Knowledge Sharing in Practice

189 Pages·2002·15.529 MB·English

by  Marleen Huysman, Dirk de Wit (auth.)

KNOWLEDGE SHARING IN PRACTICE
Information Science and Knowledge Management
Volume 4
Editor-in-Chief'
J. Mackenzie Owen, Vniversity ofA msterdam, Amsterdam
Editorial Board:
E. de Smet, Vniversiteit Antwerpen. Wilrijk
Y. Fujiwara, Kanagawa Vniversity. Hiratsuka
M. Hedstrom, University of Michigan. Ann Arbor, MI
A. Klugkist, VB Groningen. Groningen
K.-D. Lehmann, Stiftung Preussischer Kulturbesitz. Berlin
C. Lupovici, Universite de Marne la Vallee, Marne la Vallee
A.M. Paci, Istituto di Studi Sulla Ricerca e Documentazione Scientifica. Roma
M. Papazoglou, Katholieke Vniversiteit Brabant, Tilburg
D.J. Waters, The Andrew W Mellon Foundation, New York
KNOWLEDGE SHARING
INPRACTICE
by
MARLEEN HUYSMAN
Department of Information Systems, Marketing and Logistics,
F aculty of Economics and Business Administration,
Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam,
Amsterdam, The Netherlands
and
DIRKDEWIT
0&1 Management Partners,
Utrecht, The Netherlands
"~.
SPRINGER-SCIENCE+BUSINESS MEDIA, B.V.
A C.I.P. Catalogue record for this book is available from the Library of Congress.
Printed on acid-free paper
This is a completely revised and updated translation of the original Dutch work Kennis delen in de
prakrijk: Vergaren. uitwisselen en ontwikkelen van kennis me/leT, Van Gorcum /
Stichting Management Studies (SMS). Assen, 2000.
ISBN 978-90481-6005-1 ISBN 978-94-015-9992-4 (eBook)
DOI 10.1007/978-94-015-9992-4
All Rights Reserved
© 2002 Springer Science+Business Media Dordrecht
Originally published by Kluwer Academic Publishers in 2002
No part of the material protected by this copyright nOlice may be reproduced or
utilized in any fonn or by any means, e1ectronic or mechanical.
including photocopying. recording. or by any infonnation storage and
retrieval system, without wrinen pennission from the copyright owner.
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Preface ................................................................................................................. ix
Chapter 1 Introduction ....................................................................................... 1
I. Introduction ................................................................................................ 1
2. Management of knowledge-sharing ........................................................... 2
3. This book's contribution ............................................................................. 3
4. Which companies are involved? ................................................................ 5
5. Where are the limitations? .......................................................................... 7
6. What does the book look like? ................................................................... 8
Part 1 Theoretical background ......................................................................... 11
Chapter 2 Theories on Managing Knowledge ................................................. 13
I. Introduction .............................................................................................. 13
2. Background .............................................................................................. 14
3. Knowledge management and ICT ............................................................ 17
4. Knowledge management .......................................................................... 19
4.1 Knowledge management as a technique ............................................... 20
4.2 Knowledge as a process ....................................................................... 21
4.3 Knowledge as intellectual capital ......................................................... 22
5. Towards an alternative approach to managing knowledge ....................... 23
6. Summary .................................................................................................. 25
Chapter 3 Organizationallearning ................................................................... 27
I. Introduction .............................................................................................. 27
2. The theoretical approach of organizationallearning ................................ 28
3. The process of institutionalizing knowledge ............................................ 33
3.1 Internalization: acquiring organizational knowledge ........................... 35
3.2 Externalization: reuse or renewal ......................................................... 36
3.3 Objectification ...................................................................................... 37
4. Three types of knowledge-sharing ........................................................... 39
5. Information and Communication Technology (ICn .................................. 41
6. Summary .................................................................................................. 43
Part 2 Practices of knowledge-sharing ............................................................ 45
Chapter 4 Knowledge acquisition: Knowledge-sharing with the
organization as the knowledge provider ......................................... 47
I. Introduction ................................................................................................ 47
LI Knowledge acquisition in practice ....................................................... 48
2. Postbank Savings: knowledge-sharing within a call centre ...................... 49
2.1 The knowledge initiative ...................................................................... 51
2.2 Experiences .......................................................................................... 52
VI
3. National Netherlands: knowledge database plus personal networks ........ 53
3.1 The knowledge initiative ...................................................................... 54
3.2 Experiences .......................................................................................... 56
4. The Railpocket, the mobile knowledge system ofthe Railways .............. 58
4.1 The knowledge initiative ...................................................................... 60
4.2 Experiences .......................................................................................... 61
5. Discussion: the organization as knowledge provider ............................... 61
6. Summary .................................................................................................. 65
Chapter 5 Knowledge reuse: Knowledge-sharing with the individual
as the knowledge provider ............................................................... 67
1. Introduction .............................................................................................. 67
1.1. Knowledge reuse in practice ................................................................. 68
2. Strategy-driven knowledge-sharing: Amsterdam Airport Schiphol ......... 69
2.1 The knowledge initiative ...................................................................... 69
2.2 Experiences .......................................................................................... 71
3. ING Barings: knowledge sharing between countries ................................ 72
3.1 The knowledge initiative ...................................................................... 72
3.2 Experiences .......................................................................................... 73
4. Cap Gemini's mixed networks ................................................................. 75
4.1 The knowledge initiative ...................................................................... 78
4.2 Experiences .......................................................................................... 81
5. Knowledge-sharing and knowledge measurement at IBM ....................... 82
5.1 The knowledge initiative ...................................................................... 83
5.2 Experiences .......................................................................................... 85
6. Discussion: the individual as knowledge pro vi der ................................... 87
7. Summary .................................................................................................. 93
Chapter 6 Knowledge development: Communities as knowledge providers ... 95
1. Introduction .............................................................................................. 95
2. Communities as platforms for knowledge development .......................... 96
2.1 The technology ..................................................................................... 99
3. Knowledge development via working groups at Stork.. ......................... 100
3.1 The knowledge initiative .................................................................... 101
3.2 Experiences ........................................................................................ 104
4. Knowledge development via workshops at Unilever Research .............. 106
4.1 The knowledge initiative .................................................................... 108
4.2 Experiences ........................................................................................ 109
5. Knowledge development via digital platforms at the
Ministry of Housing, Spatial Planning and the Environment.. ............... 112
5.1 The knowledge initiative .................................................................... 113
5.2 Experiences ........................................................................................ 1 16
6 Discussion: the community as knowledge provider ............................... 118
7. Summary ................................................................................................ 122
VII
Part 3 A eritieal analysis ................................................................................ 125
Chapter 7 The management trap .................................................................... 127
1. Introduetion ............................................................................................ 127
2. Proaetive management ............................................................................ 128
3. Knowledge-sharing from a management perspeetive ............................. 131
4. Psyehologieal obstac1es to exehanging knowledge ................................ 133
5. Fighting the management trap:
inerease the need for knowledge-sharing ................................................ 135
6. Summary ................................................................................................ 140
Chapter 8 The Individual Leaming trap ......................................................... 141
I. lntroduetion ............................................................................................ 141
2. The praetiee ofleaming within and by organizations ............................. 142
3. Fight the leaming trap: Stimulate collective involvement.. .................... 145
4. Summary ................................................................................................ 149
Chapter 9 The ICT trap .................................................................................. 151
1. Introduction ............................................................................................ 151
2. ICT determinism ..................................................................................... 151
3. Avoid the ICT trap: prevent ICT determinism ....................................... 156
4. Summary ............................................................................................... 159
Chapter 10 Epilogue ...................................................................................... 161
1. lntroduetion .............................................................................................. 161
2. Towards the seeond wave ofknowledge management.. ........................... 162
2.1 Knowledge-sharing as a routine ......................................................... 163
2.2 Care in managing knowledge-sharing ................................................ 165
2.3 Social eapital and Communities ofPraetiee ....................................... 166
2.4 Objeetifying loeal knowledge ............................................................. 169
2.5 New role of ICT ................................................................................. l71
3. Reeommendations for managing knowledge-sharing ............................... 174
Referenees ........................................................................................................ 179
Index ................................................................................................................. 187
Endnotes ........................................................................................................... 191
PREFACE
This book is about how people working within organizations share knowledge in
order to leam from and with each other. In the book, we will introduce an
organizational leaming model to help analyse knowledge sharing. Based on this
model we will analyse how various organizations have tried to structure knowledge
sharing, how leT is used to support knowledge sharing, and the problems that
organizations encountered while they were engaged in the process of structuring and
supporting knowledge sharing. There are some general traps into which
organizations tend to fall when they adopt a formal approach towards managing
knowledge sharing. We will address these risks in more detail by discussing their
origins, the effect they have and possible ways to avoid them. By emphasizing the
need for knowledge sharing to become a routine for communities of practice and for
investing in social capital, the book contributes to what can be called the 'second
stage in the development of knowledge management'. As such, we hope that this
book will succeed in providing both scholars and practitioners with a keener
understanding of what is feasible and what is not when managing knowledge
sharing.
The book was originally published in Dutch (see Huysman and de Wit 2000). The
Dutch version of the book was written with a community of practitioners (human
resources, ICT and general management) in mind. However, the present English
version is geared more towards the conceptual and analytical interests of faculty and
undergraduate and graduate students following courses such as knowledge
management, organizational behavior, management studies, information systems,
and human resource management (HRM). In addition to the academic world, the
book is also useful for consultants and managers as it provides empirical insights
into how to support and structure knowledge sharing.
The mixture of both an academic as weil as a practical audience reflects the
background of the two authors. At the time of research, Marleen Huysman was
Assistant Professor at the Work and Organizational Psychology unit at the
University of Delit. She is currently Associate Professor of 'Knowledge
Management' at the Information Systems, Marketing and Logistics section of the
Department of Economics and Business Administration, Vrije Universiteit
Amsterdam. Dirk de Wit is Senior Consultant at 0 & I management partners in
Utrecht. Formerly he worked as a researcher at the Telematica Instituut in the field
of management oftechnology and knowledge management.
The empirical research that constitutes an important element of the book was
commissioned by the Stichting (Foundation for) Management Studies (SMS) and
x PREFACE
was supported by a committee of senior experts in the field of Human Resources as
well as ICT. The following people served on the committee:
C.W. van der Waaij, Personnel and Finance Director, Unilever (Chairman)
J. Diekmeijer, former Director of Human Resources, IBM Netherlands
J. W. Koo1e, Research, Education and Labour Market, A WVN
F. Mulder, Professor of Information Sciences, formerly TSM Business School
M.C. Vader, Director ofFacility Services, Netherlands Railways
J.A.L. van Rijn, business unit manager, Cap Gemini Netherlands
C.A.M. van Zijl, ManagerlBusiness Consultant, KPN Telecommerce
B. van Dijkum-de Jong, Secretary, SMS
Erik Andriessen, Professor of Work and Organizational Psychology at the
University of Delft and Rene Bakker, Senior Research Manager, Telematica
Instituut, supervised the empirical research. The Work and Organizational
Psychology section of the University of Delft also provided additional financial
support.
Unfortunately, there is not enough space to thank all the individuals who helped us
with the realization of the book. However, for some of them an exception must be
made. We therefore wish to thank: Erik Andriessen for his advice and support for
both the Dutch and English versions of this book; Barbara van Dijkum-de Jong for
initiating the research and managing the committee; the Stichting Management
Studies (SMS) for supporting the research; Theresa Stanton for her English
translation and Robbert van Berckelaer from Kluwer Academic Publishers for his
help in promoting the book. Finally, we would like to thank all those who were
willing to tell us about their experiences with knowledge sharing in practice. We
especially appreciate their openness and willingness to share knowledge not only
about the success stories but also about the failures and what might have caused
them.
Mar1een Huysman
Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam
Dirk de Wit
0& I Management Partners, Utrecht
December,2oo1
PART 1
THEORETICAL BACKGROUND
In the following two chapters a theoretical background is given which helps the
reader understand the importance of both knowledge-sharing and the different ways
of analysing it. Chapter two discusses theoretical ideas about the growing
importance of managing knowledge in organizations. It starts with a discussion
about the knowledge factor in relation to society and the current situation in which
organizations find themselves. We discuss a number of views on knowledge
management. 'Organizational leaming' is subsequently introduced as a theoretical
framework that enables different viewpoints to be integrated.
Chapter three discusses the theoretical background of the notion of 'organizational
leaming' and how it will help in analysing knowledge-sharing in organizations. A
model for organizational leaming serves as a guide to help further examine the three
different knowledge-sharing processes that are discussed in part two of this book.
These three processes ofknowledge-sharing include:
Acquiring knowledge: knowledge-sharing with the organization as knowledge
owner.
Reusing knowledge: knowledge-sharing with the individual as knowledge
owner.
Developing knowledge: knowledge-sharing with the community as knowledge
owner.