Steering know-how

Krishna Venkitachalam
10 July 2002

Presently, new technologies, products and services are emerging in the market. The lifecycle of the existing technologies are short and changing. Information technology (IT) is one of them. Due to growth in the importance of IT in recent years, corporate data and information are available in plenty.

This is because data and information are easy to access and transfer across the globe using IT applications without any geographical restraints. In this context arises the involvement of the term knowledge. It leads to questions of where and how the word knowledge came from in the context of data and information.

About knowledge evolution
In reality, knowledge comes from data and information. When data and information are applied and used in a meaningful context for a decision, the reward is knowledge. The decision could be finding a solution or identifying a problem. The term knowledge points towards the decision outcome. It is the know-how of defining the solution or know-what of identifying the problem. This is very critical in any function of an organisation.

Knowledge evolving from data and information are of two forms. This is tacit and explicit knowledge. Tacit knowledge is the knowledge created in individuals through formal training, insights, ideas and experiences learned and gained over the years of working in organisations. Tacit knowledge is individual specific, as individuals are different.

Explicit knowledge is the knowledge available in public that exists in documents either in paper or electronic form. Time and richness are the key ingredients of knowledge. Technology helps in supporting the value of time and richness of knowledge. For example, IT applications like intranets, internet, lotus notes and e-mail applications support the processes of knowledge creation, storage, transfer, sharing and application.

Moreover, technologies assist or enable the knowledge processes depending on the form of knowledge engaged in the process. If the knowledge is explicit, IT enables the process of sharing and transfer, and if it is tacit IT assists the process of sharing and transfer. Here, there is a stress on the two words: assist and enable. Assist means help (Oxford dictionary), which means IT helps the process of sharing to take place when the knowledge is not readily available, but is there in the individuals mind that solely depends on the individuals willingness to share.