As information and its storage gets bigger in structure with passage of time, it is important to maintain it somewhere. Knowledge is vast in any sector, any industry and is easy to access only when managed properly. One way to maintain knowledge for any industry is to use knowledge management systems.

Knowledge management systems have been developed in such a way it helps in managing and storing the documentation in a systematic manner.Knowledge management is considered one of the sophisticated disciplines that should be central to a company, as it interconnects  the organization. 

What is Knowledge Management?

Knowledge Management is a process where value is derived from knowledge by reframing, structuring, and storing data held within the organization. Knowledge Management system helps the present employees to become more efficient in their respective jobs. 

It has a multidisciplinary approach which is mostly used in aiming to achieve objectives through the best potential use of knowledge. The primary aim of Knowledge Management   is to enhance the performance and to make a strategic approach towards the goals

Why Is Knowledge Management Important?

Knowledge management is  important to store information organizations utilize  across departments of the organization. Knowledge Management as a function deals with both explicit and tacit knowledge.

Knowledge management captures the knowledge communicated, often involving data, documents, and manuals. The knowledge management system aims at preventing the knowledge from being lost or forgotten and focuses on embedding knowledge into the company culture to encourage transparency and collaboration.

Following are how to consider knowledge management system  and  areas where it can help your organisation :

Managing the goals: Knowledge base software goals might involve the reduction of support costs, the increase in NPS scores, the deflection of contact for contact centers, or improvement of internal communication. Whatever the goals are, it is important to set them with the appropriate people who are involved in monitoring them, make them SMART, and adjust through time if necessary.

Knowledge management is considered a valuable investment, so its important goals are set initially and you have the tools in place to measure the results frequently throughout the knowledge management process. This prevents a lack of control over the discipline and therefore helps you get the most out of it and quicker.

Choosing  Knowledge Management Software: Knowledge management software is an essential element of knowledge management as opposed to a best practice. Without knowledge management software, the discipline could not function. We know that knowledge management is key for businesses that wish to improve control, efficiency, and customer satisfaction and that this is achieved by utilizing knowledge management software.

But, what is the best way to get employees to embrace knowledge management software? Choose a tool that is easy to use. This is reinforced by Gartner, who suggests you can “empower employees by providing easy-to-use powerful technologies” that positively impact employee engagement and subsequently, customer experience.

Knowledge as an asset: Knowledge has a measurable monetary value. In companies where knowledge accumulates only in employees’ heads and across disconnected systems, they face increased operational and opportunity costs by not leveraging the value of shared knowledge.

Therefore, it’s important to communicate the idea that knowledge is more than an entity in one’s head, but to a business, in particular, a valuable asset. Once employees associate knowledge with other assets, like people, cash, brand, and customers, they begin to understand its importance. Similar to how these assets have their own processes, teams, and specialist software, so does knowledge.

Employers need to be considered: Many knowledge management goals are surrounded with knowledge management to better serve employees. When executed well, it is considered a valuable tool that makes employee’s jobs easier, getting more done with fewer obstacles in the way it can even help them reach targets more efficiently.

Find out what you’re struggling with. Are silos of  knowledge or information hubs becoming a problem for them? Are mundane routine questions preventing them from resolving complex queries? Or are customer satisfaction scores below target?

Your employees are one of your main users when it comes to knowledge management, so consider their needs and make decisions based on this. For example, if siloed knowledge or information ‘hubs’ are a pain point, assign an executive who knows how to tackle such a problem.

What are the 6 Knowledge Management Best Practices?

1.Strategizing the process:  Before taking any further action, it's important to plan the process with proper strategies and take the necessary steps to convert the process into actions. Strategizing is crucial in planning. Strategizing the plan so that the program runs without any discrepancies. Also, one should ensure that it remains employee-centric.

2. Conducting training sessions: Training sessions are beneficial in the knowledge management system as it keeps productivity and efficiency increasing. The starting session for employees will be conducted through :

One-on-one coaching sessions

Company workshops

Online sessions (where live and interactive questions & answers sessions help avoid confusion.)

3. Developing learning environments: Developing a learning environment is a never-ending process And to keep up with the evolving world, it has become imperative that you keep yourself updated and develop new skills. The same applies to your organization and its employees. They are always in constant need to update themselves to bring the best out of them.

One of the best practices of knowledge management is to engage your employees in learning while working without too much stress or time-taking burden. These can be short from trivia that can be given through the knowledge management system.

4.Online forums and intranet: Every organization has its social platform. Here discussions happen often and sharing of relevant information occurs. This helps the employees to stay connected with each other. And learn about new developments.

As a manager, you can add a section allowing access to vital information. This will help your employees to gain more knowledge about the necessary changes. This fosters transparency and allows employees to see the bigger picture.

5.Reduce software subscription:  Knowledge Management is one of the  trend making waves for the coming year as companies eliminate duplicate software they don’t need. The need to save more money in challenging times is always on the radar. Eliminating wasteful spending on software that doesn’t really add anything to knowledge management should become a key goal.

Knowledge management tools help reduce the flow of apps that are perhaps taking too much work and money to maintain.The knowledge management system also  makes it easy to share knowledge and automate workflows by integrating with your most important day-to-day tools.

6. Guiding and documentation: One  of the effective ways to transfer knowledge is through text-based knowledge management. It can include guides, case studies, and documentation. It enables-

Storage of any information in any mode

Easy navigating and finding information 

Online sharing 

More integrated communication: Being able to communicate ideas among employees is essential when collaboration occurs on critical projects. A knowledge base is the only way to really enhance collaboration, but it requires integrating as many apps as possible.

Finding a platform that can integrate every business app available today adds to this improved web of communication. Knowledge management systems which have advanced software abilities can connect or integrate with CRM apps as well.

The use of tacit knowledge: Another popular Knowledge Management trend is tacit knowledge or sharing the knowledge of experts within your company. Those employees with industry knowledge you valued so much might have moved on to another job recently. Rather than all that knowledge of theirs going with them, the new trend is to capture that knowledge before they leave.

Even if you still have some of those employees working for you, getting their knowledge into some kind of useful platform is invaluable for new hires. The trend is to use a platform to store this knowledge and then supply it to employees through a simple answer format.

Advanced use of artificial intelligence: Undoubtedly, you have heard a lot about AI in the workplace. While you may think AI still has limitations, it has continued to evolve exponentially in just the last few years.

Some knowledge management tools have advanced AI. This includes the use of machine learning to create tools like AI-powered chatbots to pass on information when needed. Advanced AI and machine learning. The more a chatbot absorbs information from those asking questions, the smarter it becomes in providing information later.

Conclusion: 

The crucial moment is when to apply an application of knowledge management is applied. The major goal of every organization is to become more effective and more productive. The process can become extensive with time as it needs to be updated with the latest developments. But, once you get the gist of it, it will become beneficial for your organization in the long run.

Without communication, efficient Knowledge Management (KM) would be exceptionally difficult to maintain. Communication is a knowledge manager’s best tool. By utilizing it effectively, you can strengthen literally every aspect of your business.

But how exactly do communication and KM interact? What defines their relationship? And how can you go about building seamless communication strategies?

For any business looking to get ahead in this rapidly changing, data-driven marketplace, the answers to these questions can make or break your efforts. Here's what you should know about strengthening your communication for efficient Knowledge Management.

The relationship between communication and knowledge management

First, it's essential to define the difference between communicative processes and Knowledge Management in general.

Communication, simply put, is the diverse act of expressing an idea from one consciousness to another. It takes on a variety of forms and these days is increasingly digital. In the business world— like in every other aspect of life—the effectiveness of communication can determine your success, whether you’re attempting to boost sales, cut costs, or improve the employee experience.

Knowledge Management, on the other hand, represents the ability of a business to capture information, share it, and apply it effectively. As you can see, communication is a central aspect of this process. Within the framework of KM, efficient communication is necessary in three key areas of business. These are:

1. Information gathering.
2. Disseminating insights and analytics across a company.
3. Forming a narrative that translates information into real-world applications.

Streamlining these endeavors company-wide is a fundamental skill for any business development manager. After all, you'll be working across departments and specialists to transfer information from one source to another. Without the right data sources, a proper method of communication across your company, and a narrative contextualizing your knowledge, you will fail in your endeavors to coordinate information.

As you're aware, this will make digital and global trade especially difficult. With Supply chains alone requiring real-time, transparent modes of communication, your ability to process information is key.

Strengthen your communication efforts to make these processes seamless.

How to make communication efforts seamless

Fortunately, strengthening your communication efforts doesn't have to be as difficult as it might sound. Sure, communication takes constant effort and careful coordination. But with a business framework dedicated to effective KM processes, you can build a communication system that all but eliminates human error.

Here are some effective strategies for helping you make your communication efforts seamless:

1. Constantly invite feedback: Without the coordination and cooperation of your entire team, your KM strategies will not be as effective as they might be. Because of this, feedback is one of the most essential communication techniques that you can use to promote the application of any knowledge. Coordinate with your team, creating an open and empathetic environment in which insights, questions, and concerns can all be shared freely and easily.

2. Build continuous learning into the company culture: Communicating knowledge effectively is much easier with a dedication from all parties to continuous learning and growing. By espousing these values in your company culture, you support an environment in which people are willing and eager to listen. This will help in your efforts to create an empathetic space for feedback and ideas, and will in turn help you encourage dialogue.

3. Encourage a dialogue: By building an open and horizontal dialogue with your workforce, your KM strategies will take on new life. Such an approach invites each member of your team to share their passions, their projects, their questions, and concerns to develop mutual understanding. This can take many forms, from circular in-person group brainstorming sessions to open platforms for instant messaging and knowledge sharing. The right tools will make such a dialogue even easier.

4. Apply effective communication technologies: In the wake of Covid-19, more business places than ever have moved to remote work. Without the right communication platforms, your KM processes will suffer. For example, Lucidspark states that more than 50% of employees admit to working on other things during virtual meetings, making a strategic plan for remote work vital. Tech tools like collaborative digital bulletin boards, group messaging, and document sharing all help to ensure that employees are contributing and staying focused.

5. Innovate, innovate, innovate: Finally, commit to an environment that is constantly open to change and adaptation. The digital world makes new processes possible all the time. From new communication tools to agile frameworks for coordinating your knowledge, your ability to innovate will determine the effectiveness of your KM strategies. A change mindset will help employees learn and grow while inviting greater understanding into knowledge applications.

Building efficient knowledge management through communication

By following these strategies for strengthening your communication efforts, Knowledge Management will improve across your entire organization. Open dialogue invites empathy and improved communication while continuous learning makes for more open-minded employees. Build a culture of innovation by highlighting these values, then reap the rewards as workers seamlessly apply new and improved processes.

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Knowledge management is a process that involves the definition, retention, structuring, and sharing of employee’s knowledge and experience within an organization. The primary goal of knowledge management within the organization is to retain knowledge in the organization and also improve the organization’s efficiency. 

Many times, knowledge management refers to training and learning the employees or customers of an organization. It involves a cycle in which knowledge is created, shared, structured, and audited so that the effectiveness of the collective knowledge in the organization is maximized. 

Knowledge management can completely transform the way an organization operates and can bring about continuous improvement. This is why it’s crucial for organizations. It is also a good prospect for students looking for internship opportunities. 

Why knowledge management is important

There are many reasons why organizations find knowledge management necessary. A primary reason is that it increases the efficiency of decision-making within an organization. 

Organizations want to ensure that all their employees can access the overall expertise that is held in the organization. This is why they built an intelligent workforce that can quickly make informed decisions to benefit the company. 

It is also effortless to foster innovation within an organization with knowledge management. This will ensure that your customers benefit more from your organization as your employees offer the best practices. It also reduces employee turnover drastically. 

Knowledge management is becoming increasingly important. With competition becoming stiffer in the marketplace, companies try to stay up and ahead by building their organization flexibly and intelligently. Every organization understands the importance of spotting problems from afar and providing appropriate innovations and information. 

According to managers at a paper writing service review, some of the reasons why companies start their knowledge management process are:

●      An acquisition or merger may bring about the need to codify knowledge and encourage different teams to share their knowledge and expertise. 

●      Key employees could be retiring, and this will raise the need to gain and retain their knowledge and expertise in others.

●      A recruitment drive could show that it is important to use knowledge management to help with training the new employees. 

Students’ Internship 

Students who take up internship positions in knowledge management will provide support for the numerous knowledge management projects already in process. As stated in some professional writing services, they will also support implementing new activities with the guidance of a Senior Program Associate. These interns will also help the opportunities for internal learning so that staff can ensure they are updated with current literature and can access both external and internal resources. They will also participate actively in the different knowledge-sharing groups, such as communities of practice. 

Some responsibilities of knowledge management students interns

Knowledge management cuts across all industries, and the intern’s responsibility is different across the sectors. For students looking to go into the health industry, the knowledge management interns will be responsible for the following:

●      Scanning and analyzing different kinds of literature that are relevant to the company they are interning at. They will share the analysis and significant findings with the programmatic, technical, and clinical staff. They are also responsible for writing the programmatic implications and summaries of results from new research. 

●      They are providing the support needed for regular journal clubs. According to custom essay writing, this includes selecting relevant articles, facilitating conversations, and developing questions to be discussed. 

●      They are responsible for Coordinating knowledge management working groups, communities of practice, and meeting other groups in the organization. 

●      They also create the catalogs and archives for technical publications, evaluate & research internal knowledge products, reports, and other things according to its standard. 

●      They also fulfill other assignments or duties that are assigned to them. 

Student learning objectives

Similar to the responsibilities for student interns, their learning objectives in knowledge management would vary from one industry to the other. In some cases, it could vary between different organizations based on the setup of each organization. For students interning in the healthcare industry, here are some of the learning objectives. 

●      To get a good understanding of literature that is relevant to

●      Essential topics such as maternal health, family planning, reproductive health, etc. 

●      To get a good experience of some of the challenges that affect institutional learning and the strategies deployed to combat these challenges. 

●      To hone your writing skills to reach and be able to communicate with different groups of audiences effectively.

●      To get first-hand practical experience and knowledge at the health organization and deepen their coordination and collaboration skills within the organization and beyond. 

Conclusion 

Knowledge management is vital within an organization to acquire, retain, and share knowledge. It also works across all industries, so students have the leeway to do their internship in knowledge management irrespective of their study. This article already discusses some of the things that you should know about knowledge management in 2021. 

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Note: Next Creative KM Certification class is coming up: Oct 16, 18, 23 and 25, 2023 (half days, 9-1 EST).  Based on the "Radical KM" methodology and taught by the author of the program, Stephanie Barnes. Details here...

Radical KM seeks to make knowledge management take a strategic view of knowledge work from the perspective of the knowledge worker. Sustainability comes from making space for creativity in our organisations, so that they are not just analytical, rational, and process-oriented factories, but creative, and innovative ecosystems. 

The value of knowledge management in the 21st century comes from learning, not from the databases and the documents of the 20th century, but from the experience of learning. It is necessary for knowledge management to take a more active role and to ask: what are the desired sustainable behaviours and is there a group of people who consistently exhibit many of them that we can learn from? How do we focus less on databases and documents and more on continuous learning?

Radical KM seeks answer these questions by putting creativity into our organisations, to make them whole, to help the people within them thrive in the times we live in: volatile, uncertain, complex, ambiguous times.

Our organisations have focused on the division of labour, the compartmentalisation of knowledge, and treating knowledge work like it is part of a production line. Anchoring our organisations in these industrial-age paradigms has left out space for creativity and does not suit desired knowledge-age requirements. People are not machines, knowledge work requires different behaviours to support it and be successful, it requires the behaviours that have been ignored in favour of efficiency and effectiveness. Making space for creativity is critical to our success in the 21st century and beyond.

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In today's business world, innovation is key to success. Innovation is often thought of as a one-time event. But innovation should be fostered and encouraged throughout the year. One way to do this is by implementing new techniques for knowledge management. Knowledge managers have been tasked with the responsibility of providing their employees with timely information on various topics that are pertinent to their work environment. To encourage innovation, they can use these 6 techniques: 

1. Incorporate brainstorming into meetings

Create a collaborative environment where people are encouraged to share their thoughts and ideas with each other. Brainstorming sessions allow participants to come up with ideas without judgment from others. During brainstorming sessions, your team can solve problems by breaking them down into smaller, more manageable pieces. These can be done in person or via video conferencing.

Encourage people from every level in your organisation to speak up about what is working well and not so well within their work environment. This includes encouraging individuals who are not typically seen as leaders to participate in discussions during meetings.

Brainstorming sessions also allow people who might not typically speak up at meetings to feel more comfortable doing so because they know someone will listen and take note of their idea no matter how ‘out there’ it may seem at first.

2. Be a facilitator, not an evaluator

Establish goals and objectives with your team, holding them accountable for meeting those expectations. Guide employees to excel in your company’s objective and give them clear directions. Give feedback on their performance and progress towards these goals, instead of just giving criticism. Encourage new ideas by allowing employees to share their thoughts and concerns about meeting company objectives without fear of being judged in the moment.

Some knowledge managers believe that encouraging emotional intelligence is a way to encourage innovation in the workplace. It is essential for people to feel like they are having their thoughts and feelings validated, as well as being able to voice abstract ideas without fear of judgement or retaliation.

This will provide employees with new perspectives on problems they may not have even thought about before. Encouraging creativity through praise and recognition can also foster an environment where everyone feels like their contributions are valued, which helps propel innovation forward.

3. Invest in training for employees to learn and develop their existing skills

If you build on skills that your employees already know, they'll be more invested in the training and feel like it was a worthwhile investment of their time. Hold workshops periodically in various areas such as communication skills, customer service skills, value selling and more.

This is also a good way to train people who are new to an organisation or have transferred from another department because it will help them learn about how things work at your company without getting lost in too much jargon.

Innovation thrives when knowledge workers can share ideas with one another and collaborate efficiently across different departments within organisations. Knowledge management techniques such as these provide managers with tangible ways of fostering innovation by supporting collaboration among team members while providing tools for developing new approaches for day-to-day tasks.

4. Embrace failure — it's okay if some things don't work out as planned because you can always learn from them or try again later

Be a problem-solver. Create a culture that focuses on continuous improvement as opposed to doing something right once or having one-time success stories. Have whistleblowing systems in place to easily identify when things are going wrong.

This is the most important characteristic of an innovation-friendly manager. When employees come to you with problems or ideas for improvement, demonstrate that you're willing and able to provide assistance in solving these issues. Asking them questions about how they've already tried tackling their challenge will help give them confidence that you'll be receptive to their feedback. After all, it's vital not only to listen but also act on what we hear from others if we want our workplace culture to encourage new thinking and creativity.

5. Showcase the work of others in your company

Demonstrate to your employees the need for innovation by highlighting other people's work. For example, your company can start with developing an ‘Innovation of the Week’ series.

The Innovation of the Week can be a weekly feature for your company that highlights creative and innovative projects from within your organisation. The idea behind initiatives like these is that it helps each employee think about how they are adding value to their team or solving problems in new ways, as well as making them feel appreciated for their contributions.

Develop events that encourage knowledge sharing, such as holding monthly lunches where all employees can share what they've been working on so far. You can do quarterly presentations focused around one particular theme where everyone demonstrates what they know best.

6. Avoid the echo chamber — create a culture of dissent by encouraging people to challenge ideas

Encourage people to share their perspectives and insights. Create open forums where they're allowed, even encouraged, to challenge ideas and theories.

Encourage others to provide feedback on each other's work before it is finalised; this will help generate new ideas for the project or content at hand. You can incorporate members from other divisions in your company to get more perspectives.

Invite outside speakers who can offer different points of view from those that are currently represented by staff members within an organisation. If you seek out feedback from both inside and outside the organisation on how best to do things, this will give you a better idea of what is working in an area as well as what could be improved.

Encourage employees to take risks and explore new territories for ideas, products, or services. You can do this by allowing people time during the day to explore topics that interest them without any direct involvement in projects assigned by managers so that they may develop creative solutions.

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