SWOT ANNALYSIS OF KNOWLEGE AND MANAGEMENT ISSUES

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Knowledge is the ability to analyze information so as to come up with credible action.

For a long time, knowledge has been regarded as a strategic resource for increasing productivity

and stability of any firm hence giving it a competitive edge over others. It is a vital asset in any

organization as top management has always used it as a pillar in gaining competitive advantage

in the market. It has however not been easy to understand fully the meaning of the subject given

the difficulties that come with setting up a system that can manage organizational knowledge

and its investment. This is usually hard because of the diverse views and solutions that are at the

organizations’ disposal.

Acquiring knowledge is a time consuming exercise and in most cases it has a direct

impact on the learning curve of employees which affects their productivity. It has been noted

that linking new knowledge and adopted responsibilities is a difficult process and has often led

to resistance to change and unwillingness to learn. With the dynamic information system that

keeps on changing every now and then, most organizations have to invest a lot in acquisition of

up to date technology just to keep pace with the competition. However, this has not spared them

either having to cough lots of money to purchase the equipment and at times result in having

some of their sensitive information at risk of being vandalized for instance the ever pronounced

cyber crime n the present century.

On the other hand, with the advent of sophisticated equipment and technology, chunks

of information have been put at the disposal of the management. However, the information

so provided may be irrelevant probably resulting in misguided conclusion thus leading thus

plunging the organization into problems that solely depend on the data provided.

Another challenge is the inability of those with the desired expertise not being willing

to share their knowledge. Time and again cases have been pointed in organizations and some

individuals ho guard jealously skills leant in fear of losing them to their competitors. Others just

don’t have a platform to pass on the skills they have accumulated over time.

There has been an increase in explicit information that is stored online. This could be

considered as a milestone in the sense that consumers are in a position to make choices from the

variety so provided however, other sites request vital credentials from the users making them not

to be friendly for instance, when purchasing resource materials from sites that prompt the user

to key in their credit card information. This has led to very many people losing a lot and thus

developing an inclined judgment about the whole idea of online transactions.

With the challenges in mind, strategies and measures should be put in place to curb vices

that surround information sharing and storing, in other words address the challenges surrounding

the myth of sharing this information.

This calls for a proper analysis and correct the entire chain of information flow. Identify

relevant and more reliable pieces of information, gather them and store them in a manner that is

accessible by the future generation. Wipe out sites that give wrong information to the consumers

irrespective of their interests. Identify loop holes that hackers and unauthorized persons sneak

through get to the sensitive information. This includes giving severe punishment to those

found guilty purporting to be affiliated to an organization with an intention of extorting the

unsuspecting clients.

Organizations should devise a mechanism and more reliable organization structures that allow

free information flow from the previous generation of employees and clients and the present

ones. This will permit a relaxed atmosphere that encourages constant contact with either the

junior and senior staff.

“If you have an apple and I have an apple and we exchange these apples, then you and I will still

have one apple. But if you have an idea and I have an idea and we exchange these ideas, then

each of us will have two ideas.” (George Bernard Shaw). Unlike many other resources that get

depleted when shared, an idea or a knowledge nugget only gets enriched. From an era where

labor and capital ruled, we now have evolved to a period where knowledge is seen as the key, if

not the sole differentiator.

References

Dr. V.P. Kochikar (2000) http://www.ikmagazine.com/xq/asp/sid.0/articleid.4F512685-9FEE-

4394-81EA-F965189D36EF/eTitle.learn_once_useanywhere/qx/display.htm

OECD Document: Employment and Growth in the Knowledge-based Economy. OECD, Paris,

1996.