Proceedings of the 12th European Conference on Knowledge ...

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positioned. The criterion for choosing <strong>the</strong> partner is always <strong>the</strong> best worldwide reference on <strong>the</strong>
respective subject.
The company is fur<strong>the</strong>rmore concerned about knowing its customer. This knowledge is generated
within <strong>the</strong> company's marketing department, through <strong>the</strong> use <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> following four practices:
Quality Function Deployment Methodology - QFD: seeks to measure customer satisfaction by
comparing what is <strong>of</strong>fered to <strong>the</strong>m by <strong>the</strong> company and by <strong>the</strong> competitors;
Scenario planning: aims to ascertain <strong>the</strong> possible inter-relationships among <strong>the</strong> variables that
make up <strong>the</strong> environment and <strong>the</strong> market;
Use Value: s<strong>of</strong>tware to simulate <strong>the</strong> use <strong>of</strong> different specifications <strong>of</strong> iron ores and metallic
charges compositions for a particular client. This simulation helps <strong>the</strong> company to evaluate <strong>the</strong>
productivity, <strong>the</strong> amount <strong>of</strong> slag generated, <strong>the</strong> consumption <strong>of</strong> coke required, among o<strong>the</strong>r
important information. Based on that information, <strong>the</strong> company can identify <strong>the</strong> products’
properties that bring real gains to <strong>the</strong> client and price <strong>the</strong> product more effectively.
Headlights Quality Program: this program aims to compare each property <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> iron ore or <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong>
pellets to <strong>the</strong> satisfaction <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> customers.
4.3 Knowledge codification
The codification <strong>of</strong> knowledge aims to develop <strong>the</strong> organizational memory and to minimize <strong>the</strong>
company's losses. The program designed for this purpose is called Identification <strong>of</strong> Critical
Technologies and its steps can be seen in <strong>the</strong> table below:
Table2: Steps <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> program: Identification <strong>of</strong> Critical Technologies
Steps Responsible
1 Instruction on how to identify critical Technological Development Department
technologies
2 Identification <strong>of</strong> critical technologies All departments
3 Codification process Technological Development Department
with <strong>the</strong> help <strong>of</strong> all departments
4 Information sharing Technological Development Department
5 Follow up <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> critical technologies Technological Development Department
Source: interviews
The first step <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> program is <strong>the</strong> organization <strong>of</strong> a workshop in which <strong>the</strong> departments are
instructed on how to identify critical technologies. The critical technologies are identified through an
evaluation based on predefined criteria such as urgency and impact on <strong>the</strong> organization.
Once identified, <strong>the</strong> Technological Development Department is responsible for interviewing <strong>the</strong>
employees who possess <strong>the</strong> knowledge about <strong>the</strong> critical technologies, by applying a script consisting
<strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> following items: a brief history, difficulties in applying <strong>the</strong> technology, existence <strong>of</strong> standard
procedures, visits carried out to search for references, standards associated with <strong>the</strong> technology,
related procedures, existence <strong>of</strong> recorded information about <strong>the</strong> technology such as a film or
photographs, possibility <strong>of</strong> patenting, people who know <strong>the</strong> technology, related documents and
additional comments.
These interviews are transcribed and made available on <strong>the</strong> intranet, so that, all employees have
access not only to <strong>the</strong> information but also to <strong>the</strong> employee who was interviewed. Each quarter, <strong>the</strong>
Technological Development Department should check <strong>the</strong> emergence <strong>of</strong> new technologies or <strong>the</strong> loss
<strong>of</strong> importance <strong>of</strong> technologies once considered critical.
4.4 Knowledge sharing
Five practices are highlighted regarding <strong>the</strong> sharing <strong>of</strong> knowledge within <strong>the</strong> company. First,
employees are in charge <strong>of</strong> passing on <strong>the</strong> information obtained at conferences and seminars.
Information technology supports this practice through a form available on <strong>the</strong> intranet.
The second practice is <strong>the</strong> company's management model, which includes a series <strong>of</strong> meetings that
contribute to <strong>the</strong> exchange <strong>of</strong> information among employees. There are annual lectures in which <strong>the</strong>
Board informs about <strong>the</strong> company’s vision and <strong>the</strong> actions being taken to achieve it. There are also
lectures led by <strong>the</strong> general managers in which <strong>the</strong> company's results regarding production, quality,
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