Abstract

Knowledge Management (KM) gained importance in 1990. Its purpose was to holistically organise the information of an organisation. Davenport said that KM was about capturing, distributing, and effectively using knowledge. Gartner Group wanted an integrated approach of identifying, capturing, evaluating, retrieving, and sharing of all the enterprise’s information assets.In an attempt to achieve this, knowledge was categorized as explicit, implicit, and tacit, where difference was made between collecting and connecting information and between information that is available and that which exists within the mind of a human being. Knowledge is captured in organisations through Lesson Learned Database, Expertise Location, and Communities of Practices (CoPs).

Knowledge Management was initially driven by Information Technology. This creation of knowledge was soon coupled with knowledge sharing and finally to the stage of Taxonomy and Content Management. The last was based on the rationality that knowledge is of no use if it cannot be found. Knowledge Management is still at a primitive stage. It will improve if managers and workers are trained to be creative. This means they should constantly use their imagination to bring forth good ideas. Human beings have to be trained in creativity. The earlier this begins the better. The process should ideally begin at school.This creativity teaches human beings to establish objectives, choose knowledge appropriate to it and then find ways to use it. This is wisdom. Organisations must inspire wisdom if they want to improve bottom lines or prevent bankruptcy.

Key words: Knowledge Management, Communities of Practices (CoPs), explicit, implicit, tacit,