Knowledge Management And The Efficiency Of The Organization (Essay Sample)

Knowledge Management
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Introduction
The roll out of the National Broadband Network sites has stopped as a result of poor workmanship and flouting of the safety rules. Telstra is the company that is responsible for the project and it had contracted the work to small contractors. However, the contractor do not have adequate skills to carry out the works hence leading to the poor handling of asbestos which has negative impacts on human health. The contractor does not have knowledge on how to identify the asbestos and treat it. The workers as well as the members of the public may have been affected due to the poor handling of asbestos. The exposure to asbestos dust may lead to cancer as it is one of the carcinogenic materials. Telstra owns the pits and pipe infrastructure and it is also responsible for ensuring that the infrastructures and the pits are in good condition. NBN Co on the other hand leases the pits and infrastructure from Telstra where its cables are fitted. The problem facing the project has been brought about by the inability of Telstra to be fully involved in the implementation of the works being carried out by the contractors. Although Telstra knows how to identify the pits and treat them it does not know where the pits are as it has contracted the work. This was brought about after the company got rid of the technical staff that had adequate knowledge to carry out such activities. The concepts of knowledge management are important in dealing with problems affecting an organization (McDonald, 2005). The problem is therefore related to knowledge management since a gap exists at the technical department of the company. The paper is therefore an intervention system that is aimed at addressing the problem through the use of knowledge management concepts.
Objective
To improve on the efficiency of the organization in terms of its technical ability to ensure that every single pit meets the required health and safety standards so as to avoid the negative effects of asbestos.
Existing knowledge and solution at the company
Telstra which is involved in the project currently has knowledge in terms of identifying and treating asbestos although its technical capacity is limited. The company had qualified personnel at the technical department who could handle the project effectively. However, the personnel working at the technical department were retrenched by the company as part of the measures to reduce costs. The contractors who are directly involved in the implementation process lacks the knowledge to identify and treat asbestos. The company therefore lacks the knowledgeable personnel and technology which may make it difficult to meet the safety standards required by Comcare. Some of the personnel at the company do not even understand English and this makes it difficult for them to follow the safety guidelines. The lack of knowledge at the company is therefore the major factor that contributed to poor workmanship. The contactors also lack technology that can be used for the purposes of identifying and treating the asbestos pit. A safety management system is however in place at Telstra. .
Knowledge needs
The knowledge needs is with regards to the effects of the asbestos in the pits and pipes on the health and safety of the employees.
The technical experience and expertise with regards to handling asbestos to avoid health effects.
Impacts of organizational change after the dismissal of the employees in the technical department at Telstra.
Lack of knowledge, skill and expertise by the contractor directly responsible for the implementation of the project.
Supervision gap created by the dismissal of employees by Telstra.
Conflicts between Telstra and NBC Co.
Actors
Different actors have to be involved in the development and implementation of the knowledge management system (Dalkir, 2013). The Contactor is the key actor that will be involved in the knowledge creation and training of the technical staff members. This is considering that contractor is responsible for the implementation of the project. The contractor is therefore directly responsible for the safety of the employees and community members. Telstra is also an actor as it owns the pits and the infrastructure. NBN Co leases the pits from Telstra and it can also be considered as the clients of the knowledge management system alongside Telstra. A huge responsibility is on the managers of Telstra as they own the pits as well as the infrastructure. The technical members of staff who will be employed by the contractor will be the enablers. The enablers are directly involved in the operations of the system on a daily basis. The contractors are also involved in the implementation of the project. Telstra will facilitate the implementation process as it owns the pits as well as the pipe infrastructure. The company will therefore act as the facilitator as well as the custodian of the project. Different actors have to work together for the purposes of ensuring that the objectives of the knowledge management system are achieved. The CEO of the company will act as an advocate of the knowledge management system in order for the project to gain support from all the actors.
Candidate techniques for intervention
There are different types of knowledge management systems that can be used for the purposes of solving problems within an organization. Some of the knowledge management systems can be use for the purposes of solving the problems that is facing the company. Knowledge mapping is one of the intervention techniques that may be used for the purposes of identifying and solving the problem. Knowledge creation is also one of the important types of knowledge management system. This involves putting in place measures to ensure that the required knowledge is generated within the organization (Williams, 2014). Connecting people is also one of the important knowledge management systems that can be used for the intervention process. Connecting people involves putting in place measures to ensure that teamwork is enhanced within the organization. This has a potential of ensuring that the members of the staff are able to coordinate different activities or projects being carried out by the organization. A decision support knowledge management system is also a candidate for the intervention. This is considering that some of the decisions that were made by the organization contributed to the problem. The intervention techniques are mainly aimed at addressing the knowledge management gap at the company that is responsible for the problems that led to the breach of health and safety.
Proposed Knowledge Management System: Knowledge mapping
The contractor currently lacks technical members of staff who can supervise the process and ensure that health and safety is enhanced. The most appropriate system is the use of knowledge mapping in order to ensure that they have the capacity to identify and treat the pits with asbestos. Knowledge mapping mainly involves the acquisition of data, manipulation, storage, processing and manipulation. The knowledge map for Telstra will be for the purposes of determining the responsibilities of each stakeholder and the areas that the knowledge is likely to grow. This is for the purposes of ensuring that the required standards are attained through the use of technology. However, k...