KM system

Knowledge management systems:

Knowledge management system in an organisation is managing, supporting creation, capturing and storage of information(Schneider and Angleman, 1993). It can comprise a part of knowledge management. These ideas of knowledge management system enable employees to have a ready access to organisations based on source of information and solutions.(M. Alvi, Leidner- 1999)

Knowledge management systems helps every individual in an organisation to collect, access, coordinate and apply knowledge within organisation for the development and better profits of organisation. Where the knowledge may be existing knowledge in the organisation.
This model has four stages, knowledge creation, knowledge storage/retrieval, knowledge transfer, and knowledge application and it is expected that the KMS will use technologies specific to supporting the stage for which the KMS was created to support. Marwick (2001) classifies the KMS by the mode of Nonaka's (1994) SECI model (Socialization, Externalization, Combination, and Internalization) being implemented
Technology in KMS: all organisations have different approach to knowledge management systems all the social computing which will include blogs, social network services like face book, intranet, email, weblogs, in individual and organisational contexts.


Data types:
• Metadata defines associations between work activities, processes, and context. Metadata can include email, organizational charts, procedures, and guidelines.
• Structured data are formal records from activities and processes. Structured data can include completed forms, procedures, notifications, and listings.
• Semi-structured data are typically paper documents used in work, but they can also be digital documents.
• Unstructured knowledge include documents, video, audio, and images.
• Temporal data are for work over a period of time. Temporal data includes all the previous forms of data stored over the period of an activity or event.

Representation is the key to the use of knowledge. Two issues define it: how the previous forms of data are organized and stored, and how this data is represented in the user interface. The traditional database relational structure is sufficient for much of this data, but is difficult to use with digital documents, metadata, and unstructured data. Hyperlinks and other approaches can be used to link data within digital documents. Numbering systems and database reference links can be used to represent links between paper documents and activities.

Benefits of KM systems:

Some of the advantages claimed for KM systems are:
1. Sharing of valuable organizational information.
2. Can avoid re-inventing the wheel, reducing redundant work.
3. May reduce training time for new employees
4. Retention of Intellectual Property after the employee leaves if such knowledge can be codified.(Langton, N & Robbins, S. (2006)).

Most of the organisations now a days are using IT in order to check the status of company through video conferences ,email search , external server services add www services. Intranet sevice playing a major role in every organisation in knowledge management wchich is moving closely by email and search tools.
As we known Information Technology is not a new thing but using IT in the knowledge management is only the new thing for wchich we are using in an organisation
SUMMARY
KM is the experience, knowledge, information, and data about events in an organization that are then applied to future events to support decision-making. The KMS is the system an organization builds to support the capture, storage, search, retrieval, and application of knowledge. This includes the management support, processes, and IT applications and components necessary to support these activities. Additionally, the KMS uses a variety of repositories including computer, paper, and self-memory based repositories. Organizations need to design their knowledge repositories based on the transience and experience of their workers. The more transient the users, the more the repositories need to be computer based. Self-memories are used to help less experienced workers gain context so that they can use the computerized repositories; however, the self-memories used are those of experienced workers. The next article will look at those critical success factors that determine if the KMS succeeds.

References:
Steven L. Telleen, Ph.D.
Alavi, M. and Leidner, D.E. (2001). Review: Knowledge Management and Knowledge Management Systems
Borghoff, U.M. and Pareschi, R. (1998). Information Technology for Knowledge Management
Maier, R. (2002). Knowledge Management Systems: Information and Communication Technologies for Knowledge Management
Hobbs and Pigott (2001)

Langton, N & Robbins, S. (2006). Organizational Behaviour (Fourth Canadian Edition). Toronto, Ontario: Pearson Prentice Hall.