Download the limits of a technological fix to knowledge management

THE LIMITS OF A
TECHNOLOGICAL FIX TO
KNOWLEDGE MANAGEMENT
EPISTEMOLOGICAL,
POLITICAL & CULTURAL
ISSUES IN THE CASE OF
INTRANET IMPLEMENTATION
EPISTEMOLOGICAL ISSUES
KNOWLEDGE MANAGEMENT PREDICATED
UPON AN INFORMATION PROCESSING
EPISTEMOLOGY
WHAT ABOUT TACIT KNOWLEDGE?
KNOWLEDGE CANNOT EXIST INDEPENDENTLY
OF HUMAN AGENTS
WHAT ABOUT SOPHISTICATED ICT SOLUTIONS?
RELATIONS BETWEEN LABOUR &
CAPITAL IN PURSUIT OF
KNOWLEDGE MANAGEMENT
POPULARISERS OF KNOWLEDGE
MANAGEMENT HAVE A UTOPIAN VISION &
IGNORE CONFLICT BETWEEN CAPITAL &
LABOUR
RESPONSE TO DIFFICULTIES OF RETAINING
SCARCE & MOBILE LABOUR
KNOWLEDGE IS POWER SO HOARD
KNOWLEDGE FOR CAREER ADVANTAGE
ATTEMPTS TO CONTROL KNOWLEDGE
WORKERS MAY BE RESISTED E.G. IN POOR
TRADING POSITIONS
NORMATIVE CONTROL &
KNOWLEDGE MANAGEMENT
KNOWLEDGE HOARDING AT GROUP LEVEL
WITHIN SUB-CULTURES
UNDER-DEVELOPMENT OF SOCIAL CAPITAL
ACROSS GROUPS
KNOWLEDGE MANAGEMENT SEEN AS AN
ATTEMPT BY EXECUTIVE MANAGEMENT TO
EXERCISE NORMATIVE CONTROL TO CULTIVATE
COMMUNITY TENDENCIES
KNOWLEDGE MANAGEMENT NEEDS TO
EVOLVE NATURALLY FROM FIRM’S CULTURES
AND PRACTICES
CASE STUDY
SALES & MARKETING ARM OF UK PHARMA
COMPANY – PHARMCO NATIONAL
EMPLOYEES WORK IS KNOWLEDGE INTENSIVE
INTERVIEWED 46 MIDDLE MANAGERS,
KNOWLEDGE MANAGEMENT TEAM MEMBERS,
EXECUTIVE DIRECTORS, GRADUATE
MANAGEMENT TRAINEES
KNOWLEDGE IS CONTEXT
SPECIFIC & EMBEDDED IN
PRACTICE
CHIEF EXECUTIVE: ‘the intranet will mine the
real nuggets of knowledge’
KNOWLEDGE MANAGEMENT TEAM: ‘we became
techie and nerdie’
EMPLOYEES: ‘I don’t know who needs to know it,
when do they need to know it, why they need to
know it so I can put it in a way that is useful to
them’.
EMPLOYEES: ‘our knowledge is like fresh air, you
can’t see it … it’s a hunch about a customer …’
POWER: CONTESTING OF THE
SHARING OF KNOWLEDGE
CHIEF EXECUTIVE; ‘wiring all employees’ brains
together to produce one super brain’ …’our
knowledge gives us our advantage over our
competitors’ … ‘we pay their wages’ [so lay claim
to their knowledge]
MIDDLE MANAGERS: ‘the experience I have built
up over the years is knowledge the organization
needs. They have to keep me if they want to
benefit from my years of experience. They can’t
replace me with a young kid …’
NORMATIVE CONTROL:
OPPOSITIONAL SUB-CULTURES
CHIEF EXECUTIVE: ‘the intranet is going to bring
knowledge held by the different silos in the
organization together so that everyone has
access to it’
EMPLOYEES: ‘We’re from different planets’ …
‘Why should I tell someone in marketing, that is
still wet behind the ears from university, what
they need to do to make the brand work in the
field through a learning review document. They
should be out there in the field finding out for
themselves, not flying a desk’ … ‘We see the
world through different filters’
CONCLUSION
IMPORTANCE OF CONTEXT IN THE
APPLICATION OF KNOWLEDGE
EMPLOYEES PERCEIVE ATTEMPTS TO MANAGE
KNOWLEDGE AS EXPOITATIVE
SUB-CULTURAL CLEAVAGES EXPOSED THE
RATHER HARMONIOUS ASSUMPTIONS ABOUT
COMMUNITY
TECHNICAL FIXES MERELY HARDEN EXISTING
PRACTICES & ROUTINES
SCOPE FOR EMPLOYEES TO RESIST
KNOWLEDGE MANAGEMENT