It is time to humanise knowledge management debate

Citation

(2001), "It is time to humanise knowledge management debate", Journal of Management Development, Vol. 20 No. 1. https://doi.org/10.1108/jmd.2001.02620aab.003

It is time to humanise knowledge management debate

It is time to humanise knowledge management debate

Investigating Knowledge Management published by the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development (CIPD), provides new insights into the importance of people management and development policies and practices for knowledge management.

The report, written by Professor Harry Scarbrough and Chris Carter of the University of Leicester's Management Centre, provides a thorough review of existing research into knowledge management. The report confirms the dominance of IT specialists in the field of knowledge management and argues that the role of people management and development in knowledge management needs to be better understood.

As Diane Sinclair, Adviser in Employee Relations says:

The speed of change in today's economy is producing a greater emphasis on the ability of organisations to mobilise their knowledge resources quickly. Such changes require sensitive and sophisticated people management and development policies if they are to deliver optimum value.

Investigating Knowledge Management offers five major ways in which people management and development can contribute to the development of knowledge management within organisations and so to enhanced organisational performance.

These are:

1. 1.

   encouraging models of best practice;

2. 2.

   motivating and retaining knowledge workers;

3. 3.

   linking knowledge management and people management and development to business strategy;

4. 4.

   fostering social and human capital;

5. 5.

   developing and sustaining learning within the organisation.

The report highlights the potential pitfalls in the way knowledge management is viewed by organisations. Knowledge management initiatives that do not fully consider the people issues will almost certainly fail to achieve their objectives.

As Diane Sinclair says:

I think that the report quite properly concludes with three major points for future leverage by people management and development specialists, described as "policy", "resource" and "context". "Policy" is about aligning people management and development policies with knowledge management and business strategy and is short term in focus. "Resource" is about helping to create and sustain human resources within the organisation and has a medium term focus. "Context" addresses how people management and development policies have an enduring impact on the social and cultural environment needed to ensure that knowledge is created and shared.