BSBINM601 - Manage Knowledge and Information

Task 1, Part A

1. What are the key forms of knowledge that KCA create and share across their business
operations?

Answer:

Key forms of knowledge for KCA include:

 Manufacturing knowledge: patents and licences over products, processes and technologies;
product and process innovation; supply chain data and information;

 Marketing knowledge: information and knowledge on competitors, markets, consumers and

 Sales knowledge: CRM and related data and knowledge including sales data, market share,
knowledge about customer preferences and trends;

 Corporate knowledge: financial data and information; management information; HR

2. Explain KCA’s benchmarking process. How did the benchmarking process lead to cultural change
at KCA?

Answer:

 All KCC plants have access to a consolidated database which details all the equipment
operated by each of the plants around the world. In this way, KCA plants can ensure that they
are benchmarked against comparable plants and identify those plants which use similar or
identical equipment and production processes.

 “Common performance measures” were initially developed by KCC central office to ensure
standardised data collection and reporting procedures for each plant. The focus is on three
key measures of the efficiency and performance of the production process: waste, delay
(downtime) and speed. The methods for collecting data at each plant were checked and
certified by a visiting team from KCC central office.

 Each plant routinely enters performance data on each of the measures and receives a
monthly report on the plant’s comparative performance. The reports are reviewed at
monthly meetings attended by the Operations Manager and the Asset Team leaders (asset
teams are organised around each of the plant’s major product types). The reports serve to
identify where potential improvements need to be achieved by highlighting superior
performance on particular measures at particular plants.

 Knowledge about sources of performance improvement is then acquired through the

 The KCC working groups meet face-to-face periodically, and members maintain regular
contact in between meetings via email correspondence and email discussion and distribution
lists. Specific questions about production methods and processes are asked and answered;
information about equipment modifications is shared; arrangements for plants to run trials
for other plants are organised; details about safety incidents and fixes are shared. Details
about the implementation of SMED have also been a regular focus for information and
knowledge sharing. Single Minute Exchange Dies is a production methodology designed to
reduce machinery and equipment changeover times so as to minimise production line
downtime. The logic of the system is to review all the steps that must be taken for
changeover and identify those that can be completes while the line is still running as means
of reducing downtime.

 Ideas about improvements and changes to production methods and processes gleaned from
the knowledge shared within the working groups is then communicated by the Operation
Managers though the asset team leaders to the asset teams on the shopfloor. Information
and knowledge exchange, and direct feedback from the shopfloor, is facilitated by crew
meetings involving the Operations Manager, the asset team leader and the entire crew. The
meetings feature a data show from the Operations Manager, a discussion about proposed
process changes and feedback from the shopfloor workers.

3. Explain why KCA needs to constantly create and share knowledge

Answer:

 To sustain company reputation as a leading corporate citizen

 To maintain strong customer relationships

 To leverage manufacturing process

4. Explain KCA’s syndicate team approach for knowledge management development. What are the
major benefits of the team approach?

Answer:

The syndicate teams of KCA comprises of employees from all across the Australia working in
various divisions and sites of the organization. The management development programs has
been assisting the organizational in the knowledge development and sharing practices through
these syndicate teams. Each syndicate team are given a specific work problem concerning the
organization. The syndicate teams work on the problems at hand and develop solution that has
practical application to the KCA.

The benefits of syndicate teams include:

 Provides workable solutions to the organizational problems

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  Allows KCA to utilize the benefits of training provided to the teams members immediately

 It helps in the knowledge sharing. Moreover, the works of syndicate teams helps in
development pf knowledge flows and networks that can be utilized by the employees when
future problems or issues arise.

 Participative approach to solve problems further helps the employees to better understand
the implications of their decisions and to get a “big picture” of KCA.

5. In your view, what are key strengths and weaknesses of the system?

Answer:

Strengths and weakness of the system:

 Strengths

1. It has significantly contributed in the effectively overseeing the KCA’s widespread

2. The system to enhance the knowledge and information available to the sales and
marketing professionals has helps in KCA’s sales growth.

3. It has helped the organization to achieve low employee turnover as the employees
perceive the organization’s knowledge systems as a motivational tools that helps them to
grew professionally as well as personally.

 Weaknesses

1. The weakness of the system is the complexity of the system.

2. The system is complex and requires huge investment for training of employees and
maintaining the effectiveness of the system.

Task1, Part B:

Part 1 & Part 2

Knowledge Management Plan

Executive Summary

The report presents knowledge management plan for KCM. The report has undertaken complete
analysis of knowledge management plan in context of the identified problems and the how an
effective knowledge management plan would assist the organization to overcome those problems.
The report has also discussed the procedure of knowledge creation, information sharing and the
ways to harness the knowledge for the purpose of benefitting the KCM. In addition, the report has
also discussed the contingency plans and the knowledge management evaluation processes.

Aims and Objectives

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The objective of developing knowledge management plan is to assist the KCM to regain its
competitive strength and help the organization to position in the market as a first choice in the minds
of the customers in the dynamic and competitive business.

Need for knowledge management

Knowledge management helps the organization to capitalize on the information available in the
organization by developing mechanisms to store the knowledge that can be employed by the
organization in future where such knowledge can be useful .

Knowledge creation

It is the process of continuous transfer, combination and conversion of different types of data
available or present within the organization. Whenever an idea is generated, it leads to creation of
some kind of information, however, in the absence of knowledge manage systems it lost once the
organizational objectives are achieved (Becker et al. 2013).

Knowledge harnessing and sharing

Knowledge management procedures helps the organization to store the data crated within the
organization or collected from external business environment. Knowledge harnessing and sharing are
inter related. Knowledge is harnessed through practice, collaboration and by developing precise
systems or mechanisms of storing knowledge.

Knowledge management process

The knowledge administration process can be discussed as:

 Discovering knowledge in the organization as well as external business environment through

 Once the knowledge is identified, it is access in terms of its applicability for the organization and
then organized in some order for ease in future usage.

 The next step in the knowledge management process is the sharing of knowledge to the
employees as per their need. In addition, the organization also shares information with its
stakeholders such as customers, suppliers, and any other interested party for betterment of
business efficiency.

 The next step in the knowledge management process is the reusing the knowledge. The purpose
of knowledge management is to use the knowledge that is collected by the organization, in the
case of similar issues arises. It helps the organization and its various stakeholders to make
effective decision in case of similar problems arises.

Staff learning and development needs

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For an organization to achieve success, it is important that its employees are skilful and efficient in
their work. In this regard, it is important for the top management to identify the learning and
development needs of its employees. In the dynamic business environment, it is important that
organization continuously evaluate the performance of its employees against external business
environment needs and devise mechanisms to fulfil the gap between the existing skills and the
required (desired) skill sets. Further, staff learning and development needs can be identified through
job analysis or performance appraisals. Once the need for staff learning and development are
identified, the organization is required to develop comprehensive plans for training and learning
programs and also setting up means to enhance the effectiveness of such programs through
development of knowledge management procedures.

Knowledge management resources

Some of the most commonly employed knowledge management resources are:

 Cross functional project teams

 Training

 Storytelling

 Mentoring

Perceived constraints and contingency measures

The knowledge management system is developed to help the organization to increase the efficiency
of the organization, however, due to the highly competitive and constantly changing business
environment, the business need contingency plans to adapt and to be responsive to the changes of
business requirements. The constraints may arise to some unforeseen business changes. It can be
managed through extensive market research and development initiatives that would help the
organization to forecast such constraints, In addition, innovative business solutions and technologies
are also required to be developed to respond to changing business requirement and staying a step
ahead of the competitors.

Evaluation of knowledge administration systems

The evaluation of knowledge administration systems can be undertaken through:

1. The evaluation of KCA’s knowledge administration systems can be undertaken through analysis of
the business processes and goals and the comparing the effectiveness of system against the
effectiveness of the system in achieving organizational objectives.

2. Another method of evaluation involves development of performance matrices against some of

Task 2 - Knowledge test

Answer 1
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Knowledge management

 It can be defined as a process that governs the formation, allocation, and operation of human
intelligence. In any business organization whether large or small information is shaped, captured,
shared and customized and is ultimately used in the organization as a product. Therefore, the
knowledge management is concerned with identifying information resource points, significant
functions that lead to knowledge formation and eliminating risky bottlenecks that may impede
the flow of information to the point of practice.

Answer 2

It has been identified that there are number of legislation, which are highly influential for the
knowledge management. These legislations are “Archives Act 1983, Privacy Act 1988, Freedom of
Information Act 1982, Crimes Act 1914, Public Service Act 1999, Public Governance Performance and
Accountability Act 2013, Evidence Act 1995”, Electric Transactions Act 1999 and Fair Work Act 2009.

In this context the major regulations are Archives Regulations, Privacy Regulation 2013, Legally
binding privacy guidelines and rules, Freedom of Information (Charges) regulations 1982, Public
Service Regulations 1999, Commonwealth Procurement Rules and Electronic Transactions
Regulations 2000.

The relevant standard to the knowledge management re AS ISO 15489 Records Management, AGLS
Metadata Standard 2010 (AS5044) and functioning Manual, AS/NZS ISO 16175 Principles and
Functional Requirements for Records in Electronic Office Environments, Australian Government
Recordkeeping Metadata Standard (AGRkMS) and functioning Guidelines.

Answer 3

The major key benefit of the knowledge management are mentioned below

 Enabling better and faster decision making

 Finding relevant information and resources

 Reusing expertise, documents and ideas

 Avoiding repeated mistakes

 Quick communication system

 Accelerating the customer delivery

Answer 4

Several major barriers hinder the sharing of knowledge, which are:

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 The lack of time critically hampers the knowledge sharing, as the needy colleagues cannot be
identified properly.

 Individual may fear that knowledge sharing can jeopardise their position in the organization,
which may reduce the scope of knowledge sharing.

 A individual may not be aware of the importance of the knowledge in their procession, which
minimises the chance of knowledge sharing

 The position based status immensely negates the chance of knowledge sharing as the individual
are focused solely on meeting their responsibilities.

 The lack of communication, evaluation as well as mistake tolerance can obstruct the knowledge
sharing.

Answer 5

The standard for the knowledge is AS5037-2005 Knowledge management. The major objectives are

 Introducing the concepts efficiently

 Long list of knowledge management enablers

 List of related areas of practice

 Mapping context and culture

 List of indicators

 The benchmarking guideline for practices

 Reflection on future developments

Answer 6

 Correlation calculations: Finding out the relation between two variables within a specific data
range

 Probability Assessment: Assessing the chance of occurrence of any event in reality

 Regulation Analyses: Finding out the effectiveness of any given regulation

 Dynamic programming: Resolving any complex problem by breaking down into numerous simple
sub problems (Anderson et al. 2016).

 Linear programming: Regulating the level of linear function of several variables

 Queuing theory: it states that the purpose of model is predicting the queue length and waiting
time

 Simulation: imitating the practical operation, system and process over time

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 Transportation methodology: The ways to transfer any object from one place to another (Bickel
and Doksum 2015).

Question 7

The information technology is one of the most impressive examples of knowledge management
sector. It highly focuses on dealing with data in order to collect, assess, protect and share
information.