Knowledge Management - Essay Example

Knowledge Management Name Date Course Introduction The roll out of the National Broadband Network sites has stopped as a result of poor workmanship and flouting of the safety rules. Telstra is the company that is responsible for the project and it had contracted the work to small contractors. However, the contractor do not have adequate skills to carry out the works hence leading to the poor handling of asbestos which has negative impacts on human health. The contractor does not have knowledge on how to identify the asbestos and treat it. The workers as well as the members of the public may have been affected due to the poor handling of asbestos. The exposure to asbestos dust may lead to cancer as it is one of the carcinogenic materials. Telstra owns the pits and pipe infrastructure and it is also responsible for ensuring that the infrastructures and the pits are in good condition. NBN Co on the other hand leases the pits and infrastructure from Telstra where its cables are fitted. The problem facing the project has been brought about by the inability of Telstra to be fully involved in the implementation of the works being carried out by the contractors. Although Telstra knows how to identify the pits and treat them it does not know where the pits are as it has contracted the work. This was brought about after the company got rid of the technical staff that had adequate knowledge to carry out such activities. The concepts of knowledge management are important in dealing with problems affecting an organization (McDonald, 2005). The problem is therefore related to knowledge management since a gap exists at the technical department of the company. The paper is therefore an intervention system that is aimed at addressing the problem through the use of knowledge management concepts. Objective To improve on the efficiency of the organization in terms of its technical ability to ensure that every single pit meets the required health and safety standards so as to avoid the negative effects of asbestos. Existing knowledge and solution at the company Telstra which is involved in the project currently has knowledge in terms of identifying and treating asbestos although its technical capacity is limited. The company had qualified personnel at the technical department who could handle the project effectively. However, the personnel working at the technical department were retrenched by the company as part of the measures to reduce costs. The contractors who are directly involved in the implementation process lacks the knowledge to identify and treat asbestos. The company therefore lacks the knowledgeable personnel and technology which may make it difficult to meet the safety standards required by Comcare. Some of the personnel at the company do not even understand English and this makes it difficult for them to follow the safety guidelines. The lack of knowledge at the company is therefore the major factor that contributed to poor workmanship. The contactors also lack technology that can be used for the purposes of identifying and treating the asbestos pit. A safety management system is however in place at Telstra. . Knowledge needs The knowledge needs is with regards to the effects of the asbestos in the pits and pipes on the health and safety of the employees. The technical experience and expertise with regards to handling asbestos to avoid health effects. Impacts of organizational change after the dismissal of the employees in the technical department at Telstra. Lack of knowledge, skill and expertise by the contractor directly responsible for the implementation of the project. Supervision gap created by the dismissal of employees by Telstra. Conflicts between Telstra and NBC Co. Actors Different actors have to be involved in the development and implementation of the knowledge management system (Dalkir, 2013). The Contactor is the key actor that will be involved in the knowledge creation and training of the technical staff members. This is considering that contractor is responsible for the implementation of the project. The contractor is therefore directly responsible for the safety of the employees and community members. Telstra is also an actor as it owns the pits and the infrastructure. NBN Co leases the pits from Telstra and it can also be considered as the clients of the knowledge management system alongside Telstra. A huge responsibility is on the managers of Telstra as they own the pits as well as the infrastructure. The technical members of staff who will be employed by the contractor will be the enablers. The enablers are directly involved in the operations of the system on a daily basis. The contractors are also involved in the implementation of the project. Telstra will facilitate the implementation process as it owns the pits as well as the pipe infrastructure. The company will therefore act as the facilitator as well as the custodian of the project. Different actors have to work together for the purposes of ensuring that the objectives of the knowledge management system are achieved. The CEO of the company will act as an advocate of the knowledge management system in order for the project to gain support from all the actors. Candidate techniques for intervention There are different types of knowledge management systems that can be used for the purposes of solving problems within an organization. Some of the knowledge management systems can be use for the purposes of solving the problems that is facing the company. Knowledge mapping is one of the intervention techniques that may be used for the purposes of identifying and solving the problem. Knowledge creation is also one of the important types of knowledge management system. This involves putting in place measures to ensure that the required knowledge is generated within the organization (Williams, 2014). Connecting people is also one of the important knowledge management systems that can be used for the intervention process. Connecting people involves putting in place measures to ensure that teamwork is enhanced within the organization. This has a potential of ensuring that the members of the staff are able to coordinate different activities or projects being carried out by the organization. A decision support knowledge management system is also a candidate for the intervention. This is considering that some of the decisions that were made by the organization contributed to the problem. The intervention techniques are mainly aimed at addressing the knowledge management gap at the company that is responsible for the problems that led to the breach of health and safety. Proposed Knowledge Management System: Knowledge mapping The contractor currently lacks technical members of staff who can supervise the process and ensure that health and safety is enhanced. The most appropriate system is the use of knowledge mapping in order to ensure that they have the capacity to identify and treat the pits with asbestos. Knowledge mapping mainly involves the acquisition of data, manipulation, storage, processing and manipulation. The knowledge map for Telstra will be for the purposes of determining the responsibilities of each stakeholder and the areas that the knowledge is likely to grow. This is for the purposes of ensuring that the required standards are attained through the use of technology. However, knowledge mapping can also be used for analyzing the problem at the company. Knowledge mapping enables the company to determine its strengths as well as weaknesses (Zack, 1999). The knowledge creation process will also be useful in terms of ensuring that the employees have adequate expertise and knowledge with regards to the implementation and supervision of the project. The contractor can also ensure that the employees at the technical department can work closely with the Telstra to ensure that all the processes and procedures are carried out in accordance to the required standards outlined by Comcare. Strategy The knowledge map will mainly be for the purposes of determining the requirements of the organization as well as the strategies for carrying out the implementation process. Since all the employees at the technical department had been dismissed, Telstra will also be required to recruit and train new employees. The knowledge of the employees should then be documented as it was not done in the past by the company. The organizational culture of Telstra will also be changed so as to promote efficiency during the operations. This will ensure that safety and health is considered in all the aspects and activities of the company. Knowledge creation will be useful for the purposes of equipping the contractor with the required expertise in terms of identifying and treating asbestos. The contractor has to ensure that qualified staff members are hired and trained by experts. This is as opposed to the current staff members who do not have any knowledge on the safety issues. This means that the new staff members have to be conversant with technological use. Best practices in the industry will be determined and incorporated in the technology that will be used in the process of monitoring and auditing the pits. Best practice as well as technology is useful during the process of ensuring that weaknesses in the system are eliminated (Williams, 2014). A risk management system will also be put in place for the purposes of combating any risk that may arise during the implementation of the strategy. Knowledge Source Telstra which already have the knowledge will be the knowledge source. Telstra handled previous projects successfully without any public complaints and this means that it has the knowledge. As the knowledge source, Telstra has to ensure that all the knowledge is documented so as to avoid losing the knowledge in case of employee turnover. A mechanism of transferring the knowledge to new employees is also required. The contractors need the knowledge with regards to the handling of asbestos safely. Telstra can therefore be involved in the training of the contractors in order to creating knowledge among the contractors. Telstra should ensure that all the contractors have been trained before carrying out any work which will be useful in eliminating the current problem facing the project. The sufficiency of the knowledge is also an important factor that will be considered. The knowledge has to be sufficient in order for the system to adequately address the problem facing the organization (Tornøe, et al, 2011). The currency of the knowledge management system is important for the purposes of ensuring that it can address emerging challenges. The knowledge source will therefore have to provide current knowledge so as to ensure that the problem can be addressed adequately. An appropriate structure will also be used for the purposes of enhancing the knowledge delivery system. The source of the knowledge has to be credible so as to ensure that it adequately addresses the problem and promote the safety of the employees as well as the community members. Mode of Delivery An interface is usually required by the users for the purposes of ensuring that the system is able to meet its objectives. Synchronous technique will be used for the purposes of delivering the system. This mode of delivery involves carrying out operations from the same place at the same time (Holsapple, 2013). Technology will mainly be used for the purposes delivering the information to the users. Sensors will be installed at the pits and the infrastructure for the purposes of ensuring that the monitoring process is carried out. The interaction with the users will be carried out through the use of audio visual method. Access control will only be limited to authorized personnel for security purposes. The personnel at the technical department as well as other senior members of staff will have an access to the system. The tailoring of the system will also be carried out for the purposes of ensuring that the needs of the clients are met. The culture as well as the brand of the organization will be considered as part of the delivery mode. The system will have a friendly delivery mode so as to ensure that the users are able to interact effectively with the users. Functionality The system will mainly function with the support of the business rules. The business rules will have all the information with regards to the conditions that are required at the pit. This will be useful in terms of ensuring that the system is able to meet its objectives. Adequate protection of the system will be carries out through the use of an enhanced security system. Authenticity of the users will have to be determined for the users will have to be determined for the purposes of keeping out any unauthorized access. The system will have access codes for the purpose of ensuring that it is secure at all times and only the authorized personnel can use it. All the information that will be held in the system will be subjected to reviews as well as update protocol. All the contents that are held in the system that are no longer relevant will have to be disposed automatically within a period of 14 days. This is for the purposes of ensuring that the system is not affected by the contents that are not relevant (Vlaanderen, et al, 2012). The system will allow for the transformation of knowledge in order to meet the different need of the users. Integration with the other systems will also be part of the knowledge management system. This is for the purposes of ensuring that the users can carry out other activities while using the system. All the contents will be managed automatically for the purposes of ensuring that the system is effective. Infrastructure An infrastructure will be required in order to enable the system to function as required (Schmitt, 2013). Several equipment will be required in order to ensure that the system is running. Computer hardware and software will be required for the purpose of offering a platform for user interaction. Sensors which will be placed in every pit and connected to the system will also be required. Internet connectivity will also be part of the infrastructures and it will be useful in terms of ensuring that the interaction with the users as well as flow of information is enhanced. Electronic connectivity will also be part of the system for the purposes of meeting the needs of the users. The information will also be stored in the hardware for the purposes of ensuring that it can be accessed easily. The maintenance of infrastructure will be carried out by experts. The company already has some of the equipment that is required for the purposes of developing the infrastructure. This includes the computer hardware as well as the software. The system will also be linked to the information management system for the purposes of storing the information. A backup system will also be put in place for the purposes of ensuring that the system can be used in the event of interruptions including maintenance. The backup system will also be useful for the purposes of ensuring that the loss of data is avoided. Any data that will be lost will be retrieved through the use of backup system. Continuous Improvement A knowledge management system requires a continuous review for the purposes of ensuring that it meets the requirements as well as any challenges that may emerge. A feedback mechanism has to be put in place for the purposes of ensuring the performance of the system is determined and improvements made system. The users will be required to provide a feedback with regards to the efficiency of the system. Performance management systems will be put in place for the purposes of ensuring performance of the system is determined. This will includes the ability accuracy of the system in terms of knowledge management. A third party review of the system will be carried on a monthly basis for the purposes of determining its performance. The information from the third party audit will be used for the purposes of continuous improvement. Return on invest is also an important concept that will be used for the purposes of continuous improvements. This involves the benefits that are brought about by the system to the company (Holsapple, 2013). The return on investment may be in form of increased profitability or efficiency at the organization. Continuous improvements will also be required for the purposes of ensuring that the system continues to benefit the organization. The community will also benefit since it will reduce the risk of people being exposed to asbestos dust which causes cancer. The members of the technical department will be responsible for improving the system. Experts will also be hired for the purposes of ensuring that there is continuous improvement of the system. Conclusion In conclusion, it is evident that the knowledge management system is useful in terms of solving particular problems being faced by an organization. The organization has problems in terms of health and safety of its pits and pipes for the broadband infrastructure. It is evident that knowledge mapping will be useful in terms of ensuring that the organization is able to solve the problems and improve on its efficiency. The project has various actors who have different needs with regards to the project. It is apparent that several steps have to be followed in order to ensure that the system is successful. Different equipment including the software as well as the hardware will be required for the purposes of ensuring that the system can operate successfully. Continuous improvements will be required in order for the system to continue operating effectively. It is evident that the technological concepts will be required in order for the system to meet its objectives. Sensors will be installed in every pit so as to ensure that the required standards are met. List of References McDonald, C, 2005, eScience and ePractice: Reflections on a KMS development, University of Canberra. Williams, D, 2014, Designing Knowledge Management Systems, University of Canberra. Zack, H, M, 1999, Managing Codified Knowledge, Sloan management review. Williams, D, 2014, Nuts and Bolts of a Knowledge Management System, University of Canberra. Canberra, Australia. Dalkir, K, 2013, Knowledge management in theory and practice, Routledge. Tornøe, C, et al, 2011, Creation of a knowledge management system for QT analyses, The Journal of Clinical Pharmacology, 51(7), 1035-1042. Holsapple, C, 2013, Handbook on knowledge management 1: Knowledge matters (Vol. 1), Springer Science & Business Media. Vlaanderen, K, et al, 2012, On the design of a knowledge management system for incremental process improvement for software product management, International Journal of Information System Modeling and Design (IJISMD), 3(4), 46-66. Schmitt, U, 2013, Knowcations-A meme-based personal knowledge management system-in-progress, In Proceedings 8th International Conference on e-Learning (ICEL), Cape Town, South Africa, June (pp. 27-28). Read More