Knowledge Management Organisational Culture

Question: Discuss about theKnowledge Management for Organisational Culture. Answer: Knowledge management infrastructure is a reflection of the long-term foundation for knowledge management. In the context of an organisation, knowledge management infrastructure is effected to a large extent by a number of factors including organisational culture and organisational structure. Organisational culture is the reflection of the beliefs and norms found to be guiding the behaviours of the members of the organisation. It is an enabler of knowledge management in all organisations. Characteristics of enabling organisational culture include having a clear insight of the value of knowledge management practices, managing support for knowledge management and encouraging the interaction between members for creating and sharing knowledge. Knowledge management also is dependent on organisational structure to a considerable degree. The extent and manner in which responsibilities, power and roles are delegated, coordinated and controlled in an organisation are determined by organisational structure. How information would flow within the organisation is also determined by the organisational structure. The most widely applied organisational structures are centralised and decentralised, hierarchical, tall nd flat. Defining the roles and responsibilities of the employees in an organisation is facilitated by the structure of the organisation, and this definition affects who is to share information and to whom. Relationships in an organisation influence the flow of information and change the decision making process (Hislop 2013). A Community of Practice (CoP) is a self-organised and organic group of individuals dispersed organisationally or geographically but hold a strong communication network among themselves for discussing issues of interest and debate. Researchers have argued that learning cannot be successful if it is within the mind of an individual and only social interactions can foster proper learning. Communities of practice are related to sharing, transferring, exploring and archiving knowledge. Such practices also make knowledge explicit. Thus it can be stated that communities of practice play a major role in being a rare source of tactic knowledge. CoP can undergo evolution in a natural manner as the common interests of the members in a certain domain change with time. CoP might exist in physical settings as well as a virtual community. Both have equal contribution towards the exchange of ideas, experiences and concepts and enable the individuals to learn and gather knowledge (Becerra-Fernandez a nd Sabherwal 2015) Community of Practice would be beneficial for a local hospital as it is vital for optimal healthcare delivery. Engaging in a Cop would be the foundation for bringing improvements in the quality of health and safety of all concerned stakeholders. Cop would enable the hospital to generate and share knowledge and improve the performance of the organisation. Information could be shared regarding the latest technological advancements that can be applied to the setting for delivering better quality medical procedures. Views and opinions of healthcare professionals can help them to understand the evolving needs of the patients and the ways in which the patients can be better dealt with. The unique perspectives of the individuals through interaction would be shared, and this would be the setting to bring suitable reforms in practice (Ranmuthugala et al. 2011). References Becerra-Fernandez, I. and Sabherwal, R., 2015. Knowledge management. Routledge,. Hislop, D., 2013. Knowledge management in organizations: A critical introduction. Oxford University Press. Ranmuthugala, G., Plumb, J.J., Cunningham, F.C., Georgiou, A., Westbrook, J.I. and Braithwaite, J., 2011. How and why are communities of practice established in the healthcare sector? A systematic review of the literature. BMC health services research, 11(1), p.273.