History of Information Management (Essay Sample)

Knowledge Management
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March 19, 2021
History of Information Management
Information management deals with the collection and compiling of information from one or more sources, disseminating this information to an audience that is in need of it, and then storing or deleting it. Information management is an intricate process that has lots of key players with different roles that ensure information is of high quality, accessible, and delivered on a timely basis. The history of information management is tied closely to the post-industrial society and it marked the period that ushered in the corporate era that was focused on service provided. The actual turning point into the corporate era is estimated to be in the 1970s which saw the introduction of men in suits show work in offices in big cities. The new era of corporates was built on information exchange raising the need for information management. During these early times of the corporate era, information management was in its infant stage and was only being applied on paper. This was famously referred to as file management.
The advent of computers became a game-changer in the history of information management. These machine boxes proved to be more efficient and powerful in storing and sharing information in a fashion that had never been witnessed before (Foote, 2020). As companies discovered the potential of computers, they adopted them and used them for information management. This change in the way information was being filed so a demand in employees that were qualified to operate the smart gadgets. This was a total revolution that pushed forward the rate of information sharing due to the high speed of computers. The performance of computers increased as the programming languages used on them improved. The initial models of computers, which were programmed using the first-generation programming language, used punch cards to store information (Foote, 2020). Over time, higher-level programming languages were invented that made computers even faster.
By the 1990s computers had taken most of the aspects of information management making the process more complex even for corporates. To assist offset the pressure of the intricacies of information management on corporates, the notion of independent companies that specialized in information management was born. The 2000s saw the building of companies specialized in information management that provided services to other companies. During this period, cloud data management became a reality, which helped in making information management services accessible through the use of the internet. These specialized companies brought increased efficiency, high-quality services, improved security, and faster speeds of information management.
Development of Corporate Knowledge
Corporate knowledge is the information and knowledge on how an organization functions to meet its objectives (Liebowitz and Beckman, 2020). The knowledge can be either tacit, tribal, documented or undocumented, or a combination of all of them. In most organizations, information flows constantly in huge amounts making corporate knowledge grow over time creating the need for knowledge management. As the marketplace began to grow competitive, businesses became more cautious of the quality of knowledge they had on how processes run in their firms. Essential units of business such as the supply chain rely on the availability of raw materials, their manufacturing, and distribution.
As information incessantly and without ceasing continues to flow into companies on a daily basis, it becomes difficult to keep track without setting up a proper mechanism on how it can be managed. This development in companies and the significance of data has necessitated rigorous knowledge management in firms (Liebowitz and Beckman, 2020). Regardless of firm size, a knowledge base is central to an organization’s processes and operations procedures. A reliable knowledge base is important in ensuring that crucial information on various key areas of a firm’s operation and processes is documented and stored in a manner that can be useful, accessible, and beneficial to both the employee and the firm. In this modern era, knowledge bases are built on digital platforms which are more efficient as compared to the earlier ages.
Knowledge management, normally abbreviated as KM is the conscious process of identifying, defining, organizing, storing, and sharing knowledge and experience of workers in a firm. According to Ying-Yen (2019), KM is usually done on a perpetual basis and is meant to develop knowledge assets that give an organization a competitive edge and the ability to meet its objectives. Companies use KM because of the many benefits that it provides. KM helps firms to act intelligently in a way that guarantees their viability and success (Liebowitz and Beckman, 2020). By using KM, organizations are helped to optimize their knowledge assets through building, organizing, deploying, and transforming these assets effectively to meet their goals. Organizations with strong KM are able to improve their employees’ productivity, their connection, and collaboration, prevent valuable information loss, develop proactive problem-solving solutions and save valuable time and money.
Tacit Knowledge
Tacit knowledge has been defined in different ways by different scholars. However, the term tacit knowledge can generally be used to mean knowledge that is acquired through job and experience and it is usually quite difficult to capture and document. In companies, tacit knowledge entails the undocumented traditions, culture, and protocols that make a firm unique. The company management has to find means of ensuring that the tacit knowledge is captured and the information can be shared with new employees and ensure its sustainability. Consequently, the need for proper tacit knowledge management is paramount.
As the adage says, “Knowledge is power”, in an organization this is the case. Knowledge is regarded as the most potent weapon that a company can possess. Effective production, collection, and dissemination of knowledge is crucial in promoting higher organizational performance and innovation (Obrenovic et al., 2020). Through tacit knowledge, companies are able to encourage social interactions between employees and create health bonds that help cement organizational values and loyalty vital for the firm’s success. By fostering good communication between employees, tacit knowledge helps to enhance idea and knowledge exchange between employees leading to professional growth and development. Also, good communication helps to enhance vital values such as teamwork and collaboration.
Given its intangible nature, tacit knowledge requires a smart approach to harness, store, and share. Organizations know how valuable this knowledge is and they usually find ways of ensuring its proper management (Natek and Lesjak, 2021). Since it is usually stored in people’s minds, sharing it through interactions is important to improving employee productivity, expertise, and skills. Through frequent interactions between employees on shared or joint tasks, tacit knowledge is acquired. Businesses have to put in lots of effort to ensure that workers collaborate and communicate with each other on a regular basis as an approach to growing and nurturing the essential unspoken and unwritten knowledge within the company.
Explicit Knowledge
Generally, explicit knowledge is the type of knowledge that can be identified, codified, documented, explained, stored, and shared. It is an objective type of knowledge that is rational and it complements tacit knowledge (Gamble, 2020). Examples of explicit knowledge are many and can be found everywhere. Some examples include presentations, books, reports, instructions, and memos among others. In other words, explicit knowledge is the type of knowledge that exists in material form. Just as the tacit knowledge, explicit knowledge is equally important in running any organization. Unlike tacit knowledge, explicit knowledge can be stored and passed on to other people smoothly and easily. In this computer age, explicit knowledge has been digitized can easily be created, updated, stored, and shared.
Due to its contribution to the life and the future of corporations, firms have to ensure that they have set up an appropriate and efficient mechanism to ensure that explicit knowledge is well managed and is passed on seamlessly either from one management to another or from one corporation to another. Technology has helped make the process of managing explicit knowledge much easier as compared to how things were before computers (Gamble, 2020).
Besides the merits that come with explicit knowledge, that are a set of challenges that are associated with it. By the fact that this kind of knowledge can be documented, there is a huge risk in the information contained in these documents ending up in the wrong hands. As businesses continue being competitive, information about other companies becomes treasure amongst competitors. It is possible for competing companies to still each other’s vital information creating intellectual property problems. Also, explicit knowledge requires a good understanding between the individual who documents and the one who consumes the documented information. If knowledge is not captured properly during documentation, there is a risk of misunderstanding or failing to understand at all leading to loss of knowledge.
Embedded Knowledge
Embedded knowledge can be defined as knowledge that can be found in cult...