Constructing a Knowledge Management Network: Practices, Tools, and Techniques for Effective Communication

Author: Fei
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2005-03-01
Features: In this book, you will see how to effectively use online communication to make your organization smarter and more agile. Here, we will introduce why people need to read this book. We will explore this age-old practice question at the intersection of two social environments—modern organizations and the ever-expanding electronic network. Businesses should understand what this book reveals because in today's increasingly competitive and downsizing economy, companies are forced to make the most of their existing human resource assets. They cannot afford the cost of replacing knowledge workers who have been trained at high expense but then quit. To make decisions and innovate in today's highly integrated market of ideas and concepts, they must discover, cultivate, and disseminate existing relevant knowledge from various trusted human resources. Today's businesses must be flexible and constantly changing to survive. Continuous, high-quality communication will be key to this transformation. Although online knowledge networks involve many complex technologies, the core of this book is not about technology but more about people and motivation. While some terms such as application integration are very important for understanding the content of this book, other terms such as cultural change and self-organizing systems are more important for successfully adopting practical online communication as a process to improve productivity within the organization. Even those companies that can leverage the value of knowledge networks can apply knowledge from business practice to solve problems, but there is still a gap between knowing (knowing) and doing (doing). Making communication more effective means connecting the people who need knowledge with the knowledge they need and quickly solving practical problems through online interaction as soon as possible. To achieve real benefits, in addition to software and network connectivity, mutual trust and a sense of obligation among participants are also necessary. For organizations, this means guiding and fostering a culture that encourages people to share knowledge. Regarding the central theme of this book, it is crucial to appropriately match culture and technology in any case. Cultural needs must be adapted to the entire organization, as well as to individual teams within it, and to the stakeholders the company serves. In our view, culture is the "cockpit" for selecting and deploying technology, and we also emphasize the significant impact that technology has on the culture that uses it. Over 30 years ago, few people had seen or used computers, but now hundreds of millions use them every day. Today, relatively few people use online communication as a basic work tool, but the skills and practices described in this book will become widespread in organizations in the future, with employees using desktop or laptop computers for multi-party communication. At that time, employees will use the network to share new ideas and experiences that are meaningful to the company. Why publish this book now? In January and February 2002, the Pew Internet & American Life Project conducted a survey on online community users1. The survey results showed that 84% of internet users had contacted and interacted with others in online groups. The study found that if 90 million Americans are considered part of the online user group, half claim that the internet helps them connect with others to share their interests, with each online group connecting with four different groups on average. Unlike cold, isolated, and impersonal electronic media, the Pew Internet & American Life Project describes the internet as a communication environment that has had a huge impact on people's social lives. Through simple online interfaces, people have learned how to discover, explore, and engage in online social activities. Many online groups have established online communities outside their workplaces, while others have found their communities within their workplaces. These communities and the interactions within them are not seen in corporate intranets, and more importantly, the company's management is often unaware of their existence, even though they certainly need to understand what their employees know and what they are doing. We have already seen the end of the first internet boom. The collapse of internet companies announced the end of the first wave of commercial internet innovation and experimentation. However, since the internet became a commercial medium in 1993, people have learned many things. In the 1980s, online communities emerged, and online communication became less rare and more accessible. Thousands of websites offered chat rooms and message boards, and email had become another form of meeting. Instant messaging had become an important way for "keyboard warriors" and other online enthusiasts to stay connected in real time. After organizations adopted expensive technologies and carefully tracked digital and statistical information for years, they realized that only numerical information could not effectively guide them in following today's rapidly changing market. When new products, technologies, and competitors suddenly enter their market, last year's sales data cannot tell companies how to change production. Even millions of lines of customer transaction data cannot reveal customers' true thoughts after events such as the "9/11" terrorist attacks or catastrophic industry news. Thinking about future prospects, reference to past performance data has indeed misled many companies. The internet has accelerated the speed of communication and the speed at which human beliefs, opinions, and habits change. To adapt to the future and be fully prepared, all organizations must learn from their employees and from the various groups they rely on, such as customers, partners, and stakeholders. What we need today is dynamic knowledge—new, continuously updated experiences and ideas that can only exist in human minds and can only be released through natural and comprehensive human communication. This book discusses modern organizations at a time when many experimental online application tools have been abandoned, with the goal of making the internet a more powerful medium for communication, which was its original purpose. We now have a large number of users—both internal and external—to use the internet for interconnection and communication. Many organizations are also desperately seeking a competitive advantage to adapt to unpredictable changes, decentralized leadership, and the environment of instant connection and communication between hundreds of millions of people. Consumers now have more information to process than in the pre-internet era and expect more direct and honest communication with product manufacturers. The purpose of writing this book is to tell organizations how to communicate to become an important part of the new, expanding, and increasingly uncontrollable market. Who should read this book? Senior executives are responsible for formulating and approving strategies, and knowledge networks are a strategic tool. For senior executives, this book may be too simple, but the practical experience it provides can make conceptual information more accessible to organizational leadership. It is said that senior executives are perhaps the last to use email, as they mainly rely on secretaries for typing work, or they would have learned to type. In fact, senior executives did not start using email for interactive discussions, joint project applications, or task completions as early as general employees. Due to the hierarchical structure still present in organizations, this hierarchy forms a firewall between senior executives and creative communication within the organization, and creative communication is the potential for organizational change. The internet is widely recognized as a powerful equalizer because it does not recognize artificial divisions between hierarchical levels within the organization, thereby weakening hierarchy. However, just as outdated computer systems can prevent companies from entering the next generation of technology integration, outdated organizational structures can also prevent organizations from realizing their networking vision. By reading this book, senior executives can gain a more up-to-date understanding of the internet revolution and better understand different leadership styles to stay synchronized with the ongoing internet revolution. Leaders should also understand different online communication media to better guide employees in effectively using these media. We believe that most corporate leaders have far too little understanding of these issues. Like senior executives, managers are also leaders, but their roles will change due to the influence of self-organizing networks. Since managers directly lead the activities of various work teams, they need to understand how technology supports communication to begin planning and leading their departments and teams to use emerging online meeting technologies. Managers should regularly participate in online forums, plan, share innovations and knowledge, and engage in online discussions related to their work with employees. Managers who truly understand the advantages and disadvantages of online communication as a daily work tool will be able to make the most of it. Although employees and professionals have already started using existing online communication media to exchange important information related to their work and projects, this book is still very useful for them. Of course, senior executives must reform the existing culture to promote creative communication among employees, but the best communication and the best ideas often come from the lowest levels of the organization, because it is at this level that a large amount of practical work is carried out and it is also the interface where the company directly communicates with customers. We hope this book can promote the natural growth of online communities, which can solve current problems and encourage the widespread use of online knowledge networks in organizations that are open to new ideas and suggestions. Self-organizing systems: What ants know We have spent 30 years practicing online communities, which refer to groups of people using network technology to help them find and form communities that can provide personal and professional support, beneficial ideas, and trustworthy knowledge. Using keyboards and words as the main tools for communication, community members interact directly for mutual benefit, understand and learn from each other, and collaborate to achieve common goals. Communities are difficult to control and manage because if you try to interfere with their activities, they will stop. From what we understand, as people become more familiar with each other, trust between them increases, and the transfer of relevant knowledge becomes easier and more effective. Learning triggers more learning, and people not only learn from those who possess knowledge but also learn about the effective techniques that enable community members to share their knowledge and insights. We have observed the organizational formation and change that occurs after people gain tools for online communication, and we often describe this observation as observing ants' nests. In Steven Johnson's new book "Emergence," the founder of the internet as a collaborative publishing medium, the author uses the behavior of ants to explain the principles of self-organizing systems2. The author believes that ants are a group with extraordinary abilities to complete complex engineering and resource management tasks without telling each ant what to do and when to do it3. Ants can achieve this because they follow simple internal principles, which the author calls "the realization of group intelligence." In our early work with WELL's online communities (WELL was one of the pioneers in providing online communication for home computer users), we proposed only a few simple rules and provided discussion tools for community members to do whatever they wanted. In this way, they built a knowledge-sharing community and formed hundreds of different topic areas based on personal interests, skills, and connections. As system administrators, we spent a lot of time ensuring that the technology worked, supporting new members, and paying for it. After the content and database were created, they were owned by the members, including those who continued to play a role in the communication as knowledge providers and seekers. Traditional businesses have also gradually relaxed their control over the internet, allowing new cultures, social practices, and organizational methods to emerge from grassroots units. This has shaken hierarchical structures and power, making collaboration increasingly threatening to traditional leadership and revealing new, untried future prospects. Almost no senior executives would want to follow the ant model to change their company's culture, no matter how open-minded they are. However, the internet has created new collaborative environments where these ant-like organizational methods not only work effectively but have also become natural social behaviors that are difficult to prohibit. As a whole, the internet is a manifestation of this emerging behavior. Most of the content on the internet is not created under meticulous planning or leadership commands. As long as there is an opportunity and a need, most online communities will emerge without following instructions from superiors. Millions of web pages are created using simple HTML rules and internet software. For modern organizations, the most valuable emerging behavior is their ability to quickly adapt to changing environments. Looking back at the past 20 years, or even the past few years, is enough to show that we live in a rapidly changing era. Every organization that wants to survive needs to adapt quickly to its environment. The goal of the 21st century is not to become a dominant organization (dominant organization) but a sustainable organization (sustainable organization). Ants do not follow leaders, nor do they design and rely on plans for the future. When ants establish colonies, collect and store food, and effectively handle disasters such as rain or large animals trampling them, they communicate instantly, quickly adapt to the current situation, and adjust accordingly. Members of organizations must also develop skills and habits to communicate smoothly and effectively in response to in the market, terrorist attacks, wars, oil crises, transportation disruptions, and other events. This requires practical and cultural support, which this book discusses. Knowledge and Management According to the "Modern Oxford Dictionary," the word "knowledge" (knowledge) in modern English has its root in ancient English, meaning "confession" (confession) and "to play, give, move about" (to play, give, move about). The formation of knowledge seems to be natural and constantly evolving. This aligns with our experience in knowledge sharing, where people release what they have in their minds into the appropriate social environment, which should be informal, trustworthy, and friendly. When we managed online communities for clients in the commercial environment of the 1990s, we encountered the term "knowledge management" many times. The business world first practiced this concept by maintaining its transaction records and operational records well, so organizations have hardly lost any "knowledge." However, when we delved deeper into these case studies, we found that what was initially called knowledge should more accurately be called information, as it has lost its connection to human experience. We also found that many organizations have begun to doubt whether people have the ability to manage knowledge, as knowledge is experiential in the human mind. By the end of 2000, knowledge management had evolved into a way to effectively acquire tacit knowledge (tacit knowledge), which is the understanding and refinement of human experience and cannot be quantified or managed. When employees leave the organization or lack the means or motivation to transfer knowledge to other employees, the organization's tacit knowledge is lost. In the online communities we managed, we have seen over the years the dedication of volunteers and enthusiasts to the exchange of tacit knowledge, which has made us realize the importance and practicality of group communication through the internet, where trust and a shared interest in knowledge exchange exist, allowing tacit knowledge to be shared quickly. As millions of people have learned to use the internet, they have also recognized its power as a communication channel for various interactions with family, colleagues, and online enthusiasts. This type of communication takes more time than any other online activity, including internet searches and shopping. Personal communication has proven to be the killer application in the internet world. For organizations with foresight, this knowledge exchange has become one of the most valuable tools for their electronic network. In the following chapters, we will explain the mechanisms of business operations and hierarchical models, as well as how organizations can transform into more decentralized structures, which are sometimes referred to as "chaotic" models that include both individual connections and self-organizing groups. In the process, we will provide proven concepts, suggestions, and examples to help you make your teams, departments, and organizations smarter, more alert, and more capable of. The Structure of the Book The history of human knowledge sharing is as long as the history of humanity itself, but using the internet to share knowledge is a new concept for organizations. This is because the internet is a new phenomenon and has only recently begun to be understood and supported by organizational leaders. The first two chapters of Part 1 of this book introduce historical and organizational background knowledge, which helps people recognize and address outdated beliefs that hinder organizational change. Chapter 3 introduces how to build a knowledge network to help people formulate appropriate business strategies in an era of change. Part 2 discusses the development of online knowledge networks in two aspects: culture and technology. Since technology is essential for creating an online environment, the decisive culture cannot be completely separated from technology. Chapter 4 explains the role of information technology departments in building and maintaining knowledge network technology platforms, as well as the ideal working relationship between information technology personnel and the networks they establish and maintain. Then, the book explores the necessary conditions for knowledge-sharing culture—trust, leadership support, and mature incentive mechanisms—and discusses the challenges that may be encountered in building an online culture for the organization. The last chapter of this part introduces the goals, types, tasks of knowledge networks, and how to match them with the appropriate online communication technology. Part 3 provides examples, case studies, and recommendations for implementing knowledge networks in different environments, both currently and in the future. First, it introduces various solutions for creating and supporting organizational communication, including the natural collection of expert knowledge to the rules of company online discussion systems. Then, it explores examples of communication with external stakeholders, including customers, consumers, partners, and. The complexity of consumers forces companies to keep their communication methods aligned with them to ensure smooth interactions. The relationship between powerful consumers and companies can lead to market transformation. Finally, the book explores the prospects of knowledge networks and online knowledge sharing, which have now emerged but have almost not been implemented in practice. Below, we will introduce the main content of each chapter in detail. Chapter 1 Knowledge, History, and Industrial Organizations The history of humanity is full of communication and knowledge sharing. Although past communication methods were relatively backward, humans were still able to achieve the level of communication that today's technology, culture, economy, and management can achieve through the exchange and dissemination of new ideas. This chapter introduces the history of human spontaneous cooperation to achieve normal purposes, then introduces the impact of various media on knowledge dissemination and social development, including oral tradition, clay tablets, papyrus, parchment, and printed paper. Before the industrial revolution began, most people passed on their experiential work knowledge to apprentices and colleagues through personal means. The use of industrial assembly lines reduced the number of skilled workers who possessed knowledge, giving rise to the new idea that "workers are gears of the machine." Currently, people still face this mechanized organization and workers, and many companies still fail to recognize the importance of the knowledge their workers possess. Chapter 2 Networks and Knowledge Sharing This chapter first introduces the development of modern management theory, particularly the shift from "workers are gears of the machine" to "workers are key knowledge holders." With the transition from the industrial era to the information age, management theory has changed under the impetus of the widespread use of the internet and networks. At this point, information management has become essential, and with the development of various tools and network connectivity, the concept of knowledge networking (knowledge networking) has emerged. Although industrialization has changed the definitions of "worker" and "work," the natural tendency of employees to share knowledge has not changed. With the emergence of the mass market, a certain distance has emerged between sellers and buyers, but the internet has once again given sellers and buyers the ability to connect and communicate, as well as providing unprecedented convenience for knowledge sharing. Chapter 3 Strategic and Planning of Knowledge Networks In the process of formulating strategies for the foreseeable future, organizations must recognize that change and the unexpected are the most reliable guides. Therefore, knowledge network planning must include potential during implementation and allow for sudden changes in strategic direction. As a variable social system, knowledge networks are not only an element of corporate strategic planning but also make a significant contribution to the implementation of strategic planning, as they support the continuous communication of ideas, messages, and information, enabling companies to face misleading changes and provide preparation and support. Incorporating knowledge networks into future strategic planning requires leaders to have a deeper understanding of the internet's functions, as any top-down design based on bottom-up activities will lead to system dysfunction. Similarly, during the design process of knowledge network platforms, actual users can evaluate their practicality and convenience. This chapter also discusses the issue of internal knowledge exchange in detail. Chapter 4 The Role of IT in Effective Knowledge Networks Although many people use email, information technology managers and departments still play an important role in supporting dynamic, self-directed knowledge networks. This fact tells us that the selection and implementation of technology must be simplified. Although people may consider choosing or designing more powerful software to improve productivity, at least in the initial period, simple tools should be used to evaluate the improvement of knowledge exchange. An important reason is cost. Another important reason is that information technology departments must establish good working relationships with those who are concerned about online knowledge networks. If knowledge networks are to have a significant impact on improving the company's work environment, this cooperation is crucial. The more people communicate, the more they discover new ideas to enrich their communication, regardless of whether these ideas require new technical features or entirely new technical platforms. The role of information technology is to select tools, initialize installation, and maintain and integrate various related information application facilities within companies that are committed to cultivating knowledge. Chapter 5 Fostering Knowledge-Sharing Culture Knowledge-sharing culture, whether now or in the future, can only exist in the appropriate social environment, which we call culture. First, knowledge networks exist within the organization's broader culture, and it may come from a more localized subculture (subculture), such as the culture of expert skills in a specific field or the culture of a specific company department. Once online, knowledge networks may develop into a more unique subculture. Online knowledge-sharing culture requires certain conditions and nutrients, like orchids that can only grow under certain temperature, humidity, and soil conditions. However, unlike orchids, online knowledge networks, through communication and technology, must also have the ability to adapt to changing conditions. Therefore, we will explore methods to provide ideal conditions for the growth and development of knowledge networks within organizations. These conditions include adapting to diversity, incentivizing knowledge sharing, learning the necessary skills for knowledge sharing, and leadership support, with the latter referring to the clear recognition by leaders that the creativity of employees themselves is valuable. Chapter 6 Forming an Online Culture Online world and physical world are different, and online communication is also different from general communication. The lack of face-to-face communication that virtual meetings cannot achieve and the subtleties that voice tone can express must be compensated. Although we now have technologies such as video conferencing that allow people to meet online, they do not fall within the scope of online community activities. This chapter explores the relationship between people and interfaces in the online world, where interfaces are the entry points for people to engage in knowledge-sharing practices in virtual spaces. The selection and design of technology are crucial for the flow of information between people, as they can either hinder or suppress the relatively easy flow of information between people or improve the flow of information that is not smooth. It is best to avoid unnecessary complexity. Changing for the sake of change often does not achieve the desired goal. Interfaces that are adapted to culture can fully leverage the role of culture. In addition, this chapter also provides many recommendations and explains some technical shortcomings. Chapter 7 Selecting and Using Technology to Support Online Communication There are different types of technology that can support online communication: chat rooms, instant messaging, message boards, broadband audio and video technology, and the important related technology should also include content management and publishing technology. Currently, the main body of these tools and content management technology is the company's intranet and specialized network portals. We recommend using different combinations of these tools and introduce the groups and purposes for using them. Small groups working on individual projects are best suited to use simple email, while interdepartmental cooperation requires the use of flexible, more mature network portals. Whether the customization features of technology that allow each participant to customize their interface are attractive depends on the importance and duration of the communication. Many factors need to be considered when choosing technology, but the initial simplicity, design flexibility, and the scalability of technical functionality and features are the most important, forming the ideal knowledge-sharing environment for each community. Chapter 8 Creating and Supporting Internal Communication This chapter describes the process of organizational analysis from a practical perspective, including knowledge needs, culture, existing internal communities, and determining the goals of the knowledge network. Based on this, we stand ready to choose existing options to design the most suitable social and technical structure. The recommended examples are based on our experience and the experience of other experts in knowledge networks and online communities. These recommendations will provide shortcuts to make internal communication more effective, but you will find that the greatest value of our advice lies in avoiding certain social or technical defects that may cause knowledge networks to suffer misfortune before they are normally used. The primary prerequisite for an organization is the ability to create opportunities to learn from its employees. Different knowledge-sharing technologies can be applied to different social and work environments, and storytelling and facilitation can also be methods. This chapter describes three different knowledge network community models: spontaneous, strategic, and short-term, each requiring different ways of management and technical support. Chapter 9 Communicating with External Stakeholders Perhaps the biggest difference between today's organizations and those of a few years ago is their increasing reliance on external stakeholders. This is a result of the development of the internet. Because these stakeholders (including consumers, customers, business partners, suppliers, investors, etc.) can communicate conveniently and repeatedly through the internet and email, they can obtain more information and are willing to engage in extensive communication about their organization and its competitors. These communications may have already occurred if you decide to adopt this approach, then your mission becomes part of this communication, and you need not hesitate, as some organizations have already pioneers in successfully inviting consumers to join their websites to help them understand their needs and preferences. This chapter also describes the different expectations between business-to-consumer (B2C) and business-to-business (B2B) communications, as well as how organizations can best create and incentivize such communication. Organizations are seeking to obtain the interests, experiences, and views of stakeholders connected to their network in the most cost-effective way. Online communication is an effective way to obtain this knowledge. Chapter 10 The Road Ahead Some trends are being tested or already mastered by some large institutions because only these large companies can afford the costs of new practices. As their success stories, best practices, and values spread, small companies can share and adopt the experience of knowledge exchange networks of large companies and other broader findings and applications. Some changes that may promote the formation of knowledge-sharing communities may be technological, but most should be cultural. The belief of senior management in promoting more employee and consumer participation in innovative activities can provide a strong environment for knowledge sharing. Changes and improvements in traditional financial practices will add more value to cooperative and innovative communication that has not yet emerged. Ultimately, everything an organization does to make knowledge sharing more effective through the internet is preparing for the organization's sustainable growth. The website related to this book Since 2002, knowledge network communication has become a highlight of knowledge management. Like other books, this one also has an accompanying website where other relevant information and ideas are stored and updated regularly for readers interested in this field and internet wanderers. Log on to www.wiley.com/compbooks/figallo to obtain relevant information. The website includes evaluations of organizational knowledge-sharing support, surveys to identify the best starting points for knowledge network innovation activities, checklists for developing knowledge exchange strategies, including the establishment of knowledge networks, community managers, short-term training courses, and related software tools. The website also provides a discussion space for readers to discuss with each other and with us. Based on the history and current state of human knowledge sharing and knowledge management, this book, with the core of technology and culture matching, elaborates on the importance, background knowledge, methods, and technology of building knowledge management networks for today's enterprises or organizations, providing a wealth of examples of building knowledge management networks currently and in the future. The book is lively, unique in perspective, and rich in examples, making it an excellent reference book for enterprises or various organizations to build knowledge management networks, suitable for senior executives, administrative or technical managers, and individuals dedicated to building various types of online communities.