Knowledge Management IT Toolbox

* 1 Definition
* 2 KM Storage
* 3 KM Leadership
* 4 References

[Edit section] Definition

Knowledge Management (or KM) refers to the processes and/or tools an organization uses to collect, analyze, store, and disseminate its intellectual capital. A logical extension of this concept is into the entire organization, in the form of Enterprise Knowledge Management (EKM). Among the areas of greatest concern for the modern knowledge worker (from CIO down to the Content Manager), is identifying, collecting, securing and maintaining the information (aka knowledge base) of the organization. Without a process to ensure this system's usefulness, there are invariably holes which are only found when a user tries to obtain that (missing) information.

This intellectual capital can include training materials, processes, procedures, documents, ideas, skills, experiences, and much more. An effective Knowledge management plan allows a company to quickly and easily share this intellectual capital among the organization so it is available on-demand at anytime it is needed. (EEC)

KM can take many forms, depending on the purpose and requirements. The following is a partial list of related types of KM from which an organization may select one or many:

* Content Management
* Data Management
* Records Management
* Document Management
* Portal
* Online Education
* Information Architecture
* Knowledge Discovery
* Knowledge Retrieval

[Edit section] KM Storage

Methods of storing and sharing this intellectual capital include searchable knowledge bases, Learning Management Systems, other types of databases, enterprise portals, groupware tools, and email. (Bassi)
[Edit section] KM Leadership

Knowledge Leadership, in terms of position types and their associated titles, covers a broad category of positions and responsibilities. Chief Knowledge Officer (CKO), like any executive-level corporate leader, handles for enterprise-wide coordination of all KM-related issues and projects. Few corporations maintain a CKO or equivalent officer within their organization. More likely, this responsibility would fall either within the scope of the CIO or a director-level Knowledge Manager. Various categories within the lower-level Knowledge Management career field may be: Knowledge Analyst (Content Manager), Knowledge Engineer (Software Specialist), or, Knowledge Steward (Librarian). These are general career titles, since a specific taxonomy does not currently exist which applies to all organizations or positions within the emerging field of KM. (Delphi Group)
[Edit section] References

Glossary. Engineering Education Centre. Engineering Education Centre. 31 Jan. 2006.

Bassi, Laurie. Harnessing the Power of Intellectual Capital. Training & Development. Dec. 1997. Glossary. ASTD. 31 Jan. 2006.

Delphi Group. The Language of Knowledge: A glossary of terms associated with Knowledge Management technologies and solutions 2005.
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