Tutorial 7 - Knowledge Management

TUTORIAL 7

Question 1:
Differentiate between IT based knowledge sharing tool and non-IT based knowledge sharing tools.

Knowledge sharing is one of the basic crucial process of knowledge management. It is the saring of knowledge or transfer of knowledge between one party to another. There are two types of knowledge sharing tools namely, it based-which is based on technology and also non-it based which is the more traditional method of knowledge sharing.



Q 2.What do you know about corporate storytelling

Corporate storytelling is a way of gaining recognition as a mechanism for sharing knowledge and learning. Storytelling regarded by Gabriel (2000) as ‘an art of weaving, of constructing, the product of intimate knowledge’. It is the narration of experiences which have taught significant lessons. It enables others to learn, make sense of their world, explore decisions processes and mobilize their own efforts and potential. Corporate storytelling is one of the non IT based tools in knowledge sharing. According to Snowden, effective communication needs a story to be told in a convincing way and telling stories, be they fact or fiction, is a powerful way of stimulating Interest. It is believed that storytelling is one of the most powerful techniques in transferring knowledge towards one person to the other. Storytelling can increase the potential for knowledge sharing in the workplace. The important knowledge can be easily transferred when human engaging all their senses to imagine something and this will enable the knowledge to be easily transferred and can be remembered. Storytelling enables other to learn. For example the storytellers will share with them by story to them how the things being done and so on. This will encourage them to think at the same time memorizes and the knowledge and information can be stored by the listeners.

Q3. What are the advantages of practicing corporate storytelling?

There are many advantages in storytelling. Storytelling not only a way of communication but also it links the knowledge. Storytelling in knowledge management is used as a technique to describe complex issues, explain events, understand difficult changes, present other perspectives, make connections and communicate experience. Stories are useful in knowledge management because people learn things easily from stories enabling the externalization of tacit knowledge.

Firstly, storytelling can develop trust and commitment. Stories can communicate the competencies and commitment of oneself and others. For example, when the storytellers tell a story of personal experience, they also expose their commitment on the issue as well as show their trust and willingness to be open to the other regarding their experience. Therefore story about the organization and management can convey information about the organization’s trustworthiness towards the employees which can strengthen employee commitment.

Secondly, through storytelling it can also generate emotional connection which allows for the expression knowledge that might otherwise be difficult to share. According to Denming, stories have the inherent capacity to engage our emotion because they are about the irregularities in our lives, about things and situations that catch our attention by being different from what is expected. It helps the listener to understand it better and at the same time they can think if they were in the same situation and also simultaneously teach them on how to react towards certain situation and how they can respond towards it.

Thirdly, storytelling enables a more efficient of sharing tacit knowledge. It helps to solve difficult problems quickly. Tacit is the knowledge that is very hard to explain because it is in the mind of the knower. But through storytelling it helps to communicate it to the listener. They will put it in a situation and how they react towards it. Through that the listener will know and learn. Moreover, as been mentioned earlier, a complicated knowledge can be easily taught if it can be communicate through emotions and commitment and trust.