The competitive advantage of many o

The competitive advantage of many organizations is generally
determined by the magnitude of knowledge sharing that takes place within
the organization. But knowledge sharing does not automatically take place.
It must be encouraged and nurtured. In general, it is necessary to facilitate
communication and nurture the right culture within the organization in order
for proper sharing of knowledge to take place. A worker with specialized
knowledge in one area might ask, “If my knowledge is a valuable resource that
makes me an essential asset of the company, why should I share it and create a
competition?” On the other hand, a worker confident of his or her expertise in
one field might ask, “Why should I use the knowledge of others when it might
put to risk the quality of the work that I am doing?” Accordingly, a knowledge
manager must take into consideration the natural tendency of human beings
to hoard their own knowledge and regard that of others with suspicion when
designing a knowledge management system for any organization.