How can can IT support organizational and personal KMS?

Early before mid nineteenth century , the principle of economic resources for business are capital and labour. A third resources has now been added i.e. information technology. Through out the twenty-first century, there is lots of development in the usage of technology in organisations. Information Technology is likely to be particularly important as computing technology increased processing, sharing the data, communicating etc.

In practical, organizations use internet and intranet to transfer data and retrieve data through network available in databases. This makes better use of technology to gain and share knowledge in organization. Information technology is not all about Knowledge in organization, but it is better mean to use Knowledge in an organization.

Using Information technology , frequent update of information is possible among organisation by updating in podcasting, updating through Metadata etc. By knowing information up to date quick decisions can be taken. Like if we are uploading a CV in online job sites within few time we will be receiving the links to the job availability centers’.

Few companies like Google , Amazon.com, e bay have established very ofter development of Information technology. It helps in online transferring of data (Online banking), Transfer of data within an organisation (Intranet), creating a blogs , usage of metadata . It enable people in an organisation to develop ability to collect information and share what they have know and intern improve service and outcomes of organisation. Like, due to improvement in information technology in Amazon , we used to operate and given instruction to fulfilment centres situated far from us.

But Donna S Hussain & KM Hussain claim that Information technology alone cannot share knowledge to the organization. (Donna S Hussain and KM Hussain, Pg no 8). For example If we go for any provisional store like Sainsbury , customer relations and doubts are maintained by human interaction but not by reply from machine.

According to Nonaka and Takeuchi(1995) , there are two forms of knowledge , one is Explicit Knowledge and Tacit Knowledge. Explicit Knowledge is the knowledge that is seen or taken in tangible format. That can be saved in database or on the paper, articles’ or manuals, Video, pictures etc. In resent time, role of Information technology is recognized in organizations to make knowledge sharing easily. They are making organization bond together by connecting and transferring data.

According to Ann Macintosh (1997) from AI Application Institute (AIAI, Edinburgh, United Kingdom), Knowledge is a corporate assert and can resides in database, knowledge base, files cabinets and people. When organization gains knowledge from any source,

But technologies will only leave organization with lots of information to store, unless it is used by people , using by implementing KM methods as practice. It is the people to think how they can better transfer and organize the knowledge they have. According to Albert Einstein “Knowledge is experience, every thing is information” (Cited in Richard Mc Dermott, 1999, Pg no 21, )

My understanding in this matter is that it doesn’t matter if people are using social tools , or technology There need to be a practice(Implementation) of Knowledge. Information technology is just a medium you can share your knowledge.

According to American productivity and Quality Center, Knowledge management can easily accomplish they goals by setting up a suitable IT in an organization. (Uwe MBorghoff, Remo Pareschi, Aug 1997 ). Now a days Knowledge management in an organization is much about electronic mail, video conferencing, chat rooms, data file, records. The bast way to store or reuse the knowledge is through Information Technology , Organization provides.

But according to Borghoff U.M., Pareschi R, there are also disadvantages of using IT for Knowledge sharing in Organization. If the organizations mainly focus on Explicit Knowledge i.e. "More IT less people", they may loose knowledge that stays with the people who are working in they organization ( tacit Knowledge ).

References: Timothy F. Bresnahan, Erik Brynjolfsson, Lorin M. Hitt, November 2000; referencing not plagarising; Retrived on April 01, 2009 from http://ebusiness.mit.edu/erik/itw-final.pdf

-Donna S Hussain & KM Hussain, 1995,Information System for Business, Prenstice Hall International (UK) Limited, Hertfordshire.

- Uwe M. Borghoff, Remo Pareschi, 1997; Information Technology for Knowledge Management, Journal of Universal Computer Science, vol. 3, no. 8, Pg no 837, 838, Retrived on April 01,2009;

- Lisa APetrides, September 28, 2004, Knowledge Management, Information Systems and Organisations, Volume 2004, Issue 20, Pg no 3-4, Retrived on 1 april 2009.

- Richard Mc Dermott, 1999 , referencing no plagiarism , Volume 41, No 4, retrieved on April 2, 2009, from http://books.google.co.uk/books?hl=en&lr=&id=VG0G3clyi0QC&oi=fnd&pg=PA21&dq=Knowledge+Management+++information+technology&ots=w3IXyGcodm&sig=WZBGQcgd7AXlaHxVhb1ULBGY0_A