MANAGING KNOWLEDGE COMMUNICATION AND INFORMATION

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Table of Contents
Table of Contents.............................................................................................................................2
Introduction......................................................................................................................................2
Task 1...............................................................................................................................................3
1.1

Discuss the range of decisions to be taken......................................................................3

1.2 Examine the information and knowledge needed to ensure effective decision taking...........4
1.3.

Assess internal and external sources of information and understanding.........................4

1.4.

Justify recommendations for improvement........................................................................5

Task 2...............................................................................................................................................6
2.1 Identify stakeholders for a decision-making process.............................................................6
2.2 Make contact with those identified and develop business relationships................................6
2.3 Involve those identified in the decision making as appropriate............................................7
2.4 Design strategies for improvement........................................................................................8
Task 3...............................................................................................................................................9
3.1 Report on existing processes of communication in an organization.....................................9
3.2 Design ways to improve appropriateness..............................................................................9
3.3 Implement improvements to ensure greater integration of systems of communications in
that organization........................................................................................................................10
3.4 Create a personal plan to improve own communication skills............................................10

Task 4.............................................................................................................................................11
4.1 Report on the existing approaches to the collection, formatting, storage and dissemination
of information and knowledge...................................................................................................11
4.2 Carry out appropriate changes to improve the collection, formatting, storage and
dissemination of information and knowledge............................................................................12
4.3 Implement a strategy to make an improve access to systems of information and knowledge
...................................................................................................................................................12
Conclusion.....................................................................................................................................13
Reference list.................................................................................................................................14

1.2 Examine the information and knowledge needed to ensure effective decision taking
A lot of information and knowledge is required by the managers to make important decisions
in the business. These decisions are made in line with the management efforts to increase the
profitability in the long run. These are very important aspects as the info required can be assessed
in a direct way without reducing the overall performance in the business. The managers must
make clear decisions that are in line with the efforts of the organization to have an increased
productivity in order to attain a massive direct intervention with the whole management action.
These are actions that are taken to increase the ability of each person to have an increased
measure of value that can motivate the people. The managers need to have information regarding
the market and other variables in the economy. These aspects are supposed to be considered in
order to increase the long term success in the management. These are very important aspects and
hence the information will help making the right decisions. These are decisions that can increase
the ability of managers to make accurate decisions. These are decisions that can help improve the
image of the companies in the market. This can increase the overall productivity and massive
success in terms of profits (Von 1996).
Information is required at all levels of decision making from individual levels to national and
international levels.
In order to make decisions such as which companies to be associated with, the company
will need information about the other companys performance, reliability and legal records. It
should be a known company for good performance. For the company to make decisions of its
plans, it will need information about its progress over the years as well as its strengths and
weaknesses. This will enable the company to make reasonable decisions using the figures that it
already has, for the company to make decisions on workers, it will need a record of their

performances to know the competent ones and those who are not competent. The company will
also require information about the other people who are applying for positions in the
organization such as their academic records. This will make it possible for the Human Resource
Managers to know the different skills the applicants have and in which positions to place them.
The company will require information from the consumers on demand so that they can be able to
know the amount of goods and services to produce and supply. This also enables the company to
know where to deliver the products needed and the quantity needed in each place.

Task 2

2.2 Make contact with those identified and develop business relationships
One method of collecting these data would be through observation of experts at work.
This, however, would be extremely time consuming (Johnson 2009). Alternatively, get as many
facts as possible about the decision within the limits of time imposed and the ability to process
them. But virtually every decision is made in partial ignorance and lack of complete information,
which affects the decision making process. As a result the methodology uses a VIS. The experts
at Ford interact with a visual simulation of the system in question. The simulation model stops at
a decision point and reports the values of the attribute variables. The expert is then prompted to
enter his/her decision to the model (Torres 2002). The methodology suggests VIS for a number
of reasons. First, it is less time consuming than observation, because the simulation runs much
faster than real time. Another benefit is that, simulation run can be repeated exactly, enabling the
system state to be interrogated further at a later date, if required. The key to this step is to not
remain stuck on obvious alternatives or what has worked in the past but to be open to new and

better alternatives. Realistically, the decision maker should consider more than five in most
cases, more than three at the barest minimum. This gets away from the trap of seeing "both sides
of the situation" and limiting alternatives to two opposing choices; either this or that.
Contact with the owners can be by meeting in business meetings. This is whereby different
owners of different organizations meet to talk about the strengths of their companies as well as
advertise them. They get to exchange ideas with each other and end up signing contracts that
build good business relationships.
Contact with employees is made through the daily activities in the company. It is also
made in meetings where they are being summoned or in Annual General Meetings of the
company. This improves the personal relationships of the employees. They learn to correct their
mistakes when addressed and improve for the better of the company. They also get ideas to
exchange ideas with each other through their daily interactions in the company. This enables
them to understand each other.
Contact with customers occurs when they are purchasing the goods and services
directly from the company. Contact with customers can also be achieved in shows where the
company is displaying its goods and services to the public and advertising the goods for the
consumers to buy. Contact with customers is also made through the media whereby the company
advertises its goods and services to the public through Television, Radio or internet.
2.3 Involve those identified in the decision making as appropriate
There are various parties that are involved in decision making. These decisions are
supposed to increase the overall degree of the collected information. The managers must be fully
considered in the long term. The aim is to increase the overall success of the organization in

terms of accurate developments in the required information needs. That practice induces to
consider knowledge as an object independent of individuals. In that way, as information,
knowledge can be acquired, processed, stocked, transmitted and restored. However, we argue
that as soon as knowledge is explicit, formalized and codified in a Digital Information System
(DIS), it becomes information (Torres 2002). We call that information information source of
knowledge for somebody. Effectively, individuals tacit knowledge is involved to enable the
user to give a sense to that information in order to act. As noticed by Wiig Without knowledge,
intelligent and effective behavior. However, if information can be acquired, processed, stocked,
transmitted and restored, such is not the case for individuals tacit knowledge used in action.
Although the technological approach is greatly shared, without awareness, when elaborating KM
initiatives strategy, we can confuse the notions of information and knowledge, and disregard the
importance of individuals tacit knowledge used in action.
Contact with owners of a company may lead to a strategic relationship that extends beyond the
company. This means that the company no longer operates on its own but has links with other
companies elsewhere. In making a decision, the company not only considers its interest, but also,
how to bring about profit for the other companies it has joined forces. This relationship also
helps the company in deciding which other companies to join forces with to be able to attain
maximum production .
Contact made with customers leads to a functional relationship with the customers as the
company gets ideas from the consumers of its goods and services. This relationship is important
in decision making since consumers are an important part of the company. They help in deciding
the amount of goods and services that the company should produce.

Contact made with employees within each other help in developing a personal
relationship. The personal relationship is important in decision-making as it assists the company
in deciding which task to allocate to which employee according to their skills. This relationship
is also important for the company to set the rules and regulations that the workers are supposed
to follow in their daily activities in the company.
2.4 Design strategies for improvement
In this case, various strategies need to be taken to have an improvement in the
information sharing needs. These strategies are hence important as they affect the final decisions
made by the different parties whose aim is to increase an overall assessment in to the risks needs.
These are designed to increase the overall measurement of value in the organization. The first
one is increasing the needs of each stakeholder who is involved in making the decisions. This can
hence increase the long term development to trigger more research and developments in the long
run. The main effort of the people in this case is aimed at developing the required stagey needs.
The management needs must be given first priority then the shareholders in the organization
(Leonard 2011). All these are aimed at developing a good value of the organization. The required
information can easily be identified as it will create a increased value of the assets in the
organization. This distinction between fact-based evaluation and non-fact -based evaluation is
included to assist the decision maker in developing a "confidence score" for each alternative. The
decision maker needs to determine not just what results each alternative could yield, but how
probable it is that those results will be realized. The more the evaluation is fact-based, the more
confident he/she can be that the expected outcome will occur.
The company can employ various ways to improve the business relationships that have been
discussed. It is important for the company to have a clear understanding with other companies

before the company decides to make a contract with them. This will improve the relationship
between the companies involved in the contract since they will stick to the terms and conditions
of the contract.
It is also important for the company to get to know its clients and employees well. Knowing the
clients well enables the company to know what deals to seal with what company. Knowing it
enables the company to allocate the right tasks to the correct people.
Different relationships can also be improved by the various categories of people accepting to be
learners. The employers should be able to learn from their employees and take in their ideas as
well as interacting with them in exchanging ideas.
Finding a solution that benefits all parties is also essential in improving different relationships in
the business. In case of a contract, each party should be able to get maximum profits while in
case of the company on its own, both employees and employers should benefit. No party should
benefit at the expense of the other.

Task 3
3.1 Report on existing processes of communication in an organization
Proper communication in an organization is very important as it helps attain the set
standards in organization. The people must involve themselves in accurate reporting of the
information needs in the long run. This is best aimed at increasing the overall virtues in terms of
appropriate communication skills. These are skills that are required to communicate well in the
organization (Belasen 2000). Strategic decisions are the highest level. Here a decision concerns
general direction, long term goals, philosophies and values. These decisions are the least

structured and most imaginative; they are the most risky and of the most uncertain outcome,
partly because they reach so far into the future and partly because they are of such
importance. For example, what methods to use to gain knowledge, whether to produce a low
priced product and gain market share or produce a high priced product for a niche market would
be a strategic decision. The challenge of Knowledge Management is to determine what
information within an organization qualifies as "valuable." All information is not knowledge, and
all knowledge is not valuable. The key is to find the worthwhile knowledge within a vast sea of
information.
Microsoft uses a tall organizational structure which entails various stages of
communication processes, management and supervision. The personnel in the organization need
to follow the set chain of command, from the highest level in the organization to the lowest level.
The highest level includes the Chief Executive Officials while the lowest levels include the
junior staff members. The company ranks the workers at various levels where each level is above
the other. The chain of command is long and communication process requires a detailed or well
controlled system for effectiveness. Several individuals in the company especially team leaders
from every department takes part in passing and presenting information to the necessary
destination. This ensures that decisions are made by the largest part of the company since it is
difficult to get the opinion of every employee.
3.2 Design ways to improve appropriateness
This vision is expressed in strategic business terms rather than technical terms, and in a
manner that generates enthusiasm, buy-in, and motivates managers to work together toward
reaching common goals. It can be integrated with other organizational learning initiatives such as
Total Quality Management (TQM). It is important for knowledge managers to show interim

successes along with progress made on more protracted efforts such as multiyear systems
developments infrastructure, or enterprise architecture projects. Organizations are becoming
increasingly aware of the importance of managing knowledge, like any other asset, to improve
their competitive advantage. This definition addresses both the individual and corporate aspects
of knowledge. Additionally, it focuses on the desired goal of more effective action, i.e.
competitive advantage. Careful application of knowledge, like other assets, can result in better
decisions, particularly, at the working level. It's not decisions made by strategists at the top that
make or break a company; but the sum total of the day-to-day decisions made at the front lines of
an organization (Boone 2001). Better decisions are achieved by spending less time on
information gathering and more on the creative process. Decision support systems help with the
analysis, but are still driven by the ability to find relevant information.
3.3 Implement improvements to ensure greater integration of systems of communications in
that organization
The term knowledge management was first introduced in a 1986 keynote address to a
European management conference (American Productivity and Quality Center 1996). This term
had immediate and vast appeal and, at the same time, spawned strongly felt criticism. The key to
the knowledge-based economy is not knowledge-infused products but tacit knowledge that
provides the capacity for these knowledge-infused products and for non-codified knowledge
services (Sveiby 1997). The major criticisms of knowledge management are that. It has
traditionally conjured up too close an association with information management and information
technology (IT). It implies that knowledge can be managed. Tactical decisions support strategic
decisions. They tend to be medium range, medium significance, with moderate

consequences. For example, if the company decided to produce a low prices product, a tactical
decision might be to build a new factory to produce them at a low manufacturing cost.
The most favorable approach the company can adopt is to apply an Organizational Process
Development that shows how each of the members of the company conducts their
responsibilities. This is to be able to be able to come up with ways in which the members of the
company are supposed to carry out certain tasks. To be able to follow up on the tasks of the
employees easily, the company ascribes each employee with a particular task according to the
skills that the employees have. The company then monitors them for a while in order to ensure
that they are competent in their areas of duties.
If any of the company members do not accomplish their duties as required, the member who is
there to stand in will study the processes at that particular sector and be able to undertake the
tasks with much ease.
This means that the company will have integrated all functions and communication within the
company will be effective. In any case, a member of the company decides to do something
against that the company does not anticipate, and then the Organization Process Development is
changed. The company then informs each of the company member affected by the amendment so
that they can all be able to follow the new approved way of carrying out their responsibilities.
3.4 Create a personal plan to improve own communication skills
Creating a personal plan can help in communication devolvement. These skills are
supposed to increase the overall ventures in terms management actions. These are the best
strategies to increase massive results in the organization. The summary of this whole
presentation will make us to realize how important knowledge system is to one organization.

Since knowledge is subjective and it cannot be shared instantly considering the attitudes, beliefs
and values each individual weigh through knowledge system will be most ideal to be
implemented within the organization (Elearn 2009). It is important to understand how knowledge
will be determined and later what channel is being used to transfer and broadcast it completely.
Strategic decisions are the highest level. Here a decision concerns general direction, long term
goals, philosophies and values. These decisions are the least structured and most imaginative;
they are the most risky and of the most uncertain outcome, partly because they reach so far into
the future and partly because they are of such importance.
Effective communication skills are essential in many aspects of life. It is a major interpersonal
skill and learning how to communicate effectively has many advantages. An individual can
improve communication skills in the following ways:
Have courage to say what you think: have confidence and believe that you can make
good contributions in a discussion or conversation. Make time each day to know your views as
well as feelings so that you can adequately portray them to other people. Do not be scared of
making mistakes in your speech and take positively correction from other people.
Practice: developing communication skills that are advanced starts with simply
interacting with others. One can practice communication skills daily in setting the range from
social to professional. Despite the fact that new skills take a lot of time and effort to refine, every
moment you use your communication skill, you give yourself to chances as well as future
connections.
Make eye contact: looking at the person you are conversing with during a
conversation makes the interaction more meaningful. It shows that you have courage and

confidence in yourself as well as what you are saying. One can improve eye contact by
consciously looking at the other persons eye moving to another eye.

Task 4
4.1 Report on the existing approaches to the collection, formatting, storage and dissemination
of information and knowledge
Collecting the information of the organization can be done in various ways. The use of
interviews and questionnaires is a direct approach that can increase the overall measures of value
of information (Compaine 1999). This is relevant as it increases the overall approaches that are
required to meet the information needs in the organization. The people who are asked these
questions are expected to give accurate information which will be used to increase the
effectiveness of the decisions that are made by the managers. Formatting this information is also
very important as it helps creating a good stray of direct intervention between the different
parties. These are approaches that will ensure that the info is well shared and created within the
needs of the organization. These issues of information disseminating are also vital. The
information can be disseminated to increase the efficiency of each party in the decision making
criteria. The information and knowledge need to be disseminated well to attract more people an d
increase their efficiency.
4.2 Carry out appropriate changes to improve the collection, formatting, storage and
dissemination of information and knowledge
Crucially, information technology works hand to hand in determining the most efficient
knowledge management system in the company (Compaine 1999). The company must view this
as the necessity in today global environment in providing the best to their employees as path of

learning and development not withstanding to the employees themselves but also as the learning
and progression curve to the company. Knowledge management has drawn consultants and
vendors out of their woodwork with their particular offerings as the solution to the problem of
implementation. This was created by the determination of the right dissemination of information
and knowledge in the organization. As per Paula, For a man with hammer, every problem is a
nail. Knowledge management is concerned with communication within an organizational
system i.e. everything that is connected with the business. There is no problem if you already
communicate; its the people you dont normally communicate with who are the focus of
knowledge management
Formatting Information: Before storing information, it is important to exclude any unnecessary
information and change the information to a standard format. Therefore, it is suggested to come
up with a format to standardize the process of collecting data. The company should also keep the
information defined and short since data storage is a restricted facility to the company.
Storing Information: the company should try to use facilities that are accessible from the internet.
Baring in mind this chance, there are a number of file sharing systems found online referred to as
document clouds. Drop box and Google Docs for instance allow the company to save their
information in versions.

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