technologies that enhance and enable sub-processes of KM through the use of IT. They can also be used to speed up communications, elicit tacit knowledge and construct insights and catalogues (Grantham and Nichols, 1993). Many researchers have cited IT as one of the key enablers of successful KM (Choi and Ibbs, 1995; O‟Dell and Grayson, 1998; Weill and Broadbent, 1998).

Although IT is not the solution to an organisation‟s KM needs, it is clearly required to enable the organisation‟s KM processes. This is supported by Weill and Broadbent (1998): “IT facilitates the rapid dissemination of knowledge and improves communication and collaboration among employees at all levels, all locations, and even with those in other organisations”. Within the knowledge management context, IT includes a broad range of applications.

KM Tools

KM Technologies KM Techniques

Require IT infrastructure Require strategies for learning Require IT skills More involvement of people Expensive to acquire / maintain Affordable to most organisations Difficult to implement / maintain Easy to implement and maintain More focus on explicit knowledge More focus on tacit knowledge Examples of Tools

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The following are several examples of KM technologies applications that have had critical implications for KM.

Groupware is a technology that can overcome space and time barriers for group interaction. Its focus is to help knowledge workers share their expertise, particularly in a physically dispersed environment. The purpose of groupware is to support the collaborative works of a group of people. It includes software for information sharing, electronic meetings, scheduling, workflow management, and an e-mail network to connect the members of the group.

Data warehouse is a data management technology that integrates information from multiple data pools and that makes it easier to explore the hidden meanings of data (Chase, 1997; Skyrme and Amidon, 1997). In the other words, data warehouse technology can be used to store and structure knowledge. Those who benefit from the use of data warehouse are people who access large amounts of information that can be analysed from different perspectives; thus, it can enhance decision-making quality.

Document management systems allow people to share knowledge in many applications (Junnakar and Brown, 1997). Document management systems are a

“repository of important corporate documents and are therefore important stores of explicit knowledge” (Offsey, 1997). Documents provide users knowledge with more context and details. It can include manuals, best practices, policy books and even drawings.

Data and text mining technology is an emerging technology used to extract meaningful information from a large pool of data to support business decisions (Mitchell, 1999). Data mining technology finds patterns, trends or relationship in

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large pools of data and predicts future behaviours from them. These patterns and rules can be used to extract hidden knowledge about customer behaviour. Data mining can be used to locate the specific needs of a market or customers.

Internet, intranet, extranet and web technology enables the capturing, sharing and leveraging of information and knowledge throughout the organisation. In the past few years, intranets have emerged as an important KM tool (Ruggles, 1998).

The majority of company intranets now host corporate information accessible to employees and has formal corporate roles and responsibilities to ensure that key information is captured timely and accurately and updated regularly.

4.4.2 KM Techniques

In recent years, there has been a move away from the largely IT-based solutions for knowledge management. Current KM initiatives are more interested in the management of knowledge embodied in people. According to Hwang (2003 in Hai Chen), people are regarded as a source for knowledge creation and knowledge sharing in a learning organisation. As a result, the most important objective to keep in mind when creating IT-based knowledge networks is to put people at the centre. The followings are examples of KM techniques that can be used to support organisations‟

goal with emphasis on people-based activities.

Communities of Practice (CoPs). These are groups of people formed to share knowledge, which helps to prevent key knowledge from being lost when an individual departs. According to Dent and Montague (2004), CoPs are considered ideal ways to manage knowledge as an asset. This is by utilising the inherently context-dependent nature of „know-how‟ and experience required for collaborative problem solving in project-based organisations.

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Brainstorming sessions are used to develop staff competencies to access and update of knowledge. According to Nonaka and Takeuchi (1995), a brainstorming session is an informal meeting for detailed discussions to solve difficult problems in development projects.

Training helps to improve staff skills and consequently increase knowledge. There are two types of training and development (Jashapara, 2004). Training can be either external or internal. In internal training, senior members of a company train new or junior employees within the organisation. In external training, employees attend courses managed by professional organisations (Al-Ghassani et al., 2005).

Peer assist workshops are generally used to enable a project team to share knowledge, experience and insights with other teams, particularly where problem solving is required. These activities support the development of problem-solving skills and expose individuals to new ways of thinking and methods of approach.

Mentoring or coaching process provides every employee with access to a structured development programme by identifying relevant subject matters for which senior management could serve as mentors and assigning newer employees appropriately. This is one way to ensure that there is a continuous transfer of knowledge in an organisation.

The next section highlights the importance of knowledge management and the barriers to implementing knowledge management in a construction organisation.

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