KM Slides Ch02

8/3/2019 KM Slides Ch02

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Becerra-Fernandez, et al. -- KnowledgeManagement 1/e -- 2004 Prentice Hall

Chapter 2

The Nature of Knowledge


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Becerra-Fernandez, et al. -- Knowledge Management 1/e -- 2004 Prentice Hall

Chapter Objectives

Understand the difference between knowledge,data, and information

Explain the alternative views of knowledge Understand the different types of knowledge

Recognize the various locations of knowledge


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What is Data?

Data comprises facts, observations, orperceptions

Data represents raw numbers or assertions


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What is Information?

Information is processed data

Information is a subset of data, only including

those data that possess context, relevance andpurpose

Information involves manipulation of raw data


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What is Knowledge?

A justified true belief (Nonaka and Takeuchi)

It is different from data & information

Knowledge is at the highest level in a hierarchywith information at the middle level, and data tobe at the lowest level

It is the richest, deepest & most valuable of thethree

Information with direction


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Data, Information, and Knowledge

InformationData

Zero Low Medium High Very High

Value

Knowledge


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Data, Information, and Knowledge:Example

H T H T TH H H T H

T T T H T

pH = 0.40pT = 0.60RH = +$10RT = -$8

nH = 40nT = 60

InformationData

Zero Low Medium High Very High

Value

Knowledge

EV = -$0.80

CountingpH = nH/(nH+nT)p

T

= nT

/(nH

+nT

) EV=pH RH+ pT RT



Data, Information, Knowledge and Events

Knowledge

InformationDataInformation

System

Decision

Events

Use ofinformation

Knowledge



Subjective View of knowledge

Knowledge as State of Mind

Knowledge as Practice



Objective View of knowledge

Knowledge as Objects

Knowledge as Access to Information

Knowledge as Capability



Types of Knowledge

Individual, social, causal, conditional, relationaland pragmatic

Embodied, encoded and procedural



Procedural and DeclarativeKnowledge

Declarative knowledge (substantive knowledge)focuses on beliefs about relationships amongvariables

Procedural knowledge focuses on beliefsrelating sequences of steps or actions to desired(or undesired) outcomes



Tacit and Explicit Knowledge

Tacit knowledge includes insights, intuitions, andhunches

Explicit knowledge refers to knowledge that hasbeen expressed into words and numbers

We can convert explicit knowledge to tacitknowledge



General and SpecificKnowledge

General knowledge is possessed by a largenumber of individuals and can be transferredeasily across individuals

Specific knowledge, or idiosyncratic

knowledge, is possessed by a very limited

number of individuals, and is expensive to

transfer



Technically and ContextuallySpecific Knowledge

Technically specific knowledge is deepknowledge about a specific area

Contextually specific knowledge knowledgerefers to the knowledge of particularcircumstances of time and place in which work isto be performed



Illustrations of the DifferentTypes of Knowledge



Knowledge and Expertise

Expertise can be defined as knowledge of higherquality

An expert is one who is able to perform a taskmuch better than others



Types of Expertise

Associational Expertise

Motor Skills Expertise

Theoretical (Deep) Expertise



Types of Knowledge

Simple knowledge focuses on one basic area

Complex knowledge draws upon multiple distinct areasof expertise

Support knowledge relates to organizationalinfrastructure and facilitates day-to-day operations

Tactical knowledge pertains to the short-term positioningof the organization relative to its markets, competitors,

and suppliers Strategic knowledge pertains to the long-term positioning

of the organization in terms of its corporate vision andstrategies for achieving that vision



OrganizationalEntities

People

Knowledge Reservoirs

Groups

Individuals Organizational Units

Inter-organizationalNetworks

Organizations

Artifacts

Practices RepositoriesTechnologies

Reservoirs of Knowledge


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Characteristics of Knowledge

Explicitness

Codifiability

Teachability Knowledge Specificity


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Conclusions

Knowledge is different from data & information

Knowledge in an area can be defined as justified

beliefs about relationships among conceptsrelevant to that particular area

Knowledge can be of different types

Knowledge has several characteristics

Knowledge resides is several different places


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Becerra-Fernandez, et al. -- KnowledgeManagement 1/e -- 2004 Prentice Hall

Chapter 2

The Nature of Knowledge

Documents

KM Slides Ch02