“Analyse and discuss KM implementation case studies across two different industry sectors”.
It seems that the more I learn about knowledge management, the more I am finding out about my own knowledge practices. I can view this current essay task as an example of tranferring tacit knowledge to explicit knowledge in the form of an essay. The valuation of knowledge in an organisational context is troubled by this, because although the more explicit knowledge is, the more like information and less likely to be valued. However, as a manifestation of a completed assessment item, the essay becomes a valuable part of a) getting the marks I want to succeed in this unit, and b) demonstrating what I have “learnt”.
This is somewhat paradoxical, since it is better for me to obtain a high mark, which shows I can successfully communicate what I’ve learnt. So if I can’t communicate it, the correlation is that I haven’t learnt it. (And oh! the anguish and consternation.)
This tacit knowledge is “absorbed” from journal articles, recommended readings, reflections on what I think of the world today and how this new information fits, compares and impacts or consolidates with what I currrently know or at least think I have a grasp on. In this way, KM propels me to consider my own information behaviour:
- How do I find good resources?
- How do I organise my resources?
- How much time do I spend obtaining resources?
- how much time do I allocate to finding, ‘absorbing’ and integrating new knowledge into my head?
- How much time do I allocate to communicating:
- useful information (for myself and others; to be processed as knowledge later)
- my own knowledge?
I am surprised that this introduction to a new topic (KM) has turned me straight back to information research behaviour. It is good because KM provides a context / ecosystem for relating individual behaviour to a broader social context.
Anyway…time to go to work!
