There are at least two powerful reasons why everyone in a company should have the same understanding when the words “What is Knowledge Management” are mentioned:
Understanding Knowledge Management the same way is the only way for everyone to collaborate and drive the project forward.
The other reason is no less powerful: If we cannot explain to decision-makers what Knowledge Management is and what it can do for our company, they may feel we are offering to do something that is already being done and not realize that managing knowledge will generate added value. It is hard for someone to decide to invest in something that is already established.
The corporate alignment of what Knowledge Management is, I consider so important that it is Module 1 of the International Certification in Knowledge Management.
To put into concrete terms what I am explaining, let’s look at some examples of what we defined as “What is Knowledge Management” for some of our clients and other companies that have used our knowledge management services.
Definitions of Knowledge Management
COTECMAR
It is the way to articulate the creation, acquisition, disposal, protection, transfer, use, and integration of knowledge to achieve corporate objectives, so that it fosters the cumulative and continuous learning of the organization and establishes innovation as a value. We are a corporation dedicated to science and technology. We have a clear orientation towards generating new knowledge through research and development. This is how we create innovative products.
NUTRESA
Knowledge Management is the process by which our organization builds new knowledge and thus generates greater value. In turn, Knowledge Management and innovation together foster work environments that facilitate the generation, concentration, transfer, and application of knowledge within the Group and help in continuous learning, both from successes and failures.
INSTITUTO TECNOLOGICO DE SONORA
It is a process through which the organization generates value from its intellectual assets, both explicit and tacit. Knowledge Management requires sharing what is known among our employees, departments, students, and teachers, as well as with other organizations, and making an effort to discover new and better practices.
PETROBRAS
Knowledge Management is ensuring that the person making the decisions has access to the highest level of knowledge available within the organization. If the decision is very simple, such as “turn the gas valve on or off,” the benefit will go to the person in charge of controlling the heating. If the decision is much more complex, like whether to sell or not sell a particular asset, or buy or not buy a specific asset, the information package required will be much larger. In any case, managing knowledge ensures that the decision-maker has access to the highest level of information at the time of making the decision.
YPF
Knowledge encompasses both the experience that each professional gains day by day and the information acquired, processed, produced, and shared. It includes what each person has learned from successes and failures throughout their working life. Regarding Management, we rely on processes and technologies that must help the knowledge flow, to achieve greater effectiveness and enrich us as individuals. The implementation of such a project in the organization must aim to seek greater efficiency and competitive advantages.
TIGO
The goal is the continuous creation of value and the generation of sustainable competitive advantages. The construction is interdisciplinary, and this characteristic facilitates the mobilization of the company’s knowledge, learning, and intelligence. We aim for this to be sustainable and for people to feel, touch, and see it. And it should also be transparent.
ECOPETROL
Knowledge Management consists of making the most of internal and external knowledge to achieve business objectives.
BANCOLOMBIA
Knowledge Management is a strategic tool aimed at obtaining, generating, disseminating, and preserving knowledge, based on the knowledge and experiences of individuals. It seeks to transform individual cognitive assets into collective ones. At Bancolombia, the goal is to position Knowledge Management as part of the organizational culture and strategy, to build and maintain corporate memory and promote innovation, contributing to the development of a competitive, differentiated, and sustainable organization in the global arena.
PAN AMERICAN ENERGY
It is the process of recording, synthesizing, organizing, and classifying knowledge and learnings from previous experiences, whether in similar or different contexts, making it available to the entire company, and thereby circulating the obtained information to achieve continuous improvement.
SANTANDER
It is a system of practices embedded in the organization’s culture that ensures decisions are made based on the highest level of knowledge available.
TERNIUM
In this global steel company, Knowledge Management was defined based on premises, including the following: We understand that knowledge is a mix of experiences, values, training, and “know-how” residing in individuals. The goal of Knowledge Management is to make updated information about processes, quality, safe operation, and all necessary knowledge available to those who need it. Knowledge should always be accessible so that those who need it can easily and quickly obtain it.
HATCH
Knowledge Management aims to improve Hatch’s organizational performance, and thus, that of our clients. Its objective is to continuously expand our value delivery by supporting our community of employees and clients in acquiring, developing, and actively sharing our knowledge.
GMI
Knowledge Management is about creating a culture of questioning and continuous learning through the identification, capture, and transfer of critical knowledge and individual development. The result allows us to achieve continuous improvement and innovative solutions, impacting business outcomes in terms of competitiveness, profitability, and reliability.
ARMADA DE LA REPUBLICA DE COLOMBIA
Knowledge Management is an essential strategic resource through which a collective understanding is achieved that serves as input in the decision-making process and allows the development of an action capability that responds to institutional needs.
The above are examples of Knowledge Management definitions, and there are certainly many more, almost as many as there are companies implementing Knowledge Management.
So, defining Knowledge Management is not to obtain a clear concept to frame and hang on a wall or to note down in a PowerPoint slide used to present the project to stakeholders. The most important goal of defining what each organization understands by Knowledge Management is what is known as alignment, meaning that everyone in the organization understands the same thing when referring to the topic at hand in this work.
