The Xplor View - October 2008 - (Page 21)

What are the latest developments in knowledge management for large organisations? This is the final part of a three-part series published exclusively in The VIEW covering the ongoing convergence complexity of Knowledge Management (KM) in large organisations The convergence of the business intelligence and KM spaces is enhancing corporate synergies Business intelligence (BI) integrates the decision making process of the business with ‘ground’ intelligence so that the company performs more effectively within its environment. It does this by systematically collecting, analysing, and managing ‘snap-shots’ of the organisation’s internal and external structured information, sourced from its procedures and processes. In this way it extrapolates information from the external environment to uncover data patterns and performance-related results, which can then be used to forecast future trends. It takes out the guesswork involved in negotiating the way ahead it an organisation’s strategy. BI works by storing information in a cache so that it can then run complex (and timeconsuming) queries over it, without disrupting the organisation’s daily operation. Thus, it involves the use of data warehousing and online analytical processing (OLAP), and has strong relevance to the organisation’s competitive intelligence (CI). Knowledge management, on the other hand, addresses organisational cultures, knowledge tools, and the methods that the organisation could use to collect and share mostly unstructured knowledge. This can be done through employee communities and by use of natural information channels and flows existing within the organisation. The scope of KM covers collaboration, behavioural science, and even content management. It looks at how best to leverage an organisation’s intangible assets and is more of a socio-technical process than BI. However, BI is seen as having a more exciting and appealing image than KM. Despite the different areas of information that BI and KM address, there are many parallels between the two. For starters, the KM system follows a similar model to that of BI where data is stored in a cache or warehouse, from which queries can be run. The only difference here is that for KM, the data store will also consist of unstructured information. The two fields complement each other at a high level and are beginning to be used to enhance the organisation’s intellectual capital management (ICM). Ideally both the BI and KM queries will be run off the same operational systems and caches. Their convergence will create synergies within the organisation’s existing information structure and will improve its processes, procedures, culture, and workflow. Some examples of this relationship can be seen on a basic functional level. For instance, knowledge workers extract information from what is known as a ‘knowledge space.’ This can consist of documents and other content sourced from both real and virtual repositories, internal and external to the organisation. The knowledge space will incorporate all formats of information, both structured and unstructured, from many media sources. The space enables the worker to have access to the right information and tools, at the right time that they are required. This amalgamation of information will deliver better insight from analysis. The two fields are also ‘learning’ from each other. Techniques such as Social Network Analysis are now crossing over to enhance BI practices by enabling the organisation to better understand its sources of intelligence and how they flow through the system. Another crossover technique is Knowledge Auditing, which takes stock of the organisation’s intellectual assets, again helping to identify sources, flows, weak spots, and leverage areas that can be useful for BI procedures. Increasingly, the BI vendors are beginning to enter the KM space by using bolt-on’s and any new algorithms to enhance their product package. Figure 3.1 shows how the two can enhance corporate workflows and create synergies through what the founder of BI Research has called a ‘Smart Business Intelligence Framework.’ This framework shows the close integration of KM and BI with other aspects of the organisation: people, plans, processes, and performance. In brief, the key to the framework is the free-flow of information through a KM environment and workspace. This should feed into business planning, the objectives and targets of which must then be incorporated into business processes and performance management. Although organisations still have some way to go in their search for complete information integration, BI and KM converging is a step in the right direction. 21 Issue 6 October 2008 The VIEW Journal Xplor European Edition

Table of Contents Feed for the Digital Edition of The Xplor View - October 2008

The Xplor View -� October 2008 Contents TPE Master Class: Three Ways to Tame your Print-to-Mail Workflow Right Now Mission Impossible: Embracing Environmental Concerns TPE Master Class: Implementing a Lean Working Environment Improving Business Processes Yields Award-Winning Business Performance How Do� You Effectively Win New Business Writing a Marketing Plan to Win New Printing Clients How Buying Strategies Have Affected How the Industry Sells Let's Talk About Integrated Customer Communications Management:�Transpromo...It Takes a Village! Knowledge Management Part 3 XDU: Leading the Education Revolution Kodak plus Xplor equals XDU Around the World Xplor Europe News:�Short News Items for the Xplor UK�Programme and Europe News

The Xplor View - October 2008

For optimal viewing of this digital publication, please enable JavaScript and then refresh the page. If you would like to try to load the digital publication without using Flash Player detection, please click here.