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    KM Software Tools

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    Shanu Jain
    The document discusses 6 types of knowledge management software tools: 1) Intranet-based systems which facilitate information sharing on private networks, 2) Electronic document management systems which are repositories for important documents, 3) Groupware which helps geographically dispersed teams work together, 4) Knowledge map systems which identify expertise within an organization, 5) Innovation support tools which contribute to knowledge generation during product design, and 6) Competitive intelligence tools which systematically provide environmental information to support better organizational decisions.

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    KM Software Tools

    Uploaded by

    Shanu Jain
    64 views4 pages
    The document discusses 6 types of knowledge management software tools: 1) Intranet-based systems which facilitate information sharing on private networks, 2) Electronic document management systems which are repositories for important documents, 3) Groupware which helps geographically dispersed teams work together, 4) Knowledge map systems which identify expertise within an organization, 5) Innovation support tools which contribute to knowledge generation during product design, and 6) Competitive intelligence tools which systematically provide environmental information to support better organizational decisions.

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    KM TRANSFORMATION TOOLS

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    The document discusses 6 types of knowledge management software tools: 1) Intranet-based systems which facilitate information sharing on private networks, 2) Electronic document management systems which are repositories for important documents, 3) Groupware which helps geographically dispersed teams work together, 4) Knowledge map systems which identify expertise within an organization, 5) Innovation support tools which contribute to knowledge generation during product design, and 6) Competitive intelligence tools which systematically provide environmental information to support better organizational decisions.

    Copyright:

    © All Rights Reserved
    Download as PDF, TXT or read online from Scribd
    Download as pdf or txt
    64 views4 pages

    KM Software Tools

    Uploaded by

    Shanu Jain
    The document discusses 6 types of knowledge management software tools: 1) Intranet-based systems which facilitate information sharing on private networks, 2) Electronic document management systems which are repositories for important documents, 3) Groupware which helps geographically dispersed teams work together, 4) Knowledge map systems which identify expertise within an organization, 5) Innovation support tools which contribute to knowledge generation during product design, and 6) Competitive intelligence tools which systematically provide environmental information to support better organizational decisions.

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    of 4

    6 types of KNOWLEDGE MANAGEMENT (KM) SOFTWARE TOOLS:

    1. Intranet-Based Systems
    Intranets are private networks.
    Intranet is an environment that may facilitate the sharing of dynamical and linked
    information. The communication in it is usually passive because the user has to pull the
    information. This "pull style" is an alternative to the information overload generated by e-
    mails. Intranets, in their actual configuration, emphasize internal information, and are
    constructing important links among organizations and their employees.
    Intranet is an appropriate tool to systematize and add the explicit knowledge that is
    dispersed through departments. Intranet hypertext structure helps this process because the
    navigation through links can create a new organization of concepts..
    Microsoft Internet Information Server is an example of software that can be used for
    intranet applications.

    2. Electronic Document Management (EDM)


    Electronic Document Management (EDM) systems are repositories of important corporate
    documents. EDM systems are presented as explicit knowledge stores. In some organizations,
    document management can be the initial step to further KM.
    EDM systems contribute to the organization of the vast amount of documents generated by
    office activities. EDM systems provide a more efficient retrieval, better security and version
    control of documents. EDM systems have many features, like cataloging and indexing, that
    were inherited from the traditional information retrieval systems, which are studied in the
    field of Library Science.
    Content Management tools is another name for EDM systems. Content Management
    tools manage contents, no matter the media documents are available in: fax, e-mails, HTML
    forms, computer reports, paper, video, audio or spreadsheets.
    Excalibur RetrievalWare and File Net are examples of EDM systems.

    3. Groupware
    Groupware is described as the type of software that is designed to help teams that are
    geographically dispersed and need to work together. CSCW (Computer Supported
    Cooperative Work) is the new branch of Computer Science dedicated to the study of
    groupware technologies.
    Groupware systems have a “push style” where information is sent to the user. Groupware
    is a mix of synchronous (like chat), asynchronous (like e-mail) and community-focused tools
    (like e-groups). Informal communication predominates in a groupware environment. People
    feel free to exchange opinions and collaborate.
    Discussion groups and chats are common groupware applications that make possible the
    gradual articulation of tacit knowledge. In some cases, we can even expect that socialization
    occurs, as people work together on the same projects.
    Microsoft Exchange and Lotus Notes belong to this KM software category.

    4. Knowledge Map Systems


    The software in this category were specifically designed for Knowledge Management.
    Knowledge maps work like yellow-pages that contain a "who knows what" list. A knowledge
    map does not store knowledge. The map just points to people who own it, creating
    opportunities for knowledge exchange.
    A standard knowledge map is fed with the profile of competencies of the members of an
    organization. The knowledge map provides an expert locator feature that helps users to find
    the experts best suited to work on a specific problem or project. A knowledge map categorizes
    an organization’s expertise into searchable catalogs. Using a knowledge map, it is easier to
    identify people in terms of who they know, what they know and how proficient they are at a
    given task.
    Lotus Discovery Server and Trivium Gingo are examples of such systems.
    Gingo allows the construction of knowledge trees that represent the organization’s human
    resources potential and give a dynamic vision of available competences. A knowledge tree is
    a visual representation of a knowledge map and can be a quite useful tool to measure the
    human capital. Human resources specialists use knowledge trees to match existing
    competences with strategic targets and to identify what kinds of know-how, essential for
    growth, are currently available.

    5. Innovation support tools


    Innovation support tools are software that contribute to knowledge generation along the
    product design process. These tools intend to create a virtual environment that stimulates the
    multiplication of insights and are especially used in industrial R&D (Research and
    Development).
    An innovation support tool may include different features:
     technical database where patents, articles and research projects are recorded. By using
    this kind of tool, an R&D professional tries to acquire existing knowledge in order to apply it
    to a new context (combination). For example, a new type of plastic used in the aircraft
    industry can be adapted or adopted for medical use. This category may include digital
    specialized libraries;
     graphic simulation features, which can facilitate internalization. Internalization is the
    process that enriches explicit knowledge, adding to it tacit knowledge, most frequently
    through usage and experience, but also through simulation;
     combinatory tools, which help to consider unusual possibilities in the design of
    innovations, supporting the creativity process.
    Tech Optimizer, a package made by Invention Machine, is an example of an innovation
    support tool.

    6. Competitive intelligence tools


    Competitive intelligence (CI) aims at systematically feeding the organizational decision
    process with information about the organizational environment in order to make possible to
    learn about it and to take better decisions in consequence. CI depends heavily on the
    collection and analysis of qualitative information.
    The CI cycle id described in five steps:
    1) Planning and direction: this step is related to the identification of questions and
    decisions that will drive the information gathering phase.
    2) Published information collection: search of a wide range of sources, from government
    fillings to journal articles, vendor brochures and advertisements.
    3) Primary source collection: this step is related to the importance of gathering information
    from people rather than from published sources.
    4) Analysis and production: transformation of the collected data into meaningful
    assessment.
    5) Report and inform: delivery of critical intelligence in a coherent and convincing manner
    to corporate decision makers.
    The CI software offered on the market, has been evaluated, and it has been concluded that
    they offer better support to the second and fifth steps of the CI cycle. The other steps are very
    human-based and are only slightly benefited by technology.
    On the second step, software agents perform the automatic collection of timely information
    from news feeds and search the Internet and corporate intranets for information from Web
    sites and internal documents. On the fifth step, CI tools accelerates the dissemination of
    reports by sending e-mails reports according to users’ preferences.
    dissemination, so it is disseminated in an adequate format to facilitate combination.
    VigiPro, a software developed by CRIQ (Centre de Recherche Industrielle du Québec) and
    commercialized by CGI, and Knowledge Works, from Cipher Systems, are examples of this
    class of software.

    Source: Carvalho, Rodrigo Baroni de & Ferreira, Marta Araújo Tavares (2001) "Using information technology to
    support knowledge conversion processes" Information Research, 7(1) [Available at: http://www.informationr.net/ir/7-
    1/paper118.html]

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