7 - Indira Gandhi Centre for Atomic Research

Knowledge Management in a Research Organization
Joseph JVM., Soundararajan E.,Jayakumar C. and Somasekharan M.
Abstract
Realization of knowledge as the core competence, coupled with recent advances
in information technology, has increased organizational interest in the subject
area - Knowledge Management. Knowledge Management System (KMS) is
directed towards enhancement of the productivity and performance of an
organization. Such a system would empower employees to access a repository
of “best-of-breed” documents, information resources and external knowledge
sources. KMS could provide ‘Expert Knowledge’ on areas that could best
benefit from the skill sets and provide them with the collaborative tools needed
for effective project management. This paper explains the need and impact of
KMS in a research organization and how it would help for researcher’s
work/output and institutional values.
Keywords: Knowledge, Externalization, Knowledge Repository,
Knowledge Management, Knowledge Sharing .
1.Introduction
Information is a key resource in the present day knowledge driven economy. Knowledge
management is necessary for organizations in particular for research organizations because
what worked yesterday may or may not work tomorrow. There is a lot of knowledge,
which is meant to be diffused but mostly either unrecognized or withheld form wider
distribution even within an organization. Thus there is a need for KMS in every
organization, to facilitate a free flow to identify and access intellectual skills, resources
and the expertise available within one’s own orgasnisation.
“Knowledge Management caters to the critical issues of organizational adoption, survival
and competence in face of increasingly discontinuous environmental change. Essentially,
it embodies organizational processes that seek synergistic combination of data and
information processing capacity of information technologies, and the creative and
innovative capacity of human beings”(Malhotra, 1997).
The key factors that have an impact on research organizations are high level of uncertainty
leading to inability to predict the future. Defining goals and objectives, best practices and
use of information technology may not necessarily help the organizations to achieve longterm
organizational competence and survival. The organizations need the capability to
understand the problems in this world of changing environmental conditions. KMS
focuses on doing the right thing more than setting the things right. Hence, it can said that
KMS ensures creation, dissemination, renewal, and application of knowledge towards
organizational sustenance and survival.
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Scientific Information Resource Division, Indira Gandhi Centre for Atomic Research, Kalpakkam .
E-mail joe@igcar.ernet.in
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