As part of the CTI blog series “knowledge management via process management”, we introduce Probst’s building block model and report on our experiences with the individual building blocks of
knowledge identification, knowledge acquisition, knowledge development, knowledge distribution (knowledge transfer), knowledge use and knowledge preservation based on practical use cases from our consulting practice. This article on Knowledge Development is the fourth article in this series.
Knowledge Development
If it turns out that knowledge is missing in the organization, it can either be acquired from outside or developed from within. The “knowledge acquisition” and “knowledge development” modules are responsible for this in the model. Knowledge development takes place through in-house research and development or through employee training and development. In this way, new skills, ideas, products and processes can be expanded and developed within the organization.
Use Case: Knowledge Development after founding a company
For example, a start-up wants to build up new skills quickly after its foundation. In order to scale quickly, it needs to externalize implicit knowledge, also known as “experiential knowledge”, and convert it into explicit, coded knowledge. Processes that could still be performed very well on a small scale with a high proportion of manual work must be automated, scaled and professionalized at the same time. It may also be the case that a company does not have sufficient financial resources available to acquire knowledge and that the development of knowledge is profitable from a cost and sustainability perspective. To ensure the success of the start-up, it is necessary to document key processes (e.g. on the basis of business process management tools) and introduce new ideas to create potential new competitive advantages. On the one hand, this can reduce the amount of communication and time required, and on the other hand, activities such as onboarding can be made scalable and manageable in this way. Newly created processes can also be continuously optimized with the help of process management.
Various methods can be used to develop knowledge within the company from a knowledge management perspective. Open communication and an open error culture that creates trust and encourages formal and informal exchanges between colleagues are crucial. Retrospectives can also be introduced, for example in a lessons learned format, in which experiences from past projects are reviewed, evaluated and documented. Idea meetings, workshops and the use of scenario techniques have also proven their worth. Knowledge development is optimally supported by business process management. The combination of process and knowledge management enables a meaningful analysis of the current situation, on the basis of which new ideas can be developed. Firstly, those involved develop a better understanding of the process and secondly, they gain a cross-departmental overview of the processes, which increases transparency and promotes ideas for improvement. Documentation with a BPM tool promotes exchange between employees and encourages the further development of existing processes.
Software that supports the recombination of existing knowledge elements and thus the generation of new knowledge is ideal for developing knowledge. Helpful tools for this are intranets, chat services and other collaboration tools with which employees can communicate and which bring knowledge carriers together in one place.
Our offer
CTI CONSULTING supports you in identifying, developing, acquiring, distributing, utilizing and preserving your company-specific knowledge. Through the interdisciplinary collaboration of different skills, we achieve the ideal balance for you between schedule, budget and a sustainable target architecture.
In addition, CTI CONSULTING offers you comprehensive knowledge in the field of process management and can support you in the various stages of setting up process management. CTI CONSULTING accompanies you from process mapping, modeling and evaluation of your business processes to implementation. We always aim to support the establishment of process management by linking it with various knowledge management measures, thus ensuring that your knowledge is available within the company regardless of who is involved.
Read the other blog articles on this topic!