The knowledge environment
Discuss About The Knowledge Management Of Manic Marketers.
Knowledge Management refers to the process of creation and management of the knowledge within an organisation. It is indicative of a multidisciplinary approach that helps in achieving the organisational objectives by making use of knowledge. The efforts pertaining to knowledge management focuses on organisational objectives like that of improved performance and competitive advantage (Geisler and Wickramasinghe 2015). This report focuses on the different aspects in relation to knowledge management like that of knowledge environment and role of the mentor. The report discusses about the kinds of information and forms in relation to organisational knowledge. It elaborates on the key weakness in relation to social capital and the different knowledge sharing strategies in an organisation.
Initial interview along with orientation presented a strong message regarding the knowledge environment at that of Manic Marketers. The advertisement of Manic Marketers stated that the company was in need of vibrant young professionals who would join the team of marketers. It stated that the knowledge environment was of world class order and referred to the collaborative team of marketing of Manic Marketers. The interview presented to Damon a comprehensive portfolio that outlined the technology systems. It also presented positive along with inclusive culture pertaining to Manic Marketers (Botha, Kourie and Snyman 2014). They had mentioned that the focus of the company was on the aspect of knowledge management. The interview went well with Damon and his heart was filled with Damon and he was happy with the kind of knowledge environment prevailing there. He was happy with the aspect of peer feedback that focuses on that of long term relationships. Damon felt satisfied with the job offer and he accepted it on that day when it was e-mailed to him. The orientation was satisfactory to Damon and the supervisor outlined in an enthusiastic manner that that their goal revolved around working in the smart manner rather than the hard way. It was mentioned that whatever they did was documented and they were also shared. It was stated that it made it easy for corporate knowledge to be shared easily.
The coaching exposed Damon to different kinds of systems like that of record management system, financial system along with that of knowledge object. The reality however presented a very different picture in front of him. He supervisor of Damon asked him to attend a meeting who had the initial BG on that of the following Monday. There were initials like that of “np” that could not be well understood by Damon because he had not worked there for a long time. The knowledge database could not furnish much details about the initial “BG” (Hillson and Murray-Webster 2017). After entering the full name pertaining to the firm that were six entries that emerged. This showed that there was a wide gap between what was initially promised to him and the reality.
The role of a mentor
The mentor plays a crucial role in relation to an organization. The mentors are responsible for the implementation of the mentoring process that is set by the organization and which forms a part in relation to employee development program. Most of the organizations appoint the supervisors along with the mangers who take up the role of coach. The mentors help in the facilitation of the members and looks after the subordinates in an organisation (Ahern, Leavy and Byrne 2014). The mentor performs the role of an advisor, counsellor, friend, facilitator, instructor and motivator in an organisation. The mentor helps in developing the professional interests of the employees and creates the career goals of the individual. The mentor emphasizes on building a relationship on the basis of mutual trust. The mentor in an organisation acts like a friend with whom the subordinates can share the problems. The mentor carries out the functions of a facilitator who helps the person in becoming aware of internal issues (Heding, Knudtzen and Bjerre 2015). The mentor educates the person and imbues the right kind of skills that can come of use for the organization. The mentor serves as an inspiration and encouragement for the learners.
Damon was exposed to different systems in Manic Marketers with the help of the mentor that was inclusive of the in-house record management system and financial system. The human resource process was explained to Damon with the help of the mentor. In the second week, Damon got a note from the supervisor that asked him to attend a meeting with a person whose initial was BG. He was instructed of starting dialogue in the new project that was listed in the file. The name of the client “Garabaldon Brothers” was mentioned on that of the front page but the mentor should have furnished further details to Damon that could have helped Damon in his work. In the event of Damon trying to seek help from that of the mentors they appeared to be threatened by the appearance of Damon at the work station (Pawlowski and Bick 2015). The mentor of Damon should have helped him in clearing doubts regarding the client that could have been of great help for Damon.
The client records are maintained for benefit pertaining to the client. The conscious recording of the needs of the clients and intervention can prove to be crucial for the success of an organization. It is important to maintain proper data in relation to the client so that they can protect themselves from that of professional liability (Hayes 2014). The codified knowledge that are used in the documents should be mentioned somewhere in the records management system that can help the employees in finding out the relevant information. The organisations in the present age regard the aspect of knowledge creation along with innovation as integral to that of core business. During times of meetings and projects the individual knowledge of the workers becomes a part of that of collective activity that can help in building great amount of knowledge that can be utilised by the organization (Clegg, Kornberger and Pitsis 2015). The five stages in relation to organisational knowledge development pertains to that of knowledge sourcing, knowledge abstraction, knowledge conversion, knowledge development and that of refinement. Tacit knowledge is indicative of the codified knowledge that can be found in the documents. The non-codified knowledge in an organisation refers to that of experience based knowledge (Donate et al. 2017). The explicit knowledge is kept in a codified form that is kept in the documents along with databases pertaining to an organisation. They can prove to be effective for facilitating the aspect of storage along with modification of the documents.
Types of information and forms of organisational knowledge
The management should take care of the fact that people have access to all kinds of information within an organisation. Important knowledge should be stored and they should be updated and discarded within an organisation. Explicit knowledge would have proved to be of great value for Damon and the management talking about the important clients and the relationship of Manic Marketers with the clients could have been of great help for Damon. The codified knowledge should have been updated in the proper manner that would have greatly helped Damon (Li et al. 2015). Tacit knowledge can prove to be hard to be communicated and the IT system relies on the aspect of codification. Tacit knowledge is rooted in that of context along with experience. Tacit knowledge proves to be difficult to be communicated as it resides within the mind of practitioner.
The key weakness pertaining to Manic Marketers was that of insufficient information. The records of the organisation and the website of Manic Marketers did not furnish information regarding the client named “BG”. The key products pertaining to the organization should have been mentioned in the database of the organisation that could have been of great help for Damon (Cerchione and Esposito 2017). The history of the organisation should have been mentioned to Damon that would have helped him in his meeting with the personality called “BG”. He did not even have idea about the meaning of “np”. He did not have any kind of idea regarding the project. The mentor of Damon should have provided him with the right kind of support instead of looking threatened by the appearance of Damon. The real name pertaining to “BG” that was Zacchariah should have been communicated to Damon that might have helped in his meeting. When Damon called Sam Smith up Sam instructed that Zacchariah should be taken to the French restaurants. These information should have been conveyed to Damon at the outset that could have helped Damon in dealing with the meeting. He would have been able to prepare himself in the right manner had he got the support of his mentor and the mangers of the organization.
The office space pertaining to Manic Marketers should be conducive to that of conversation that can help in increasing the knowledge sharing within that of the organisation. There should be conference rooms in the office that can aid in the process of sharing of knowledge. The different forms pertaining to knowledge sharing should be encouraged within Manic Marketers. End goal pertaining to knowledge sharing should be in the aspect of knowledge sharing that can make everyone within an organization feel comfortable (Donate and de Pablo 2015). Time should be set aside in an organisation that can assist in the process of face-to-face collaboration. The team members will thus be able to get the opportunity of expressing their idea. Time should be set aside so that people can share content within Manic Marketers.
Key weakness in social capital
Some strategies that can be considered includes that of incentivizing the aspect of knowledge sharing. The team members who embody that of the knowledge sharing movement in Manic Marketers should be rewarded (Mangiarotti and Mention 2015). Small prizes like that of t-shirt along with water bottles can be provided to the employees who have demonstrated excellent skills in relation to collaboration. The rewarding of the employees can prove be a useful strategy that can help in encouraging the aspect of knowledge sharing in an organization (Harlow 2015). The new hires in Manic Marketers should be provided with a mentor and the new employees should be able to approach him with ease. The new hires should be asked for the input that can help in encouraging the employees.
The impediments in the path of knowledge sharing can be on account of the fact that the employees in the organization Manic Marketers do not get the right amount of time so that they can engage themselves in conversations with the employees. The new employees are often derided and looked down upon that can act as a barrier in relation to sharing of knowledge (Goel 2015). The lack of knowledge of the mentors can prove to be an impediment in an organization that can curb the process of knowledge management.
Conclusion:
The interview of Damon in Manic Marketers presented a comprehensive portfolio that talked about the technology systems of the organization. It presented an inclusive culture within that of Manic Marketers. The mentor of Manic Marketers should have helped Damon and made clear to him regarding the different aspects in relation to the meeting in which he was supposed to attend and details regarding the project should have been made clear to him. The mentor should serve as a source of encouragement in relation to the employees of an organization. The explicit knowledge that is stored in the documents should have been made clear to him with the help of the old employees and management of Manic Marketers. The documents of Manic Marketers should have been modified on timely basis that could have proved to be useful for the new employees in gaining knowledge. Insufficient information was the primary cause of weakness in relation to Manic Marketers. The company records did not have enough information regarding the client named “BG”. Face-to-face collaboration can help in the process of sharing of knowledge within Manic Marketers. The team members being able to express their viewpoints can help in knowledge management within Manic Marketers. The employees in Manic Marketers who indulge in knowledge sharing should be rewarded that can act as a pertinent strategy of paving the path for knowledge management in the organization. The dearth of knowledge on the part of the mentors can act as a barrier for the organization and can hamper the process of knowledge management.
References:
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