In other words, KM is all about managing
knowledge as an organizational asset and helping
organizations to capture, use and maintain their
knowledge assets, and to leverage the investment
they have made in the knowledge of their staff.
So, why does BU need KM? Let’s start by
looking at the current BU business environment, and
where it needs to be improved.
Currently KM plays a minor role in the business
activity of the University. It is linked to the Ministry
of Education’s QA requirements for Higher Education
Institutes in Thailand. These QA requirements
have a component dealing with research and within
that component is a requirement for “A knowledge
management system for research and innovations.
[5]”
However there is no over-arching University
strategy or plan for KM in place, and no coordination
between the various schools and business departments
to manage BU’s knowledge collectively. And,
most importantly, key knowledge processes, and key
knowledge expertise, are not identified, and therefore
cannot be managed and maintained effectively.
Without sound KM practice in place, the University
faces several potential business problems:
• Business processes such as curriculum design
and development, become ineffective and costly over
time, because new learning and previous knowledge
are not being re-applied, and therefore time and
resources are wasted in re-inventing what has already
been created previously.
• Access to new knowledge and the free-flow of
existing knowledge, are essential ingredients in the
University being able to provide a platform for the
generating of new ideas and new knowledge. KM
can help provide the means to stimulate creativity
and innovation.
• KM will provide a means to manage one of
the University’s biggest assets – its store of knowledge.
Otherwise, the University will not have performed
due diligence in its business management
duties.
• KM is also essential to ensure that employees
and managers have the right knowledge at the right
time, in order to make the right decision. In this way
business efficiency will improve, and this will allow
BU employees to make better decisions together.
What I am describing here is a business environment
where BU’s knowledge is in danger of
becoming a wasted resource due to its disconnected
and unmanaged nature. Silos of knowledge and
expertise exist all over the place, yet there is nothing
in place to deal with this situation.
KM will address these issues and look to
promote common and coordinated approaches for
dealing with the situation.