The Impact of Knowledge in Organizations

In an adhoc discussion with some f my young engineers, we spoke about how knowledge shapes our views and enhances our understanding as individuals, and important it is for learning, decision making and productivity.

In organizations, success measurement is not confined within numbers of deliverables and productivity, rather is relates to a much wider perspective?including many soft issues which are often ignored by senior managers.

?Knowledge is power. Knowledge shared is power multiplied – Robert Noyce

A big risk in misunderstanding the issue of on knowledge in organizations is the assumption that knowledge is a personal asset that represents personal power which gives its owner him/her differentiation and privilege. This misconception creates a culture of holding to information rather than spreading it, and results in a higher unwillingness to share one’s knowledge with colleagues.

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A more logical and realistic perception is that sharing knowledge gives the person more power. The concept of power in this case is not mere authority, but also includes higher level of trust, contribution and shared vision and behavior.

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Knowledge sharing brings numerous benefits to the organization, as follows:

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• It creates a collaborative environment, this is quite important since a climate that is conducive of knowledge sharing strengthens relationships between employees. Culture is the term used to describe this kind of behaviour in organizations.
• It increases trust and contributes to learning. Individuals grow much faster through a culture that encourages knowledge sharing, both tacit though informal encounters and discussions, and explicit thought documentation.
• Higher performance is achieved when knowledge sharing becomes widespread. Less mistakes are made as individuals and teams learn from pervious experiences and accumulated knowledge.
• It represents an important support for organizational decision making, as it makes available critical knowledge at the disposal of decision makers and top management. This can save the organization a lot of mistakes and money associated with misinformed decisions and reduces risks. This happens when senior decision makers utilize views and insights from various sources at all levels who willingly share what they know.
• The spread of knowledge that is derived from experiences and project delivery helps improve procedures and processes. It contributes in the improvement of the overall operations and communication.
• Knowledge sharing improves problem solving as different perspectives and angles are explored to address challenges and more innovative solutions are made possible.

Knowledge sharing significantly contributes to enhancing individual capabilities Nandi bringing opportunities and competitive advantage for the organizations. Leaders who recognize these facts form units whose role is to capture and disseminate knowledge. A Chief Knowledge Officer is appointed to take charge of such unit and lead the way reporting to senior management to ensure collaboration from the bottom and support from the top.