MIS 2000

Class 11

Knowledge Processes &

Knowledge Work Systems

Outline

• Knowledge worker

• Knowledge & Knowledge Types

• Knowledge Life Process

• Knowledge Works Systems

• Organizational culture and knowledge

• Summary

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Knowledge and Occupations

• Knowledge worker is a professional that intensely applies (uses) domain knowledge at work and/or generates it.

• In contrast,

– clerk mostly processes data (collection, formatting entering in forms or IS, running IS)

– manager mostly interprets documents (infers information from documents)

Manipulate/process data

Interprets documents and analysis to draw

information

Apply knowledge on

solving biz problem

Produce biz documents

Create analysis, research

Clerk Manager Professional

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• Knowledge refers to understanding what something is, why something is, and how to do something:

- What: concepts, concepts’ relationships, taxonomies

- Know-how (procedures): How-to do something,

analysis/synthesis, how to generate new knowledge

- Why: understanding cause-effect relationships (special relationship)

Knowledge

Knowledge acquisition isincremental (what comes in layers, & why is learned with imperfect accuracy). Learner may start with know-how and understand what/why later.

Knowledge is never complete,or 100% correct, can be incoherent and controversial(messy).

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KNOWLEDGE

CONCEPTS,RELATIONS

PROCEDURES

CAUSE-EFFECT

is

Explicit • Can be communicated• Definitions, taxonomies, theories, procedures, cases

Tacit• Difficult to communicate• Experiential, analysis & synthesis skills•Mgt. goal to extract it

Three Knowledge Taxonomies

• Source view: Theoretical (science, theories) vs. Experiential knowledge (practical, personal, via doing)

• Communication view:

• Economic view: Human Capital (in people) vs.

Structural Capital (in things) *

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Codify, Validate & Store

Creating representations of knowledge; evaluating; storing representations

GenerateBy professionals & researchers)

SharingVia documents, access to KWS, instruction & teamwork

Utilizing Putting knowledge at work to benefit

Updating/DiscardChanging & abandoning obsolete knowledge

Knowledge Life Process

• Knowledge life process refers to a sequence of activities from knowledge generation to discarding.* The process in an infinite loop.

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Knowledge Work Systems (KWS)

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System Generate Codify & Store

Share Update

Artificial Neural Network System (ANNS)

yes yes yes

Case Based Reasoning System (CBRS)

Yes yes yes yes

Expert System yes yes

Communication System yes

Document Management System

yes yes

KWS in active role in steps of the knowledge process: - Generate: KWS do self-learning - Codify: KWS codify or people do it - Store: classical role for KWS - Share: when users deploy KWS - Update: consequence of KWS self-learning

Artificial Neural Network (ANN) System

• Simulates human brain’s cells and connections

• Connection patterns get created, which allows for machine learning.

• What is learned simulates human knowledge represented in form of graphics, numerical figures, text, etc.

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ANN with 3 layers of “neurons”

APPLE

COMP-UTER

FRUIT

Hidden layer strengthens its connections with APPLE and COMPUTER and not betweenCOMPUTER and FRUIT.

APPLE COMPUTER

• Software that codifies the expertise of people in the form of if-then rules

• Expert knowledge made accessible to non-experts

• Used in account auditing, medical diagnosing, troubleshooting of machinery, health care (Medical underwriting system at Blue Cross), financial industry (CLUES system for loan underwriting), oil & mining

UserInterface

UserInterface

Inference Engine:Creates decision trees out of

rules in K-Base anduser’s input

Knowledge Base (K-Base)If-then rules representing

expert knowledge

More on expert systems...

KWS: Expert System

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Case-Based Reasoning (CBR): Represents knowledge as cases – descriptions of problems with solutions (like in law).

Procedure of using CBR system: *

• User describes problem in keywords

• System searches the case base for similar problems; the closest fitting case = preliminary solution

• User modifies case with new details and stores it back in case base (new knowledge acquired, old knowledge updated)

KWS: Case-Based Reasoning System

Case Base (descriptions of problems, prob. solving, and solutions

UserInterface

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KWS: Document Management System

Document Management System = Repository of documents that codify knowledge is some way, and documents are stored in organized manner and indexed for easy search.

The simplest kind of KWS

Examples:

• systems using SharePoint software (also used to support workflow in groups – another lecture)

• “knowledge bases” (repositories in the question-answer format)

Content of documenting systems is shared among people authorized to access them (e.g., consulting firms)

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Organizational Culture and Knowledge

It is important that cultural beliefs and behaviors facilitate knowledge life process.

Beliefs and behaviors related to knowledge at Accenture:

o Beliefs & practices on generation & sharing of knowledge: Knowledge should be continually created through consulting practice and shared broadly.

o Beliefs on role of knowledge in organization: knowledge should contribute directly to profit objectives.

o What is the purpose KWS*: To enable sorting and efficient access to knowledge content.

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Knowledge Culture

• Knowledge Culture – a kind of organizational culture that places knowledge in the centre. Or a culture which supports most of the knowledge management cycle. May not exist in every company or can be developed less or more developed.

• May be facilitated by team culture (knowledge sharing through apprenticeship, knowledge development through synergy).

• Examples: Accenture, 3M, Microsoft, Apple

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Summary

• Knowledge worker is a professional that intensely applies/generates knowledge at work.

• Knowledge refers to understanding what something is, why something is, and how to do something. Develops gradually and is never perfect.

• Knowledge kinds: Theoretical & practical; explicit & implicit; memorized & materialized.

• Knowledge mgt. process is cyclical and includes generation, codifying/storing, sharing, utilizing, & updating/discarding.

• Knowledge works systems (KWS) studied are Artificial Neural Network, Document Management System, Expert System, & Case-Based Reasoning System. They support different phases of knowledge process (slide 7).

• Knowledge culture places knowledge and KWS in the focus (Accenture – large consulting company).

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