Management Consultancy
Introduction
The management and sharing of knowledge are very vital and essential. Various companies have strategic plans and ways to spread and store their resourceful information, whether on personified or codified levels. This assignment, the multiple methods of information dispersal and storage, will also be discussed the advantages and disadvantages of using such methods at clientele and consultancy levels.
- Personalized method of knowledge management
The personalized approach of managing information mainly speaks about using the human resource as a way of storing and spreading the news. The personalized approach is quite a good and lucrative way of managing knowledge in any organization. The mode of knowledge management has four primary modes of operation, which includes the following approaches: the customization, personalization, expertise, and codified methods.
Customization approach
Customization is the modification made to something to suit a particular individual. The advantage of this approach concerning the personalized way of knowledge management is as follows. A customized form of doing things creates a friendly environment and building of relationship ties with working colleagues also clients. This is because there is the personal attention given to them as you address their grievances.
The customized approach has a dire disadvantage. The most significant difficulty is that there would be a biased concentration of energy given to some individuals. This may lead to quarrels in the work stations as some workers will feel neglected by the governing authority.
Personalization Approach
Personalization is the action of designing or producing something to suit someone’s individual needs. The advantages of the personalized approach to knowledge management on clientele and consultancy firms are as follows. Personalization brings about a significant investment in human brains and personal intelligence. The information impacted on these individuals is elastic; hence can be easily be expanded.
The information also is stored on a long term basis perspective. This is because data stored in the long-term brain memory is not easily forgotten. Lastly, the report found in the personalized approach perspective is easily shared between individuals in an organization set-up also on the client’s objective.
, The personalization approach, unfortunately, has to disadvantage severe cases. In the case of a critical employee dying, the information and expertise that he may have hold may be lost. The knowledge stored at a personal level may also be stolen upon forceful men retrieval of data from an individual in cases of abductions. Lastly, essential knowledge about something may be lost if the employees of the company are pouched to other better-paying organizations.
Expertise Approach
The expertise personalized approach of knowledge management is the specialization of expert skill and knowledge in particular fields. The expertise approach has the following advantages. Personnel who are experts have the gift of specialization in their work. A company that employs individuals with such skills will excel. The production of quality work will be witnessed. This is because the organization has employees who are experts in what they do. The experts in such an employment environment will easily influence other employees to be like them. Also, they will be mentors to other clientele individuals on other companies.
The expertise approach to knowledge development will attach awards and recognition. The organization that has employed experts in various fields in their companies record good results in the annual awards and recognition ceremonies organized due to the expertise human resource they command.
The expertise approach also has some disadvantages. The expertise docket with brilliant individuals may lead to boredom and monotony. This is because of their dare concentration on one phenomenal that they are heavily invested in; thus, clients and individuals working in such settings who are industrious will shun away.
- Codified Method of Knowledge Management
The codified method of knowledge management simply involves sharing and storage of knowledge in computers and other electronic devices. The codified approach is embraced in the latter days by many emerging companies and organizations. The form of knowledge management is presumed to be an excellent method of reducing the human labor that could be deployed to do that work as for the cases of companies that embrace the personalized way of knowledge management.
The codified method of knowledge management has the following approaches as forms of knowledge management initiatives. Commodification, standardization, and lastly, IT systems of knowledge management are applied.
Commodification Approach
Commodification simply is the transfer of all information from all sources of storage into computers and electronic gadgets. The advantage of using the above methods for the storage and dispersal of knowledge is as follows. The information and knowledge stored in such electronic avenues are easily accessed. The employees who work in such an organization will only need to obtain a computer to get any information or knowledge he wants about a particular subject.
The information and knowledge stored in computers are safe and durable. This is because an organization can code understanding about a particular in computer language. The clientele in need of such information will need the decoding services of the persons that encrypted such information from the organization. Moreover, data stored in computer backgrounds are elastic hence can be breaded. This is because the computer has other internet inventories that are invented every day by latter-day scientists.
The modification and improvement of the knowledge stored in the computer accessories are developed. This because of the vast technological averments in the computer field. Hence a technology company can deal with the experience of producing something that will defiantly use the internet sources to develop their ideas and later on sell to their counterparts and competitors.
The commodification approach, on the other, had has dire disadvantages. The information and knowledge stored in computers may be corrupted due to the many cases of viruses in computers. There are cases of computer shortcomings as there are times where the electronic computer gadget may fail. These unfortunate instances will lead to various organizations that have invested in computers as their primary sources of storage of information lose their investments.
The cases of computer hacking is also an alarming factor. Many companies and organizations that have not invested well in the cyber-security docket may suffer significant implications. This is because the latter-day world is filled with brilliant individuals but may have ill intentions. A company that may have invested its knowledge and critical information electronically should make sure that they put correct and proper cyber-security facilities in their companies to protect their investment.
The other fundamental disadvantage of using computers to store knowledge is that compute gadgets are often stolen. The organizations that invest in computer technology as their primary source of storage of information should also invest in their security personnel so that they are the machines that are storing the knowledge of the company are well safeguarded.
The other disadvantage is the profit turning margins. Companies that follow a codification strategy rely on the “economics of reuse. Once a knowledge asset software code or a manual, for example, is developed and paid for, it can be used many times over at little cost, provided it does not have to be substantially modified each time it is used. Because the knowledge is contained in electronic repositories, it can be employed in many jobs by many consultants. Many consultants can be assigned to a project; big projects will have a high ratio of consultants to partners.
Standardization Approach
The standardization approach of knowledge development deals with conforming ideas and knowledge to the computer set-up basis. The standardization approach has the following advantages. The quality of the work that would be produced would be of high quality and well standard. Consider this example. An HP team recently developed a very successful electronic oscilloscope with a Windows operating system and interface. Executives wanted to be sure that other divisions understood and applied the interface. To keep the costs of knowledge transfer low, they considered trying to codify the acquired know-how. The example stated above is a clear indicator that the use of computers in technological enhancement is quite vital.
The standardization approach knowledge storage through the codified method also leads to the easy upgrading of knowledge and resources acquired. Organizations that embrace the standardization policies readily conform to the development of information in hand to upgrade and update it as time goes by.
The standardized approach of information spread and storage also has amicable measures put under the said computer gadgets that store the information securely. Organizations can invest in tight and well monitor security measures that can include electronic safes and other database security measured like the use of microchips to store information safely. The knowledge stored hence can only be accessed by the required individuals, especially the companies heads who will know what to do with the information at hand, whether to sell it to other competitors or to share it with the companies employed individuals.
The standardized approach of storing codified information also has its many shortcomings. The information that is claimed to be graded and stored in the computers may be biased. This because of the new and many upcoming individuals that develop technology-related issues in the computer world. Hence a company should be keen not to put their best-standardized knowledge in computer form for an extended period.
The standardized approach also can store information on computers for a long time, which is very monotonous. The information stored in the computer’s databases without reviews may be tedious. This because the network will be recurring and holding the same information and knowledge that a particular organization holds since time immemorial. The revision and updating of companies’ standardized information and expertise should be enhanced for the benefits of the employee and the clientele that may want to buy their ideas.
IT System Approach
IT system’s approach to knowledge development and spreading is an essential factor in knowledge enhancement. The IT systems deal with computer-related ways of storing knowledge and upgrading them as time goes by often used by the current companies in the world of technology. The IT system approach to knowledge development has the following advantages. The IT system technology has excellent storing facilities in the computer to store information. Moreover, the information and knowledge store can be encrypted in a computer language to counter leakages of vital information.
The IT system of knowledge management policy also has long-term security assurances. The information stored in the computers will be store there safely and securely as long as the individual desires. The other vital advantage to note is that the IT system of knowledge management and storage has the vast options of expanding the store knowledge. The system has research avenues to expand and update critical information that a company has a store. A good example is that HP computer companies use computers to develop the various modes of their electronic software in which the information is stored in the databases of their company headquarters.
The IT system of information storage lately can accommodate deep tones of information that are store in a small space. This will reduce the workload that could be deployed to storing the information in files and printed papers stored in big stores by various companies’ warehouses.
The IT system of knowledge management has its share of disadvantages. The main shortcoming that can be generated from the above knowledge management approach is a system failure. The information is stored in the computer, which sometimes may fail due to unavoidable circumstances. The other fundamental disadvantage to note is that the IT system may end up losing vital company Information stored in computers due to computer viruses. Lastly, the other essential demerit to note is that the IT system, which is under the codified method of knowledge management measures, cannot develop the knowledge it has stored on its own. This is because the computer is programmed and cannot think compared to the personalized factors of knowledge management.
Conclusion
The management of knowledge under the clientele and consultancy firm is essential. Any organization is free to choose whether to store and develop the understanding and resources they have in a personalized or codified manner. The primary objective is that the method that will be should be able to fulfill the objective, purpose, and goals of the organization concerning the storage and development of their knowledge and ideas generated.
Reference
Hansen, M. T., Nutria, N., and Tierney, T. J. (1999). What’s Your Strategy for Managing Knowledge? Harvard Business Review, March–April Issue, page 106.