From Information Management to Knowledge Management

Dr. David J. Skyrme

Information Age, pp.16-17 (September 1997).

Abstract

Knowledge management is the latest fashion to grab the attention of companies looking to gain that extra competitive edge. In essence it has two thrusts. The first is making better use of the knowledge that already exists within the firm, for example by sharing best practices. The second is an innovation focus, the creation of new knowledge and turning ideas into valuable products and services. This is sometimes known as knowledge innovation.

This article considers the role of information technology, such as Intranets and document management in supporting knowledge management programmes. The challenge, however, is exploiting the knowledge that does not reside in databases, but the heads of people. This requires a knowledge sharing infrastructure that lets people connect to people as well as information. However good knowledge management still needs good information management practice - especially that of information resources management (IRM) as a foundation.

David Skyrme Associates provides consultancy services and workshops on information and knowledge management that address the topics covered in this article.

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