Introduction
Knowledge management for years has been a significant concept to many organizations. The effects of the concept are far reaching such that they help to be more competent thus becoming significantly effective participants in the global knowledge economy. The concept also enables organizations to be more competitive as knowledge leaders while also gifting an organization to be a competitive knowledge-driven entity. Knowledge management in hindsight enhances the ability of any organization to adapt, solve emerging problems, to survive destabilizing factors such as staff turnover and also to evolve in the bid to meet new business requirements. The concept, in essence, can be described as the effort by organizations to gather knowledge comprehensively and further proceed to organize, analyze and share the information while all the time considering resources, people skills and documents involved (Haerifar, 2013). The recent advances in technology have however led to companies seeking effective ways through they can carry out knowledge management specifically in the context of global information technology.
It is imperative first to understand the aspect of global information technology in order to discover ways in which knowledge management can be successful in this context. Global information technology is the use of computers to develop a communications framework that is intended at necessitating the storage of, analysis, and retrieval, manipulation of information or data in a global context (Xu, 2014). Another importance to highlight is that this form of application is often most common in the field of business with organizations embracing to aid in the effective running of activities. Global information technology has been crucial in enabling the easy and convenient accessibility of electronically stored or transmitted data such that such that such information can be accessed from anywhere globally. The internet, regarded as a crucial tool for global information in the ever advancing technological world has further transformed how information is shared in the world. Internet technology has enabled electronic information to be shared widely across the planet enabling the easy accessibility of information. Further, it has allowed the abundance of such information while also gifting organizations the opportunity to process, relay and retrieve information conveniently.
Challenges of Knowledge Management
Information management purposes to enable the reliable and efficient handling of information both in an organization and between organizations. Each organization strives to employ knowledge management framework that will ensure it handles knowledge in the most appropriate manner. In dealing with knowledge management, enterprises involve themselves in various technological methods to mine data that they again use the same methods to push to various types of recipients. In this regard, the organizations are often faced with a wide range of challenges during knowledge management, especially in the global environment. For one, security is often a significant challenge to the organizations while conducting knowledge management (Koohang, Harman & Britz, 2008). The fact that global information technology is often with millions of users means that information users with ulterior motives can access information thus being dangerous for a company. As such, enterprises have the challenge of providing the appropriate level of security for sensitive information during knowledge management. Organizations also have the difficulties of catching up with new forms of technology common in global information infrastructure (Koohang, Harman & Britz, 2008). The fact that realizing how to dispense and transfer knowledge effectively and conveniently is strenuous, underlines the challenges encountered in the constantly changing structures in global technology. Another challenge encountered by enterprises during knowledge management in the global setup is the measuring of knowledge. While there is the need for companies to watch on the kind and amount of knowledge they gather and relay, knowledge can be difficult to be quantified. Other challenges in the global environment include date accuracy, privacy, data interpretation, rights to information, competition, ensuring relevance of data and also ensuring where exactly knowledge management should reside in the organization.
Impact of Global Information Infrastructures
Global information infrastructure (GII) has impacted the business world on various fronts. It is the concept responsible for the development of a framework for communications stipulated ultimately to enable the connection between computer networks worldwide and all the telecommunications (Constantinides, 2012). Regarded as a network of all global networks, GII is responsible for making every kind of electronically handled information reachable to the public from any part of the world. There are three main forms of global information infrastructures that are designed to acts as technologies that support the gathering, storage, use, analysis and destruction of information. A list of the infrastructures includes the internet, corporate systems and lastly, the health systems (Constantinides, 2012). All the aforementioned infrastructures have made significant impacts on the operations of an organization and also on information management. The internet, for example, has hugely impacted the running and operations of enterprises. While it is considered an important tool in technology, it is regarded as the de facto infrastructure in global information currently providing millions of data. Also considered the most transforming invention to ever exist, the internet has revolutionized how information is gathered, stored, analyzed, retrieved and even discarded (Constantinides, 2012). With the invention of the World Wide Web, the Internet has enabled the distribution of millions of data while also making sure to diversify. As such, data can be produced, gathered and eventually stored in various locations depending on preferences. Likewise, through the internet, information can now be processed from preferred locations citing the significance contribution brought by the internet in information management. The internet has in the regards discussed the provision of better services to available consumer around the world. In effect, consumers from various parts of the world can now access information faster and also accurately with the internet offering the opportunity to ensure the possible accuracy of information. Perhaps the other significant impact by the internet is the ability to enable better information retrieval. Unlike humans, computers have the ability and advantage of having faster speeds, effective accuracy and larger storage capacity for information. As such, the gadgets allow the retrieval of information at great speeds inconceivable by the average man while also necessitating the storage of large amounts of information.
Problems in Developing Knowledge Management Systems
Despite the fact that knowledge management has developed into being a major part of organization management, it is not without limits. One of the key problems to developing effective knowledge management is the difficulty to implement successfully (Lee, 2012). The potentials of the concept cannot be underrated, but studies reveal that not many organizations have been able to have it successfully implemented in their systems. This limitation is brought about by several other issues that that together build up to make implementation difficult. One of the problems contributing to this that files containing information may come in multiple forms thus not being easy to code and appropriately organized into a computer system. Most of the times organizations use information in anecdotal and sometimes heuristic forms which may not be easily codified and handled. Employees may hence find information hard to locate if it is not appropriately organized. Wasting time to find information may then deviate from the purpose of information management.
Another problem with implementation is convincing employees to share their knowledge and have it put in an organization’s system for distribution. Most often, employees view this as an added function to the input they already give the organization as such do not see it as an advantage to the organization thus being reluctant to it. Nonetheless, companies can manage this weakness by the use of software to get data from outbound e-mails and proceed to update their information databases. Also, enterprises can also offer incentives to employees to put their knowledge into company database. It can be sometimes impossible for an employee to put his/her information into a company’s information system thus limiting the development of knowledge management. Most specifically, such type of information is often referred to as tacit knowledge which in essence refers to knowledge gained through experience or training and is often difficult to communicate. Anther difficulty to developing knowledge management is the task of choosing the right technology to implement a strategy of knowledge management (Lee, 2012). Currently, there exist a wide range of knowledge management tools and as such, making a choice can be overwhelming seeing as there is no single tool that can fit all the knowledge management needs of an individual company. Nonetheless, companies can solve this by determining if combinations of software or single software can much their needs. Security also presents a hindrance to the development of a working knowledge management strategy. Determining recipients of information can be risky as some information can be too sensitive. Precautions can nonetheless be taken to limit the number and types of users with access to the given information.
Trans-border Restrictions
In most cases, knowledge management can be difficult in the global environment due to issues such as the restrictions on data transfer from other regions to another such as the restriction on transferring data outside the borders of the European Union. In the current technological advanced world, organizations have depended on trans-border data flow (TDF) which in essence refers to the movement of electronic information across sovereign borders by use of electronic devices purposefully to have them either stored or processed (Kuner, 2013). It has become a prerequisite for firms to link their computer systems with reliable telecommunications systems to enable the transfer of data in the global environment and eventually conduct business internationally. However, like any other international activity, TDF has its restrictions. Among the restrictions is the matter of privacy. Many nations especially the European and Scandinavian nations have privacy laws that restrict and define the type of information that can be transmitted outside their borders (Kuner, 2013). Another restriction can be evidenced in the economic front. Some countries regulate the flow of data outside their borders in the effort to protect their local industries thus hindering the effective knowledge management. Brazil, for instance, is known to have some the most stringent laws in the world in this regard (Kuner, 2013). National sovereignty also restricts the manner in which knowledge management can be conducted. TDF issues such as cultural infringement and national security can restrict the sharing of information with some nations restricting the sharing of encrypted information for the purpose of managing their security.
Outsourcing and Knowledge Management
Knowledge management asides from finding barriers from measures such restrictions seen in TDF can also face other challenges in company measures or strategies. One such strategy is outsourcing. While companies view outsourcing as a measure to reducing costs, it can have mixed effects on knowledge management. In effect, an outsourcing strategy that is majorly focused on cost reduction may undermine the efforts of knowledge management. In as much as gaining access to additional expertise and other services may be significantly beneficial in outsourcing, enterprises that deem organizational knowledge to be valuable to their success may encounter challenges eventually. Outsourcing carries with it the need for new skills for management, new process and also behaviours. A wide range of factors inherent in outsourcing possess the ability to effect on an organization’s institutional knowledge. Further, the presence of an external service provider can present the difficulties of having to control various aspects of corporate and knowledge concepts unique to the company due to the difference in goals (Osei-Bryson, Mansingh & Rao, 2014). Such a fact highlights the possibility of different ideas that may proceed to harm the process of knowledge management. It then warrants highlighting that it is good to maintain knowledge management within a company since most factors involving it cannot be outsourced.
Issues of Knowledge Management on Virtual Teams
For a long time, knowledge management was mostly centered on team members physically present in an organization. It focused on face-to-face interactions through various avenues such as job rotation, training, mentoring programs and also coaching. The entry into the 21st century saw the inception into the dependency on virtual teams necessitated by the advances made on the technological front. The 21st-century organizations shifted to collaborative Teamware technologies to enable prompt and effective knowledge management that was intended to ensure the organizations remained relevant (Haerifar, 2013). This was also encouraged by the fact that digital advancement signaled growth. Nonetheless, embarking on the measure to rely on virtual teams similarly like many other business initiatives came with its challenges.
One of the most prevalent challenges encountered in the reliance on virtual teams is the problem of sharing tacit knowledge (Haerifar, 2013). This is mainly contributed by the social nature within which the tacit knowledge is formed and created. Virtual teams build their knowledge from various experiences that include the gathering of information from experts, specialists from different locations from which they create a knowledge of an intensive environment. The virtual teams are often highly task oriented and formed for certain goals such as Research & Development and often disembarked when they fulfill their functions. Knowledge is usually gained during tasks at individual levels and often has to be extracted and made available for use by other future project terms and reference. Because finding the tacit knowledge is often difficult organizations often engage in effective measures to ensure it is captured such as encouraging virtual team members to document their vital experiences. Team members may also be called upon to share knowledge regularly using ICT tools that include online forums, emails, and fax.
Strategies for Knowledge management in a Global enterprise
Organizations operating across borders always need to corral the knowledge they possess. Global organizations usually gain large amounts of information that are also often diverse. Most of the times, however, they lack the central repository to capture such information (Haerifar, 2013). In such instances, the organizations tend to invest a lot of finances to conduct training and development that leads the gaining of information that the organization already owns. This often leads to more mistakes since the more the company grows, the more they gain information that they may not know they possess. The problem can always be more prevalent in more established global companies. Such a company can, however, employ strategies that ensure they practice effective knowledge management practices.
In the bid to conduct effective management strategy, a global company can employ the use of a social platform as a means to developing effective knowledge management strategies. The social platforms can feature profiles for each employee allowing users easily to find vital information on the company's staff members. The company can also create career roadmaps to use in the tracking of progress aimed at achieving competency goals for every individual staff member. The career roadmaps can ensure knowledge is gained and managed for the benefit of the company. Another vital strategy such a company can employ is to capture challenges on specified databases for reference by an employee to learn from their challenges. They can then use the knowledge to collaborate on finding solutions and may also research on the challenges when facing them in the future.
Conclusion
Knowledge management for every company is a crucial strategy that company leaders should ensure to consider especially when venturing into the global environment. The global information structures have enabled the possibilities of knowledge sharing at significant levels further encouraging the practice. Nonetheless, implementing the strategy can be difficult due factors such as privacy concerns and international laws encountered during the process of TDF. Nonetheless, companies can always ensure staff to employ other strategies that enable the effective knowledge management that is beneficial. TDF factors highlight that different companies have different laws for knowledge sharing that can influence how knowledge is managed. Companies can however always ensure to operate within laws to while conducting intense research for better effective knowledge management.
References
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Haerifar, P. (2013). Knowledge management within tesco. Place of publication not identified: Grin Verlag.
Koohang, A., Harman, K., & Britz, J. J. (2008). Knowledge management: Research and application. Stanta Rosa, Calif: Informing Science Press.
Kuner, C. (2013). Transborder data flows and data privacy law.
Lee, W. B. (2012). Systems approaches to knowledge management, transfer, and resource development. Hershey, PA: Information Science Reference.
Osei-Bryson, K.-M., Mansingh, G., & Rao, L. (2014). Knowledge Management for Development: Domains, Strategies and Technologies for Developing Countries.
Xu, J. (2014). Managing digital enterprise: Ten essential topics.
