Posted by Yogesh Malhotra on July 11, 1997 at 12:23:18:

In Reply to: Over the top? posted by Boris on July 11, 1997 at 10:17:31:

>Are we maybe looking just a little too hard at modern methods when searching for an answer to knowledge management techniques?

Interesting question! Perhaps, the answer may be stated as 'Yes' and 'No.'

The basic premises of educational experience over the last few decades are embedded in a number of learning theories (some of which we discussed earlier) and in educational psychology literature. Many of these premises have been built upon various old and new paradigms.

The recent attention to Knowledge Management (KM) seems to be stemming from the progressive organizational realization of:

• first, information as the key asset (with its related concepts of information architecture, virtual corporations, IT utility, IS outsourcing, etc.);

• second, learning as the core competence (cf: Prahalad and Hamel)

• third, knowledge assets as the key assets (with its e mphasis on concepts such as intellectual capital, intangible assets, intellectual property, etc.).

Over the last decade, this shift may be characterized as:

Information Technology => Information => Learning => Knowledge Creation

The rea sons for this shift are manifold, some of them being:

• Information Technology - Decreasing demarcation of competence based on information technology given the easy accessibility/affordibility of technology by everyone.

• Information - stor ed in organizational routines, databases, information and control systems - as the key differentiator given the ongoing feedback loop - based on a relatively predictable world based on projection of historic data. This model seems to have gotten caught in the 'hi-tech hidebound phenomena' in which the programmed organizational routines became misaligned with the changing reality (cf: Drucker's 'Theory of the Business' in HBR).

• Learning - active emphasis on the continuous and ongoing assessment of or ganizational schemas, with its primary thrust on the human side of the issues.

• Knowledge Creation - seeking synergy of the human and computer capabilities for facilitating 'anticipation of surprise' (Steve Kerr) given the relative inefficacy of the 'prediction model' (cf: Brian Arthur's 'new world of business').

Given the above premises:

• education is now more of a lifelong learning experience;

• individuals themselves are responsible for growing their learning compete ncies and knowledge bases,

• organizations are attempting to seek distinctions based on their loose-tight portfolios of learning competencies and dynamically growing knowledge bases, where the notion of loose-tight relates to issues such as virtual organizations, informal networks and core competencies.

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