Theory and Practice of Knowledge Management - Coursework Example

Theory Of Practice and Management by 1st April I. Main Problem Knowledge Management is basically a process which involves finding information, organizing it, transferring it and then using it within an organization, wherever necessary. The problem which the case study exhibits is that the employees are not committed to the company. The maximum an employee stays with the company is two years, and then they leave for a better opportunity. The company wants to find out why the turnover is so high; turnover is closely related to knowledge management. If the knowledge management program of a company is good, then the employees are most likely to acquire knowledge and the turnover would be low. Companies need knowledge workers, because they have the ability to communicate using the knowledge they possess, in a specific subject (Debowski, 2006). II. Theory of Knowledge Management As mentioned above, knowledge management is closely related to turnover because if the knowledge management program of a company is efficient, then the rate of employee turnover would be low, as the employees would be learning something and connecting with customers, through that knowledge. Knowledge management and organizational learning is a program, which are similar in nature, as organizational learning is the process through which knowledge is acquired and knowledge management is sharing that knowledge within different departments of a company. In order to solve the problem, I would use this theory by creating a program, where knowledge can be shared with employees, who can in turn, communicate effectively with customers. Employees feel that they dont get the right information from the company, and for this purpose, they need to be empowered with knowledge which the company has gathered. This empowerment would motivate them to stay in the company and be committed to making it successful in the long run (Frappaolo, 2002). III. Suitable System The suitable system to solve such a problem would be Communities of Practice. This system can be defined as a community, which is made of a group of people, who share the same passions and concerns for a specific thing (Trayner, 2014). These people want to do something about the issues they face, through learning and by meeting on a regular basis. This system is ideal for this situation because of the number of employees working for the company are four part-time workers, three owner directors and six full time workers; it is a small workforce, thus can meet on a regular basis and can discuss their issues and improve their knowledge and learning. IV. Application of Community System Problem solving, recycling assets and making them reusable, development discussion, documentation of projects, visits, experience and requesting for the required information are some of the features of community system. The features mentioned above are IT whereas it also has some non-IT features. (Hildreth & Kimble, 2004) These IT and non-IT items are related to each other, and would help increase the knowledge of employee’s, make them better informed about the operations of the company and reduce the turnover rate of the company. In the problem solving steps, the employees would get together and discuss issues; they would brainstorm ideas, on one issue at a time. The second step would be IT related, asking for information, which means finding the code which would connect the employees with the server of the company, in order to access information. The server should be developed in a way that it is user-friendly for all employees and provides with the necessary information they need, to accomplish goals. Seeking experience would be a non-IT element, in which employees would share their experiences with customers, and these experiences would help them learn more about communicating with customers. Reusing assets are an IT element, in which employees share documents with each other. For example, if an employee needs help with a proposal, he can simply send it to his fellow employee who needs help, through email. This would give the employee-in-doubt an idea about how a proposal should be made and sent to the customer. Coordination and Synergy and discussing developments are non-IT elements, in which the employees combine their efforts and discuss the developments of the company, which has helped them in some way or the other. Documentation projects is an IT item, in which problems and their solutions are documented, to help those employees, who were not present at the meeting and to make that documentation available on the server, so that every employee can access and benefit from it. Visits are for gaining knowledge about existing projects, which can help in the future and as for mapping and identifying gaps, it is for employees to know what they are missing in their knowledge and the groups to which connecting would be helpful. All these steps are linked with each other and make knowledge management easier (Kinicki & Williams, 2008). V. Key Staff Issue The key staff issue here is the motivation level of employees; employees of the company are not motivated to communicate effectively with the customers, on a one-to-one basis. Moreover, they stay with the company till they get enough experience to pursue another job or better opportunities; the turnover is high and the employees are not committed to the company. This shows that the Directors of the company are not paying enough attention to the employees and are not doing much to motivate employees or to give them the sense that they are an important part of the company. So, the key staff issue, which should be given priority over others, is motivation because if employees are not motivated to work, then the company wouldn’t be successful or attract customers. VI. Theories of Motivation The first theory which the Directors should consider is acquired needs theory, coined by McClellan. The theory has three elements; need for achievement, need for affiliation and need for power. If employees are given authority, they are motivated to accomplish goals because they have the power to make decisions (Tracy, 2013). Moreover, the company should focus on the relationship between employees, because the fulfillment of a need for affiliation is a motivating factor in itself. The company should also give their employee challenging tasks, as this would fulfill their need for achievement. In need for achievement, employees want challenging task, because it makes them feel important and a big part of the company. The employees working in TPMT Company need to socialize with each other, need to be empowered with knowledge and should be given work, which gives them the chance to practice their skills and show their abilities. The second theory is of cognitive evaluation, in which there are intrinsic motivators and extrinsic motivators. The intrinsic motivators are as the acquired needs, but the extrinsic deals to pay, promotion and good working conditions. Promotions are an excellent way of motivating employees because it is giving them a superior position, with more responsibilities and subordination. Employees feel a sense of pride when they are promoted and also, in companies where there are more chances of promotions and development, employees tend to stay longer and more committed. Good working conditions are also a motivating factor for employees; in TMPT, if an employee gets along with other employees, then he would be motivated to stay in the company. Conditions also include how people interact with each other and how their problems are heard by the management. Most employees want a respectful environment, in which there are no destructive conflicts and each person has the right to express their opinions (Hoss, 1985). The third theory is the two factor theory; hygiene factors are those whose absence motivates, but if they are present, then it wouldn’t really matter. For example, if the company is offering health insurance to everyone, then this wouldn’t really impact the motivation level of employees, but if the company is not offering health insurance, then its absence would motivate them to get it, by working hard and showing extraordinary performance (Ritchie & Martin, 1999). The second factor is motivators, whose presence motivates and their absence doesn’t cause any dissatisfaction like willingness to do something. The company can motivate employees to connect with customers, by setting a rule that whoever gets good customer feedback, would get benefits from the company or increase in pay. VII. Pay and Motivation Pay plays an important role in the motivation of employees as mentioned in the cognitive evaluation theory. The company faces the problem of employees not being motivated enough to connect with customers; the company can connect satisfied customers with bonuses here. For example, if the company wants to increase the level of satisfaction of customers, then they would ask employees to interact with them more or provide them with more knowledge about the product. This can be achieved by setting a target for employees, on how many customers they should interact per day and the bonuses they would receive, in case of good feedback from customers (Bindra, 1971). Moreover, as employees choose to leave the company for better opportunities, if they are extraordinary or good performers, then they should be offered a raise for retaining them and lowering down the rate of turnover. References Bindra, D. and Stewart, J. 1971. Motivation. Harmondsworth: Penguin. Debowski, S. 2006. Knowledge management. Milton, Qld.: Wiley. Frappaolo, C. 2002. Knowledge management. Oxford: Capstone. Hildreth, P. M. and Kimble, C. 2004. Knowledge networks. Hershey PA: Idea Group Pub. Hoss, L. G. 1985. Intrinsic motivation and cognitive evaluation theory. Kinicki, A. and Williams, B. K. 2008. Management. New York: McGraw-Hill/Irwin. Mccann, T. J. 1974. Job satisfaction and work effort. Ritchie, S. and Martin, P. 1999. Motivation management. Brookfield, Vt., USA: Gower. Tracy, B. 2013. Motivation. New York: American Management Association. Trayner, E. W. 2014. Intro to communities of practice. [online] Available at: http://wenger-trayner.com/theory/ [Accessed: 31 Mar 2014]. Read More