Managing Codified Knowledge Essay -- Organizational Knowledge

Managing Codified Knowledge A ReviewKnowledge has long been considered an intangible asset asset that can only be passed on from a teacher to his pupils through years of teaching and familiarity transfer. However, present day technological advancements and the increasingly dynamic nature of knowledge have led to the dissolution of the sacred teacher-pupil affiliation. Knowledge, now, is more of an entity that can be codified, stored, mined and retrieved as and when required, by any iodine and anywhere around the world. Albert Einsteins quote, The only source of knowledge is experience, is now more of an anecdote than reality, as more and more organizations ar realizing that knowledge learned from ones experience can be codified, i.e. transformed into knowledge packets that can be stored and transferred to others. Business organizations have been the primary users of such codified knowledge, as huge amounts of information runs through the various divisions of an organization, wh ich can be integrated and apply for making more profitable, strategic and constructive patronage decisions. Thus, the need for knowledge management arose, wherein, chunks of codified knowledge has to be appropriately managed for ease of retrieval and use. The influential news report, Managing Codified Knowledge by Zack (1999) is reviewed here. The definition of knowledge and knowledge management, the benefits of knowledge management, the authors rhetoric on the architecture of knowledge management and its importance in modern business organizations are discussed here. This paper also attempts to analyze two case studies presented by the author, and a brief summarization of the authors key findings is also intended.The author discusses knowledge and knowled... ...e in retrieval of knowledge. The author cites the example of Buckman Laboratories, which successfully used the interactive approach to knowledge management. This organization, which originally sold chemical products, cho se to offer solutions to its customers chemical treatment problems. It used innumerable field associates across the world, who had several years experience in solving such problems. Their tacit knowledge, based on experience and expertise was attach through interactive knowledge management. An online knowledge management infrastructure was created that was independent of time zones, location, language and even computer proficiency. The field associates interacted on a unwashed platform, and their conversations, contributions and information exchanges were recorded, preserved and made available to all via KNetix, The Buckman Knowledge Network.