Introduction
In companies, getting specific knowledge about how to successfully design a process or how to solve a problem from the root that costs millions to the business can involve weeks, months, and even years. turning it into an intangible, with an incalculable value, which in many cases is lost overnight; Whether due to staff turnover, resignations, retirement and many other causes.
The mission of preserving knowledge should not be centralized as the responsibility of a specific area.It must be a cultural practice of all the areas that make up the company.
In our experience, we know that this practice directly impacts the growth capacity and scalability of the business. Even your omission can lead to the disappearance of the company in the short term.
From the business perspective, the Knowledge Management: It is the act of managing both the information generated within the company, as well as of efficiently acquiring the best practices that are formulated in the market. Translate this as, acquire knowledge that generates value to the company and achieve competitive advantage in its market sector.
What is Knowledge Management?
It is the study of the mechanisms and/or set of actions (strategic and tactical) carried out in a specific order and sequence, they allow capitalization and accessibility of knowledge as an intangible business asset.
Why should we consider Knowledge Management as a valuable business preservation issue?
Currently, the capacity of a company to face abrupt and constant changes in the market, through its responsiveness, adoption and evolution,It is essential to achieve the competitiveness of the business, This ability is directly linked to its ability toManage knowledge as capital.
One of the benefits obtained as a result of this practice is theDecrease in the learning curveof the new work teams, which generates environments focused on achieving results and not on day-to-day survival.
A work team with a stable operation is more likely to achieve competitivenessbusiness than those concerned about daily survival. This stability makes it possible to evaluate long-term results and mature competitiveness strategies.
In the opposite case,Companies that do not manage knowledge will try to surviveInjecting an innumerable amount of effort and resources of all kinds, without achieving the necessary results.
The different areas that make up the company must understand that: It's just as important what they "do" as "the way they do it".
What are the specific benefits for our company when applying Knowledge Management?
They reach maturity in their competitiveness strategies.
One of the characteristics of the companies that have achieved these actions is thatThey have the ability to speak the same language, achieving understanding between the different areas. This allows them to focus their effort on the adoption and improvement of the actions and strategies that have been determined globally, adapting to the changes that are emerging and in a process of continuous improvement.
It can be said that: “Companies reach maturity when all areas assume an active role and understand their degree of influence on the competitiveness of the business, ceasing to see themselves as areas that only produce a product or service, to see themselves as areas that contribute their know-how to the business.”
They get knowledge to live in the company and not in people.
Regardless of the technological resources available in the company,Teams that recognize the value of knowledge begin to treat it as a business asset,They document it or record it in many different ways and begin to transfer it in an orderly manner. managing to preserve it and make it accessible to more people.
allowing more people to have the ability to achieve the expected work standards,Shortening your learning curve and decreasing the probability of errors, positively impacting your operation and, consequently, benefiting the brand’s reputation towards its customers.
Talent battle.
Companies that manage their knowledgeThey take an active role as trainers of their ideal talent.We have identified that many organizations invest large amounts of resources trying to find the best talent in the market for highly specialized positions, sometimes for positions that do not exist outside of their company,since its operation is unique in the region or in the world (a situation that is becoming more and more common).
Through knowledge management, companies manage to train their replacement letters internally., or if the change is abrupt and unplanned, they manage to cope in the best possible way the transition of functions, counting on the possibility of sustaining the operation during that period, minimizing the effects that this could imply.shortening the learning curve and achieving that its members reach an optimal level with the least possible emotional wear and tear.Achieving a secondary profit that is, healthy environments and hooking by its members towards the company.
Information itself is not knowledge
How to adopt Knowledge Management
To adopt the *Knowledge Management* as a strategy for business competitiveness, we recommend taking care of the following aspects:
1. Be clear about the difference between information and knowledge.
On many occasions, there is a notion of what each of these concepts are, but there is no clarity about what each of them is.
The information: It is a set of data that are collected with a particular objective.
The Knowledge: It is the relationship and practical application of one or more data, information or skills.
Focus your efforts on transferring knowledge and preserving information.** Ensures both are preserved and properly classified so that they are accessible and useful for current and future generations.
2. Managing knowledge is the responsibility of the entire company.
The difference between:
- The programs of professionalization and strategic development of their talent, which falls to centralized areas.
- His responsibility and accountability to ensure the preservation of knowledge that drives the competitiveness of your area.
3. Technology is just a resource, not the solution itself.
Technology is a resource and as such must be used efficiently, it is essential that three important points be taken into account:
- Evaluate the general and specific needs of each area of the company before making any investment.If possible, run A/B tests to have greater certainty about the advantages and disadvantages of available options.
- Have an adoption plan that allows the integration of technology and that is actually used.
- Strengthen the *mindset* of work teams that technology is a resource and not the end, highlighting the value of preserving and transferring knowledge above all else.
Summary.
Knowledge Management or Knowledge Management is a practice that allows you to capitalize on one of the most important assets of the company: knowledge. This makes it preserve and live in the company, making it accessible to all the people who make up the organization, increasing its evolution capacity with the aim of achieving the competitiveness of the business.
At Great Plan we accompany organizations in this process, from certifying teams that are responsible for managing and transferring knowledge, to the design and implementation of change management strategies to ensure that knowledge management is adopted as a culture and work philosophy.
At Great Plan, our goal is to accompany you to achieve the results that your company needs.
