Tutorial 8 - Knowledge Management

Tutorial 8
1. Describe any FOUR criteria to be fulfilled by a person to be a CKO.

CKO or Chief Knowledge Officer is a person who organizes processes design for knowledge management that is the process for creating new knowledge, distribute existing knowledge and applying what is already known. A CKO also have to integrate the knowledge management by embodied knowledge management in the routine task and activities of firm employees. There are several criteria that must be fulfilled before a person want to be a CKO

Firstly, is they must themselves believe in what they say. This must be posses before they want to be a CKO. Since a CKO is a chief of knowledge officer therefore it is very important for a person to have faith and believe in themselves in what they act and say. A CKO want other people to follow and listen to what they say. If they don’t believe and don’t trust themselves so they cannot convince others. They also must behave on what they say or in other words “walk the talk”. They must become a role model. Without trust, confident and faith they cannot convince others to listen and follow a person because they want to bring a new thing and make it as a norms of an organization. So they must have this requirement.

Secondly, a CKO must have a strong leadership position that almost everyone on the team accepts. This doesn’t mean that a person which doesn’t have strong leadership position cannot become a CKO but it is an advantage to those who have strong leadership position to get attention by the employees. Mostly, people will obey and listen to those who have position. They can attract the attention of other easily. For example, if a secretary introduces a filing system where all the data will be stored in the system maybe her closest friend will follow but not all the employee. However, if the top management introduce it, the system immediately become a rules and regulation and the implementation can be support with training and so on which encourage more people to follow.

Thirdly is a person need to be thoroughly convinced of the worth of the project. Since the task of the CKO is to articulate knowledge management program like by making sure that the employee will aware of the nature and value potential of knowledge. This is another requirement that must be fulfilled before a person able to become CKO. Through strong leadership position it actually helps a CKO to convince the worth of some project to the employee. For example, through an introduction of concept of implementing knowledge management concept, it will help the organization to maintain their knowledge asset so it is important for the CKO to convince this to the other employee like explain to them the future and the advantage and disadvantages of the implementation. Communicate the project to employee thoroughly on what the effects of implementing it for the future of the organization and so on. Therefore people will follow.

Lastly is must have a clear idea of the bigger picture of where knowledge leveraging should take the company. Before become a CKO want to educate and communicate to the other on knowledge information, oneself must first know and get a clear picture on something. This can be relate with the first requirement which is before they want to convince other they first must have a bigger and clear picture on where knowledge could bring the company. The idea must be translated accordingly. They must know the vision and mission and whether the knowledge idea align with the goal of the company. Through that a CKO can convince and make others believe in them. Moreover, if there were any question and if they feel it is too complicated then it can be explain clearly.


Q2. As a manager, how can you develop and nurture CoP in your organization?

CoP or Community of Practice is a term which defines a group of professionals informally bound to one another through exposure and embodying a store of knowledge. As a manager, they can nurture and develop communities of practice in the organization.

Firstly is through legitimizing participation. CoP can be supported by recognizing the work of sustaining them for example by giving members the time to participate in activities and also creating environment which encourage and the value of the communities being acknowledged. The term community of practice itself can reflect a positive impact for an instance by giving people an opportunity to talk about it and their participation in the organization.

Secondly is by being attuned to real practice. Some of the practice of knowledge not only must be done according to the theory or by the book but sometimes it must be done through the real practices which exist in the organization. For example, when a department combines their service to the other department and they can combine their expertise and knowledge. Here is where a process of leveraging the knowledge occurs and they can be achieving competency much faster. Most of the knowledge practice is already present in the company and through the community of practice is the best place to start leveraging knowledge.

Lastly, is providing support. CoPs mostly are self sufficient but they also can benefit from other resources like experts, meeting facilities and so on. They can help to nurture CoP by provide guidance and resources when needed, include the right people in the group or team and also encourage them to move forward with their agenda and remain focused on the cutting edge.