Knowledge Management

Comparison Essay # 115846

Business > Companies
Business > Information Mgmt. and Systems
Business > Management

An exploration of the knowledge management systems used by the Xerox and KPMG companies.

1,585 words () | 5 sources | MLA | 2009 United States

Paper Summary:

The paper examines the knowledge management system at KPMG that centers upon information technology and then focuses on Xerox's knowledge management that utilizes people-to-people contact. The paper discusses KPMG's massive expense of an IT infrastructure to support knowledge management, the company's need to educate employees to acclimate to these systems, and the company's top-down management style that did not allow the system to be to a team-enhancing tool of productivity for the entire workforce. The paper then shows how Xerox was more successful in its implementation of knowledge management solutions because Xerox was able to utilize the best elements of both the personal and managerial methods of knowledge management. The paper concludes that information technology is an effective tool in knowledge management, but must not be used alone.

Outline:
Knowledge Management at KPMG
Knowledge Management at Xerox
Knowledge Management Cannot be Delivered by Technology Alone
The "Management" Challenge of Knowledge Management
The "Personal" Challenge of Knowledge Management
Conclusion

From the Paper:

"The driving force behind any company or organization is the information and knowledge it possesses in regards to the industry within which it operates. Effective knowledge management may mean the difference between success or failure, and also between increased cost or rather increased profit and productivity. These two outcomes are illustrated through an exploration of the varying knowledge management systems used by Xerox and KPMG. Some companies center their knowledge management strategies upon information technology, with knowledge carefully stores and coded in databases so as to ensure ease of access, which is referred to as a codification strategy, which is expressed through the management approach below which is concerned with the infrastructure of the knowledge management system."

Sample of Sources Used:

Alavi, Maryam. "KPMG Peat Marwick U.S.: One Great Brain." Harvard Business School. 11 July 1997.
Hansen, Morten T.; Nohria, Nitin; Tierney, Thomas. "What's Your Strategy for Managing Knowledge?" Harvard Business Review. March-April, pp. 1-11. 1999.
Murphy, Jim. "Aligning KM investments with critical business initiatives." KM World. 17.5, pp. 12-26. 2008.
Pugh, Katrina; Dixon, Nancy M. "Don't Just Capture Knowledge -- Put It to Work." Harvard Business Review. 86.5, pp. 21-22. 2008.
Biren, Beatrix. "Xerox: Building a Corporate Focus on Knowledge."