6 questions around the topic of knowledge management

The term knowledge management is on everyone's lips. But what is knowledge management anyway? Why is it so important? And how can it be implemented successfully in practice?

Our expert Marcel answers these and other questions in this interview. Marcel is an expert in knowledge and innovation management. As a university lecturer for strategy and innovation, he further has enormous experience in the areas of digitalization, business model innovation and organizational forms.

What is knowledge management?

Marcel you have decades of experience with the management of knowledge and business models, can you briefly explain what is meant by the term "knowledge management"?

There are different understandings of knowledge management. One of them is a rather holistic one. First of all, there is the question of when knowledge is knowledge. This is the case when information has a value or is usable. I find the word used as a synonym for knowledge management, "solution routine", more appropriate. In my view, this term implies the key characteristic of knowledge management, namely the fact that someone can generate added value on the basis of a piece of information without, for example, having to solve a previously solved problem again. In somewhat simpler and more practical terms, functioning knowledge management provides answers to the questions "how does it work? how can I solve my problem in a simple way?

Knowledge Management - The Key to Competitiveness

What tasks does knowledge management fulfill?

A functioning knowledge management lays the foundation for competitiveness. This can be achieved if you are innovative, you can be innovative if you are a learning organization, and you become such if appropriate solution routines can be developed, shared and the value of the individual solutions can be improved. If knowledge is well developed and shared in a target-oriented way, this leads to qualitative solutions, innovativeness and consequently to high competitiveness. In my view, these are the tasks of a functioning knowledge management with regard to innovation and competitiveness.
On the other hand, well-implemented knowledge management makes the corresponding processes lean, which drives continuous improvement. This effect, too, ultimately plays into competitiveness. Functioning knowledge management has a positive effect on organizations of all sizes, regardless of their industry.

Knowledge management as an obligation?

Why is knowledge management important?

As I mentioned before, good knowledge management enables a high level of competitiveness. From my point of view, no company can avoid the application of a functioning knowledge management. The reason for this is the rapid changes that are common today, the VUCA world, which makes active management of knowledge enormously important, if not indispensable.

Of responsibilities and propaganda

Does good knowledge management have an impact on the way employees work?

I think that in the area of knowledge management, there is always a need for people who feel responsible, who monitor quality and also propagate where and how knowledge can be retrieved. Easy retrievability also ensures the reusability of solution routines or information. If this knowledge is not easily accessible, obstacles arise. There is a danger that new solutions will be sought for similar problems, which should not actually be necessary.

Reduction of knowledge barriers

How does good knowledge management succeed in practice?

In order to answer this question, the problem at hand must first be clarified. If knowledge is not made accessible or retrievable, hierarchical and functional knowledge barriers arise on the one hand, which subsequently leads to the emergence of knowledge islands.

Consequently, good knowledge management succeeds in practice by overcoming or connecting these knowledge islands. This requires appropriate systems. With functioning tools, the main problem, the retrievability of knowledge, is solved. However, knowledge and solution routines must not only be retrievable, but also structured and findable. Modern wiki systems such as Phonemos or Confluence are very helpful here. This provides employees with a solution that moves the company forward.

Knowledge management and strategy - Where am I where do I want to go?

What tools and strategies would you recommend?

In my opinion, the key question to ask yourself is: Where do I stand today, where do I want to go with the company. This clarifies the trading needs in knowledge management. What do I know today, what do I need to know in the future, and in which fields do I need to learn? This has to be systematically traced back to the company. Standard learning cycles and development processes then come into play, but even using these, it is easier to achieve the goal if the necessary tools are available.

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