Management of Data Resources - Coursework Example

Knowledge Management Introduction Data is a very useful resource to any organization or team tasked with handling projects. It is the data resource that is mostly used by many firms to make decisions based on the knowledge the data impacts on the management and stakeholders. Sharing of these data resources is also crucial as it determines the productive of the data obtained. Therefore, there is need for having strategies to enhance good knowledge management in an organization or team. This paper is going to analyze the different ways through which management of data resources and shared knowledge can be improved in a learning team. (1)How should your Learning Team manage data resources for your team projects? Learning teams are usually the best channels through which people get to be exposed to what is expected of them even at the work places. A learning team is mostly involved with accessing data and analyzing them with an aim of getting some knowledge. Our learning team is also tasked with managing the various data resources required for the team projects. The data resource management process should be done systematically in the following way[Pie12]. The first thing to do is to know the members of our learning team. The role that each member plays should be known by the team management. Through this the management can get to know which resources are required by specific people when working on the team projects. An example of how this can be done is through organizing platforms through which the qualities of the members can be analyzed[Mic12]. The second important step to take is to analyze the resource requirement for the team projects. As a learning team, there are usually a series of projects allocate to us for joint working. The team projects require some data resources for them to be worked on. For example, the team can conduct a random reconnaissance so that the data resources required can be briefly highlighted before the exact study is done[All12]. The next step is grouping of the projects in terms of what resources they need so that they can be worked on. The team projects that require similar data resources are usually grouped together when allocation of resources is to be conducted. The reason for doing this is to make management of data resources more efficient as projects that require similar data resources are allocated at the same time with the same inputs[Bha14]. Another recommendation I would make to my learning team to enhance better data resource management is conducting of continuous assessment on the capturing and use of the data resources. Through the assessments it will be easier for the management to know where there is scarce data resource and more should be provided. I also recommend that my learning team should access more sources of data resource. Through this the team will have adequate data resources that will help in catering for areas where there is inadequate resource. This justifies the importance of this recommendation since the management will be able to balance the available resources[McA12]. (2)How could your Learning Team better manage the shared knowledge on your team? After obtaining knowledge, the other important move to make is sharing of this knowledge to all members. When the knowledge is just kept with one person it becomes less productive compared to when it is distributed across the team. Therefore, it is necessary that our learning team improve how it manages the sharing of the knowledge captured from members[Bro111]. One way through which the management of knowledge sharing can be bettered is by putting more emphasis on tacit knowledge in the first place. There are two types of knowledge which include tacit and explicit knowledge. The former is a type of knowledge that is mostly obtained through experiences while the latter is knowledge got from books or organized teaching. The reason why knowledge management should start with tacit knowledge is because acquisition of this type of knowledge requires a lot of time and involvement of many people. Thus after the tacit knowledge has been managed effectively, it becomes easier to handle the explicit knowledge[Che121]. The other best recommendation for better management of the shared knowledge among team members is adaption of activities that will make the team members comfortable sharing the knowledge they have. Sometimes the staff is usually faced with the challenge of people being hard on the information they have because the team does not give a comfy space for sharing what one has with others[Fer12]. An example of how knowledge sharing can be made comfortable to all members is through showing acknowledgement of every idea a person brings into the team. By doing this it makes a person feel his or her knowledge will always be useful to the organization and will keep issuing knowledge as required. Therefore it is justified that appreciation of all the ideas people give makes sharing comfortable for them. After making it comfortable to share, it is recommended that the process of sharing the knowledge should also be made easier in different ways. For example, creating an online platform where all team members get connected to share what they got. Many organizations think that creating time for knowledge sharing is waste of economical time. I justify the recommendation of making the process easier since the organization’s staff will now engage in the activity since it won’t consume more time like before. An online platform can be accessed at any time of the day one is free[LaV13]. (3)What strategies or resources would help facilitate Learning Team knowledge management? Knowledge management is a crucial activity of every learning team that is aimed at being successful in achieving its objectives. It basically entails capturing useful organizational knowledge and putting in place effective channels of sharing the same to every member of the team or organization. There are several strategies that can be used to help manage knowledge within a team. The strategies can be looked at by grouping them into three levels depending on the functions of these strategies[Bro111]. The first strategy is introduction of more collaboration mechanism within the organization. These are resources that are going to assist in bringing the team members together to share the knowledge they have with them. There are many examples of this mechanism. Virtual and face-to-face communication among the team members is one important tool that creates a platform for collaboration of the team[Ric122]. Action learning sets are another example of collaborative mechanisms through which the staff of an organization is enhanced to work together. In these sets, the members are assigned different roles which they work and later on come back to join their pieces of work. Therefore, it enhances collaboration in the team and organization. Another useful strategy is introduction of more knowledge sharing tools and avenues. There are very many channels through which teams can share the knowledge they have, but organizations are not keen to adapt as many as possible of these tools. Through the many avenues, more knowledge is going to be availed to the team. For example, storytelling session is a very important channel through which tacit knowledge is passed from person to person. Challenge session is another good example of how to share knowledge. During such meetings people challenge each other as they at the same time pass knowledge to their colleagues[Shi12]. Finally, exit interviews would help a lot in knowledge management for a team. Interviewing of staff before they leave our organization helps in restoring the useful knowledge they had been using to perform well. Such interviews are useful in capturing tacit knowledge which can only be obtained through a one-on-one meeting with the experienced person. Conclusion The need for well managed data resources and proper management of the shared knowledge has pushed teams to the wall in finding better ideas to keep track of the knowledge they have in hand. The above recommendations are going to help in ensuring there is proper knowledge management in a team and organization. The paper has also talked of the importance of both explicit and tacit knowledge. The two are all responsible for the success of a team thus the need to give them equal attention. Following the given strategies is going to assist in ensuring effective flow of data and knowledge in organizations. References Pie12: , (Pieterse, 2012), Mic12: , (Michener, 2012), All12: , (Allan, 2012), Bha14: , (Bhatt, 2014), McA12: , (McAfee, 2012), Bro111: , (Brown, 2011), Che121: , (Cheng, 2012), Fer12: , (Fern, 2012), LaV13: , (LaValle, 2013), Ric122: , (Richter, 2012), Shi12: , (Shin, 2012), Read More