Knowledge Repository and Knowledge Management
Transcript of Knowledge Repository and Knowledge Management
Knowledge is a familiarity, awareness or understanding of someone or something, such as facts, information, descriptions, or skills, which is acquired through experience or education by perceiving, discovering, or learning.
“Processing data can be performed by machine, but only the human mind can process knowledge or even information.”
Classic Data to Knowledge
Hierarchy By differentiating between Data,
Information, Knowledge and
Wisdom, and seeing their
relationship as a movement from
Explicit Knowledge to Tacit
Knowledge, we avoid the
“reductionism” that confuses
Explicit Data, Information and
Knowledge with Tacit Wisdom.
Tacit Knowledge is primal. Explicit
Knowledge is strongly influenced
by the Tacit Dimension which
operates beneathe the surface of
our categorical and quantifying
Organisational knowledge: An organization creates knowledge through the
interactions between explicit knowledge and tacit
knowledge. This interaction between the two types of
knowledge is called "knowledge conversion", through
which both tacit and explicit knowledge expands in both
quality and quantity.
The four modes of knowledge conversion are:
(1) socialization (from tacit knowledge to tacit knowledge);
(2) externalization (from tacit knowledge to explicit
knowledge);
(3) combination (from explicit knowledge to explicit
knowledge); and
(4) internalization (from explicit knowledge to tacit
Socialization is the process of converting new
tacit knowledge through shared experiences, e.g.
through spending time together, through
apprenticeship, in informal social meetings
outside the workplace, or beyond organizational
boundaries, as often firms often acquire and take
advantage of the tacit knowledge embedded in
customers or suppliers by interacting with them.
Externalization is the process of articulating tacit
knowledge as explicit knowledge, thus allowing it
to be shared by others, and it becomes the basis
of new knowledge.
Combination is the process of converting explicit
knowledge into more complex and systematic set
of explicit knowledge so as to create new
knowledge.
Through Internalization, explicit knowledge
created is shared throughout an organization and
converted into tacit knowledge by individuals.
Internalization is closely related to "learning by
doing."
Knowledge creation is a continuous process of
dynamic interactions between tacit and explicit
knowledge. Organizational knowledge creation is
a never-ending process that upgrades itself
continuously.
Repository:
Repository: a facility where
things can be deposited for
storage or safekeeping.
Synonyms for repository
warehouse ,depository , archive
,vault , magazine ,depot ,
Knowledge repository:
A knowledge repository is a computerized
system that systematically captures, organizes
and categorizes an organization's knowledge.
The repository can be searched and data can
be quickly retrieved.
Knowledge repositories help organizations
connect people with information and expertise
globally via online searchable libraries,
discussion forums and other elements.
They provide a central location to collect, contribute and share digital learning resources for use in instructional design and content development for both traditional and non-traditional learning environments.
The effective knowledge repositories include factual, conceptual, procedural and meta-cognitive techniques. The key features of knowledge repositories include communication forums.
A knowledge base-type repository is usually dedicated to a specific program or process, and information can be submitted by developers, technical support personnel, or end users. The democratic nature of the knowledge base allows it to grow organically and rapidly,
The four types of knowledge repositories:
1. Subject-based repositories (commercial and non-commercial, single and federated)
usually have been set up by community members and are adopted by the wider community.
Spontaneous self-archiving is prevalent as the repository is of intrinsic value to scholars. Much of the intrinsic value for authors comes from the opportunity to communicate ideas and results early in the form of working papers and preprints, from which a variety of benefits may result, such as being able to claim priority, testing the value of an idea or result, improving a publication prior to submission, gaining recognition, achieving international attention and so on. As such, subject-based repositories are thematically well defined, and alert services and usage statistics are meaningful for community users;
2. Research repositories
are usually sponsored by research funding or performing
organisations to capture results. This capturing typically
requires a deposit mandate.
Publications are results, including books, but data may also be
considered a result worth capturing, leading to a collection
with a variety of items. Because these items constitute a
record of science, standards for deposit and preservation must
be stringent.
Research repositories are likely to contain high-quality output.
This is because its content is peer- reviewed multiple times
(e.g. grant application, journal submission, research
evaluation) and the production of the results is well funded.
Users who are collaborators, competitors or instigating a new
research project are most likely to find the collections of
relevance.
3. National repository systems require coordination - more for a federated
system, less for a unified system.
National systems are designed to capture scholarly output more generally and not just with a view to preserving a record of scholarship, but also to support, for example, teaching and learning in higher education.
Indeed, only a national purpose will justify the national investment. Such systems are likely to display scholarly outputs in the national language, highlight the publications of prominent scholars and develop a system for recording dissertations. One could conceive of such a national system as part of a national research library that serves scholarly communication in the national language and supports public policy, e.g. in generating open educational resources for higher education and enhancing public
4. Institutional repositories
It contain the various outputs of the institution. While research results are important among these outputs, so are works of qualification, and teaching and learning materials.
If the repository captures the whole output, it is both a library and a showcase. It is a library holding an institutional collection, and it is a showcase because the online open access display and availability of the collection may serve to impress and connect, for example, with alumni of the institution or the colleagues of researchers.
A repository may also be an instrument of the institution by supporting, for example, internal and external assessment as well as strategic planning. Moreover, an institutional repository could have an important function in regional development. It allows firms, public bodies and civil society organisations to understand immediately what kind of expertise is available locally.
Why We Need it:
A good knowledge repository helps improve relationships. If it’s written well it can bridge communication gaps not only between departments, but also between the business and its clients.
It reduces the time new staff spend in training, improves incident management, and helps you uncover automation opportunities via online self-help.
Knowledge repository is an explicit knowledge means easier to express and to make public.it enables individual and organizational learning.
Value to
Organization
Organizational
Learning
Active Knowledge
Transfer
Expert Knowledge
Base
Contact Links
Expert Assistance as
Needed
Communities of
Practice Index
Decision Making
Tools
Profiles for
Customization
Pushed Reports &
News
Collaboration Tools
Repositories
Best Practices
Reports
Documents
Presentation Slides
Tips
Key features of effective digital knowledge
repositories:
Centralization. A wide variety of digital
courseware, and content curated from multiple
sources, can be housed in a central location
where it can be tagged, shared and commented
upon globally within one consistent interface.
Content management. The breadth of learning
content can include audio visual files,
simulations, data, learning modules, articles,
blogs, YouTube videos, best practices guidance,
monitoring capabilities and contact information.
Content is searchable by key words, learning
outcomes, and other vehicles.
Cost savings. Repositories can potentially reduce the
cost of training and education by making affordable
course materials accessible, reducing the need for
classroom training and stimulating productive informal
learning.
Access control. By restricting individual content pieces
via password authentication and other security
functionality, curators can accomplish various goals.
Record management. Repositories can integrate with
learning management systems to blend seamlessly into
learning and talent management programs.
Before you start:
Choose Your Weapon. You should have a knowledge base product installed. It could be a wiki, a third-party knowledge management system, or even a collection of well-organisedand maintained Word documents.
Who’s Your Audience?Who is the documentation for-- your team, or the people you support? The language you use may be different depending on who needs to understand it. If you are writing for your end-users, spend some time with them. Find out how they already do things, what they could do more effectively, and what they don’t know how to do. Interview them, observe them, and don’t take negative feedback personally.
Understand.When you take on the communicator role, you need to understand what you’re communicating. If the information doesn’t make sense, either go back to the source or ask someone else who knows the process well to explain it.
Guidelines to develop repository
:
Clear and Concise:
It’s the number one rule of business writing,
technical writing, and any other kind of
functional writing.
In 1946 George Orwell said, “Never use a long word
where a short one will do”.
Keep your sentences simple and short wherever
possible. A good test is to read it out loud. If you
need to take a breath partway through, it’s too long.
Knowledge base articles are generally instructional,
so they should be written in the present tense.
Avoid the Curse of Knowledge:
When we know our processes and systems well, we
often assume everyone else does too. We forget that
some of our readers may not know what we’re talking
about. Here’s how you can avoid that problem.
As you write each article, imagine a new employee
reading it. Have you left something unsaid that seems
obvious to you, but wouldn’t be to them?
Just the Facts:
Stick with describing the facts. No in-jokes and no
opinion.
Bust the Jargon:
The industry or organisation you are in may use a lot of
jargon. While it’s acceptable sometimes, try to avoid it as
much as possible to avoid confusing your readers.If you
must use it, provide a quick reference guide to
commonly-used jargon andacronyms.
Make the Connections:
Some knowledge base systems let you reference related
articles..
Link to definitions, contacts, other related issues and
articles, and externalwebsites with relevant information.
If you can, attach photographs, screenshots, maps or
other documents thathelp describe the problem or
environment.
Responsible Tagging:
All online knowledge base systems are searchable—even simple Word documents. So give each article you write a relevant, meaningful heading and use the words people are most likely to search for.. Always choose the most relevant tags, and if it doesn’t exist see if you can create it.
Easy to Read Formatting:
Careful formatting and adequate whitespace between chunks of text makes your article easier to read.
Stick to one style of font in black and opt for one other colour to highlight important points.
Don’t just cut and paste haphazardly. Invest the time to reformat it.
Break it Down :
Many procedures involve several steps. Depending on your reader, consider how granular those steps need to be. Break them down accordingly, and define each step clearly.
Some basic parameters of effective
knowledge repository:
First impression: url, download time, readability,
look, home page on screen.
Navigation: ease of use, site map, visible
navigational links
Content: useful information, use of texts,
graphics, audio, video, animation, language,
FAQs
Browser compatibility
User satisfaction forum
Contact information.
Knowledge repository advantages
and disadvantages :
Dynamic conversation: The biggest advantage of a knowledge base is that it allows a variety of users to contribute to the knowledge base results in "live" documentation and generate a dynamic, relevant conversation.
Also, since it includes contributions from development, tech support, and end users, those doing online research can explore the same problem from several different viewpoints, possibly leading them to a solution that they wouldn't have considered on their own.
Prominence of Information: The democratic, organic
nature of a knowledge base means that the most
important information is likely to make itself prominent,
while the less important information will be buried, giving
knowledge bases a natural sorting function.
If poorly written or incorrect information is submitted,
other users are able to bury it by replacing it with better
information, or can flag it for deletion/review by an
administrator.
Archived Documentation :Old articles left in the
knowledge base provide an automatic archive of
documentation for legacy versions of the product or
process. As new versions of the product or process are
created, the knowledge base can be reorganized or
restarted to archive the old information while keeping the
latest information prominently featured.
Solutions: A dedicated personnel needs to be appointed to spend a few hours a week searching the knowledge base for redundant, outdated, or inaccurate resolutions and delete them as needed. They should be trained in the use of the knowledge base.
Inconsistent Documents:The different writing styles and knowledge levels of contributors often result in a disjointed, nonstandardized document, which is one of the biggest disadvantages of a knowledge base.
Redundancy becomes the rule rather than the exception. It is almost certain that the same mistakes will be added to the knowledge base several times over. Dedicated maintenance is thus required.
A knowledge base requires time to build as scenarios and problems are found, resolved, and documented.